Versa ABC, a new production facility owned and operated by Versa Studios, has opened in Manchester, England.
One of its first clients is the BBC One’s Morning Live show, which will broadcast from the space.
The 5,000 square feet TV and film facility is on the top two floors of Manchester’s ABC building, earning it the nickname “the studio in the sky.”
Overlooking Manchester city center, the space offers production galleries, dressing rooms, production office and green rooms.
Versa also plan to take over the Manchester Studios complex, which will open its doors imminently. The business is also working with tech and media facilities provider Department to give content makers access to the studios’ inventory.
The two Manchester locations join Versa London, which launched in December 2021. The business also plans to add a further five studios – including at least one in Leeds – to its portfolio in 2023, totalling 55,000 square feet of facilities. Two of the five will be equipped for TV broadcast while the remaining three will be outfitted for specialist productions, including a music recording studio.
Versa Studios’ ambition is to create a “major facilities network” spanning 330,000 square feet across the U.K. boasting “unparalleled city centre connectivity” and “high tech, top-end COVID-19 safety spec” to accommodate everything from high-end dramas to panel and quiz shows.
“We are thrilled to be realizing our ambition of expanding our operations into Manchester,” said executive director of Versa, Charlie Ingall, in a statement. “In Manchester City centre, by summer 2023, Versa will be operating three fully equipped TV broadcast studios and a further 10 that will cater for a diverse range of production types including non-scripted broadcast TV, scripted film & drama, music, commercials, content creation and gaming. Our spaces will be ideal for a variety of uses including performance and events.”
“We fully intend to create a creative media cluster in Manchester rather than simply a set of TV studios. We are particularly excited to work with Department and to also work alongside the Factory in providing facilities for all types of creators, producers and performers. We want to bring back content creation, production and performance to Manchester City centre as part of Enterprise City. For Versa, this reflects our vision to create a network of studios across the UK providing best in class creative environments for productions and media businesses to thrive.”