What Dead Pixel Films does

Dead Pixel Films is a Manchester-based creative production company founded in 2017, operating from a 3,000 sq ft kitchen and lifestyle studio in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. The company specialises in video and photography content for sports, lifestyle, and food & beverage brands, with capabilities spanning brand films, YouTube pre-roll ads, TV commercials (including Clearcast-approved broadcast work), cinema ads, recipe videos, and social content. Technical infrastructure centres on traditional broadcast-grade equipment — RED Gemini 5K cinema cameras, Sony FX6/FS7 rigs, Phantom high-speed cameras for 1000fps super slow-motion, DJI Ronin gimbals, FPV and Inspire 2 drones, and Hasselblad Phase One for stills — supported by a customisable kitchen studio with interchangeable sets, 500+ props, and a prep kitchen enabling high-volume multi-look shoots in single production days.

The company generates revenue through two primary streams: quote-based project production (one-off brand films, TV ads, YouTube campaigns) and a recurring Monthly Content Package subscription from £2,950 per month + VAT with a 3-month minimum, alongside studio rental income. Go-to-market is direct-to-client, primarily via the website, competitive pitches (e.g., Visit Manchester public tender), and established agency partnerships with Jaywing, Fearless Advertising, OMNE, BJL, THG Studios, and 20ten Creative. Customer base is concentrated in FMCG food and beverage (BBC Food on a 9-month retainer, Premier Foods brands including Mr Kipling, Oxo, Batchelors; plus Ooni, Snowdonia Cheese, Myprotein), with additional engagements across automotive (Subaru), tourism (Visit Manchester, Visit Wales), education (Manchester Met, UEA, Sunderland), retail, recruitment, and pet care.

The studio is privately held by co-founders Cal Thomson (Director of Photography) and Kieran Edwards (Creative Director), with no external institutional investment, and has received industry recognition via Production Company of the Year 2023 (Prolific North shortlist) and 2025 Marketing Awards (Best Tourism & Leisure Campaign shortlist). Headcount is in the 1-10 range, with a recently hired Junior Producer as the first named expansion hire beyond the founding team.

Name

Dead Pixel Films

Legal name

Dead Pixel Films Ltd

Website

https://deadpixelfilms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dead Pixel Films is a Manchester-based video and photography production studio founded in 2017, serving enterprise FMCG, automotive, tourism, and education clients with brand films, TV commercials, YouTube ads, and recipe videos from a 3000 sq ft specialist kitchen and lifestyle studio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Services

NAICS

Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Video Production & Post-Production (BPAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Internal Communications Video (MPADAEAC), Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle) (MPAAAMAI)

Keywords

• Video production services
• Brand film production
• Recipe video production
• TV commercial production
• Commercial photography

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-Based Video & Photography Production: One-off production engagements for brand films, TV commercials, YouTube ads, recipe videos, and social content. Clients include brands directly (Mr Kipling, Ooni) and agencies (Jaywing, Fearless Advertising) who commission projects on behalf of brands. Pricing varies by project complexity, crew size, shoot days, and deliverables.
2. Monthly Content Retainer: Recurring monthly retainer engagements for brands needing consistent content output. Example: BBC Food 9-month retainer producing 8 recipe videos per month. Monthly package offering available from £2,950pm + VAT with 3-month minimum commitment.
3. Studio Rental & Facilities: Revenue from providing access to their 3000 sq ft kitchen studio, prep kitchen, customisable sets, and 500+ prop collection to external production teams and brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dead Pixel Films is a Manchester-based creative production company that crafts video and photography content for world-class brands, specialising in sports, lifestyle, and food content. It delivers end-to-end production services from concept and script through shoot and post-production, producing brand films, YouTube ads, TV commercials, recipe videos, and social content either on location or in its 3000 sq ft kitchen and lifestyle studio. The studio also offers recurring monthly content retainer packages for brands that need consistent social and e-commerce assets.

Product overview

Dead Pixel Films is a Manchester-based creative production company offering a comprehensive suite of video and photography content services for world-class brands. Their core offerings include video production (brand films, YouTube ads, TV commercials, recipe videos), photography services, and studio space rental. They provide specialized services for sports, lifestyle, and food & beverage content, operating from their 3000 sq ft kitchen and lifestyle studios. The company also offers a Monthly Content Package retainer providing recurring fresh content for brands, with pricing from £2,950pm + VAT. Production services span the full workflow from creative ideation and script development through production and post-production including editing, grading, and sound design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Video Production Services Full-service video production including brand films, YouTube pre-roll ads, TV commercials, recipe videos, and social content, with specialisation in sports, lifestyle, and food content for brands and creative agencies.
• Photography Services Professional photography services including lifestyle, food, product, and studio photography for brands, packaged alongside video production on the same shoots where possible.
• Monthly Content Package Recurring monthly video and photography content package providing fresh assets for social media, e-commerce, and brand marketing, priced from £2,950 per month plus VAT with a 3-month minimum commitment. Each monthly package includes 20 stills, 20 GIFs, or 10 video clips per shoot day across 4 setups.
• YouTube Ad Production Targeted YouTube pre-roll advertisements designed to convert engaged audiences, typically with 5 seconds to capture attention, produced for campaigns including those for Mr Kipling, Oxo, Snowdonia Cheese, and Batchelors.
• TV Commercial Production Full-service TV commercial production covering concept development, Clearcast approvals, production, and delivery to broadcast channels, with examples including Pets & Friends' first ever TV campaign on Sky, ITV, and Channel 4.
• Brand Film Production Story-first brand films of 1–5 minutes focused on culture, people, experiences, and brand purpose, used for website homepages and social media for clients including universities, tourism bodies, and consumer brands.
• Recipe Video Production Recipe video production for YouTube, social media, and blog content, including recipe development, testing, filming, and editing for food, drink, and kitchen appliance brands.
• Studio Space Rental 3000 sq ft kitchen studio and lifestyle studio space rental for shoots, including a prep kitchen, customisable kitchen sets, 500+ props, 20+ coloured backdrops, and 10+ vinyl textures, available to external production teams and brands.
• Food & Beverage Content Specialised food and drink content production including recipe videos, food styling, and super slow motion videography from a dedicated 3000 sq ft kitchen studio.
• Lifestyle Content Lifestyle video and photography content featuring people or products, shot on location or in studio space, including casting, location permits, and multi-day shoot management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oxo YouTube pre-roll campaign achieved 30 million views
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers37 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JaywingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSheffield-based creative agency that collaborates with Dead Pixel on brand film productions. Jaywing brings creative strategy and scriptwriting while Dead Pixel handles production and post-production. Multiple recurring projects including University of Sunderland, UEA, and Randstad Recruitment campaigns.
• Fearless AdvertisingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency that commissions Dead Pixel for production on Pizza Co projects. Fearless creates the original concepts and commissions Dead Pixel to execute production. Projects include Pizza Co cinema and social ads.
• THG StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTHG Studios partners with Dead Pixel on Myprotein campaigns. THG Studios commissioned Dead Pixel for production on the International Women's Day #BreakTheBias campaign for Myprotein.
• OMNE AgencycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOMNE Agency commissioned Dead Pixel for Shipyard Beer (Carlsberg Marston's) Well Deserved campaign, a multi-location food and lifestyle production. OMNE brings creative direction while Dead Pixel executes full production.
• BJLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerManchester-based creative marketing agency BJL brought Dead Pixel on board to shoot and edit Subaru XV e-hybrid campaign videos. BJL managed creative strategy while Dead Pixel handled production in Spain and post-production.
• Jen Spence ProductionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent producer Jen Spence acts as a long-term collaborator, bringing Dead Pixel into projects for clients like NEOM Organics. Jen Spence manages the client relationship and brief while Dead Pixel executes production.
• 20ten CreativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLondon-based design agency that engaged Dead Pixel for the Velo Global Off Grid with Archie Hamilton YouTube series. Dead Pixel handled directing, shooting, and editing across international locations (Norway, Ireland).
• Bearded Men AdventuresminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdventure guide company that assisted Dead Pixel with logistics for the Visit Wales filming, providing canoeing guides for the Pontcysyllte aqueduct shoot across the Wales/England border.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Mill: Global creative production and VFX studio producing commercials, branded content, and experiential projects for leading brands. The Mill is comparable to Dead Pixel as a UK-rooted production house serving major advertisers, but with significantly larger scale and post-production/VFX capabilities.
• Hogarth: Global production and adaptation company producing advertising and marketing content at scale for major brands and agencies. Comparable to Dead Pixel in producing commercial video for enterprise clients, but with much broader geographic reach and integrated production services.
• Somesuch: International production company producing commercials, branded content, and short films for major brands and agencies. Comparable to Dead Pixel in serving premium brand clients with high-production-value video, though at a larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Rattling Stick: Established UK commercials production company producing TV and digital ad campaigns for global brands. Rattling Stick is comparable to Dead Pixel in producing broadcast-quality brand commercials, but operates at a significantly larger scale with a broader portfolio.
• Stink Studios: Global creative production company producing films, digital content, and interactive experiences for major brands. Comparable to Dead Pixel in producing commercial video content for enterprise clients, but operating internationally with a much wider service portfolio.
• RSA Films: Ridley Scott's global production company producing commercials, feature films, and branded content for the world's largest brands. RSA is comparable to Dead Pixel as a commercial film production house, but operates as a global incumbent with significantly broader capabilities.

Direct peers

• Pulse Films: UK-based film and content production company working with major global brands on commercial, branded content, and entertainment projects. Pulse Films is comparable to Dead Pixel in serving enterprise clients with high-production-value video and a London/UK operating base, though at a larger scale.
• Found Studios: UK creative production studio specialising in branded content, films, and digital campaigns for major brands. Found Studios is comparable to Dead Pixel in offering full-service video production with strong agency partnerships and brand-side clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Dead Pixel Films