Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, VIMN Americas president Pierluigi Gazzolo and VIMN Americas EVP and COO Juan Acosta
Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, VIMN Americas president Pierluigi Gazzolo and VIMN Americas EVP and COO Juan Acosta
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, VIMN Americas president Pierluigi Gazzolo and VIMN Americas Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Juan Acosta were present at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the media company's new global headquarters at 3 MiamiCentral, 161 N.W. 6th St.
After being located more than 20 years in Miami Beach, Acosta said VIMN Americas was ready for a change.
"We realized Miami Beach is old news, and now people are setting their sights on downtown," Acosta told the South Florida Business Journal. "Brightline also attracted our interest because its changing the game for commuters. Our employees are based all over the city and as a transportation hub, downtown Miami was better able to service their needs."
VIMN Americas currently has about 120 employees from Latin America, Spain, the Caribbean and Miami.
At the ribbon cutting, Suarez said VIMN's presence in downtown Miami will stimulate the local economy and create more career opportunities for South Florida residents.
"Miami is transitioning from being a Latin American gateway to a truly global city," Suarez said. "Having a company like Viacom as an anchor tenant of 3 MiamiCentral demonstrates that downtown Miami is becoming a center for international business."
The 25,000-square-foot space will serve as the base of operations for the company's portfolio of popular entertainment brands, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV. VIMN Americas will focus on programming for audiences in Latin America, Canada and the U.S. Hispanic market.
The space is intended to celebrate Miami and its diversity of Latin American cultures, featuring touches such as a game room with dominoes-themed wallpaper, a "Vinyl Bar" that includes turntables and records, a new mothers room, and multiple lounge and meeting areas.
The VIMN Americas headquarters is located only a few blocks away from the company's recently opened Viacom International Studios (VIS), an 88,000-square-foot production facility.
Robertson said the organization is focusing on recruiting media, financial and tech companies to downtown Miami. The DDA reports there's been a small uptick in the number of media and entertainment companies occupying office space in the city's urban core, with those firms accounting for 6 percent of all new-to-market leases signed between 2013 and the first quarter of 2018.
VIMN Americas isn't the first company to swap Miami Beach for downtown Miami. In November 2018, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) moved its global headquarters to 3 MiamiCentral, also citing the benefits of Brightline and the area's public transportation connections as a factor that led to the change.
Take a tour around VIMN Americas' new offices below!:
VIMN America's "Vinyl Bar" is stocked with records, turntables and headphones for employee use.
A dining area at VIMN America's global headquarters in downtown Miami.
The kitchen at VIMN America's new headquarters includes a foosball table.
The lobby of VIMN America's new global headquarters in downtown Miami.
A lounge area at VIMN America's global headquarters in downtown Miami.
VIMN America's new global headquarters features a new mother's nursing room.
Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, VIMN Americas president Pierluigi Gazzolo and VIMN Americas EVP and COO Juan Acosta inaugurate Viacom Americas new offices.
Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, VIMN Americas president Pierluigi Gazzolo and VIMN Americas EVP and COO Juan Acosta
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