Washington, D.C.: The New Hub For Next Gen Animation … Enter Pigmental Studios!
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 8, 2014
The hottest animators in the film and television are making Washington, D.C. their home with the arrival of Pigmental Studios, an animation studio that employs the top artists and technologists to produce groundbreaking new works for the entertainment industry.
“We envision a place where creative minds can collaborate to achieve the best in entertainment for a worldwide audience,” said Marina Martins, co-founder and CEO of Pigmental. “It will be a home where ideas are abundant and where the environment of extraordinary talent triggers a constant flow of creativity. We are excited about homesteading an industry in the District.”
Martins will announce Tuesday—at the Washington, DC Economic Partnership Driving Change 2014 conference— the talented group of artists who will be joining Pigmental in the District. They include Iain McCaig (Harry Potter, Terminator 2, Guardians of the Gallaxy), Marjolaine Tremblay (Birdman, Live, Die, Repeat, Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Stephen Platt (Ironman, Oblivion, The Day the Earth Stood Still) and David Krentz (Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, John Carter).
Pigmental’s move to Washington is the result of the keen efforts of Mayor Vincent Gray, Pierre Bagley, director of the Office of Motion Picture & Television Development, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “Ultimately Pigmental Studios is positioned to be the premier, internationally focused animation studio in the industry,” said Bagley, a former filmmaker (From the Rough) who helped recruit Pigmental to the District, “and we are pleased that Marina and her team have chosen Washington to launch their new films.”
Those films include an animated feature with Sergio Pablos (Spain), creator of Despicable Me, which is scheduled for release in early 2017; and a another to be announced in spring 2015. The studio holds options on five other well-profiled feature projects and is currently in development on an animated series for television. Martins also noted that Pigmental is currently in discussions for a co-venture with CCTV, the state television broadcaster in China.
“Our goals are to appeal to a world audience and to specialize in creating highly marketable and brandable multicultural content with the top talent Hollywood and the United States have to offer and in true partnership with international creative partners,” said Martins.
The film projects are only part of the multimillion-dollar initiative that Martins has planned. Pigmental will launch
an apprenticeship-training program for individuals interested in animation in the District, which will focus on specific career tracks within the animated media industry as well as provide apprentice’s access to animation and production mentors.
