You can thank The Smurfs for this one Vancouver. Because of the success of the big screen adaptation of those little blue freaks, Sony Pictures Imageworks is expanding their effects and animation studio in the Yaletown area by adding another 16,000 square feet of space (bringing their total to 32,000 square feet)! The location is currently working on the upcoming blockbusters Men in Black 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a few other big productions. This is great news for Vancouver as more space should equal more jobs. Check out the full press release below.
Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award-winning visual effects and digital character animation company, will expand its Vancouver, British Columbia capacity by opening an additional 16,000 square feet of space in the Yaletown area for work on the current productions MEN IN BLACK 3, THE AMAZING-SPIDER-MAN, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and Sony Pictures Animation’s HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA now underway.
Imageworks’ established its Vancouver office in 2010. Its growing presence builds on the Vancouver studio’s experience with THE SMURFS production for Sony Pictures Animation and the successful integration of the Canadian team with Imageworks’ Culver City workforce and infrastructure. The new office effectively doubles the floor space. The two Vancouver locations, two blocks apart, are fully connected to Imageworks’ Culver City data center. Imageworks Canada will occupy a total of 32,000 square feet of office space when the new location comes online in March.
“Vancouver today is a vibrant digital production center that offers a strong talent base and significant government incentives vital to our ability to deliver exceptional quality and value to our clients,” said Randy Lake, executive vice-president and general manager of Sony Pictures Imageworks
“Our government is proud to support an emerging industry and we are pleased to see Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada expand,” said Hon. Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “The company’s growth and success confirms British Columbia is a place for business in digital media to grow and prosper.”
“Imageworks Canada here in Vancouver is a true extension of the Culver City studio,” says Rick Mischel, Imageworks’ Senior Vice President of Satellite Production, who is based in Vancouver. “Video conference, large-screen viewing suites that mirror the set-up in Culver City, and data transfer connect the artists here directly to our home base.”
“To have Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada expand their studio space by an additional 16,000 square feet is a great vote of confidence in Vancouver,” said City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We’ve worked hard to make our city a global destination for digital media talent, and are thrilled that Imageworks is putting down deeper roots in Vancouver.”
Top image: A scene from The Smurfs. Courtesy Sony Pictures.
