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
Special Olympics Airlift Takes Flight Nationwide; Dove 1 Arrives at St. Paul Downtown Airport19.6.2026 18:09:00 EEST | Press release
The 2026 Special Olympics Airlift officially took flight today as all participating Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft, known as Doves, departed from airports across the country. Dove 1 for arrival day, a Cessna Citation Latitude generously operated by Prent Corporation, landed at St. Paul Downtown Airport (STP) carrying Special Olympic athletes and delegation members, signaling the start of Airlift arrivals for the Special Olympics USA Games. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260619085293/en/ Special Olympics Airlift takes flight nationwide; Dove 1 arrives at St. Paul Downtown Airport (Photo credit: Textron Aviation). The arrival signals the start of the world’s largest cumulative peacetime airlift spanning more than 40 years, a coordinated aviation effort organized by Textron Aviation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, that transports hundreds of Special Olympics athletes and coaches from multiple states
Record Currency Management Participates in Innovative European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) -Backed Mongolian Tugrik Transaction19.6.2026 17:53:00 EEST | Press release
Record Currency Management Ltd (RCM), subsidiary of London-listed Record plc (Record Financial Group), is pleased to announce its participation in an innovative local currency bond transaction issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), supporting the development of Mongolia's capital markets while providing institutional investors with access to attractive frontier market opportunities. RCM is the UK currency management arm of Record Financial Group, the London-listed specialist investment group managing USD 115 billion of assets on behalf of institutional clients worldwide. Record's client base comprises pension funds, foundations, sovereign institutions and other asset managers, with whom the Group has built long-standing relationships through its focus on bespoke investment and risk management solutions. Headquartered in London, Record has offices in Hamburg, Zurich, Zug, New York, and Hong Kong. The investment forms part of Record Financial Group's broad
Plasma One Launches to Herald a New Era of Stablecoin Banking19.6.2026 15:29:00 EEST | Press release
Plasma has today announced the launch of Plasma One, its flagship financial product designed to make digital dollars usable for everyday spending, sending and earning. Plasma One is designed to make stablecoins feel like money, only better - more accessible, reliable and efficient. For years, stablecoin adoption has been held back by a fragmented system and poor user experience. We have seen wallets in one place, exchanges in another, and costly off-ramps standing between digital dollars and daily life. Plasma One brings that experience together in a single app, giving users a simple way to spend, send and earn with stablecoins from one account with zero fees. Headquartered in London, the city that gave rise to Revolut, Wise and Monzo, Plasma is making a bigger bet, that the next generation of consumer banking will be built on stablecoin rails, not legacy banking infrastructure. Underneath Plasma One is the Plasma Network, Plasma’s own blockchain, purpose-built to move stablecoins inst
IQM Appoints Craig Ciesla, Former Illumina VP, as CTO; Inés de Vega Becomes Chief Scientist19.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers, the global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced the appointments of Dr. Craig Ciesla as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Dr. Inés de Vega as Chief Scientist, as she transitions from her role as Vice President of Quantum Solutions, deepening IQM´s leadership as the company prepares for its planned Nasdaq listing through a merger with Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260619693929/en/ From left to right: Dr. Inés de Vega, Chief Scientist, and Dr. Craig Ciesla, Chief Technology Officer. Ciesla, an experienced deep tech executive with more than 25 years delivering products across multiple industries from startups to Fortune 500 companies, will advance IQM's technology strategy and drive its implementation into systems and products. De Vega, meanwhile, will be responsible for ensuring scientific feasibility and system-level
Teijin Receives Approval for Additional Indications of XEOMIN ® for Cervical Dystonia and Blepharospasm in Japan19.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group’s healthcare business, and Merz Therapeutics GmbH, a leading player in neurology-focused specialty pharma, jointly announced today that Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the additional indications for XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm. This approval represents the fourth and fifth indications for XEOMIN® authorized in Japan, alongside its existing approvals for the treatment of upper limb spasticity, lower limb spasticity and chronic sialorrhea. Cervical dystonia is a focal dystonia characterized by involuntary contractions of the neck muscles, resulting in abnormal or repetitive movements and postures.1 Blepharospasm is also a focal dystonia, characterized by excessive involuntary contractions of the muscles surrounding the eye.2 Both conditions significantly impact patients’ quality of life. The approval by MHLW is based on Phase III clinic
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