娱乐英语新闻:Sony Pictures Imageworks moves head office to Vancouver

VANCOUVER, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The California-based American Sony Pictures Imageworks is moving its head office to Vancouver and the new workshop will be in a new 74,000-square-foot headquarters in the Pacific Center, the Vancouver Sun reported on Friday.

Imageworks has already had an office in Vancouver with some 150 employees.

Imageworks representative Steven Argula said Vancouver will become the new head office almost immediately.

"We're going to start referring to Vancouver as our headquarters as of now, even though we're not in the new space yet," he said.

"We will maintain a small base in Culver City (in California), which will basically deal with L.A.-based clients," Argula said.

About three dozen Imageworks employees moved from Culver City to Vancouver earlier this year and more are expected to come by the time the Pacific Centre facility opens on April 1, 2015.

Argula said Imageworks will likely have a total workforce of 350 in Vancouver before its new head office opens and the company will consider leasing interim space before the Pacific Center facility becomes available.

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced plans to hire 400 new staff in Vancouver and make the city home to its largest center in Canada. Amazon also revealed plans last year to open a major office in Vancouver, following similar announcements by Hootsuite and Twitter, all big American hi-tech companies.