Leading Global Creative Studio Framestore Relocates

Framestore, the award-winning global creative studio and visual effects business, which has just won a BAFTA for Blade Runner 2049 and is behind the world’s first ever shared VR experience, “Field Trip to Mars”, has reinforced its commitment to the UK creative economy and joined the innovators expanding from the traditional Soho circle of creativity, with a 100,000 sq. ft. new headquarters, at 28 Chancery Lane.

The move will bring the company’s 1,100 London-based staff together into one central hub of talent and expertise, and is a milestone moment following 31 years of working between five separate offices in Soho. The new Holborn office puts Framestore right in the heart of the capital’s newly nicknamed “Creative Corridor”, which stretches from West London to Shoreditch in East London, and has already welcomed Amazon and Facebook.

CEO and Founder, Sir William Sargent, comments:

“Our move to Chancery Lane is a natural evolution of our business in response to changing client needs. We built our foundations in the worlds of TV, Film and Advertising, but in recent years our work has expanded into new industries such as VR and AR. We’re seeing our client base widening outside of the usual Soho boundaries, and at the same time are being asked to deliver increasingly advanced, multi-disciplined projects that require all facets of our creative and technological services. To keep up with this shift and continue building on our legacy of creative innovation, we need a central space in which our people can work more closely, really push the boundaries of imagination and produce stellar work.”  

“Our new Holborn home is absolutely the right place for us to continue our journey. The area has a real buzz about it and is the ideal environment for us to work in close collaboration with our clients, providing support and expertise at every stage of the creative process.”

The nine-floor, 100,000 sq. ft. office has been designed by an expert group of architects, interior designers and VFX specialists with collaboration and technological excellence in mind. Alongside large, open-plan spaces and break-out areas, the office has been equipped with the very latest technology needed to deliver increasingly specific and complex VFX briefs.

Facebook moved into a new office in Soho in December. EMEA Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, comments:

“The UK is one of the best places to be a technology company and has been an important part of Facebook’s story since 2007. Framestore is a leading player in the creative technology scene so it’s fantastic that the company is reaffirming its commitment to London with its new global headquarters.”

Framestore’s reinvestment in its London headquarters is also an important vote in the capital’s creative economy at a time when the global industry expands. Sargent comments: “The creative sector has long been driven by the West, with most major projects stemming from the US, Canada and Europe. However in recent years there has been a marked shift in this trajectory, with Eastern markets such as India and China really rising to the fore and unlocking a much broader landscape of expertise and experience. Our industry’s global offering is enhanced and London is in a critical geographic position to support and capitalise on this West-to-East equilibrium.”

“Our move to 28 Chancery Lane is a major opportunity for our business, our people and our clients. In Soho we created everything from Walking with Dinosaurs to the famous Guinness Surfer advert. With the new office space and technology ready to go, we can’t wait to see what briefs will land on our desks in 2018 and beyond.”