Emmy-winning VFX company Zoic Studios has announced that the privately-owned entertainment studio has transitioned to a remote work-first business, embracing workplace shifts spurred by the pandemic. The shift gives all employees the opportunity to work remotely indefinitely, maintaining seamless quality for clients while innovating the work experience for its staff. In addition to the globalization of talent afforded by this shift, the company swiftly saw success and an uptick in productivity while collaborating in a fully digital environment. The company will retain its physical offices for employees in Culver City, CA, New York City and Vancouver for in-person collaboration and special projects. The office spaces will also be available to employees as an option to work in person while adhering to all local health guidelines.
Working remotely, their team of over 400 full-time staffers has collaborated on some of the top series of the past year, including Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, AppleTV+’s SEE and For All Mankind, WandaVision for Disney+ and Superman & Lois for Warner Bros. An existing technical pipeline where servers were accessed from a remote location paired with an established highly collaborative infrastructure across the company’s three international offices, the company has continued its high volume output while working remotely. Additionally, they have remained dedicated to executing on the company’s mission of “visual evolution” by doubling down on real-time filmmaking technologies with the launch of Zoic’s Real-Time Group, which has already been put to use on many of the aforementioned series.
Another key component of the success of a fully remote workflow for Zoic has been a deliberate investment in company culture. While spontaneous team lunches or happy hours may be misaligned with transitions out of video meetings, they have continued to create virtual opportunities for the team to connect, including monthly all team meetings to provide transparency and motivation from a C-Suite perspective and seasonal virtual opportunities to socialize.
Notes Zoic Studios EVP of Global Productions Kristen Branan, “After everyone settled into their new work-from-home environment, we quickly realized we could be even more creative and effective in delivering high-quality series, commercials, and feature film work. Eliminating the long commutes, distractions and white noise that used to make up a typical day–we’ve discovered a newer, stronger Zoic Studios. We’ve proven to be more productive, cohesive, and efficient in a way we couldn’t have foreseen. The outlook of the company and its employees has never been better!”
