Comcast CEO Brian Roberts carries with him a business philosophy from his late father, Ralph: “Whatever you set out to do, make sure you have and work with the finest,” Roberts says.
This mantra applies to the fiberoptic cable Comcast has laid out across the country, the TLC poured into 30 Rockefeller Plaza after acquiring NBCUniversal in 2011 and, of course, the monumental Comcast Center erected in Philadelphia. But what about the Universal Studios lot? It’s the conglomerate’s oldest, most glamorous asset — home to the theme park, historic soundstages and increasingly limited bungalow space for Universal Pictures’ bounty of overall production deals (Jordan Peele, Amy Pascal, the Daniels, to name a few).
In 2020, Roberts and chief creative officer Donna Langley kicked off an ambitious renovation to bring sustainability and connectivity to talent and employees and to stimulate tourism. The specific investment in Universal’s film facilities feels symbolic during a time of great financial and artistic uncertainty for the movies.
An architectural rendering of Universal’s massive film complex overhaul.
In February, Tyler Perry ditched a planned $800 million expansion of his Atlanta studio in response to dramatically evolving AI tools. Before David Ellison’s Skydance clinched a deal to purchase Paramount Global in July, many industry insiders speculated that the Paramount Pictures lot would be sold to the highest bidder and leased back to the studio to help drive down the company’s debt. Not only is Comcast spending like a true owner – about $1 billion will be invested in its properties over 25 years – executives are planning for a future where films are still made by human collaboration.
“The task at hand was not just a nice new office building,” Langley says. “We’ve done that. Everyone involved needed to build something that can sustain for the next 100 years, something beautiful and flexible.”
A ribbon cutting on Sept. 18 revealed the new digs — an integrated campus designed by Lever and Field Operations, supervised by NBCUniversal chief real estate officer Ed Chuchla. It consists of a 350,000-square-foot office building with sweeping views of the San Gabriel Mountains (and the under-construction “Fast & Furious” roller coaster, where executives like Inclusion EVP Janine Jones-Clark will have a direct view of screaming park attendees flying by); an 84,000-square-foot commons building inspired by a zoetrope; and a paseo with 10,000 feet of green space.
“The design is more than two buildings, it is a transformation of a working studio lot into a connected campus with a new central heart,” says Thomas Robinson of Lever. “The Paseo creates a new cultural axis with gardens, outdoor rooms, and architecture that blurs the boundary between inside and out, landscape and architecture. This project is a catalyst for bringing people together and strengthening NBCU’s creative community for the long term.”
Ema Peter
Silicon Valley-style perks abound in the new buildings, which are connected by a thoroughfare for the first time in lot history. Outdoor pavilions are wired for corporate meetings, arranged along a zen stone fountain installation. Graphics of blooming flowers on ultra hi-def walls grow gilded edges as staffers walk past. A lush executive restaurant, the Peacock Grill, nods to Old Hollywood (as does the face sheet in the kitchen, identifying members of the C suite for the waitstaff). The space has already been used for a Summer Solstice event showcasing the Paris Olympics, as well as for regular farmer’s markets and marketing activations for films like “Despicable Me 4.”
Three new state-of-the-art screening rooms have been installed in the Commons building, which for the first time in decades provides adequate trophy cases for Universal’s many Oscars (most recently, a Best Picture statue for “Oppenheimer”). There’s a sense that one might run into Christopher Nolan coming out of a rough-cut viewing or catch Jason Blum heading to a marketing presentation. That’s the idea, says Langley, to give everyone access to the creative process.
“There’s probably a theme to what helps you succeed. You start by investing in your employees. When you attract the best, they will have the ideas that keep your company relevant and successful for many years ahead,” says Roberts, adding that Universal Studios Orlando is next on the list for renovation.
The new Los Angeles film campus has a name, by the way.
“It’s One Universal,” Roberts concludes. “Someone told me a long time ago that your address is just numbers. When you put your name on it, it’s your home.”
One Universal’s new film office facility.
