The Yard hires Ben Owen to manage London studio

The Yard has hired Ben Owen as studio manager for its new London studio.

The French VFX house, with facilities in Paris and the south of France, announced its plan to open a London location last month. It hopes to open before the end of the year, and begin with around 20 VFX artists in addition to office management staff. It explained the move as an effort to forge closer relationships with UK-based production companies, filmmakers, and agencies, as well as international clients who come to London, and to take advantage of the recently improved tax incentives for VFX in the UK.

Owen joins after over 15 years experience in the industry, most recently as director of studio operations at One Of Us - where he spent almost eight years. He has also worked at DNEG, MPC, and Framestore.

With The Yard, Owen will work with The Yard’s management team to launch the new studio and help it maintain The Yard’s standards as well as attract new international projects.

Laurens Ehrmann, founder and senior VFX supervisor of The Yard, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben to The Yard. His extensive experience in both talent acquisition and studio operations, alongside his knowledge of the international VFX industry, makes him the ideal manager for our new London team. His deep understanding of the UK market aligns with our mission to elevate local talent and establish a stronger presence as a key player in the VFX sector.”

Owen added: “The exceptional skills of The Yard’s artists, combined with the knowledge of our production and supervision teams, have consistently enabled the studio to contribute to outstanding projects that have garnered industry acclaim. I am thrilled to be part of The Yard’s studio and contribute to its presence in London, a city recognized for its artistic innovation and high production standards. I am eager to apply my experience in fostering a vibrant, collaborative and inclusive atmosphere where ambitious projects and local talent can thrive.”