Scheme Engine
Scheme Engine is a BIPOC-owned, culture-first production studio with a roster of award-winning directors producing commercials, music videos, and long-form film/TV content for brands, artists, and streaming platforms. Founded 2008, based in Los Angeles and Brooklyn.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Scheme Engine does
Scheme Engine is a privately held, BIPOC-owned creative production company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Los Angeles with a second office in Brooklyn, NY. The company operates as a talent-driven production studio whose core offering is a roster of approximately nine represented directors (including Charles Todd, Anthony Jamari Thomas, Floria Sigismondi, Sammy Rawal, Symone Ridgell, Julie Reali, Wendy Morgan, Kimberly Stuckwisch, and Christian Padron) who deliver work across three primary verticals: commercial and branded content, music videos, and long-form film/TV. The studio's underlying production infrastructure spans production and post-production, with technical capability demonstrated by an interactive shader/color-palette UI on its web presence used to showcase work. Distribution of completed work spans major streaming platforms (STARZ, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix), broadcast networks (CNN, BET, PBS, ESPN), music video platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, social), and direct delivery to brand marketing channels.
Scheme Engine monetizes primarily through project-based, one-time engagements — commercials and branded content are produced against brand campaign briefs (Hershey's, McDonald's, Walmart, Google, Nike, Balenciaga, Gucci, Lululemon, Prada, TikTok, DoorDash, Remy Martin among recent clients), music videos are produced for recording artists and their labels (Travis Scott, Adele, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Tinashe, The 1975), and documentary/series content is licensed to streaming platforms and broadcast networks (Magic City: An American Fantasy on STARZ, Memes & Nightmares on Hulu, Romeo Santos: King of Bachata on HBO Max, plus multi-title work on CNN, BET, PBS, and ESPN). Pricing is quote-based and project-specific with no public tiers disclosed. Customer acquisition is conducted indirectly via five regional representation agencies (Miss Smith, Hero Management, Nikki Weiss & Co for commercial; Hart Represents and Free Agent UK for music video) plus a flagship representation agreement with CAA for original long-form content. Headquarters leadership disclosed in source material includes Executive Producers Sheira Rees-Davies and Jannie McInnes and Head of Production James Rothman; a separate leadership table lists Alex Kaplan as CEO and Devin Chanda as Co-Founder and CCO, and this conflict is noted. The studio has received industry recognition including the 2021 RFK Center Journalism Award for the documentary series '16 & Recovering'. No institutional funding, venture capital backing, or revenue figures are disclosed in available source material.
Scheme Engine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scheme Engine
- Website
- https://schemeengine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Scheme Engine is a BIPOC-owned, culture-first production studio with a roster of award-winning directors producing commercials, music videos, and long-form film/TV content for brands, artists, and streaming platforms. Founded 2008, based in Los Angeles and Brooklyn.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scheme Engine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Video Production Services
- NAICS
- Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real-Time Content & Engine Services (Unreal/Unity, Real-Time Rendering Pipelines) (MPADAHAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- 3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD)
Keywords
Where Scheme Engine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Scheme Engine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commercial & Branded Content Production: Producing commercials and branded content for corporate clients including major brands such as Hershey's, McDonald's, Walmart, Lululemon, Google, Balenciaga, Nike, and others. Projects are typically one-time production engagements for specific brand campaigns.
- Music Video Production: Creating music videos for recording artists. The company has produced videos for artists including Travis Scott, Adele, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Tinashe, and others.
- Film & TV Content Licensing: Producing documentary and series content that is licensed to streaming platforms and broadcast networks. Content has been released on Starz, Hulu, HBO Max, CNN, BET, PBS, and ESPN. Projects include Magic City: An American Fantasy (Starz), Memes & Nightmares (Hulu), Romeo Santos: King of Bachata (HBO Max), and various CNN documentaries.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels2 records
Scheme Engine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scheme Engine is a culture-first, BIPOC-owned creative production company that produces commercials and branded content for major consumer brands, music videos for recording artists and labels, and documentary and docuseries content for streaming platforms and broadcast networks. Work is delivered through a roster of award-winning directors across offices in Los Angeles and Brooklyn.
Product overview
Scheme Engine is a culture-first production company offering creative direction and production services across three primary offerings: (1) Commercial and branded content production, (2) Television and documentary production, and (3) Music video production. The company's core product is its roster of nine represented directors who specialize in these respective areas. The director roster serves as the primary offering, with each director independently creating content for major brands and entertainment platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial & Branded Content Production Production of commercials and branded content campaigns for major consumer brands including Hershey's, McDonald's, Walmart, Lululemon, Google, Balenciaga, Gucci, Nike, Prada, DoorDash, Remy Martin, Awake NY, Starbucks, and TikTok. Engagements are typically one-time project-based productions tied to specific brand campaigns.
- Music Video Production Production of music videos and concert/visual content for recording artists and music industry clients including Travis Scott, Adele, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Tinashe, and The 1975 (Apple Music). Projects are typically one-time commissioned productions.
- Film & TV Documentary Production Production of documentary, docuseries, and concert film content licensed to streaming platforms (Starz, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix) and broadcast networks (CNN, BET, PBS, ESPN). Examples include Magic City: An American Fantasy (Starz), Memes & Nightmares (Hulu), Romeo Santos: King of Bachata (HBO Max), Lessons From The Water: Diving With A Purpose (CNN), Bars & Ballads for George Floyd (BET), Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away (PBS), and Eagles: Live From The Forum MMXVIII (ESPN).
Companies that use Scheme Engine
Customer profileNamed customers29 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Scheme Engine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Scheme Engine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Miss SmithcoreRepresentation agency handling Scheme Engine's commercial directors for East Coast bookings. Contact includes Sasha Stern, Jamie Scalera, and Bess Howell.
- Hero ManagementcoreRepresentation agency handling Scheme Engine's commercial directors for West Coast bookings. Contact is Harrison Elkins.
- Nikki Weiss & CocoreRepresentation agency handling Scheme Engine's commercial directors for Midwest bookings. Contact is Nikki Weiss.
- Hart RepresentscoreRepresentation agency handling Scheme Engine's music video directors for US bookings. Contact is Nicole O'Connell.
- Free Agent UKcoreRepresentation agency handling Scheme Engine's music video directors for UK bookings. Contact is Alexa Haywood.
- CAAflagshipMajor talent agency representing Scheme Engine for original content and film/TV projects. Contact is Hannah Epstein. CAA represents the company for its long-form content development.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Scheme Engine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MJZ: Long-established commercial and music video production company with a deep director roster; a direct peer competing for the same enterprise brand commercial budgets that Scheme Engine serves.
- Prettybird: Director-led production company for commercials, music videos, and branded content; comparable roster-based model and similar client overlap (Nike, Google, fashion/beauty brands).
- Radical Media: Long-standing production company producing commercials, music videos, documentaries, and branded content; one of the larger and more diversified peers to Scheme Engine across both commercial and documentary work.
- Park Pictures: Boutique director-led production company producing commercials, music videos, and short-form content for major brands; competes in the same commercial-production category with a similar talent-driven model.
- Anonymous Content: Director-driven production company spanning commercials, music videos, and long-form content (including Oscar-winning films); operates a comparable talent-roster business model and competes for the same brand and platform clients.
- Smuggler: Global production company representing directors across commercials, music videos, and long-form content; directly comparable in format mix, director-roster model, and brand-client profile.
- Biscuit Filmworks: Director-driven commercial and short-form production company; directly comparable in producing premium brand commercials and music videos with a roster of award-winning directors.
- Iconoclast: Global production company with a director roster spanning commercials, music videos, and content; comparable business model and competes for similar music-video and brand clients.
- RSA Films: Ridley Scott's commercial and long-form production company; one of the most prominent global production houses, directly comparable to Scheme Engine in offering commercials, music videos, and film/TV through a director-led roster.
Broad incumbents
- A24: Independent film/TV production and distribution company that commissions the kind of long-form, culture-rooted docuseries and films (e.g., content released through Starz, HBO Max) that Scheme Engine produces; broader incumbent operating at a larger scale across film, TV, and branded content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scheme Engine social profiles
Digital presenceScheme Engine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scheme Engine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Scheme Engine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scheme Engine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scheme Engine
What does Scheme Engine do?
Scheme Engine is a culture-first, BIPOC-owned creative production company that produces commercials and branded content for major consumer brands, music videos for recording artists and labels, and documentary and docuseries content for streaming platforms and broadcast networks. Work is delivered through a roster of award-winning directors across offices in Los Angeles and Brooklyn.
Is Scheme Engine a public or private company?
Scheme Engine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scheme Engine founded?
Scheme Engine was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Scheme Engine based?
Scheme Engine is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Scheme Engine make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commercial & Branded Content Production is the primary driver. The others are music Video Production and film & TV Content Licensing.
Who are Scheme Engine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MJZ, Prettybird, Radical Media, Park Pictures, Anonymous Content, Smuggler, Biscuit Filmworks, Iconoclast and RSA Films. A24 is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Scheme Engine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scheme Engine.
What industry is Scheme Engine in?
Scheme Engine's product category is Creative Video Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAHAH, Real-Time Content & Engine Services (Unreal/Unity, Real-Time Rendering Pipelines), with a secondary code of MPAHACAD, 3D Product/Explainer Animation. Its NAICS code is 516 and its SIC code is 7812.