When a client requested three shoot locations in a single day for a William Hill commercial, Santiago Sánchez-Lozano didn’t blink—he delivered nine. “With virtual production, we can jump from a kitchen to a living room to a Mars base without ever leaving the studio,” the CEO of Hogarth Spain & Portugal tells The Hollywood Reporter, reflecting on the creative leap his team made with their new Madrid-based VP facility.

Launched just two years ago, Hogarth Spain’s virtual production arm has quickly become a proving ground for what Sánchez-Lozano calls “creative teleportation.” The LED-wall-driven facility—complete with integrated generative AI workflows—lets his team warp time, shift weather, and shoot scenes from ancient Rome to 2035 Jupiter, all on demand.

“We’re talking about a teleportation machine, a time machine, and a weather control system all in one,” he says. “What used to take weeks now takes hours.”

And while much of Hollywood is still debating how to adapt to VP, Hogarth Spain is already rewriting the playbook. Backed by WPP and driven by Sánchez-Lozano’s fearless leadership, the team has tackled everything from 300-meter AI-generated desert vistas to treadmill-tracked city walk simulations—inside a 6-meter-wide soundstage.

Still, Sánchez-Lozano is clear-eyed about the limits: “VP isn’t a magic fix for every shoot,” he says. “But for complex campaigns with multiple locations or environmental hurdles, it’s more efficient in time, budget, and carbon.”

Sustainability, in fact, is central to the studio’s success. Traditional shoots require air travel, freight trucks, and days of generator-powered lighting. Hogarth Spain’s virtual sets have cut that footprint by up to 93%, aligning with WPP’s 2030 climate targets. “We’ve never seen less than 80% carbon savings,” he notes.

And now, with the integration of generative AI, they’re accelerating even faster. “AI allows us to pre-build stunning, photorealistic environments without location scouting or plate shoots,” he says. “That means more creative options with less friction.”

Clients—once skeptical—are now true believers. “Once they’ve seen what’s possible,” he laughs, “they never want to go back.”

Behind the tech is a team Sánchez-Lozano calls “deeply playful.” Think R&D sprints that look more like playground challenges: record-fast scene swaps, triple-layered simulated rain, and internal showdowns to push the tools further. “The record for a complete scene change is 25 seconds,” he says, smiling. “It’s fun, but it’s also the future.”

For Sánchez-Lozano, the momentum is only beginning. He estimates virtual production could soon make up 30% of the market—and with AI in the mix, that figure could jump to 80% or more. “We’re not replacing creativity,” he adds. “We’re expanding it. These tools free us up to do what only humans can.”

His message to the global production industry? “Don’t fear it. Explore it. Play with it. This is the future—and it’s going to be extraordinary.”