What ESM Productions does

ESM Productions is a US-based, woman- and minority-owned professional services firm founded in 1996 that designs, plans, and produces high-profile live events, broadcast productions, and livestreams for enterprise and government clients. The company operates from three offices in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles, and executes projects globally. Its work is organized around five interconnected service lines — Turnkey Event Solutions, Event Design & Planning, Production Management, Talent Relations & Booking, and Broadcast & Livestream — that together cover the full event lifecycle from creative concept through on-site execution and post-event content distribution. Marquee engagements span multiple decades and include the 2015 Papal visit Festival of Families (1.2M+ attendees), the Book of HOV exhibit for Roc Nation (650K+ visitors), ten consecutive years producing the Made in America Festival for Live Nation, and global launch and event production for Tidal Music across 200 events in 15+ countries from 2016-2022.

The underlying technology stack is a standard live-event broadcast toolkit rather than a proprietary platform: multi-camera capture, 4K imagery, immersive audio, white-label player integration, real-time social clip generation, and broadcast television/livestream capabilities, supplemented by VR and metaverse deployments for select engagements. There are no disclosed patents, proprietary software products, or AI/ML systems; competitive advantage is derived from production craft, vendor networks, and talent relationships rather than from differentiated technology IP.

ESM generates revenue through project-based professional services fees for event production, with each engagement custom-priced based on scope, size, complexity, and client requirements. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting marquee brands in entertainment (Roc Nation, Tidal, Coldplay, The Roots, HYBE/BTS), corporate (Comcast), sports (Philadelphia Phillies, AC Milan, Fanatics Sportsbook), government (City of Philadelphia, U.S. Embassy Ottawa, World Meeting of Families Papal Visit Host Committee), and nonprofit (SEIU, Tunnel to Towers, Team Roc) sectors. The company has no public pricing, no disclosed revenue, no institutional investors, and no parent company; it remains privately held and founder-led by co-founders Jenny Woo and Craig Mirkin, with Scott Mirkin serving as President & Executive Producer.

Name

ESM Productions

Legal name

ESM Productions

Website

https://esmproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ESM Productions is a woman- and minority-owned, Philadelphia-based event design, planning, and production firm founded in 1996, serving enterprise, entertainment, government, and nonprofit clients across its New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles offices with full-service live event, broadcast, and livestream capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Event Production Services: ESM Productions generates revenue through professional services fees for event design, planning, production, and management. Services include production management, broadcast and livestream, event design and planning, talent relations and booking, and turnkey event solutions. Revenue is project-based with custom pricing for each engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ESM Productions is a full-service event design, planning, and production company that delivers high-profile live events, meetings, television productions, and livestreams. Its offerings span turnkey event solutions, creative event design, production management, talent relations and booking, and broadcast/livestream amplification for corporate, entertainment, nonprofit, and government clients globally.

Product overview

ESM Productions is an event design, planning, and production company offering five interconnected core service modules: Turnkey Event Solutions (full event production), Event Design & Planning (creative and technical design), Production Management (operations and logistics), Talent Relations & Booking (artist procurement), and Broadcast & Livestream (content distribution). These services work together to deliver end-to-end event production from concept to execution, serving clients across corporate events, concerts, nonprofit events, and broadcasts/livestreams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Turnkey Event Solutions Comprehensive event production service for clients needing end-to-end delivery from concept through execution across brand activations, concerts, galas, press conferences, product launches, and sales kickoffs.
• Event Design & Planning Full-service event design and planning covering creative design, immersive stage and set design, lighting design, renders/previsualization, sound design, tablescapes, menus, and video graphics for clients needing visually distinctive event experiences.
• Production Management Behind-the-scenes infrastructure service covering budget development, cash flow management, labor relations, payroll, logistics, operations, show management, and talent relations for clients running large-scale events.
• Talent Relations & Booking Talent booking and management service that negotiates appearances, manages talent agreements, creates marketing and social media content, and draws on experience producing over 500 artists.
• Broadcast & Livestream Live event amplification service providing multi-cam coverage, immersive audio, 4K imagery, white-label player integration, real-time social media clips, and broadcast television/livestreaming for clients needing multi-platform content distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 200 events in venues worldwide reaching 100 million people over 6 years for Tidal Music
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Drexel University Co-op ProgramminorOthersESM Productions has partnered with the Drexel Co-op Program since 2010, providing opportunities for students to gain practical experience in event production through cooperative education placements.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: One of the world's largest live entertainment and event production companies, operating festivals, concert tours, and corporate event experiences. Like ESM, AEG produces high-profile live events end-to-end but at significantly greater scale and with broader portfolio diversification.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Global leader in live entertainment producing concerts, festivals, and branded events. Directly comparable to ESM in producing large-scale music and corporate events (Made in America is a Live Nation property), though at far broader scale and with venue ownership and ticketing infrastructure ESM lacks.
• Freeman: Large-scale live event and brand experience agency producing trade shows, corporate events, and digital experiences for enterprise clients. Comparable to ESM in live event production scope but operates at meaningfully greater scale with broader integrated offerings.

Direct peers

• Jack Morton Worldwide: IPG-owned experiential brand experience agency producing corporate events, brand activations, and immersive experiences globally. Closely comparable to ESM in producing high-end bespoke brand events and activations for enterprise clients across industries.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Founded in 1904 and now one of the largest brand experience agencies, producing corporate events, trade shows, and experiential marketing programs worldwide. Directly comparable to ESM in producing large-scale corporate events and brand experiences with full-service production.
• MKG: Creative experience agency producing brand experiences, events, and content for major consumer brands. Highly comparable to ESM in producing integrated live experiences with creative, production, and talent capabilities for enterprise clients.
• Sparks: Creative experience agency producing brand experiences, trade shows, and corporate events for Fortune 500 clients. Directly comparable to ESM in producing high-production-value experiential marketing campaigns and live brand activations.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio producing immersive experiences, large-scale multimedia installations, and live event environments. Closely comparable to ESM's Book of HOV and other immersive experience work, with similar creative- and technology-led approach to high-profile cultural productions.
• BeCore: Brand experience agency producing corporate events, pop-up activations, and experiential marketing for major brands. Comparable to ESM in producing high-end, design-led brand experiences and live event activations for enterprise clients.

Others

• Production Resource Group (PRG): World's largest provider of entertainment and event technology, including lighting, audio, video, and production services for live events. Adjacent to ESM rather than a direct competitor, as PRG typically supplies production equipment and crew that ESM's producers work alongside.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esmproductions
• Facebookfacebook.com/ESMpro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esm-productions
• Instagraminstagram.com/esm_productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 ESM Productions