Special Effects Studio to Open Toronto Office

Effects studio MastersFX announced Thursday it will open a new location in Toronto, a hot spot for science fiction and horror film production. The Arleta-based company has been sending staff to work on productions in the Canadian city and had them work out of temporary pop-up shops, said President Todd Masters. “More recently, a number of our clients have darn-near threatened us to set up here more permanently,” Masters said in a prepared statement. “So we finally did.” In addition to the San Fernando Valley and Toronto, MastersFX also operates a facility in Vancouver. For the new studio, MastersFX is teaming up with a long-time associate in Toronto, Zane Knisely, a makeup effects supervisor. One project the company is already working on there is the second season of SyFy series “The Expanse.” MastersFX is an award-winning makeup and prosthetics effects house for feature films and television series. Among the company’s credits are cable series “True Blood” and “Six Feet Under” and films “RoboCop,” “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Snakes on a Plane.”