VFX and animation company Sony Pictures Imageworks will expand its Canadian footprint with a studio in Montreal.

The expansion will add 150 jobs in Montreal, according to a news release. Sony Pictures Animation currently employs more than 1,000 workers across its locations in Vancouver and Los Angeles.

Recruitment for the new studio is currently underway, with the company seeking “production professionals, artists, and technology experts.”

The company has promoted Laura Fitzpatrick to lead the Montreal location, which will be “in a permanent state-of-the-art space in the Old Montreal area,” said the release. Fitzpatrick joined the company in 2022 as VP, new business.

Former senior VFX producer Doug Oddy has been promoted to VP VFX, new business. Based in Vancouver, Oddy will be responsible for third party VFX development, as well as long-term strategic planning and client engagement.

Fitzpatrick and Oddy report to Sony Pictures Imageworks EVP Michelle Grady, who is based at the Vancouver head office.

“The growing VFX and animation industry coupled with the established talent base makes Montreal the perfect location for expansion and will allow Imageworks to continue to execute the diverse creative visions of our clients,” said Grady in a statement.

Sony Pictures Imageworks has provided VFX and animation work for productions such as Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as well Netflix’s Oscar-nominated film The Sea Beast. Its current productions include Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and The Marvels.

Image of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse courtesy of Sony Pictures Imageworks