Prospektor

What Prospektor does

Prospektor is an Amsterdam-based documentary and transmedia production studio that builds narrative-driven projects across film, podcast, photography, interactive webdocumentary, exhibition, and game formats. Founded and led by Eefje Blankevoort and Arnold van Bruggen, the studio serves Dutch public broadcasters (VPRO, NTR, NPO Radio 1) and cultural institutions through co-productions and grant-funded projects. Its portfolio spans socially engaged themes including Dutch colonial history, migration and asylum policy, family histories, and identity.

The studio's underlying capability is an integrated transmedia storytelling methodology that converts individual documentary subjects into multi-format output packages. Notable technical components include interactive 3D web experiences (the underwater shipwreck dive in De Jurk en het Scheepswrak), webdocumentary series and games integrated with feature documentary releases (Shadow Game spans feature film, webdoc series, game, and photography), and a constructive-journalism brainstorm methodology that combines citizen sessions with policymakers to surface policy solutions (used in De Asielzoekmachine). Distribution relies on Dutch public broadcasting (VPRO's OVT radio program, NTR television, NPO Radio 1 podcast platforms), cultural institution exhibitions (Humanity House, OSCAM, Melkweg Expo, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Tropenmuseum), and international documentary festivals (Doc Leipzig, Hotdocs, IDFA, Prix Jeunesse). Award history includes Dutch Podcast Awards, Tegel Award, Zilveren Camera, and the Prix Jeunesse UNESCO Special Prize.

The business model is project-based and grant-funded. Revenue is generated through professional-services contracts rather than consumer sales: production fees from broadcast co-productions with VPRO, NTR, and NPO Radio 1; funding from Dutch cultural foundations including NPO-Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Nederlands Filmfonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, BankGiro Loterij Fonds, Mondriaanfonds, VSBfonds, Fonds21, Waddenfonds, Provincie Noord-Holland, Stichting Democratie en Media, Matchingfonds Gedeeld Cultureel Erfgoed, and Free Press Unlimited; and partnership agreements with cultural institutions for exhibition and educational programming. Documented audience reach includes nearly 1 million listens for the De Plantage van onze voorouders podcast, 40+ international film festival screenings for Nieuw, and 11 public brainstorm sessions for De Asielzoekmachine. No direct-to-consumer pricing model is disclosed.

Name

Prospektor

Legal name

Prospektor

Website

https://prospektor.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Amsterdam-based documentary and transmedia production studio creating multi-format narrative projects (film, podcast, photography, interactive web, exhibitions, games) on Dutch social issues including migration, asylum, and colonial history, funded by Dutch cultural foundations and co-produced with public broadcasters VPRO, NTR, and NPO Radio 1.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Media Funding: Prospektor secures funding from Dutch cultural foundations and media funds including NPO-Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Nederlands Filmfonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, and various other private and public foundations for documentary and transmedia projects
2. Broadcast Co-production: Co-production partnerships with Dutch public broadcasters VPRO, NTR, and NPO for television and radio documentary content, including podcast series
3. Cultural Institution Partnerships: Partnerships with cultural institutions such as Humanity House, Melkweg Expo, and OSCAM for exhibition and educational programming

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Prospektor is an Amsterdam-based independent production company that develops and produces transmedia documentary projects spanning feature films, podcasts, photography series, interactive webdocumentaries, games, exhibitions, and live events. Its work focuses on personal stories that illuminate broader social issues such as migration, asylum policy, Dutch colonial history, identity, and family histories. Projects are co-produced with Dutch public broadcasters (VPRO, NTR, NPO Radio 1) and funded through Dutch media foundations including NPO-Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Nederlands Filmfonds, and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.

Product overview

Prospektor is a Dutch documentary and transmedia production company creating narrative-driven projects across multiple formats including podcasts, documentary films, photography, interactive webdocumentaries, exhibitions, and games. Their portfolio includes major works such as Shadow Game (documentary, webdoc series, and game about child migrants), De Jurk en het Scheepswrak (TV series, podcast, and interactive experience), De Plantage van onze voorouders (podcast series), Moslima (transmedia project), and Waar is Sarah? (podcast). The company collaborates with VPRO, NPO, and various cultural institutions to produce documentary content focused on social, historical, and cultural themes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shadow Game Transmedia production comprising a feature-length documentary, webdocumentary series, game and photography project following young migrants on their journey through Europe, exploring themes of identity and coming of age. Produced by Prospektor and co-produced with Witfilm.
• De Jurk en het Scheepswrak Three-part NTR television series, five-part podcast series 'De Nachtwacht van de Waddenzee', and online interactive diving experience about the Palmhoutwrak shipwreck discovery off Texel. Co-produced with NTR, with funding from Waddenfonds and Provincie Noord-Holland.
• De Plantage van onze voorouders Podcast series and live events where Maartje Duin investigates her aristocratic family's slavery past in Suriname, connecting with descendants of enslaved people (the Bouva family). Co-produced with VPRO and Peggy Bouva. Achieved nearly one million listens and won the Dutch Podcast Award for Best Podcast of the Year in 2020.
• Moslima Transmedia project by Çiğdem Yüksel and Maartje Duin exploring the imagery of 'the Muslim woman' in Dutch media, including research reports, podcast, interview series, oral history, and photography exhibition. Co-produced with VPRO, with funding from Stichting Democratie en Media and Fonds ZOZ.
• Waar is Sarah? Six-part podcast series following Rob Timmerman's search for Sarah, a baby he rescued in 2016, exploring the personal quest within the larger story of European migration policy. A production of Laura Stek, Rob Timmerman, Prospektor, Bureau Buitenland, and VPRO for NPO Radio 1, made possible by NPO-Fonds.
• De Asielzoekmachine Multi-format project comprising a webdocumentary, website, exhibitions, educational programs, brainstorms, TV documentary, and radio documentary about Dutch asylum policy. Invites citizens to participate in finding solutions. Organized 11 public brainstorm sessions across the Netherlands in Spring 2016, generating approximately 100 ideas. Funded by Fonds21, Mondriaanfonds, BankGiro Loterij Fonds, and others.
• Mina & Mevrouw Nine-part podcast series and impact program exploring family history about class, womanhood, and independence, based on Maartje Duin's great-grandmother's diaries.
• Kitten of Vluchteling? Documentary by Tina Farifteh investigating the human capacity for empathy and its limits, examining why some refugees are helped while others are not. Won the Zilveren Camera Prijs voor Storytelling 2023.
• Breng de Joden Thuis

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1 million listeners for 'De Plantage van onze voorouders' podcast
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WitfilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-production partner for documentary projects. Witfilm co-produced major projects including 'Shadow Game', 'Nieuw', and 'Breng de Joden Thuis'. Prospektor provides creative direction and production management while Witfilm handles documentary production.
• VPROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Dutch public broadcasting organization and co-production partner. VPRO co-produces podcast series including 'De Plantage van onze voorouders', 'Moslima', 'Kweekje mi kwekipikin', and 'Waar is Sarah?'. Content airs on VPRO's OVT radio program and podcast platforms.
• NTRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch public broadcasting organization for television documentaries. NTR co-produced 'De Jurk en het Scheepswrak' documentary series with Prospektor, handling broadcast and project management.
• NPO Radio 1coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDutch public radio network that broadcasts Prospektor's podcast content including 'Waar is Sarah?' series. Provides distribution channel for documentary content.
• Humanity HousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCultural institution in The Hague focused on humanitarian themes. Hosts exhibitions of Prospektor's work including De Asielzoekmachine and 'Nieuw', providing public exhibition space and educational programs.
• OSCAMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMuseum in Amsterdam Zuidoost that hosts exhibition 'Kweekje, kon luku!' exploring Afro-Dutch family histories and heritage, developed in collaboration with Prospektor and Nicole Terborg.
• Pakhuis de ZwijgercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDebate center in Amsterdam that hosts public discussions and gesprekkenreeksen related to Prospektor projects including 'Moslima' discussions on media representation and De Asielzoekmachine brainstorms.
• Bureau BuitenlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company that co-produced 'Waar is Sarah?' documentary project alongside Prospektor.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Witfilm: Witfilm is a Dutch documentary production company that has co-produced Prospektor's largest projects including Shadow Game, Nieuw, and Breng de Joden Thuis. It is a direct operational peer handling documentary production work in the same Dutch social-issue space.
• BALDR Film: BALDR Film is a Dutch documentary production company producing creative documentaries and series. Direct peer with overlapping Dutch public broadcaster clients and similar project-based funding approach.
• Submarine: Submarine is an Amsterdam-based documentary and transmedia production company producing films, series, and interactive content. It is a direct peer with a similar transmedia multi-format approach and comparable Dutch public broadcaster distribution model.
• NL Film: NL Film is a Dutch documentary production company producing films and documentaries for local and international audiences. Direct peer in the Dutch documentary production market with similar funding and broadcaster relationships.
• Bureau Buitenland: Bureau Buitenland is a Dutch production company that co-produced 'Waar is Sarah?' with Prospektor. Direct peer producing documentary and feature content for Dutch public broadcasters and international partners.
• De Familie Film & TV: De Familie is a Dutch production company producing documentaries, drama, and TV content for public broadcasters. Direct peer in the Dutch production space with comparable project-based funding model.
• Trueworks: Trueworks is a Dutch production company producing documentary and non-fiction content for major broadcasters and platforms. Direct peer with similar project-based production model and Dutch public broadcaster focus.
• Zeppers Film & TV: Zeppers is a Dutch documentary production company based in Amsterdam producing documentary films and series for public broadcasters. Direct peer in the Dutch documentary production space with similar institutional funding model.

Broad incumbents

• VPRO: VPRO is a major Dutch public broadcasting organization that co-produces podcast and documentary content with Prospektor. Broad incumbent overlapping in documentary and podcast commissioning, with a much larger portfolio and editorial scope.
• NTR: NTR is a Dutch public broadcaster that co-produced 'De Jurk en het Scheepswrak' with Prospektor. Broad incumbent in the documentary broadcasting space with significantly larger commissioning capacity and editorial scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prspktr_nl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Prospektor