Why We Chose the Name “Foxtrot X-Ray”

Initially our founder Paul DeNigris was going to call his company “PDFX” based on his initials, but then he quickly realized that in order to be clear on the phone, he’d often have to spell it out with military phonetics (a standard practice on movie sets) as “Papa Delta Foxtrot X-Ray.” Suddenly inspiration struck - “Foxtrot X-Ray” had a nice ring to it, and a quick web search revealed that the “foxtrotxray.com” domain was available. The image of our logo popped fully-formed into Paul’s head and he quickly described it to one of his former students, illustrator Gwyneth Christoffel, who created the version you see today.

Our mascot, Victor (as in “Victor Foxtrot X-Ray” or “VFX”), designed by Gwyneth Chrisroffel

Embracing our Inner Fox

Sometimes described as “cat software running on dog hardware,” foxes are known to be adaptable, creative, playful, resilient, gregarious, and prone to mischief. Much like VFX artists, foxes can be nocturnal and must keep their wits about them because brute strength is not their forte. They love to explore and have a passion for overcoming challenges, often thriving in environments with scarce resources. Foxes run in small packs (called a “skulk”), much like our small, passionate team here at Foxtrot X-Ray.

All in all we couldn’t think of a better mascot to represent our core principles:

  • Serve the pack

  • Be smart, resourceful, adaptable, and quick

  • Keep learning and growing

  • Make some mischief