Report: Amazon near deal for production offices in Santa Monica

The online retailer turned Hollywood studio is lining up at least 75,000 square feet at the Water Garden (Colorado Avenue and 26th Street), the Los Angeles Business Journal is reporting. That's a sizable amount of space for that part of town (YouTube's new facility in Playa Vista has 41,000 square feet). Terms are still being worked out with landlord JP Morgan Chase, according to the paper. Amazon Studios has been operating out of small offices at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, so this would be making a significant statement about its Hollywood plans. It also would be the latest in a string of deals that have been cut by online giants wanting to integrate content into their operations.

Microsoft, Netflix Inc. and YouTube LLC have all opened Westside offices as they aggressively pursue the production of original content. Netflix's quarterly revenue eclipsed $1 billion for the first time in the period ended March 31, a milestone attributed at least in part to the success of its original online drama "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey. The critically acclaimed series has been credited with bringing more subscribers to the service. Earlier this year, Amazon Studios Inc., the entertainment unit of the online retailer run by former Walt Disney Co. executive Roy Price, began streaming 14 original comedy and children's pilots through its website. It is turning five of those programs into series starring familiar actors such as John Goodman and Ed Begley Jr. Several of the shows, including comedy "Betas," were filmed locally.