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Plans have been formally put on hold for a 91-acre film and TV soundstage complex outside of London that had been billed as a major foray for the Sunset Studios brand outside the United States.

Sunset Studios, owned by operator Hudson Pacific along with significant investor Blackstone, had announced the project in 2021 during what may have been the height of the streaming content spending boom on film and TV projects.

The owners had touted the Sunset Waltham Cross Studios project as opening in 2026, with Hudson Pacific CEO Victor Coleman saying the company had the ability to start construction in 2022. But a broad pullback in spending by major studios and a focus on cost-cutting and profitability for streaming platforms has impacted some speculative building of studio soundstage complexes.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn that the planned Sunset Studios facility will now not proceed. It is my understanding that the market...

As return to production in Los Angeles continues to be slow in the wake of Hollywood’s 2023 strikes, production tracking service ProdPro is launching a new tool that aims to help film workers find upcoming jobs and connect with colleagues.

The new service, ProdPro Network, provides a platform for crew members to see ProdPro’s research on film and television projects in prep and in development and locate the department heads who will be working on those titles. By filling out their work history and connecting with past colleagues on the platform, crew members can be served projects to which they have some professional connection. Early-career users with shorter resumés and fewer relationships, meanwhile, can follow hiring managers and track titles that are in the pipeline. Once they have thrown their hat into the ring for a job, users can track their applications through the platform.

IATSE Local 871 — the crew union that represents writers assistants,...

The real estate firm behind a plan for a 266,000-square-foot film and TV studio located in Manhattan has unveiled a deal with operator Hudson Pacific and financial backer Blackstone to build on the Pier 94 location on the Hudson River.

The project, now titled Sunset Pier 94 Studios, has been in the works for years from New York-based firm Vornado Realty Trust, which holds the lease to the land. The plan calls for six soundstages and 145,000 square feet of production support space and offices. Appearing aimed at addressing community concerns, the project also touted 25,000 square feet “of waterfront open space and pier access” along with public restroom facilities at the Hudson River Park.

A $350 million investment will be made toward building the project, which is expected to break ground in the third quarter of this year for planned completion in 2025, the companies said Tuesday.

On Aug. 1, during an earnings call, Vornado’s...

The exponential growth in content production has had ripple effects across the media and entertainment eco-system. The management of soundstages and related services is one of them.

Hudson Pacific, a real estate investment trust, has been investing significantly in studio lots in Hollywood, Atlanta, Toronto and other production hubs. Jeff Stotland, a Disney strategy executive who joined Hudson Pacific last year, is leading the charge for the company as executive VP of global studios. Last month, Hudson Pacific scooped up Culver City-based Quixote Studios for 360 million.

“We’re in the picks and shovels business,” Stotland says on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business. “We’re in the business of providing picks and shovels for the studio folks to go produce their content and mine for gold to come up with that next amazing piece of content.”

Hudson Pacific’s strategy is to be one-stop shopping for major producers...

Institutional investment firm Blackstone and real estate outfit Hudson Pacific Properties are planning a $1B film and TV studio development in the UK’s Hertfordshire.

The project is an expansion of the companies’ existing facility, California’s Sunset Studios, which has housed shoots including La La Land and Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

The partners have purchased a 91-acre site, 17 miles north of central London, through a joint venture for $120M. The build, which is subject to planning permission, is expected to be large enough to create 4,500 permanent jobs and inject £300M ($420M) into the local economy.

The location is close to existing facilities Elstree Studios and Warner Bros Leavesden.

This is the latest development in the feverish expansion of UK film and TV shooting space – dubbed the ‘space race’ – with the country’s creative industry rapidly growing in recent years as U.S. studios target the generous tax credit,...

Sunset Studios, the Hollywood studio facility that set the stage (literally) for hits such as “La La Land” and “When Harry Met Sally,” is headed to Hertfordshire in the U.K.

Real estate company Hudson Pacific Properties, who own Sunset Studios, have partnered with private equity firm Blackstone Group to create a film, TV and digital production facility in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. It will be Hudson Pacific’s first international expansion. Together with Blackstone, they own 35 sound stages and on-site creative offices in the U.S.

The 91-acre site, which cost £120 million ($167 million) is approximately an hour’s drive from Central London, a similar distance from London to Leavesden studios, where the “Harry Potter” and “Batman” franchises have been filmed. The sites will be about 15 miles apart.

Hertfordshire is also home to Elstree Studios, home to hits including “The Crown” and “Star Wars.”

Blackstone and Hudson Pacific’s total investment in...

Hudson Pacific and Blackstone are adding a fourth project to their Sunset Studios family, unveiling plans to build Sunset Glenoaks Studios amid a booming development market for sound stages.

The state-of-the-art, purpose-built location in Sun Valley is at 11070 W. Peoria Street, a 20-minute drive from Hollywood and ten minutes from Burbank. It will cover 240,000 square feet on over 10 acres with seven sound stages. Construction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023 at a cost of $170-$190 million.

The Sunset Studios brand already includes three existing studios in Hollywood — Sunset Gower Studios, Sunset Bronson Studios and Sunset Las Palmas Studios — also jointly owned by Hudson Pacific and funds managed by Blackstone in a deal announced a year ago. Those three have 35 sound stages (1.2 million square feet).

Sunset Glenoaks’ film-and-tv ready stages will range from 15,000 to 21,000 square feet, all with 35 to 40-foot clear heights. Plans are for 120,000 square feet...

Investment group Blackstone is buying a big minority stake in three Hollywood studios — Sunset Bronson, Sunset Gower and Sunset Las Palmas Studios — with 35 sound stages (1.2 million square feet) from owner Hudson Pacific Properties. The partners are planning to build more together in what appears to be an overall booming development market for studio sound stages.

Netflix is the portfolio’s largest tenant, leasing over 700,000 square feet, in addition to signing long-term deals for stages and production space, the partners, who have worked together on other projects in Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver, said Monday.

They didn’t give a purchase price but said the total value of the assets in the new joint venture’s portfolio is $1.65 billion, valuing Blackstone’s share at about $808 million. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

Hudson Pacific, a publicly traded, West Coast focused real estate investment trust, said Blackstone Property...

Google is going where Clueless went before: The company has leased the entirety of a redevelopment at the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

Property owners Hudson Pacific Properties and Macerich made the announcement today that Google, Inc. signed a 14-year lease for a planned 584,000-square-foot “creative office campus” at the West Los Angeles site. Google’s lease term is expected to begin in 2022 following completion of construction.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted today that Google and HudsonPPI “are making powerful investments in L.A. & the genius of our people by turning part of the Westside Pavilion into offices. When the jobs of tomorrow go near transit hubs, we create opportunities for every community to thrive & be part of defining the future.” One Westside is located near a light rail station and “proximate” to the I-405 and I-10 freeways.

Construction on the redevelopment of what’s being called One Westside will begin later this year,...

Netflix has leased an entire 13-story Hollywood office building soon to be completed that will give the streaming giant 327,913 square feet of additional office space in Los Angeles, suitable for a company that is spending $8 billion just this year to create 700 original shows and 80 movies for its service.

It will begin moving into the building — Hudson Pacific’s Epic, located at 5901 Sunset Blvd — beginning in 2020. The lease runs into 2031.

The company has also just extended lease deals with Hudson for their current Icon and Cue facilities across the street on the Sunset Bronson Studios lot, which affords them and additional 325,757 square feet and 91,953 square feet of office space, respectively, between them. If you’re doing the math, the full Hudson deal today encompasses 745,623 square feet in that part of town.

“Epic is part of our continuing investment in L.A. and Hollywood. We’re thrilled to be able to continue to grow our team there,...