Consortium acquires Troy and Ardmore film and tv studios

Troy Studios in Limerick operates more than 100,000 sq ft of stage space.

World-renowned film and television production facilities, Troy Studios, in Limerick and Ardmore Studios in Wicklow have been acquired by a US and UK consortium.

Both Irish studios will continue to operate with their existing branding, with CEO Elaine Geraghty and the staff at both facilities remaining unchanged.

Leading media real estate and studio services organisation, a joint venture of Hackman Capital Partners and its affiliate The MBS Group, and Square Mile Capital Management, announce the acquisition. The partnership already owns the world’s largest independent studio and media portfolio, with approximately €3.6bn in media real estate assets. It services more than 360 sound stages within its MBS Group network across 46 cities and four countries.

“We are delighted to have Hackman Capital Partners, Square Mile Capital and The MBS Group join the Irish screen content production community," CEO Elaine Geraghty said. "Their industry acumen and global footprint will preserve the legacy of the studios as well as ensure the continued success of Ireland’s two most significant studios."

"Ireland has a long history of filmmaking and today’s announcement solidifies the ambition of the industry, and will bring new opportunities in line with the Government ambition to establish Ireland as a global hub for the production of film, TV drama and animation. The demand for high-end TV series is exponential. We compete globally to attract inward productions and valuable investment to Ireland and this announcement is momentous to enable further growth of the industry in Ireland.”

State body Screen Ireland said 2021 is set to break production activity records despite the disruption of Covid-19, with the sector’s economic contribution already estimated to be €289m from 37 Irish and international productions; on track to beat the previous production contribution record of €358m reached before the pandemic in 2019.

Troy Studios operates 100,000 sq ft of stage space and a further 250,000 sq ft for production support while Ardmore Studios has more than 140,000 sq ft of sound stages.

“Ireland is a superb destination for production, with the richness of its natural landscape, its indigenous content industry and its skilled production crews. We look forward to building upon this great history and are committed to growing both indigenous and international production activity in Ireland," Michael Hackman, CEO Hackman Capital Partners said.