A report back in July described a search for an Apple LA Culver City campus, and the company has today confirmed its plan for a complex totaling more than half-a-million square feet – but hasn’t confirmed the rumored reason for it.
The previous report said that the facility would primarily be used for Apple TV+ production soundstages …
Owning permanent production stages has become critical for streaming services as the available soundstages to rent are regularly booked up months in advance.
In order to keep the content production farms ticking over without delays, streaming companies are increasing buying up large sites for their own exclusive use.
The Journal says an Apple retail executive named Mike Mosallam joined in January 2021 to lead its soundstage expansion.
Variety reports that Apple is currently being vague about the purpose of the facility, but does say it will tell us more later.
Apple, signaling its major entertainment-industry ambitions, is significantly boosting its L.A. footprint: The tech giant said it’s building two new facilities, along the border of Culver City and the City of Los Angeles, that will serve as its headquarters for the region.
The complex will encompass more than 550,000 square feet once completed. An Apple rep said it will be a “mixed use” facility but did not have details on what kind of production studio space will be part of the development.
Construction is currently underway. Apple declined to provide an estimate for when the new buildings will be operational. “We’re in the early planning stages and will have more to share down the line,” the rep said.
The new campus is located along National, Venice and Washington boulevards, according to Apple. The two facilities will be connected by a “shared wall.”
The company currently has a 128,000-square-feet office building in Culver City.
Employees working in the Culver City location include members of its Apple TV Plus and Apple Music teams, engineers, artificial intelligence/machine learning researchers, and staffers in other divisions.
This April, as part of Apple’s pledge to create 20,000 new U.S. jobs over the next five years, the company said it expects to grow its Culver City headcount to more than 3,000 employees by 2026 and that it would expand its “state-of-the-art campus with additional space for these employees.”
Unsurprisingly, Apple has said that the new complex will be powered by 100% renewable energy.
The company has so far shared only the above single low-res image, which doesn’t reveal anything of the interior.
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