What Outsider does

Outsider is a London-headquartered film production company founded c.1994 (operating since approximately 30 years) that produces commercials, music videos, and long-form content for global brands, advertising agencies, music artists, and streaming platforms. The company's core operating model is a curated director roster of approximately 20 directors with distinct creative specializations spanning comedy, drama, documentary, VFX-heavy work, food photography, and fashion; this roster is the primary product and the primary revenue-generating asset. Outsider is privately held and operates as part of the Unit9 group.

Underlying technical capability spans live-action production, CGI, animation, and visual effects, with several directors bringing specialized technical backgrounds — notably a former Pixar technical director (Najeeb Tarazi) holding two computer graphics patents, and a former DNeg compositor who worked on Oscar-winning VFX teams (Blade Runner 2049, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Harry Potter franchise). Production technology is therefore director-centric rather than a centralized platform.

The business model is professional-services-based: Outsider earns fees from producing individual commercial, music video, and feature/short film projects under custom (non-publicly-disclosed) engagement terms. Go-to-market is direct relationships with enterprise brand CMOs plus agency partnerships with creative and media agencies; the company runs a UK HQ at 12 Swan Yard, London, plus a US team with regional sales representation across East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast, and operates under a hybrid segmentation model across global brands, agencies, music artists/labels, and streaming platforms/studios. Customer logos include Apple, Toyota, Nike, Adidas, McDonald's, Boots, Heathrow, Barclays, HSBC, Volkswagen, Santander, Nissan, Skoda, M&S Food, Erste, and Burger King, alongside charity clients such as Shelter and Stroke Association. Outsider has won Production Company of the Year three times and holds Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, British Arrows, MTV VMAs, and other industry awards.

Name

Outsider

Legal name

Outsider

Website

https://outsider.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Outsider is a London-based film production company representing a roster of approximately 20 directors, producing commercials, music videos, and long-form content for global brands, advertising agencies, music artists, and streaming platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Commercial production services
• Music video production
• Film production services
• Advertising content creation
• Director representation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Production: Production of television commercials, digital advertising content, and branded films for agencies and direct brand clients.
2. Music Video Production: Production of music videos for artists and record labels through the director roster.
3. Feature/Short Film Production: Selected directors produce feature films and short documentaries, such as Andrew DeYoung's A24 production 'Friendship' and Tara O'Callaghan's Sundance-premiered short documentary 'Call Me Mommy'.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Outsider is a film production company that produces commercials, music videos, and long-form content (feature films, television series, documentaries, and branded films) through a roster of 20 directors with diverse creative and technical specializations. The company works with global brands, creative/media agencies, music artists and labels, and streaming platforms to deliver advertising and entertainment content across live-action, CGI, animation, and VFX formats.

Product overview

Outsider is a film production company offering a unified portfolio of visual content creation services, including commercial production, music video production, and feature film/TV production. The company operates through its core director roster model, where 20 represented directors create content for global brands and artists. Services are delivered as a full-service production offering rather than modular products or platform-based architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Production Services Outsider produces high-quality commercials for global brands across multiple formats and platforms (television, digital, branded films) using its roster of 20 directors. The service targets brand marketing teams and creative/media agencies seeking award-caliber advertising content with capabilities spanning live-action, CGI, animation, and VFX.
• Music Video Production Outsider's director roster creates music videos for artists and record labels, amassing billions of views including an MTV Best Music Video win for Chemical Brothers 'Believe'. The service targets music artists, A&R teams, and record labels seeking visually distinctive music video content with diverse stylistic and technical capabilities (comedy, VFX-heavy, food, documentary, animation).
• Film and Television Production Outsider produces feature films, television series, and short-form documentaries through its director roster for streaming platforms (Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO Max) and studios. The service targets streaming content buyers and studios requiring directors capable of episodic and feature-length storytelling.
• Director Roster Outsider represents a roster of approximately 20 directors specializing in commercials, music videos, and narrative content, providing brands, agencies, and content buyers with access to multiple creative styles and technical specializations under a single production company representation structure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5 billion views for director James Lees' work alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers23 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Unit9 GroupcoreOthersOutsider is part of the Unit9 group, a production and technology company. This provides integration with a broader production ecosystem including technology capabilities and additional production resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prettybird: Director-driven production company representing a roster of award-winning directors across commercials, music videos and long-form content — closely comparable in talent-led commercial production model.
• RSA Films: Ridley Scott-associated global commercial and long-form production company with a similar director-roster model, premium brand client base, and multi-format offering spanning commercials, music videos and features.
• Radical Media: Multi-disciplinary production company producing commercials, music videos, films and branded content for premium global brands — comparable on director-roster depth, award record and cross-format capabilities.
• Somesuch & Co: London-headquartered commercial and film production company operating an award-winning director roster with a similar mix of global brand commercials, music videos and long-form storytelling — Outsider's closest UK analogue.
• Anonymous Content: US-based production company combining a high-profile director roster with commercials, music videos and prestige long-form work for streamers — comparable in scope, talent depth and award profile to Outsider.
• B-Reel: Multi-office creative production company working across commercials, branded content and interactive experiences for major global brands — comparable on cross-format production and brand-client tier.
• Pulse Films: UK- and US-based production company with a director-led model spanning commercials, music videos and feature/series work — directly comparable in size, format mix and brand-client roster to Outsider.
• Rattling Stick: London-based director-led commercial production company with a comparable roster model, similar blue-chip UK/US brand client mix, and a parallel award pedigree at Cannes Lions and British Arrows.
• Caviar: International production company with a roster of directors producing commercials, music videos and long-form content for global brands — comparable in scale, format mix and client quality to Outsider.
• MJZ: Established global commercial production company with a marquee director roster producing premium brand work — directly comparable on talent-led commercial production and award profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Outsider_TV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1200249
• Instagraminstagram.com/outsider_tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Outsider