Hulu on Tuesday (November 28) opened the doors to its “Viewer Operations Experience” HQ, a building in San Antonio, Texas, that spans 45,000 square feet across two floors and today employs more than 300.
Hulu announced plans for the new facility in April, noting then that more than 500 jobs are projected to be based there by later next year. The building, Hulu’s second largest following its Santa Monica HQ, is opening more than six months after Hulu beta-launched its new live TV service.
The new San Antonio building, which is about three times larger than the temporary site Hulu first used in the city, is home to the company’s customer-focused functions, including customer support operations and service and network operations. In August, Hulu announced the hiring of Linda Cardenas as head of viewer experience operations, who leads Hulu’s viewer experience team in San Antonio.
Hulu’s capital investment in the new headquarters is expected to exceed $13 million, San Antonio Express-News reported, citing Texas Enterprise Fund records. Cardenas also told the paper that about 30 of Hulu’s employees moved from California to work at the new facility in San Antonio.
Hulu notes that the new facility has more than 400 desks, with 351 that are “hotel” desks that are shared by “Advocates” across s shifts. Conference rooms there are named after San Antonio landmarks, Marvel superheroes and Mexican loteria, a Bingo-style game that uses images on a deck of cards, with each image having its own assigned name and number.
Among other elements, Hulu’s new building has a training room with a movable wall and uses infrared technology that can sense when it’s being used as one or two rooms, and an operations center/command center with 12 screens that monitor Hulu’s service 24/7.
The facility also has a gender-neutral restroom, a game room with massage chairs and arcade and board games, and a “micro-market” that offers lunch and snack options around the clock.
