By Cameron Lee
July 29, 2025
Virtual production is rapidly reshaping the film and television industry, and Charlotte is about to enter the next frontier with the opening of MAYA VP, the city’s first full-service virtual production studio. The visionary behind the project is Eric Halili, a Filipino-American videographer and founder of the local production company Rebrand. Since moving from the Bay Area to Charlotte in 2007, Halili has worked in video production for well over a decade — but MAYA VP is undoubtedly his most ambitious endeavor.
Set to open in August, MAYA VP will be the first studio in Charlotte to utilize LED volumes — massive, high-resolution panels that display photorealistic digital environments in real time. These screens enable filmmakers to create immersive, high-end visuals without relying on green screens or extensive post-production. The technology also significantly reduces time and costs, offering a more sustainable and efficient alternative for shooting feature films, commercials, video games, and high-budget music videos.
“I feel like we have a responsibility to share this knowledge to a lot of people,” Halili said. “If we open it up to where we have this technology and are willing to share it…we can unlock a lot of creativity and potential.”
What exactly is a Virtual Production Studio?
Virtual production studios combine LED walls with real-time rendering tools like Unreal Engine (developed by Epic Games) to simulate environments and lighting effects directly on set. These dynamic backgrounds respond to camera movements, creating realistic depth and lighting for actors without ever leaving the studio.
While elements of the technology have been used since the early 2000s — in films like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar — Disney’s The Mandalorian is widely credited as the first major production to fully embrace and advance virtual production. The show sparked Halili’s interest and motivated him to further research the world.
“They were using these big LED walls to create, and then they’re designing a set that makes it look like it lives inside the video, where it’s like, seamless.”
Building MAYA VP Studios: From Idea to Reality
Halili, who has a background in computer science, was initially motivated by his concern over the rise of AI-generated content. Rather than resist the wave of change, he decided to get ahead of it by investing in the next big thing.
“It scared me, so I was like, ‘all right, well, I might be in a situation where I have to look for another career — so let me figure out what we can do with this [virtual production].”
Finding the right people to guide him was crucial. Through his friend Fred in Los Angeles, Halili was connected with Lloyd and Ruel — two industry professionals who had worked on the set of The Mandalorian, building and maintaining the LED walls — and who, by chance, happened to be old friends of his. Their expertise gave him the confidence to move forward.
“Knowing what you want to do — it’s one thing, but having the know-how is another thing,” said Halili. “I feel like, if I didn’t have anybody, any friends, that knew how to do this, I probably wouldn’t have pursued it.”
But as always, the biggest challenge was financing. Halili secured a 4,000-square-foot location on Scott Futrell Drive in West Charlotte, situated within one of the city’s designated Corridors of Opportunity. This qualified MAYA VP for a Beyond Open Grant and a Creative Spaces Initiative Grant, along with an SBA loan to help fund the costly project.
The Technology and Education
A key contributor to the new operation is Ian Lee, a 22-year-old student who studied game development art at Wake Tech. Since joining forces with Halili, Lee has been learning at an impressive pace. With virtual production still in its early stages — and only a few formal courses and training programs available, much of his education has come through trial and error.
“It’s a lot of banging your head against the wall, testing every little thing until you finally figure out the issue — and then fixing it,” Lee said.
Recognizing the steep learning curve, Halili has made education a central part of the studio’s mission. He’s bringing in experts like Ian Fursa — founder of VP Toolkit, industry veteran, and educator behind a popular YouTube channel that teaches the complexities of Unreal Engine and virtual production workflows.
“In order for us to operate at a high level, we have to surround ourselves with people who know how to do this right,” Halili said.
He also plans to host regular workshops led by national experts to help train and inspire a new generation of virtual production professionals in the region.
Can the studio help Charlotte draw bigger film productions?
Once a budding hub for film production, North Carolina’s momentum slowed in 2015 when generous film tax credits were replaced with a more complex rebate system. Halili believes MAYA VP can help reignite Charlotte’s potential to attract large-scale productions.
“I’m not intending to be like this ambassador for film here,” Halili said. “I just have something that can re-energize the film community…I feel like we need more interactions to come up with ideas.”
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MAYA VP won’t just be a rental facility — it will serve as a creative community space. Halili plans to collaborate with regional filmmakers and production companies, and offer mobile LED setups, as he recently did at the American Athletic Conference’s media day in Charlotte. The studio is already partnering with local creative media agency Renegade Content Creation to house and operate its Sisu Cinema Robotics arm, allowing the team to utilize the space and offer this rare piece of equipment to clients.
“This is my passion. This is my next step for the evolution of my career, but it comes with responsibility,” he said. “It’s about educating people, too. What else can we do in this space? We can unlock a lot of creativity and potential.”
The Grand Opening
The grand opening of MAYA VP Studios will take place on Friday, August 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the City of Charlotte. The evening will feature a live demo of the virtual production setup, drinks by Justin Hazleton of Lorem Ipsum, wine curated by Joshua Villapando of Assorted Table Wine Shoppe, hors d’oeuvres by Saku, beer from Sugar Creek Brewing, and music by DJ That Guy Smitty.
You can learn more about MAYA VP Studios from their official website, and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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