Production Studio Moves to Soho Penthouse

The Mill, one of the worlds premier visual effects facilities – their work includes the  “Gladiator” and   “Harry Potter” movies, and commercials for Nike, Levi’s, Hummer, American Express and Pepsi – just signed for its first permanent US space.They will locate in the penthouse and 6th floor of 451 Broadway, reports Bruce Sinder, president of Sinvin Realty Corp., who negotiated the lease transaction n behalf of the tenant, Mill Digital Media Limited, known as The Mill.”The Mill is one of the largest post-production/visual effects companies in New York, providing its creative touch to more than 100 commercials and music videos annually,” explains Mr. Sinder of Sinvin Realty.  “This is their first permanent space in New York, which is their only US location. It represents a major commitment to the city and a statement of how New York is emerging ass an alternative to the traditional US center for visual effects -the West Coast.”Alistair Thompson, an executive with the Mill, explained that the visual/special effects industry is “recovering from the negative economic effects of the dot com collapse and the attack on September 11th.  Things are definitely on the upswing now.”Mr. Thompson added that the “digital industry is still young – 10 to 15 years old, depending on the benchmark,” and that there are only 10 major houses in the US.  The Mill’s London headquarters produces visual/special effects for between 50 and 600 commercials and music videos.Just as its UK-based parent company is situated in Soho, London, The Mill’s US headquarters will be in New York’s Soho landmark district, in a circa 1890’s Beaux Arts building with limestone facade that has recently undergone a complete renovation and modernization of building systems.