FuseFX Los Angeles has moved its headquarters into a 27,000 square foot facility in the Sherman Oaks area. Comprising two free-standing buildings, the new site can accommodate the company’s 150 local staff, and is equipped with state-of-the-art workstations, four screening rooms, a 4K infrastructure, dedicated broadband connections to operations in New York and Vancouver, and room for the studio’s expected growth to 250 employees.
The company was founded in 2006 by Emmy-winning VFX Supervisor David Altenau at a time when many L.A. studios were downscaling or pulling up stakes. FuseFX rode out the upheaval by developing an efficient multi-production proprietary workflow and hiring on top talent. Executive Producer Tim Jacobsen and CTO Jason Fotter joined as partners in 2008, helping steer the studio’s steady growth. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti lauded the company’s commitment to “creating opportunity and raising the next generation of animators and designers in L.A.” during an opening ceremony for the new facility this week.
SoCal operations are now conveniently located for both studios and independent producers in Burbank, Hollywood and the Westside. The facility’s campus-like environment also offers more proximity between team members than the previous set-up spread across several Burbank buildings.
The new facility features a 10-gigabit infrastructure capable of managing 4K media and other large data files in real-time. Its 15 rack server room is designed for the easy expansion of storage and rendering resources as needs grow. Sohonet broadband connections will allow artists at FuseFX’s L.A., NYC and Vancouver sites to seamlessly share data and resources. The facility’s four screening rooms include a 20-seat theater equipped with 4K projection and monitoring systems. Space is available for more technical resources, including the possible addition of 4K color grading and finishing.
FuseFX currently produces VFX for shows including American Crime Story, Scorpion, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Empire, Criminal Minds, Bones, Turn, The Blacklist, The Magicians, Preacher and Zoo. The company won an Emmy Award in 2015 for its work on American Horror Story. It also provides visual effects for a growing number of feature films and commercials. The company recently formed a division focused on virtual reality under the banner FuseVR.
