Ireland’s two largest film studios have been acquired by American businessman Michael Hackman and his financial backers.

The studios are Ardmore Studios in Wicklow and Troy Studios in Limerick.

Michael Hackman (pictured above), who leads Hackman Capital Partners, commented: “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, by investing in and forging strong links with local talent and communities and by promoting further inward investment from international content creators.”

In Association with

Troy Studios (pictured) has 100,000 sq ft of stage space and a further 250,000 sq ft for production support, including the largest sound stages in the country.

Ardmore Studios has over 140,000 sq ft of sound stages and some 160,000 sq ft of support buildings.

Joe Devine, chairman of Troy Studios and Ardmore Studios, commented: “When we began this journey in 2016, we had ambitious plans to establish world class production facilities here in Ireland and create the market leader through acquisition and development.

“After a successful €30m company investment programme we have achieved our objective and are delighted that a global leader like HCP will continue developing the studios.”

Based in Los Angeles, Hackman Capital Partners (HCP) is a privately held real estate investment and operating company that focuses on buying, renovating and re-imaging vintage commercial, industrial, and studio properties.

With c.2,000 employees and studio staff, HCP its affiliate The MBS Group, partnering with Square Mile Capital, operate the world’s largest studio and media platform, with an estimated $7bn in real estate assets spanning 90 sound stages across nnine owned studio campuses.

MBS Group supports more than 360 sound stages and services over 400 film and television productions each year from its network of 65 locations across 46 cities and four countries.

The HCP/Square Mile studio and media portfolio includes The Culver Studios, Sony Animation Culver City, Television City Studios, Silvercup Studios NYC, Second Line Stages New Orleans, and Eastbrook Studios and Wharf Studios in London.