Talent, Tax Credits, and culture: Inside Halon’s Strategic Expansion to Scotland
Halon CEO Chris Ferriter on building a transatlantic pipeline, why talent drove the decision, and how Glasgow fits into a rapidly changing animation and VFX landscape.
Part of the Glasgow Film Festival, the Made in Glasgow programme—a full day of panels and events featuring representatives from leading studios and creatives—highlighted the depth of screen talent in Scotland’s largest city. Sponsored by Glasgow-based production house Blazing Griffin, the programme brought together voices from across the industry to explore how the city is positioning itself on the global stage.
For a company that helped define modern previs, expanding beyond Los Angeles was never going to be a casual decision.
Halon was founded in the early 2000s out of the team that pioneered Maya-based previs on the Star Wars prequels and built its reputation working closely with directors to translate scripts into visual blueprints. That core offering evolved over time, expanding into real-time workflows, virtual production, and animation.
But for more than two decades, the company remained US-based. That changed with Glasgow.
While talent drove the long-term decision, tax incentives remain critical in day-to-day production choices. For at least one current project, Scotland’s post-production uplift was enough to tip the balance over competing locations. In a global production environment, where projects can shift between territories like Atlanta, London, or Vancouver, these margins matter.
One of the less obvious advantages of Glasgow is cultural rather than technical. Unlike the post-pandemic distributed workforce in Los Angeles, where teams are often remote and fragmented, Scotland offers something different: a network of artists who have already worked together.
“It’s incredibly helpful here that a lot of people have already worked together.” That existing collaboration feeds directly into production efficiency—and company culture.
In a global industry increasingly defined by flexibility and cost pressure, that combination—talent, collaboration, and strategic positioning—may be what sets Glasgow apart.