Virtual production specialists StoryFutures and Final Pixel have partnered to upskill and innovate in the creative Industries.
The alliance will see Final Pixel and StoryFutures work together at Royal Holloway, where the teams plan to address creativity and skills gaps in the future of media production.
The partnership builds on StoryFutures’ reputation for research and development (R&D) programmes in the creative industries and Final Pixel’s expertise in virtual production.
Final Pixel is taking up a residency at Royal Holloway’s Futures Studio, a virtual studio that is jointly funded by Surrey County Council. This is expected to enable Final Pixel to extend its Virtual Production training opportunities, while also providing technical, innovation, and training support for local companies and students as part of the StoryFutures collaboration.
Linked to the CoSTAR National Lab for Creative Industries R&D, led by Royal Holloway, the partnership reportedly has the potential to help address national skills shortages in emerging technologies such as generative AI for virtual production.
.jpg){kind=tracking}
Amanda Murphy, Head of Partnerships and Training at StoryFutures for Royal Holloway, said: “By uniting our resources and expertise, we can really innovate to enable diverse creatives to get hands-on with exciting new technologies in our onsite studio, built for the future of production, to drive new forms of media.”
Michael McKenna, CEO and Director of Virtual Production at Final Pixel, added: “This will enable us to collaboratively develop solutions to address skills gaps and drive R&D innovation in emerging areas of technology.”
Studio Ulster, a virtual production facility spanning 75,000ft², recently launched in Northern Ireland. Discover more here.
 (1).jpg)
BBC to cut £160m and 550 jobs
The BBC has confirmed that it will cut around £160m from its operations by closing 550 roles across the news, nations, and content divisions by the start of 2027/28
US Department of Justice approves Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery
The US Department of Justice has approved Paramount Skydance's $111bn (£82.8bn) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.
Lionsgate takes stake in AI firm Runway
US studio Lionsgate has taken an undisclosed equity stake in generative AI company Runway.
Apple bolsters podcast video features for TV and Macs
Apple has unveiled a series of video features for its Apple Podcasts app on TVs and Macs as part of a swathe of 2027 software updates.
.jpg)
IBC2026 expands innovation initiatives
As the number of confirmed leading exhibitors grows, IBC has revealed that IBC2026 will launch Future Tech Ignite and welcome a host of expert speakers to its conference programme on the key trends reshaping M&E.
.jpg)
