MONTRÉAL – Academy Award-winning visual effects studio Digital Domain (www.digitaldomain.com) has launched a new studio in Montreal. Digital Domain Montréal is the company’s ninth location worldwide and will focus on feature films, episodic and streaming while supporting other groups within the multi-faceted VFX house. The opening marks the fourth new location for Digital Domain since 2016, with all locations – including the new Montréal office – reporting directly to Los Angeles, the headquarters of Digital Domain’s VFX business.
“We are fully committed to our visual effects business in North America, as it’s integral to our global roadmap,” said group executive director and CEO Daniel Seah. “Montréal is a vibrant city and a strategic location for us to expand our network of studios, rounding out the time zones of our 24-hour global organization. We are appreciative of the guidance and assistance we’ve received from the Québec government, Montréal International and Investissement Québec in welcoming Digital Domain to the Montréal VFX community.”
Digital Domain Montréal will immediately house around 130 new artists and staff, who will collaborate and share work with the nearly 1,500 Digital Domain employees around the world. The new studio is already working on several projects and will soon be working on projects for Marvel, Sony and 20th Century Studios.
“Digital Domain is currently in a renaissance,” says Digital Domain VFX global president John Fragomeni. “From films and episodic content to our pioneering work with digital humans, we are generating more exciting work than ever, creating a need to expand our global footprint to meet our growing demand. To complement our strong talent base in Vancouver, Montréal was an obvious choice and one that our clients had been requesting from us. With a thriving VFX community and a deep talent pool, it was an easy fit, and the Québec government itself has been a generous and supportive partner to us every step of the way.”
The new Montréal studio is located in the historic Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, known for its distinctive architecture and access to parks, along with several international tech companies and a booming startup community. The new 35,000-square-foot facility will include a screening room, multiple editorial bays and room to expand to accommodate up to 500 artists and staff.
Since its founding in 1993, Digital Domain has remained at the forefront of visual effects, earning multiple Academy Awards nominations and wins for films like Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Avengers: Infinity War and Ready Player One. Digital Domain’s artists and developers have also won eight Scientific and Technical Achievement awards, 37 Clio Awards, 22 AICP awards, nine Cannes Lion, multiple BAFTAs, VES Awards and more.