EAST OF SOHO
POST
While Soho is still a beating media heart, the capital’s post-production houses have spread out. Noho in Fitzrovia is firmly on the map. But more recently there’s been a significant move East, to Farringdon, Shoreditch and Cambridge Heath.
What begins as a gradual creep, with a handful established in the first years of the century, sees arrivals steadily building into double figures pre Covid. Then, bang: the number with an address East of the more familiar West End has doubled since the start of 2021, with more rumoured to be poised to sign leaseholds in the territory.
Soho isn’t going to relinquish its media crown any time soon, but there has been a distinct shift in tone for the square mile, with glass and concrete buildings squeezed in alongside the centuries’ old streets, chain restaurants and an influx of tourists.
Looking East offers the allure of cheaper premises, warehouses and alternative spaces, a leafier, more local vibe. Both Indie and commercials production companies have been based in Clerkenwell, Farringdon, the Angel and as far out as Hackney for some time. Plenty of talent, young as well as more experienced, has chosen to live out East. And last year, the Elizabeth line launched, offering a quick Soho fix from Farringdon.
2003 01
SPLICE - SHOREDITCH 21a Perseverance Works E2 8DD The original Shoreditch post house and the first of three Splice strongholds in the area
Splice began life in East London in 2003. “Everyone laughed at us for setting up in Shoreditch,” says co- founder Duncan Western. He concedes: “It was a brave move.” It also turned out to be a shrewd move. Splice has now expanded into three Shoreditch locations: Hackney Road, at historic industrial site Perseverance Works; a second base right by Old Street, opened in 2011; and its Nile Street operation, fitted out from scratch across five floors in 2022.
“Everyone laughed at us for setting up in Shoreditch. It was a brave move.”
DUNCAN WESTERN CO-FOUNDER SPLICE
While many of his clients have been, and remain, local – including Raw, Minnow and Monkey Kingdom - Western recalls moments in the past when some might have complained about trekking from Soho to Shoreditch. That’s not true any longer. “Since
Covid, execs don’t need to be in Soho everyday.” For Splice, it seems that the
Back In 2015, Televisual wrote a piece looking at post houses moving out of Soho. We observed a “trickle outwards,” to Noho and one or two pioneers heading East, citing Shoreditch-based Time Based Arts and Splice as members of the advance guard.
mantra ‘if you build it, they will come’ has held true, at least in terms of post house contemporaries and a growing media hub. “In Soho, freelancers used to bump into others and pick up their next job,” says Western. “It seems we’ve got that vibe around here now.”
Back in 2015, Coffee +TV md Derek Moore told Televisual that it needed to be in Soho, at that time they were looking at saving money because remote working was reducing the need for larger premises. Fast forward to 2023, with hybrid working the new normal, and a move East has nonetheless worked its allure. Coffee + TV arrived earlier this year in Clerkenwell Road, together with new sister post house Residence Pictures.
Finding an accessible building was critical to their plan - a tough brief in Soho, but
Spring 2023
televisual.com 79 06 2004 02 FONIC
1a Goldsmiths Row E2 8QA A boutique studio with a big reputation for audio, nestled in the flora and fauna of Hackney City Farm
2009 03
1185 FILMS 3-4 Kirby Street EC1N 8TS Started by producer and director Nick Franco, a full service facility in the heart of Farringdon
04
TIME BASED ARTS 148-150 Curtain Rd EC2A 3AR Another Shoreditch pioneer, the vfx studio was an epic build in a Victorian house behind the Town Hall
2011 05
SPLICE - OLD STREET 1-20 Singer Street EC2A 4BQ The second Splice operation in Shoreditch has 28 suites, three mixing rooms and three production offices
2012
POST REPUBLIC 47 Underwood St N1 7LG Part of the German group, specialising in feature film, the studio is housed in a former Edwardian factory
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