Currently the industry in Burbank includes 697 businesses and a conservative estimate of 20,000 employees. Though he has no statistics for previous years, Krueger says he knows those numbers have grown substantially, based on the amount of development occurring. Advances in technology have brought new companies into the field, with particular growth in video production, advertising production and set design. As entertainment and media companies have gobbled up Burbank, they've chewed into nearby Glendale as well. Recently KABC Channel 7, which is owned by Disney, announced it will be moving into the Grand Central Business Center, which is owned by Disney, The move, a natural for Disney, is expected to be completed by the fall of 2000, and will add an estimated 300 employees to the area in Glendale.
Plans are for a state of the art television studio and office complex.
Especially in animation, Glendale houses many new and expanding companies. DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Cambridge Animation, Hyperion Studios, Galaxy World, Creative Capers Entertainment and Animation Filmmakers Corp. are some of the animation companies residing in Glendale. Other companies, such as Knowledge Adventure and Seventh Level, produce software that has an animation component. I'm not sure there's an incentive for a mass exodus, but it bears keeping in mind. Though Burbank clearly operates as the industry's heart, as an artery Glendale is very attractive, says O'Neill.