Pretend
Pretend is a privately held, Venice, California-based software company that develops a combined screenwriting and video editing application for writer-directors, operating with a small team of 1-10 employees and minimal public footprint.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersVenice, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Pretend does
Pretend is a privately held, for-profit software company headquartered in Venice, California, that markets a single product: a screenwriting and video editing application built for writer-directors. Per the firmographic record, the company was founded in 2009 and operates with a small team of 1–10 employees, consistent with an early-stage, founder-led operating model. The product's functional value proposition is workflow consolidation — collapsing two traditionally separate production phases (writing and editing) into a single tool — targeted at individual creators who perform both roles. The company has no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, or public ticker, and its IPO/private status is private.
Beyond the product positioning summary, no further technical, commercial, or operational details are available in the input data. There are no documented products beyond the description-level summary, no pricing or revenue model, no publicly disclosed pricing, no customer logos or segments, no distribution or marketing channels, no partnerships, no certifications, no patents or trademarks, no funding rounds, no management team roster, and no office locations beyond the Venice headquarters. The company's website (pretendllc.com) currently displays only a verification/waiting page rather than a functional product or marketing site, indicating that the public-facing surface is either not yet launched, undergoing verification, or otherwise not operational at the time of capture.
The combination of a long-listed founding date (2009) with a description characterizing the product as "new" introduces a data inconsistency that the available evidence cannot resolve — it could indicate a recent product relaunch or pivot, a dormant entity reactivated, or a metadata error. Pretend should be characterized as a low-public-profile company with material information gaps across products, customers, financials, leadership, and go-to-market; any investment diligence will require primary-source verification.
Pretend firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pretend
- Website
- https://pretendllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pretend is a privately held, Venice, California-based software company that develops a combined screenwriting and video editing application for writer-directors, operating with a small team of 1-10 employees and minimal public footprint.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pretend industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Filmmaking Software
- NAICS
- Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- 3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)
Keywords
Where Pretend is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Venice
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Pretend business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Pretend product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pretend is a software application designed for writer-directors that mixes screenwriting and video editing into a single integrated workflow. It enables filmmakers who both write and direct to develop scripts and edit video content within one environment, consolidating two traditionally separate stages of filmmaking into a unified creative tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pretend Integrated screenwriting and video editing software designed for writer-directors, combining script development and video editing capabilities within a single workflow for filmmakers who both write and direct their own projects.
Companies that use Pretend
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Pretend technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pretend partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Pretend competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Final Draft: Industry-standard screenwriting software used by professional writer-directors; the dominant incumbent Pretend would need to displace on the writing side of its combined workflow.
- Celtx: Pre-production and screenwriting platform targeting indie and studio writer-directors with integrated planning tools — directly comparable to the screenwriting half of Pretend's pitch.
- WriterDuet: Collaborative screenwriting platform popular with writer-directors and writing rooms; competes on the same screenwriting workflow that Pretend bundles into its product.
- Movie Magic Screenwriter: Long-standing professional screenwriting application used in Hollywood; another incumbent Pretend would have to displace on the screenwriting side of its workflow.
Broad incumbents
- Adobe Premiere Pro: Industry-standard NLE used by virtually all professional writer-directors for the editing half of their workflow; the dominant incumbent Pretend must compete with on the editing side.
- Final Cut Pro: Apple's professional NLE, widely used by independent writer-directors; represents the entrenched editing-tool alternative to Pretend's bundled approach.
- DaVinci Resolve: Full-featured NLE with strong color grading, used by independent filmmakers and writer-directors; another incumbent Pretend would have to displace on the editing side.
Emerging players
- Descript: Transcript-based video and audio editor popular with creators; represents the new wave of 'faster-than-NLE' editing tools competing for the same indie writer-director and creator segment.
- Arc Studio Pro: Modern collaborative screenwriting app targeting professional screenwriters and writer-directors; a more agile competitor on the writing half of Pretend's offering.
Others
- Frame.io: Collaborative video review and asset management platform used throughout film and content production; adjacent infrastructure that complements the editing half of Pretend's workflow rather than competing directly.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Pretend social profiles
Digital presencePretend financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pretend leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pretend funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pretend 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 Pretend
What does Pretend do?
Pretend is a software application designed for writer-directors that mixes screenwriting and video editing into a single integrated workflow. It enables filmmakers who both write and direct to develop scripts and edit video content within one environment, consolidating two traditionally separate stages of filmmaking into a unified creative tool.
When was Pretend founded?
Pretend was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pretend based?
Pretend is headquartered in Venice, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Pretend's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Final Draft, Celtx, WriterDuet and Movie Magic Screenwriter. Broad incumbents are Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Emerging players are Descript and Arc Studio Pro. Frame.io is listed as an others.
Does Pretend have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pretend.
What industry is Pretend in?
Pretend's product category is Filmmaking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHACAD, 3D Product/Explainer Animation, with a secondary code of MPAHACAN, Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time). Its NAICS code is 51219 and its SIC code is 7812.