Actor Nicholas Tse teams up with Digital Domain to create content, special effects studio

Digital Domain Holdings, which operates the world’s biggest independent special-effects company, is teaming up with Hong Kong actor and entrepreneur Nicholas Tse Ting-fung to drive its expansion into mainland China, the world’s second-largest movie market.

Tse will serve as chairman of the newly created company called DDPO, a subsidiary of Digital Domain, once the Hong Kong-listed firm’s acquisition of the popular celebrity’s post-production services business on the mainland is completed.

“Moving forward, DDPO will be the platform for all our production deals in Greater China,” Digital Domain chief executive Daniel Seah Ang told the South China Morning Post Monday.

Tse would be responsible for growing Digital Domain’s visual special effects, computer graphics, virtual reality, 360 panorama video recording and digital human rendering services for mainland Chinese cinema, TV, commercial advertising, concerts and sports events.

“There are ample business opportunities in the Greater China region, especially for media, entertainment and technology,” Tse said.

Shares of Digital Domain were up 6.1 per cent to close at 44 Hong Kong cents Monday, following the company’s noontime announcement at the JW Marriott Hotel in Admiralty.

In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange, Digital Domain said it has agreed to buy 85 per cent of the issued share capital of Lucrative Skill Holdings from owners See Corp and Tse.