BOURNEMOUTH, UK — Outpost VFX (outpost-vfx.com) has secured a multi-million-pound investment from funds managed by YFM Equity Partners (YFM) and appointed Robin Shenfield to the board as chair. The investment will facilitate the development of Outpost’s infrastructure, company culture and proprietary platforms, and provide a solid base for expansion globally across the company’s four international locations.
Shenfield has decades of experience at the forefront of visual effects. In 1990 he co-founded The Mill, which he successfully grew to over 1,100 employees working across the US, UK and Germany. In his time as CEO at The Mill, he attracted several rounds of private equity investment before eventually overseeing its £190m acquisition by Technicolor in 2015. He will leverage his vast experience in the creative sector to support Outpost VFX as it pursues a sustainable growth strategy for 2021, beginning with its expansion into Los Angeles.
“I’m particularly excited that Robin will be joining us as chair,” says Duncan McWilliam, founder & CEO of Outpost VFX. “Robin founded The Mill and created arguably the world’s most successful visual effects brand, which numbers among its many awards an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for its work on Gladiator. His experience in balancing a creative-led culture with excellent client relationships and production management will be key to supporting Outpost’s core values as we scale.”
“Duncan and the team at Outpost have created a culture that really values the contribution of artists in producing outstanding creative work,” adds Shenfield. “I am really looking forward to helping them develop to service the growing needs of their clients.”
YFM has been investing in emerging businesses in the UK since 1982, with a focus on helping them to scale quickly. Their latest investment will help to accelerate the incorporation of machine learning within Outpost’s production management IP, further develop its training and career pathways IP, and build out a global IT architecture.