Antelope Valley Mojave On April 15, Stratolaunch Systems Corp. flew for the first time the world’s largest all-composite aircraft. The plane with a wingspan of 385 feet – longer than a football field – took off from the Mojave Air & Space Port and flew for 2.5 hours over the desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet and a speed of 189 miles per hour. Stratolaunch built the first-of-its-kind airplane to launch satellite-carrying rockets into orbit. Northrop Grumman Corp.’s subsidiary Scaled Composites made the craft at the Stratolaunch hangar in Mojave. Stratolaunch was founded in 2011 by the late billionaire Paul Allen to launch satellite-carrying rockets into orbit as a lower cost alternative to ground-launched rockets. Chief Executive Jean Floyd said the first flight furthers the company’s mission to provide that alternative. San Fernando Valley Canoga Park US Nuclear Corp. has acquired a stake in a company to manufacture its thermonuclear fusion power generator. The detection equipment maker has an option to acquire up to 10 percent of Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies Inc. in Tustin. US Nuclear has non-exclusive worldwide rights to make the power generators for the U.S. and foreign power grids to power cities, transportation, space vehicles, military vehicles and ships from fusion. Magneto-Inertial Fusion Chief Executive Jerry Simmons said an advantage of fusion power is that it creates no nuclear waste that can be used in nuclear weapons. “In addition, (Magneto-Inertial’s) fusion generators are scalable and compact compared to all other energy production footprints,” Simmons said in a statement. In late 2017, US Nuclear signed an agreement with MIFTEC, owned by Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, to manufacture medical isotope generators. Encino San Fernando Valley resident and public relations veteran Marty Cooper is the new chairman of the board at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Cooper, founder of Cooper Communications in Encino, will head the board working with archive staff on promoting the archive in the community and exploring means of expanding its financial stability. Cooper has taught marketing, strategic planning, and crisis management at UCLA Extension for more than 30 years. Sherman Oaks A 38,994-square-foot office building in Sherman Oaks has sold for $11.6 million, or $298 per square foot, according to an announcement by Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura. The four-story, class A building at 12925 Riverside Drive features open ceilings with exposed HVAC, expansive window lines with tree top views from the upper floors, spacious break room, contemporary lighting and ample garage and surface parking. Stacy Vierheilig-Fraser, a principal with Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura, represented the seller, RDP Investments, with Scott Gertz at Coldwell Banker Commercial WESTMAC. Michael Shuken of Savills Studley represented the buyer, which CoStar Group identifies as Post Group Production Suites, a firm which specializes in providing film and audio editing suites. Cinedigm Corp. has signed a development deal with Outlook Co., a Baltimore multimedia organization run by former NFL star Trevor Pryce. Cinedigm will serve as the development and distribution partner when Outlook’s digital network is ready to launch, according to a statement from the company. Distribution will include third-party platforms, a linear channel, home entertainment licensing support, and ad-based as well as subscription-based services. Outlook is the brainchild of 14-year NFL player Pryce, who wrote “Kulipari: An Army of Frogs,” an award-winning young adult novel and comic series. It was adapted into an animated series by Netflix in 2016. Van Nuys A Van Nuys-based movie production studio has changed hands for the first time since its 1957 founding for $1.6 million, or $181 per square foot, according to brokers involved in the deal. NAI Capital Senior Vice Presidents Ziv Kozaski and Michael Dixon represented buyer Laurel Suite Arminta. The sellers were Ewing and Jeannie Brown. Ewing “Lucky” Brown, who founded Movie Tech Studios in 1957, recently decided, at the age of 98, to sell the facility. Located at 14737 Arminta St. and totaling 8,850 square feet, Movie Tech Studios has been a go-to source for filming and post production for more than 60 years. The studio boasts a 50-by-80-foot stage with a 30-foot-long, 14-foot-high green screen. According to NAI Capital, the complex has “a large studio feel” with dressing and make-up areas, props, sets, outside back lot, post-production suite and screening and conference rooms. Woodland Hills Digital real estate brokerage Rex has moved its headquarters out of the Warner Center in Woodland Hills to new offices in Austin, Texas. The company cited a better regulatory and business environment and a deeper talent pool at its new headquarters. It will retain a team of 50 employees in Woodland Hills. Rex currently has 28 employees located in Austin, including its chief data scientist, head of national sales and Chief Executive Jack Ryan. The brokerage expects to double that number by the end of 2019 with new hires in technology, data science, marketing and sales. “Texas is a place of outsized ambition and out-of-the-box thinking,” said Ryan in a statement. “It’s the perfect place for Rex to continue expanding its national business, and to fulfill its goal of radically reducing transaction costs for consumers.” Wildflour Bakery & Café, an upscale baked goods producer and café, has signed a 15,757-square-foot lease on a Warner Center facility that will become the company’s new manufacturing space. The property, located at 21160 Califa St. in Woodland Hills, will be utilized by Wildflour Bakery of Agoura Hills as its new baking facility. The Conejo Valley company will retains its café in Agoura Hills. Owned by Gregory Yulish, Wildflour produces and delivers baked goods directly to big box retailers and restaurants nationwide. The company will move into the Warner Center space during the third quarter. Santa Clarita Valley Valencia The former Sears location at Westfield Valencia Town Center will become the site of a project dubbed the Patios Connection, building on the success of the retail center’s existing element, The Patios. Mall owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield unveiled proposed plans for a $100 million investment in The Patios Connection, a redevelopment of the eastern portion of the property, which includes Santa Clarita’s first luxury cinema, full-service health and fitness center and additional specialty brand shops, plus the addition of Santa Clarita’s second Costco location. The Patios Connection project will also improve the parking at The Patios by adding a 320-space lot on top of the new Costco space. The California Nurses Association has reached a tentative agreement with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. The three-year collective bargaining agreement covers 650 nurses and looks to recruit and retain registered nurses at the hospital while strengthening their ability to protect patients, the association said. Under the agreement, pay increases start at 9 percent and go up to a maximum of 20 percent during the three-year contract; staffing language dictates legally mandated meal and rest breaks; nurses have greater access to union representatives in the facility; there is improved protection against unjust discipline for new nurses; and legal language protects nurses against workplace violence. Tri-Cities Burbank Walt Disney Co. announced the start date of its new streaming service and its future streaming plans. The Burbank entertainment giant will launch its Disney+ streaming service on Nov. 12 at a cost of $6.99 a month. In addition to content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, “Star Wars” and National Geographic, the service will also release 25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries and specials. Chief Executive Robert Iger called Disney+ a bold step forward. “We are confident that the combination of our unrivaled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace,” Iger said in a statement.
