Barcelona's Custom EFX Enters the U.S. Ad Market

Barcelona’s top design, animation, VFX and post shop to apply its award-winning aesthetic to U.S. ads, film and TV marketing, games and more.

LOS ANGELES—Custom EFX, one of Europe’s top boutique providers of visual effects, animation and post-production services, has opened a studio in Los Angeles. A rising star that has worked with agencies across Europe, South America and Asia for such brands as BMW, Nescafe, Samsung, Coca Cola and Ikea, the Barcelona-based studio is aiming to repeat that success in U.S. while targeting work in advertising, film, television, gaming and digital media.

The new Los Angeles studio will be led by veteran executive producer Marie Soto, assisted by a team of producers and digital artists. The company has lined up sales representation on the West Coast and in the Midwest. It will also be linked to Custom EFX’s international sales network, which includes new representatives in Germany, Dubai, India and Asia.

Custom EFX has recently gained significant experience with U.S. clients through a strategic partnership with Antenna, the production unit of entertainment ad agency Ant Farm. That has included design, animation and visual effects assignments for major game, entertainment and advertising accounts.

“We see a lot of demand for the type of work that we do, especially among U.S. advertising agencies,” explains Quique Medina, Executive Creative Director and founder of Custom EFX. “Technology has made it very easy to work across international borders, and we believe that we can compete very well from creative, technical and budgetary points of view.”

Custom EFX’s services include animation, motion graphics, visual effects, color grading, compositing and sound design. The studio’s creative team has won numerous awards including two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion at Cannes. The studio’s technology arsenal includes high-end color grading, editing, compositing and visual effects platforms.

Recent projects include a campaign promoting tourism in Andorra where the studio created 3D animation inspired by the performers of Cirque du Soleil. The studio also recently produced 12 minutes of custom mapping graphics in a project for the government of Catalan, and a new Japanese market campaign for Kirin Beer.

Soto joins the studio from Antenna, where she was executive producer. She brings strong credentials in management, operations and sales for leading visual effects, animation, live action and post production companies.

“Custom EFX has generated a lot of buzz in Europe and elsewhere through its unique blend of creative energy, world-class talent and expansive technical resources,” Soto says. “They’ve established a new model for creative studios that delivers fantastic creative solutions and streamlined production through a single source. That’s a formula that has a lot of appeal for ad agencies, broadcasters, studios and other clients.”