SHOOTFACTORY

What SHOOTFACTORY does

SHOOTFACTORY is a London-headquartered, privately-held location agency, founded in 2006 by Michael Minns, that connects photo-shoot, film, television, and event productions with a curated portfolio of over 400 residential, commercial, and industrial properties across the UK. The platform is structured around seven location categories — London Apartments (17 locations), London Houses (200), Other UK Houses (164), Quirky & Unusual (38), Photographic Studios (85), Venues & Event Spaces (35), and Commercial & Industrial (29) — accessible through a searchable online Location Search Tool with category, tag, keyword, and London-region filtering, complemented by a dedicated property-owner registration portal (submissions.shootfactory.co.uk). On the demand side, Shootfactory serves enterprise clients across fashion and apparel (Burberry, Nike, Adidas, ASOS, Hugo Boss, River Island, Reiss, Mr Porter, Net-a-Porter, Marc Jacobs), retail (John Lewis, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Next, Debenhams, Urban Outfitters, Boden), media and publishing (Vogue, GQ, Marie Claire, HarperCollins, Penguin, Sunday Times, Grazia, Bazaar), interiors (Homes & Gardens, House & Garden, Livingetc, The White Company), automotive (Jaguar, Ford, Lexus), beauty (Dove, L'Oreal, Unilever), broadcasting (ITV, Universal, Disney), and consumer technology (Samsung, Sony, Philips).

The business operates on a transaction-fee/commission revenue model, earning commissions from property owners when their locations are booked; pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, with daily hire rates varying by property, duration, and production type. Go-to-market is sales-led through a small in-house team of dedicated location agents handling personalised briefs and complex enterprise requests, layered with self-serve website browsing, a bi-monthly email mailer, and organic social presence across Instagram, TikTok, and X/Twitter. The core team totals six staff (Owner, Agency Manager, Senior Location Booking Coordinator, Location Booking Coordinator, plus accounts and a team member), reflecting a deliberately lean operating model. As of 2026, the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary and continues to add to both its location portfolio and its digital marketing presence.

Name

SHOOTFACTORY

Legal name

SHOOTFACTORY LTD

Website

https://shootfactory.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SHOOTFACTORY is a London-based, founder-owned location agency, founded in 2006, that represents a curated portfolio of 400+ residential, commercial, and industrial properties across the UK for photo shoots, television filming, and event productions, serving enterprise clients in fashion, retail, media, automotive, beauty, and broadcasting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Location Agency Services

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF), Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle) (MPAAAMAI)

Keywords

• Location agency services
• Photo shoot locations
• Film location library
• Event venue hire
• Photographic studio rentals

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. Location Hire Bookings: The company earns commission or fees from property owners when their locations are booked for photo shoots, filming, and events. Shootfactory acts as an intermediary between location owners and production companies, brands, and creative agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SHOOTFACTORY operates as a UK location agency that represents over 400 residential, commercial, studio, and event properties for hire to production companies, brands, photographers, and creative agencies. Its core offering is the curation, listing, and booking of shoot locations across London and the UK, supported by an online searchable location library and a team of location agents who match properties to client briefs. Revenue is earned through transaction fees or commissions on bookings made between property owners and clients.

Product overview

SHOOTFACTORY is a unified location agency platform that connects production companies, photographers, and brands with curated shoot locations across London and the UK. The platform centers on its core Location Agency Services representing over 400 properties across seven distinct product categories: London Apartments (17 locations), London Houses (200 locations), Other UK Houses (164 locations), Quirky & Unusual Locations (38 locations), Photographic Studios (85 locations), Venues & Event Spaces (35 locations), and Commercial & Industrial (29 locations). Users access locations through an online Location Search Tool with filtering by category, tags, and London region. Property owners can register properties through a dedicated Property Registration service. The company, founded in London in 2006, delivers thousands of location hires annually to clients including fashion brands, publications, and entertainment companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Location Agency Services Curated location agency representing over 400 residential, commercial, studio, and industrial properties for photo shoots, TV filming, press events, product launches, brand experiences, and music videos across London and the UK. Targeted at production companies, brands, photographers, and creative agencies.
• London Apartments Portfolio of 17 London apartment locations, including lofts, penthouses, and industrial conversions, available for photo shoots, filming, press events, product launches, brand experiences, and music videos.
• London Houses Portfolio of 200 London location houses, including period properties, family homes, modern conversions, and properties with hidden gardens, available for photo shoots, filming, press events, and product launches.
• Other UK Houses Portfolio of 164 UK location houses outside London, including manor houses, country estates, barn conversions, and coastal properties across South East, South West, East Anglia, and Wales.
• Quirky & Unusual Locations Portfolio of 38 unique and unconventional locations, including music studios, converted spaces, and distinctive architectural properties for productions requiring one-of-a-kind settings.
• Photographic Studios Portfolio of 85 photographic studio locations for controlled studio photography, product shoots, and professional imaging productions.
• Venues & Event Spaces Portfolio of 35 venue and event space locations for product launches, press events, fashion shows, and corporate functions.
• Commercial & Industrial Portfolio of 29 commercial and industrial locations, including warehouses, factories, and business spaces, for filming and photography productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of location hires delivered each year

Named customers56 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Peerspace: US-headquartered online marketplace for hourly rentals of unique spaces for events, meetings, and productions. Comparable to SHOOTFACTORY as a two-sided marketplace connecting space owners with production/event clients, though it operates at larger scale and broader scope (including non-production uses).
• Airbnb: Global short-term rental marketplace that increasingly serves production clients seeking unique filming locations. A much broader incumbent whose platform and brand create indirect competitive pressure on traditional location agencies like SHOOTFACTORY through direct booking and film-friendly host programs.

Regional players

• Splacer: US-based marketplace for booking unique event and production spaces by the hour. Operates a similar two-sided marketplace model to SHOOTFACTORY but is geographically concentrated in the United States rather than competing directly in the UK.

Direct peers

• Amazing Locations: UK-based location library and agency representing residential and commercial properties for photo shoots, filming, and events. Direct competitor to SHOOTFACTORY in the UK market with overlapping customer base in fashion, editorial, and advertising production.
• Giggster: US-based platform specializing in rental of film and photo shoot locations. Direct competitor to SHOOTFACTORY in the location library/marketplace space, with a similar model of curating properties for creative productions, though focused on the North American market.
• The Big House Company: UK-based location agency providing houses, estates, and unique properties for film, television, and photographic shoots. A direct UK peer to SHOOTFACTORY, competing for the same enterprise clients in fashion, editorial, and production segments.
• Location Works: UK location agency offering residential, commercial, and unique properties for film, television, and photo shoots. Competes with SHOOTFACTORY for the same UK enterprise clients across fashion, advertising, and editorial production work.

Others

• Film London: UK film commission and cultural agency supporting production in London. Adjacent ecosystem participant that facilitates production location decisions in London but does not directly compete with SHOOTFACTORY's location library/booking business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SHOOTFACTORY
• Instagraminstagram.com/shootfactory
• TikToktiktok.com/@shootfactory
• Facebookfacebook.com/SHOOTFACTORY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shootfactory

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 SHOOTFACTORY