PIER59 STUDIOS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF CREATIVE EVOLUTION

News provided by

Jan 27, 2026, 11:19 ET

From film to virtual worlds, the New York studio that helped shape modern visual culture looks ahead.

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For three decades, PIER59 Studios has been a constant presence behind some of the world's most recognizable images, performances, and cultural moments — evolving in step with the artists, industries, and technologies it serves.

Throughout 2026, the iconic Chelsea waterfront campus celebrates 30 years of creative influence, marking a rare milestone for a studio that has continuously reinvented how visual culture is made.

Founded in 1995, PIER59 emerged at the height of the film era, quickly becoming a home for large-scale fashion photography and editorial production. As the industry transitioned to digital capture, motion, and multi-platform storytelling, the studio evolved alongside it, expanding into film, television, advertising, live events, and experiential production. Today, PIER59 stands at the forefront of the next transformation: real-time 3D, virtual production, and AI-enabled creative workflows designed to enhance collaboration, efficiency, and imagination.

Over the years, PIER59 has hosted defining work by image-makers such as Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh, and David LaChapelle, alongside creative directors including Fabien Baron and Grace Coddington.

Its stages have also welcomed an extraordinary range of cultural figures, from supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Gisele Bündchen, to entertainers and artists including Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, and Robert De Niro.

Beyond entertainment, PIER59 has hosted athletes, cultural leaders, and public figures, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, underscoring PIER59's role as a crossroads of fashion, sport, media, and global culture.

Major brands and institutions have relied on PIER59 as a production home, including Vogue, Victoria's Secret, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Nike, Adidas, HBO, Netflix, CNN, and Disney.

In addition to shoots and campaigns, PIER59 has served as the site of major runway shows, live broadcasts, fashion weeks, cultural summits, and large-scale experiential events, reinforcing its identity not just as a studio, but as a creative destination.

"PIER59 Studios was never about a single medium," says Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa, Founder and CEO. "It was about creating an environment where artists and storytellers could evolve, from film to digital, from motion to virtual worlds, and where emerging tools like AI expand creative possibility rather than replace it."

That philosophy defines PIER59's present and future. The studio's Virtual Production Megaverse Stage enables creators to work in real-time 3D environments that seamlessly blend physical sets, digital worlds, and live performance. Looking ahead, PIER59 is actively integrating AI-assisted tools across pre-production, production, and post — supporting smarter planning, more sustainable workflows, and deeper creative collaboration.

While fashion remains core to its DNA, PIER59 today operates as a multidisciplinary production campus, supporting work across fashion, film, television, sports, music, advertising, live events, and immersive media — all within a single, integrated ecosystem.

Throughout 2026, the 30-year celebration will unfold as a year-long program featuring curated retrospectives of iconic imagery, large-scale anniversary events, experimental showcases using virtual production and AI-driven tools, and collaborative moments with brands, media platforms, and cultural institutions.

If the past thirty years of PIER59 reflect the evolution of modern image-making, its next chapter points toward a more connected, collaborative, and technologically empowered creative future.

PIER59 Studios at a Glance:

Founded: 1995
30-Year Celebration: Honored throughout 2026
Location: Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, New York City, NY
Size: 110,000 sq. ft. studio complex with 11 modular stages
Virtual Production: 65′ LED MegaWall — largest in the Northeast
Notable Collaborations: Vogue, Victoria's Secret, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, FENDI, Nike, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, HBO, Netflix, Warner Bros., CNN, Disney, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus.
Divisions: Studios | Virtual Production | Events | Equipment | Club59 | Location Services