What Merman does

Merman is a privately-held, boutique entertainment production company founded in 2014 by Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, operating across two core divisions: TV & Film and Branded Entertainment. The TV & Film division originates, develops, produces, and packages scripted series and feature films for major broadcasters and streaming platforms, with a slate that includes Bad Sisters (Apple TV+/BBC), Amandaland (BBC), Catastrophe (Channel 4/Amazon), This Way Up (Channel 4), Divorce (HBO), and Vladimir (Netflix), plus features such as Herself and Your Monster. The Branded Entertainment division produces bespoke advertising, branded content, and music videos for global brands and artists including Walmart, Mastercard, IBM, Ralph Lauren, HomeGoods, Lincoln Financial, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift, and has won Cannes Gold Lions, Effie Gold, and British Arrows Gold.

The company earns revenue through production fees, licensing royalties, backend participation on scripted content, and professional-services fees for branded and music video work. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. Supporting the core divisions are two sub-brands: Mermade (launched 2018, a digitally-focused sister company with a first-look deal with Topic for short-form episodic and long-form digital content) and Mermates (a director incubator for emerging advertising talent). Operating geographies span the UK and US, with offices in London (Rathbone Place branded HQ plus Borough High Street TV office), Glasgow (Scotland development), Los Angeles, and New York, and a recent 2026 leadership partnership with HBO via a two-year first-look deal for Sharon Horgan including an 8-part straight-to-series order for Youth.

Name

Merman

Legal name

Merman

Website

https://hellomerman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Merman is a boutique entertainment production company founded in 2014 by Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, producing award-winning TV, film, branded content, and music videos for global broadcasters, streamers, brands, and artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Production Services

NAICS

Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters, and Other General Merchandise Retailers (4552)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Commerce & Merch Platforms (Shops, Drops, Print-on-Demand) (MPACABAG)

Keywords

• TV series production
• Branded entertainment
• Music video production
• Commercial production
• Film production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. TV & Film Production: Originates, develops, produces, and packages entertainment content for broadcasters and streaming platforms. Revenue comes from production fees, licensing, and backend participation.
2. Branded Entertainment & Advertising: Creates branded content, commercials, and entertainment for global brands working alongside agency partners.
3. Music Videos: Produces music videos for artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
4. Mermade Digital Content: Digitally focused sister company specializing in short-form episodic content for social and streaming platforms, with first look deal with Topic.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Merman is a boutique production and entertainment company that originates, develops, produces, and packages television series, feature films, branded entertainment content, commercials, and music videos. The company operates two main divisions — TV & Film and Branded Entertainment — creating award-winning scripted and unscripted content for major broadcasters, streaming platforms, global brands, and recording artists. Supporting sub-brands include Mermade (digital/short-form content) and Mermates (emerging directors incubator).

Product overview

Merman is a boutique entertainment studio offering TV & Film production and branded entertainment services. The company operates across two main divisions: TV & Film (originating, developing, producing, and packaging entertainment across multiple platforms) and Branded Entertainment (creating bespoke branded content for agencies and brands). Supporting these core offerings are Mermade (a digitally-focused sister company launched in 2018 for social and streaming platform content), Mermates (an incubator for emerging directors), and music video production. The company has produced acclaimed series like Bad Sisters, Amandaland, and Vladimir, along with feature films including Herself, Rebel Hearts, and Your Monster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mermade: Creator-focused sister company founded in 2018, fostering and developing emerging and diverse talent from across the globe. Works across proof of concepts, short films/series, feature films, podcasts, scripted and unscripted series.
• Mermates

Products and services

• TV & Film Production Origination, development, production, and packaging of television series and feature films for major broadcasters and streaming platforms including BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO, Starz, Hulu, and Amazon. Award-winning titles include Bad Sisters, Amandaland, Catastrophe, Divorce, Shining Vale, and Vladimir.
• Branded Entertainment Creation of bespoke branded entertainment content, commercials, and entertainment for global brands working alongside agency partners. Notable projects include campaigns for Walmart (Add to Heart), HomeGoods (Home Sweet HomeGoods), Lincoln Financial (The Action Plan), Mastercard (Lady Gaga Abracadabra), IBM (Techless), and Ralph Lauren.
• Music Video Production High-production music video production for major recording artists including Taylor Swift (Opalite, The Fate of Ophelia) and Lady Gaga (Abracadabra, Runway).
• Mermade Creator-focused production sister company specializing in short-form episodic content, proof of concepts, short films/series, feature films, podcasts, and scripted/unscripted series for social, digital, and OnDemand platforms. Includes a first-look deal with Topic.
• Mermates Incubator for directors emerging onto the advertising scene, ranging from young talent making debut shorts to prolific longer-form storytellers looking to make their mark in commercials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Amandaland averaged over 6.4 million viewers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LADbible GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Merman is a production support partner on Pitch Your Story, a new initiative launched by LADbible Group in collaboration with Young Arrows and Race Equality Foundation, supporting emerging UK filmmakers with up to £15,000 in production support and mentorship.
• BBH LondonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Merman partnered with BBH London and Missing People to launch Based on a True Story, a powerful short film challenging true crime culture, executive produced by Sharon Horgan and directed by Rachel Stubbings.
• TopiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018 Mermade signed a first look deal with Topic developing a mix of short form scripted and long form broadcast shows. Down From London came out of this collaboration and is currently in paid development to become a feature.
• Missing PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership for Based on a True Story campaign challenging true crime culture, including launch of Responsible Narratives Charter.
• Element PicturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerself feature film was a co-production with Element Pictures, written by Claire Dunne and Malcolm Campbell.
• 2LE MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPushers was a co-production with 2LE Media, written by Rosie Jones and Peter Fellows.
• Women's AidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Van Wife campaign marking 50th anniversary of Women's Aid, generating 15+ million impressions and winning two Gold British Arrows.
• HBOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharon Horgan and Merman signed a two-year first-look television deal with HBO, including an 8-part straight-to-series order for upcoming comedy Youth.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tiger Aspect Productions: UK production company (Mr. Bean, Peaky Blinders originally) with deep BBC and Channel 4 relationships. Comparable size and broadcaster-supply model to Merman TV & Film.
• Bad Wolf: Wales-based premium TV production company (His Dark Materials, Industry) supplying HBO, BBC, and other tier-1 buyers. Closely comparable boutique with similar streaming-supply economics.
• Sister: UK-based independent production group producing premium TV and film (Chernobyl, Black Mirror) for global streamers and broadcasters. Closely comparable to Merman in scale, talent-led creative identity, and tier-1 streamer relationships.
• RSA Films: Ridley Scott-associated UK/US production company with strong commercials and branded entertainment division plus feature work. Comparable dual entertainment-advertising positioning.
• Two Brothers Pictures: UK drama production company behind Line of Duty and Bodyguard with BBC and streamer relationships. Similar boutique scale and prestige-drama positioning to Merman's TV/film arm.
• Working Title Films: Major UK production company behind Love Actually, Notting Hill, and recent TV projects. Comparable UK-rooted premium production operations with global ambitions.
• Anonymous Content: US production company with both entertainment (Spotlight, True Detective) and advertising/branded content divisions. Directly comparable cross-divisional TV-film-plus-branded model to Merman.
• See-Saw Films: UK/Australia-based production company with credits including Slow Horses and The Power of the Dog. Comparable boutique premium positioning across film and prestige TV.
• A24: US premium film and TV studio with brand cachet for distinctive content (Euphoria, Everything Everywhere All at Once). Comparable premium positioning and creative-led identity.

Broad incumbents

• Fremantle: Global production giant behind X Factor, American Idol, and a deep scripted catalogue. Larger and broader than Merman but overlaps in branded entertainment and global TV production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mermanbranded
• Xx.com/HelloMerman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merman