FOLKS LAUNCHES LONDON STUDIO – CHRISTIAN ROBERTON TO LEAD NEW FEATURE DIVISION

APRIL 8, 2025 – London – FOLKS, a Pitch Black company, is thrilled to announce the launch of its London studio under the leadership of Christian Roberton. This move combines decades of large-scale VFX experience with a decisively forward-looking approach, leveraging UK incentives and a wealth of talent to deliver top-tier VFX.

FOLKS London is immediately operational, leveraging Pitch Black's infrastructure and network in Europe and India, and the collective expertise of sister companies El Ranchito and Rising Sun Pictures (RSP). With a planned dedicated, purpose-built facility and a team of highly skilled UK-based artists and supervisors, this new studio enables seamless scalability and the ability to creatively partner with clients on problem-solving to deliver exceptional, high-quality VFX. This team, comprised of industry veterans and rising stars, represents the perfect blend of experience and fresh perspective, ensuring that FOLKS London benefits from industry-leading expertise.

Christian Roberton, appointed as Executive Vice President of Features, brings over two decades of VFX industry experience, overseeing some of the most ambitious VFX studios and groundbreaking productions, including Academy Award-winning films like Disney’s The Jungle Book and 1917. His proven track record in high-caliber work positions him as a key figure in our industry. Recognizing FOLKS as the ideal hub for innovation, he aligns with its commitment to new technologies and efficient production. With expertise and dedication to building a top-tier VFX team, he will be instrumental in further establishing FOLKS as a key industry player.

Sébastien Bergeron, CEO of Pitch Black, shared: “I'm thrilled about Pitch Black's expansion in the UK. Having Christian join our creative leadership speaks to our commitment to building a world-class team that will naturally boost our high-end VFX offering. This is a well-timed and well-deserved evolution for FOLKS. It demonstrates the strength of the Pitch Black platform that we have meticulously built throughout our network of brands by investing in new markets and capabilities to meet the industry's toughest creative challenges. We bring a significant new perspective to this changing industry landscape.”

"FOLKS has a very strong reputation in the market, and I look forward to building on that in London,” says Roberton. “This initiative connects Hollywood with UK talent and incentives. I see huge potential in FOLKS’ forward-looking approach. Talent, experience, and agility are the best combination.”

Amélie Poitras, FOLKS President, adds: "Expanding to London is a defining moment for FOLKS. This strengthens our ability to serve the industry worldwide. With Christian’s leadership, we will deliver high-end VFX by bringing large-scale VFX experience. We are creating a truly global network that brings new possibilities to our clients.” 

ABOUT FOLKS
Founded in 2012, FOLKS has since operated offices in Montreal, Toronto, Bogota, Mumbai, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Saguenay and London. FOLKS' mission is to create exceptional visual effects that bring the vision of world-class filmmakers to life by providing an environment driven by passion, expertise, creativity and collaboration. FOLKS is one of the world's leading visual effects brands under Pitch Black umbrella.

ABOUT PITCH BLACK
Pitch Black is a global house of award-winning creative brands with a rich history in digital production for film, television and streaming media. Credited with some of the most iconic cinematic moments, the group is a powerhouse of industry-leading talent and technologies across the world’s hottest production and rebate locations.
Pitch Black brings together world-leading visual effects studios FOLKS, Rising Sun Pictures, and El Ranchito. The company has fourteen worldwide studio locations. Pitch Black is majority-owned by investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm.