ESSE Production House

What ESSE Production House does

ESSE Production House is a Kyiv-based, privately held film production company founded in 1991, marketed as the first full-service film production company in Ukraine. It operates two business lines. The first is commercial production — television commercials, digital ads, and music videos for international and Ukrainian brands including Samsung, McDonald's, Klarna, Kyivstar, Morshynska, REVO, and artists such as THYLACINE and Damso. The second is film production — feature films, documentaries, and short films — which the company added from 2010 onward and which has produced award-recognized titles including Stop-Zemlia (2021, Crystal Bear at Berlinale Generation 14plus), Parthenon (2019, Venice Critics' Week), ANNA (2019, Cannes Shorts Competition and BIFA Best Short), Toloka (2019), The Collapse (2021 documentary series for Suspilne Media), and earlier THE DOOR (2010, Academy Award nomination).

The company's underlying technology is conventional end-to-end film production: pre-production, principal photography, and post-production, plus distribution support through film festival submissions and world sales partnerships (Pluto Film for Stop-Zemlia). Its commercial moat rests on 30+ years of operating history, a senior team of producers and directors with recurring festival recognition, and access to Ukrainian locations, crews, and infrastructure. International co-productions with Lithuanian and French partners, alongside public funding from the Ukrainian Film State Agency, Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and Ukrainian Institute, indicate an event-driven, project-based go-to-market rather than a recurring-revenue model.

Revenue is generated on a per-project, quote-based basis with no publicly disclosed pricing. The customer base is a mix of enterprise brand clients for commercial work, international filmmakers using Ukraine as a production service location, and public broadcasters/funders for film and documentary projects. The company has no external investors, no parent entity, and no disclosed funding rounds; ownership appears founder-led, with Vitalii Sheremetiev as CEO/Producer.

Name

ESSE Production House

Legal name

ESSE PRODUCTION HOUSE

Website

https://essehouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ESSE Production House is a Kyiv-based full-service film production company founded in 1991, producing commercials and music videos for international brands alongside award-winning feature films, documentaries, and shorts for festivals and co-production partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action Production Management & Line Producing (MPADABAH)

Keywords

• Commercial video production
• Feature film production
• Music video production
• Documentary production
• International co-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Production: Production of commercials and music videos for brands. Over 800 commercials, industrial and music videos produced since 1991.
2. Film Production: Feature films, documentaries, and short films production with international co-productions and festival distribution.
3. Music Video Production: Music video production for artists and bands.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESSE Production House is a full-service film production company that produces commercials, music videos, feature films, documentaries, and short films for brands, broadcasters, and international co-production partners. Since 1991, the company has delivered more than 1000 commercials and music videos for clients including Samsung, McDonald's, Klarna, and Kyivstar, and since 2010 has produced award-winning films distributed through international festivals. The company offers end-to-end production services from development and pre-production through filming and post-production.

Product overview

ESSE Production House is the first full-service film production company in Ukraine, operating since 1991. The company operates two core service lines: Film Production (feature films, documentaries, and short films) and Commercial Production (television and digital commercials, music videos). The film portfolio includes award-winning titles such as STOP-ZEMLIA (2021), PARTHENON (2019), ANNA, Crocodile, Toloka, and The Collapse. Commercial production has delivered over 1000 commercials and music videos for international and Ukrainian brands including Samsung, McDonald's, Klarna, and Kyivstar. The company provides end-to-end production services from pre-production through post-production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Production Full-service film production including feature films, documentaries, and short films. ESSE provides development, production, and post-production services for award-winning films including Stop-Zemlia, Parthenon, Anna, Crocodile, and Toloka, with recognition including an Academy Award nomination and Crystal Bear awards.
• Commercial Production Television and digital commercial production services for brands. Since 1991, ESSE has delivered over 1000 commercials and music videos for clients including Samsung, McDonald's, Klarna, Kyivstar, Morshynska, REVO, and others across multiple industries.
• Music Video Production Music video production services for artists, bands, and labels as part of ESSE's full-service film production offerings. Production credits include videos for THYLACINE, Damso, Hudaki Village Band, and other artists.
• Stop-Zemlia Teenage drama/romance feature film (122 minutes) directed by Kateryna Gornostai. Won Crystal Bear Award at Berlinale Generation 14plus, Grand Prix at Odessa International Film Festival, and multiple Ukrainian film awards including Golden Dzyga awards for Best Film, Best Directing, and technical categories.
• Parthenon Drama feature film directed by Mantas Kvedaravičius, set in a brothel in Athens, telling the story of a man recounting his life events. A Ukrainian-Lithuanian-French co-production supported by Lithuanian Film Center.
• Anna Drama short film directed by Dekel Berenson set in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. Won Best Short Award at BIFA 2019 (British Independent Film Awards) and selected for Shorts Competition at Cannes IFF.
• Crocodile Drama short film directed by Kateryna Gornostai about a friendship tested during a New Year's Eve party game.
• Toloka Fiction feature film directed by Mykhailo Illienko, based on a parable that reconstructs Ukraine's dramatic and heroic episodes throughout history, linked to folk tradition called Toloka.
• The Collapse Documentary series (7 episodes, 336 minutes) directed by Serhii Lysenko, examining events leading to the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Produced for Suspilne Media, Ukrainian Public Broadcasting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ commercials and music videos produced since 1991
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pluto FilmcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021World sales partner for Stop-Zemlia feature film. Pluto Film handles international distribution and sales for the award-winning Ukrainian film.
• Suspilne MediacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUkrainian Public Broadcasting - commissioned The Collapse documentary series (7 episodes, 336 minutes) produced by ESSE for Suspilne Media.
• New Horizons Studio+coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer for Stop-Zemlia feature film. New Horizons Studio+ produced alongside ESSE Production House for the award-winning 2021 feature.
• Ukrainian Film State AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction support for Stop-Zemlia. Government film agency providing funding and support for Ukrainian film production.
• Ukrainian Cultural FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction support funding for Stop-Zemlia feature film.
• Ukrainian InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational promotion support for Stop-Zemlia.
• Uljana Kim (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer for Parthenon feature film co-production. Leading Lithuanian producer partnering on the drama feature.
• Lithuanian Film CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported Parthenon production with Lithuanian Film Center funding and support.
• Julie Gayet, Antoun Sehnaoui, Nadia Turincev (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench co-producers for Parthenon feature film. International co-production with French partners.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• MJZ: Major global commercials production company with a roster of A-list directors. Directly comparable on the commercial production side of ESSE's business serving premium brand clients.
• Studio Babelsberg: Germany's leading full-service film production services studio serving international productions. Comparable as a European one-stop production house offering crew, facilities, and co-production support.
• RSA Films: Commercials and film production house founded by Ridley Scott. Comparable in combining high-end commercial production with feature film projects and a director-led creative ethos.
• Pulse Films: London-headquartered production company producing music videos, commercials, and feature films with strong festival pedigree. Mirrors ESSE's music-video origin and crossover into cinema.
• Anonymous Content: US-based independent studio producing both commercials and award-winning feature films (Spotlight, The Revenant). Closely matches ESSE's hybrid commercials-plus-cinema model and emphasis on director-driven projects.
• Partizan: Globally operating production company spanning commercials, music videos, and feature films. Comparable in offering full-service production across brand and artistic content.
• A24: Independent US studio known for producing and distributing award-winning arthouse and genre films. Comparable in profile as a boutique production entity leveraging festival success and curated film slate.

Others

• Bankside Films: London-based international film sales and distribution company. Functions as a downstream counterpart to ESSE in the same way Pluto Film handles world sales for Stop-Zemlia.
• Protagonist Pictures: International sales, financing, and co-production company representing independent films. Comparable as the type of sales/co-production partner ESSE engages for festival-circuit distribution.

Regional players

• MP Film: Polish production services company offering crew, locations, and co-production for international shoots in Central/Eastern Europe. Comparable as a regional full-service production partner in a neighboring market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/esseproductionhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 ESSE Production House