Reel Factory expands into new custom-built production playground

After eight years in its Orbit Drive premises, Auckland-based production house Reel Factory has moved into its new, purpose-built, slice of production paradise.

Says Dan Watkins, company director, Reel Factory: “It’s been a dream of ours since we started out 10 years ago to have a space designed specifically for us and how we operate. To see it all come to life is unreal.”

Designed to be a comfortable, collaborative space for clients and agencies, the new HQ is equipped with plenty of breakout areas and meeting rooms for briefings and PPMs, an open plan 36-desk production office, a 15-seat cinema for large viewings plus five additional offline edit suites and one of the best colour suites in town.

One of the priorities during the design process was a new and improved bar, aptly named “The Rabbit Hole” for the all-important ideation sessions or to toast a job well done. And the hassle of finding a park is easily solved, with 40 onsite car parks available.

Says Watkins: “We’ve come a long way from our first office a decade ago which consisted of three desks and an old lounge suite, to now the largest commercial production facility in New Zealand, and (in our opinion) the slickest around!”

Still to come is the fit out of the ground floor factory space, which will soon house a custom-built workshop, two film studios – a 10m x 12m full cyclorama studio exclusively for Reel Factory’s use and a larger 20m x 15m full cyclorama studio with full facilities that will be available to the commercial industry to hire.

Adds Watkins: “Having such a large factory space of this scale to play with, adjacent to our production offices and edit suites means we can have multiple productions of all shapes and sizes running alongside one another simultaneously, respond quickly to last minute shoot requests and test creative concepts all under one roof.”

Reel Factory would like to invite agencies, brands and freelancers from the creative industry out to The Rabbit Hole for a beer, whisky, wine, coffee or all of the above and a tour of the new digs. Get in touch with danelle@reelfactory.tv to tee up a time.