Blackstone and Hudson Pacific Properties Announce Plans for New World-Class Film and TV Studios in the UK
2.8.2021 10:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Blackstone (NYSE: BX) and Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) plan to create a major new centre for film, TV and digital production in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210802005278/en/
Artist Impression No. 1 (Photo: Business Wire)
Funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate Partners and Hudson Pacific Properties acquired a 91-acre site, 17 miles north of central London, through a joint venture for £120 million. The acquisition, with an expected total investment of over £700 million, will be the partners’ first expansion of their Sunset Studios platform outside of the US.
The proposed development, which is subject to planning permission, would transform the site into one of the largest world-class film and television studio campuses. The project is expected to create over 4,500 permanent jobs for Broxbourne and the surrounding community and contribute more than £300 million annually into the local economy.
This transaction is a continuation of Blackstone’s existing joint venture with Hudson Pacific, a leading Los Angeles-based office and studio owner and operator. Together, Blackstone and Hudson Pacific own a media portfolio that totals 3.5 million square feet, including 35 active sound stages and on-site creative offices, as well as development rights. Sunset Studios has hosted some of the biggest small and big screen hits including When Harry Met Sally and La La Land as well as numerous Academy Award winning films.
James Seppala, Head of Blackstone Real Estate Europe, said: “We are excited to expand our partnership with Hudson Pacific into the UK, and intend to deliver a world-class studio facility that will help ensure that the UK continues to be a premier destination for content production globally. This is a continuation of our thematic investment focus and long-term conviction in media, entertainment and content creation.”
Victor Coleman, Chairman and CEO of Hudson Pacific, said: “We are thrilled to expand our Sunset Studios platform in the UK, a global hub for film and television production. With our expertise developing and operating state-of-the-art media campuses and Blackstone’s resources and existing market presence, we are confident this facility will be in high demand from leading content creators. We look forward to working with Broxbourne Council to ensure the project has a meaningful positive impact on the local community.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This investment is excellent news for the UK’s film and TV industry, pumping hundreds of millions of pounds into the local economy and creating thousands of jobs for the people of Hertfordshire. The creative industries are at the heart of our plans to build back better. This will be a hub for both UK and international productions, showcasing home-grown talent on the global stage.”
Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “This new studio is yet another vote of confidence in the UK’s booming film and TV industry. Through the British Film Commission, we’re supporting the development of stage spaces like this across the UK - boosting the local economy and backing our world-class creatives to make the next Bond blockbuster or bingeworthy box set.”
Cllr. Lewis Cocking, Leader of Broxbourne Borough Council, said: “This represents a fantastic opportunity for the people of our borough. Creative Industries are of strategic importance to us and the creation of over 4,500 permanent new jobs and the associated boost to the local economy is just what we need following the pandemic. We look forward to working with Blackstone and Hudson Pacific to help deliver significant positive change in Broxbourne.”
Artist impressions of the proposed development can be downloaded here and here.
About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $684 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.
About Hudson Pacific Properties
Hudson Pacific is a real estate investment trust with a portfolio of office and studio properties totaling nearly 20 million square feet, including land for development. Focused on premier West Coast epicenters of innovation, media and technology, its anchor tenants include Fortune 500 and leading growth companies such as Netflix, Google, Square, Uber, NFL Enterprises and more. Hudson Pacific is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol HPP and listed as a component of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. For more information visit HudsonPacificProperties.com.
Notes to editors: list of notable productions that have been filmed at Sunset Studios include:
- Project Runway
- Scandal
- X-Men (2000)
- When Harry Met Sally
- Karate Kid
- I Love you, Man
- Zoolander
- La La Land
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
- True Blood
- Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Golden Girls
- Hannah Montana
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (Academy Awards Best Picture winner)
- Lost Horizon
- Six Feet Under
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210802005278/en/
Contact information
Media
For Blackstone
Paul Stephenson
Hanbury
paul.stephenson@hanburystrategy.com
Tel: 07725 610 696
Niamh Fogarty
Hanbury
niamh.fogarty@hanburystrategy.com
Tel: 07946 813 843
For Hudson Pacific Properties
Glesni Thomas
FleishmanHillard
glesni.thomas@fleishman.com
Tel: 07528 383 508
Julia Hipkiss
FleishmanHillard
julia.hipkiss@fleishman.com
Tel: 07827896036
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Mobix Labs Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Vision Aerial, Accelerating Global Drone Platform for National Security and Aerial Intelligence24.7.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Mobix Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: MOBX) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vision Aerial, Inc., a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of American-built, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)-compliant unmanned aerial systems. The definitive agreement moves the transaction beyond the previously announced letter of intent and represents a major step toward closing an acquisition that would expand Mobix Labs into one of the world’s most important technology growth markets: secure drones, autonomous aerial systems and aerial intelligence for national security, critical infrastructure, energy, public safety, industrial inspection and government operations. Vision Aerial’s customers and end-users include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, government agencies, energy and utility operators, research institutions and other organizations requiring performance, reliability and trusted supply chains. Its drones support national security and public-safety operations, sear
Enhertu ® Plus Pertuzumab Recommended for Approval in the EU by CHMP as First-Line Treatment for Patients with HER2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer24.7.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Enhertu® (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in combination with pertuzumab has been recommended for approval in the European Union (EU) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+ or in-situ hybridization [ISH]+) breast cancer. Enhertu is a specifically engineered HER2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN). The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) based its positive opinion on results from theDESTINY-Breast09 phase 3 trialpresented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and subsequently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to grant marketing authorizations for medicines in the EU. In DESTI
SLB Announces Second-Quarter 2026 Results24.7.2026 13:50:00 EEST | Press release
SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced results for the second-quarter 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722694386/en/ The exterior of the SLB headquarters in Houston, Texas. Second-Quarter Results(Stated in millions, except per share amounts)Three Months EndedChangeJun. 30, 2026Mar. 31, 2026Jun. 30, 2025SequentialYear-on-yearRevenue $8,972 $8,721 $8,546 3% 5% Income before taxes - GAAP basis $1,018 $956 $1,285 6% -21% Income before taxes margin - GAAP basis 11.3% 11.0% 15.0% 38 bps -369 bps Net income attributable to SLB - GAAP basis $786 $752 $1,014 5% -22% Diluted EPS - GAAP basis $0.52 $0.50 $0.74 4% -30% Adjusted EBITDA* $1,899 $1,773 $2,051 7% -7% Adjusted EBITDA margin* 21.2% 20.3% 24.0% 83 bps -284 bps Pretax segment operating income* $1,404 $1,321 $1,584 6% -11% Pretax segment operating margin* 15.6% 15.2% 18.5% 49 bps -289 bps Net income attributable to SLB, excluding charges & credits* $833 $783 $1,0
NIQ Expands GenAI Capabilities Across gfknewron, Turning Trusted Intelligence into Decisions Faster24.7.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a leader in consumer intelligence, today announced the expansion of AI-powered Smart Insights across its gfknewron® platform. By bringing together markets and categories into a single view, gfknewron enables businesses to transform complex market, consumer and supply chain data into clear, actionable intelligence quickly. The latest enhancements help users identify trends, opportunities and performance drivers more quickly, reducing the time required to analyze large datasets and accelerating confident decision-making across teams. As brands and retailers face growing pressure to respond quickly to changing consumer behavior and market dynamics, the ability to unlock meaningful insights from increasingly rich datasets has become a significant competitive advantage. As AI is only as effective as the intelligence behind it, Smart Insights helps businesses realize the full value of NIQ's trusted market intelligence by automatically surfacing the trends, opportunities and
Thales to Strengthen Romania’s Airspace Protection With Twelve Ground Master 200 MM/A Radars24.7.2026 11:05:00 EEST | Press release
In a context of growing collaboration between European nations to bolster collective security, the Romanian General Directorate for Armaments has just signed a landmark agreement with France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to acquire twelve Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A) radars. This government-to-government agreement, funded under the European Union’s SAFE programme, underlines the high level of partnership between France and Romania. The first delivery is expected in 2027. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260724603527/en/ The Romanian General Directorate for Armaments and the French Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA – the French defence procurement agency) have signed an agreement to supply twelve Thales GM200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200MM/A) radars to protect the Romanian airspace. The GM200 MM/A is a combat-proven medium-range 4D AESA radar, already deployed
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom