MONTREAL — Visual effect studio Real by Fake, (C.R.A.Z.Y., Café de Flore, Dallas Buyers Club, Wild, and
Demolition) are set to acquire the Santa Monica-based studio, Local Hero, whose credits include
Mr. Robot, Captain Fantastic and
Pitch Perfect. The two companies recently collaborated on post production and VFX for HBO’s hit limited series
Big Little Lies and
Sharp Objects. The strategic acquisition creates an end-to-end, international post production and VFX boutique. Real By Fake gains a significant presence in the Los Angeles area, while Local Hero’s established Hollywood brand extends to Montréal.
Photo (L-R): Steve Bannerman, Leandro Marini & Marc Cote
The companies will offer a full suite of services in both Montréal and LA. Their list of services include workflow consulting and look development, film & television tax credit-claiming expertise in Québec, California and Georgia; dailies; VFX; editorial suites; digital intermediate; sound packages; mastering and deliverables, including 4K, VR and Dolby Vision HDR. The companies will retain the Real by Fake brand for VFX and the Local Hero brand for all other post services.
“We have partnered with the folks at Local Hero for quite some time, and we’ve admired what they have achieved over the past 12 years,” says Marc Côté, Real by Fake founder and president. “As we worked together more closely, the synergies between our companies became hard to ignore. We’re very excited to officially extend the Real by Fake family with the capabilities and reputation of Hollywood’s premiere post boutique, and a team that shares our mission, goals and culture".
“Our companies share a common vision and this strategic acquisition will dramatically expand our capacity, adding a world-class VFX and post team in Montréal, while also allowing us to offer our clients seamless access to lucrative tax incentives in Canada, California and Georgia,” adds Steve Bannerman, CEO of Local Hero. “Our scalable suite of picture and sound services under one roof, combined with our exceptional boutique experience, offers our US and Canadian clients the best of all worlds. We couldn’t be more delighted.”
Marc Côté will continue to serve as the president of Real by Fake (www.realbyfake.com), and run all Canadian operations. Steve Bannerman will continue as CEO of Local Hero (www.localheropost.com) and run all US operations. Leandro Marini will continue to manage all Local Hero creative services and support customers.
"Local Hero has built an outstanding brand in the film and TV industry and we’re thrilled to develop it internationally", adds Jérôme Arnaud, Real By Fake’s GM. "We can now bridge the innovations we build in Montréal with one of the largest DI theaters in the world, located in a highly desirable West side LA location. And, we’re already planning expansion into multiple additional suites in Santa Monica."