DD: What we know so far

June 14, 2013 by 29 Comments

We would like to take a moment to summarize what we have heard about significant changes announced at Digital Domain so far.

As a disclaimer, this information comes from secondary sources and some of it is potentially hearsay. If we got something wrong, please speak up and correct us!

Digital Domain had a company-wide meeting yesterday on June 13th. In it, CEO Ed Ulbrich informed employees about long-standing rumors that have been circulating around. We have summarized the main talking points in the list below.

  • DD Executive management feels that in order to remain competitive in feature production, it simply is no longer cost-effective to perform shot production in Los Angeles.
  • All shot production work will take place in Vancouver and elsewhere for features, no longer in Los Angeles.
  • DD Venice facility, located at 300 Hampton Drive, to close permanently sometime before the end of the year. It has long been rumored that the lease on the buildings expires this year, and they opted not to renew it.
  • DD Commercials is doing well, and will remain in the Playa Vista facility.
  • Production management, executive management, creative supervision, look development, systems, and pipeline to remain in Los Angeles.
  • DD unable to locate a building to house feature, commercial, and virtual production in the area.
  • DD currently employs roughly 450 people in the Los Angeles area, including features and commercials. That number is to be scaled down to 250, and all remaining employees will be consolidated in the Playa Vista facility.
  • Minor layoffs occurred in the Venice facility yesterday. Exact count or what positions/departments affected unknown.
  • Timeline for closure of Venice facility and relocation of remaining employees to Playa Vista unknown, but will most likely happen before the end of 2013.

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Is DD ready to be organized?

March 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

Many of you have read VFXSoldier’s excellent post on some of the more questionable labor practices of Digital Domain Media Group.

We at OccupyVFX are under the impression that it is high time to mount an organizing effort for Digital Domain employees in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Since Florida is a right-to-work state it may prove more difficult to include them at first. Our goal is to follow the lead of new blogger SpiUnion and bring Digital Domain into the organizing drive.

Is the climate right for this? Artists and production management personnel must be sufficiently concerned about their current employer to want to make a change for the better. So I put it to you: is DD ready to be organized?

We would love to hear your comments on the issue. All comments posted to this page are visible to the public, so if you wish to communicate with us privately, please feel free to email us. You will find contact information on the About page of this site.

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