To navigate a highly volatile media landscape, Glendale-based Halon Entertainment believes charting its own course with agility is key.
In the last two decades, cinephiles and gamers can hardly miss Halon’s work. Founded in Santa Monica by director Daniel Gregoire in 2003, the visual effects studio has a glittering list of credits behind some of the most popular films, television series and games. That includes the 2025 blockbuster “A Minecraft Movie,” “The Mandalorian” and “Fortnite.” Specializing in virtual production, visualization and animation, Halon is a close collaborator with some of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the world, including Netflix Inc. and The Walt Disney Co.
However, the studio is facing a highly different industry from when it started. Artificial intelligence is disrupting the workflow for virtual artists and the very industry they serve. Shoot days for film and television are down in Los Angeles, and big production houses are shifting their operations elsewhere. The entertainment capital of the world, a nickname that has become synonymous with L.A., is standing on shaky ground and capital.
Halon made a pivot. Formerly part of Pittsburg-based production powerhouse NEP Group, it gained independence in early July through a management buyout, led by Chief Executive Chris Ferriter. It just opened a branch in Glasgow, Scotland, last year; now is the time to take matters into its own hands.
“Being independent allows us to have some agility to go in different directions and navigate the changing landscape. Everything in the film industry is changing,” Ferriter says in an interview, “And the ability to quickly adapt to those changes is imperative to a company’s success.”
A technology shift
L.A.’s entertainment industry is going down a spiral. Attractive tax credit deals outside the state, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and union strikes, new technologies, and major studio consolidations are forcing filmmakers and producers to forge new paths to success.
AI has been the major point of contention. Data centers have received massive backlash for environmental damages, AI-generated contents are facing dismissal from creatives and regulations are yet to catch up. The visualization sector, on the other hand, can use AI as coded “glue” to reduce friction between stages in production, Ferriter points out.
“I run a company that employs artists, and I want to continue to employ artists,” he continues. “It’s imperative that I understand this technology, as should any business leader who is facing technological disruption that could potentially make you irrelevant or wipe you out if you don’t embrace it.”
For boutique production houses like Halon, the impact of technology is also not exclusive to the disruptive force AI brings. Remote working changed the management methods for content security, and a full-time, in-person workforce will not cut the chase if you want to cast the right people for a project, Ferriter says. The creative workflow needs agility in an industry that values spontaneity, not going through a large conglomerate’s fixed annual plans.
Capturing a rising convergence between video games and films, the newly independent Halon sets out to find new opportunities in a world of uncertainty. Ferriter, however, sees a prospect to leverage technological trends to up his game.
“We are very interested in growing our animation department,” he says of Halon’s short-term plans. “Our competitive edge has always been our ability to utilize the latest technology to both increase the quality and decrease the cost of productions.”
