- Gold Tree Studios, a Hollywood post‑production firm, filed for Chapter 11 under Subchapter V.
- The parent company had announced a $1 billion financing deal earlier this year.
- Gold Tree will close its Los Angeles post‑production facility and relocate services to Buffalo, NY.
- The LA studio worked on the upcoming Al Pacino film Lear Rex.
Gold Tree Studios files for bankruptcy despite $1B financing claim
Gold Tree Studios, a three‑year‑old post‑production company on the Sunset Strip, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court in California on Tuesday. The filing lists the company as a small business under Subchapter V and shows assets between $100,000 and $500,000 and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million.
The Chapter 11 move comes months after Gold Tree’s parent company announced it had secured a $1 billion financing deal with global investor Malka Group. In a March post on X (formerly Twitter), Gold Tree wrote: “This investment expands our studio footprint & production slate, bringing more jobs & opportunities to LA and beyond.” (Link: https://x.com/GoldTreeStudios)
LA closure and relocation to Buffalo
Gold Tree’s general counsel, Joseph Simon, told Business Insider the parent company will continue to operate but has decided to close the Los Angeles post‑production facility. Simon said the company is relocating post‑production work to its Buffalo, New York studio location, citing a lack of sufficient project volume in Los Angeles to sustain the LA operation.
Simon also told the outlet that the parent company’s “Billion Dollar Debt Finance Deal” remains in place despite the bankruptcy filing by the post‑production subsidiary.
Ties to Lear Rex and Hollywood credits
The West Hollywood facility provided post‑production services on Lear Rex, the Bernard Rose‑directed adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear starring Al Pacino as King Lear. The cast includes Ariana DeBose, Peter Dinklage, Rachel Brosnahan, Stephen Dorff, and Danny Huston. Gold Tree’s website highlights its editing suites, sound mixing, and color grading services and says the company set a “new standard for post‑production services.”
Gold Tree was co‑founded by entrepreneur Tim Chonacas and the late industry executive William Immerman. Alongside Gold Tree Studios, the group operates Gold Tree Films, Gold Tree TV, and Gold Tree Podcasts.
Financial snapshot and next steps
The filing lists between 1 and 49 creditors and identifies Gold Tree Studios as one of several subsidiaries in the Gold Tree group. The company characterizes the decision to move operations out of Los Angeles as difficult but necessary given the recent decline in high‑end post‑production project volume in the region.
Representatives for Malka Group did not respond to requests for comment. After the filing, the company’s bankruptcy lawyer confirmed the LA post‑production facility would close and that the parent business remains active while work shifts to other Gold Tree locations.
For updates from Gold Tree, see their X page: https://x.com/GoldTreeStudios
Image Referance: https://www.businessinsider.com/gold-tree-hollywood-post-production-firm-bankruptcy-al-pacino-2025-12
