Artjail Makes Moves in Santa Monica

VFX boutique Artjail today unveils its new studio in Santa Monica. Moving into a fresh location that’s all its own, the larger space accommodates Artjail’s expanding team, kit, and in-person client needs, while keeping the boutique in the centre of one of the main hubs for production companies and advertising agencies.

The Artjail team first opened in a shared LA studio in 2022, marking the third addition to its New York and Toronto offices. Now with more space, the team will be grown to be able to take on large scale projects independently, while also being able to collaborate with New York for even greater capacity, sharing the same work pipeline.

Creative director and partner JD Yepes is the LA linchpin, heavily involved in all projects, as well as recruiting and sales. Executive creative director, founder, and partner Steve Mottershead will be working across all three studios to oversee the brand, Elizabeth Thuvanuti Keating takes on the role of head of production, and John Skeffington maintains the culture, business planning, and sales as managing director, executive producer, and partner.

Artjail is now looking to more rapidly extend its reach into the LA and west coast area with both existing and new clients, having already grown a loyal client base there from its New York hub over the last decade. The team has already set about doing so, recently completing work for AT&T’s March Madness basketball campaign with BBDO LA and Imperial Woodpecker director Stacey Wall, Hard Rock Hotels with Gale LA and Smuggler director Jovan Todorovic, and a Super Bowl spot for Total by Verizon with Ogilvy and RadicalMedia director Fred Armisen. 

JD Yepes, VFX creative director and partner at Artjail, comments: “Our aspiration for Artjail LA is to continue striving for what we’ve aspired to since day one: to be the trusted VFX studio that executes with a high level of care, passion, and personal connection that can only be achieved at a boutique level where true partnerships and collaborations are created. With three offices, we now have a bigger foundation to build upon, and that gives us the opportunity to think about what the Artjail brand could look like in the future while maintaining slow, steady, and sustainable growth and leaving the door open for more opportunities, more talent, and more collaborators.”