The London-based studio celebrates 15 years with its first international expansion after delivering VFX on projects such as ‘For All Mankind,’ ‘The Irregulars,’ and HBO Max’s award-winning ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’
Independent London, U.K.-based VFX studio Union has announced the launch of its first international studio in Montréal, Canada. The studio’s expansion coincides with its upcoming 15th-anniversary celebration; its steady growth has earned it a solid industry reputation for working on story-led, director-driven projects.
Founded in 2008 by Adam Gascoyne and Tim Caplan, Union has worked on numerous projects, from period dramas to dystopian fantasies, including collaborations with Oscar and BAFTA-winning directors such as Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, Sam Mendes, and Stephen Frears. Since 2020 the company has invested in growing its CG team – it has delivered VFX on projects including For All Mankind, The Irregulars, Operation Mincemeat, Wheel of Time, Moon Knight, Pennyworth, and HBO Max’s award-winning The Banshees of Inisherin.
“Adam and I have backgrounds at bigger VFX studios, and our plan with Union was to build a VFX company that had all the best bits from our experiences with the benefits and personability of an independent studio,” explained Caplan. “Over the last 15 years, we've definitely achieved this in London and, with the ongoing upturn in film and tv projects globally, the time is right to do the same in another region.”
“We decided on Montréal pre-pandemic,” he continued. “It’s the perfect place ideally positioned for us to work with clients across multiple time zones with an incredible pool of local VFX talent and a generous tax relief system. All this, plus finding a brilliant studio space, made it a no-brainer. We are all hugely excited about this next chapter for Union.”
Union just completed work on Prime Video’s nine-part series, The Power, which debuted last week.
The company is growing its Canadian team and recruiting technical, creative, and production roles across all levels.
Source: Union
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
