A second office is a huge step for any growing company and it's location is just as important as the people they put in it. For many East Coast companies, Los Angeles is a logical spot to expand their reach, but we spoke with four companies from across the globe about why they felt LA was the right move for their second location:
Answers provided by Caitlin Marrin, Human Resources
Why was LA ideal for your US location? Where else did you consider?
Our studio was founded as Buffalo Studios in 2010. In 2012, we were acquired by Caesars Interactive Entertainment (Playtika Tel Aviv was acquired by Caesars in 2011 and was their first social gaming studio). By 2014 Playtika (under Caesars, I know, confusing), had acquired many studios all over the world. At that point they took a step back and realized that if we were to all rebrand under the same name, we would make the largest Social Casino company worldwide. So that is what we did! In 2014 we became Playtika Santa Monica as a studio, and our overall company became Playtika. It was not a decision made later on to open a studio in LA. We were acquired into the Playtika family because they recognized that our studio in Santa Monica was making an incredible game that was different from another other on the market.
What aspects of the LA tech ecosystem have helped your company grow?
We believe there is no place like LA to find top gaming talent, and it is because of that LA ecosystem that we have come this far. The LA ecosystem is what created us!
What is the relationship like between your LA and Tel Aviv offices?
Playtika is very much a global company. Many of our projects span between any number of studios in the Playtika Family. We are constantly working with our counterparts in Tel Aviv, Kiev, Minsk, Montreal, Argentina, you name it. Tel Aviv, as our headquarters, does a very good job of creating a global identity. Over the course of the year, we have many different events going on across all our studios. For example, every year we host "innovation day", where every studio competes against one another to come up with the best new idea for our games or company in general. Last year the winner came from Tel Aviv, but Santa Monica is hoping to take the crown this year.
Answers provided by Steve Parrot, President and CEO
Why was LA ideal for your second location? Where else did you consider?
I had been living in LA for some time and traveling between our offices. Every time I touched down in LA, I welcomed the fresh perspective and simply great living from the weather to the landscapes. California has a long tradition of cultural leadership, from cinema, to design and music, there is no better place to be inspired. Setting up space in LA gave us access to a different talent base and a way of thinking that has strengthened our company substantially.
What aspects of the LA tech ecosystem have helped your company grow?
Our location in Calabasas has given us access to a wide range of talent that are looking to live and work in the Valley. We have a culture based on innovation and every new member of our team brings some special insights that helps our growth. We have grown the team from 4 to 24 in the first 12 months and we look to continue that growth over the next 12-24 months.
What is the relationship like between your LA and Chicago offices?
All of our offices bring something unique and valuable to the overall company. Now most of our functional areas are split across locations, so teams use video conferencing to connect and collaborate and bridge the distance. I think there were some misconceptions initially as people got to know each other’s skills, but pretty quickly you realize that no office has a lock on creative ideas and that the best ideas are usually those that are shared and built on across locations.
Our agile process makes talent contributions very transparent and has raised respect as teams deliver as promised. Our offices each have different personalities and I wouldn’t want to change that, but they also have a common drive and vision, that makes working across those differences a fun and rewarding experience.
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Answers provided by Kenny Choi, Technical Recruiter
Why was LA ideal for your second location? Where else did you consider?
The Playa Vista neighborhood is becoming one of the newest tech hubs on the West Coast with companies like Google, YouTube and Facebook all opening offices in the area. We knew we wanted to establish a West Coast presence to attract top tech talent and LA is emerging as one of the top contenders.
What aspects of the LA tech ecosystem have helped your company grow?
The tech scene in LA is quickly growing with startups emerging in a variety of industries. This has led to a collaborative culture with tech-oriented organizations holding events, conferences and socials to build connections within the community. The more interaction that takes place among the LA tech community, the more it will grow.
What is the relationship like between your LA and Chicago offices?
Our Chicago and LA offices are completely in sync with one another. Employees from the LA office regularly visit the Chicago office for trainings and team meetings while executives from the Chicago office regularly visit the LA office to keep the culture intact. Our CEO Al Goldstein splits time between the two offices to ensure all employees are working towards the same goal. While team leads regularly meet with their direct reports (regardless of office location), we also have a live feed to the Chicago office for quick face-to-face meetings.
Answers provided by Socrate Loth, Recruiting Team Lead
Why was OC ideal for your second location? Where else did you consider?
Our founders are originally from Southern California and are all graduates of UCR. We did not consider any other location at the time but we’re now located in four major offices: Denver, Boulder, City of Orange, and Redwood City.
What aspects of the local tech ecosystem have helped your company grow?
There is a large base of talented engineers in OC and that was able to help us to grow the organization during the early days. Southern California also has a large number of amazing universities that produce some of the best engineers.
We went from a super corporate building above a federal workers compensation court to a location in old town Orange that we absolutely adore. We've matured and have grown so much from a people, process, and technology standpoint.
What is the relationship like between your OC and Colorado offices?
There is an incredibly tight bond between all the offices. Our 4H values (Honest, Hungry, Humble, Happy) help to ensure that the culture keep us tied together and twice a year we come together to cultivate stronger bonds through all companies meetings. Day-to-day we live and die by Hipchat & Google Hangouts and some of the teams use Sococo for virtual offices.
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