HBO taps CFX in ‘Game of Thrones’ licensing deal – B.R. company’s masks coming this spring

Composite Effects (CFX), a Baton Rouge company that specializes in silicone masks, special effects and props, has landed a licensing deal with HBO to mass-produce products for the popular show Game of Thrones. Their “White Walker” costume masks, based on mythological characters from the show, are set for a spring 2014 release.

The deal is the latest bit of good news for the burgeoning company, which has also been tapped to help Skybound’s production of The Walking Dead: Escape, a zombie-themed obstacle course coming to the River Center April 24.

CFX sculptor and media relations director Diana Branton says work on the White Walker silicone mask and costume pieces began during season three of the HBO series.

Last June, Branton contacted HBO and gave the television company more information about CFX’s work. Soon after, Branton was having a conversation with HBO’s licensing manager, and they started working together to recreate the White Walker mask and costume pieces for distribution.

“This is a huge deal,” she says. “HBO is very specific and careful about how they license things. They have high standards. They would rather not offer a product than offer something that’s merely OK. They’ve set the bar in product licensing.”

The White Walkers are a superhuman race from the fantasy series. Blizzards and freezing temperatures usually accompany their arrival.

More than eight million tuned in to Game of Thrones‘ season four premiere Sunday. HBO’s streaming service, HBO Go, crashed as a result of millions of viewers trying to see Sunday night’s episode. The series is the second most popular HBO show, trailing only The Sopranos in number of total viewers.

More information on how to buy CFX’s White Walker masks will be available soon.

Wes Branton and Kenny Decker started CFX in 2006. The studio’s work has been featured in countless movies, including 2Guns, The Campaign and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Last month, CFX released its line of haunt masks based on the seven deadly sins.