LOS ANGELES — Crafty Apes, a full-service visual effects powerhouse with seven production facilities across North America, has announced the acquisition of Molecule VFX, an established visual effects company based in NYC and Los Angeles.
The acquisition brings together two companies with a deep roster of talent in creative VFX supervision and production management and more than doubles Crafty Apes's NYC-based headcount.
Crafty Apes, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, provides visual effects and production services to the rapidly growing market for film, episodic and commercial video production. Crafty Apes's services range from high-quality 2D and 3D compositing to digital cosmetics and computer-generated imagery. The facility’s recent critically-acclaimed credits include films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Red Notice, Licorice Pizza and
Ghostbusters: Afterlife in addition to television shows
Ted Lasso, Insecure and
Stranger Things, among others.
Molecule VFX has been a main visual effects provider in both episodic television and feature films in New York and Los Angeles since 2005. Some of the studio's recent titles include acclaimed series such as Billions, Gossip Girl, Genius: Aretha, P-Valley, and acclaimed features including Spike Lee's
Da Five Bloods.
Crafty Apes partner Chris LeDoux commented, “Bringing our two teams together will allow us to even better serve our clients on a greater scale in both episodic television and feature films. Having worked with Molecule VFX over the years, we know we will have great success working together and continuing to meet the growing demand for visual effects."
The principal team from Molecule VFX includes Andrew Bly, the studio's CEO, and Luke DiTommaso, senior visual effects supervisor.
Crafty Apes's NYC management team will be working with Bly and DiTommaso to integrate the two companies and expand their NYC footprint under the Crafty Apes banner. Over the past few years, the two companies have shared multiple episodic series between their respective Georgia and New York facilities, providing both on-set and post VFX resources to properties that filmed and finished in both cities, including Genius: Aretha for Nat Geo/Disney, and Starz acclaimed series P-Valley.
Together, the new Crafty Apes NYC will continue to service clients across feature films, commercials, streaming content and episodic filmed television shows, as well as providing front-end creative consultation and on-set supervision with their creative studio and production partners.