Filming Locations
Filming Locations is a Dubai-founded, two-sided online marketplace (est. 2021) that connects property owners with filmmakers and production companies seeking hourly-rented filming locations across the UAE. It earns commission on bookings from a self-serve, web-based inventory spanning villas, farms, apartments, and heritage sites.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Filming Locations does
Filming Locations (filminglocations.io) is a Dubai-based, privately-held online marketplace founded in 2021 that connects filmmakers, production companies, photographers, and creative agencies with property owners offering spaces for hourly rental as filming locations. The platform operates as a two-sided marketplace: hosts list villas, apartments, farms, heritage sites, studios, beaches, and commercial spaces across the UAE, while filmmakers search, filter, and book these locations on a per-hour basis. Its operating scope spans at least seven UAE emirates — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Ajman — with rich filtering across 40+ location types and 35+ property features (e.g., Burj Khalifa view, private elevator, painting allowed, swimming pool).
Under the hood, the platform is a self-serve web marketplace built on what appears to be a Drupal-based content framework (referenced asset paths and "brickman" theme), fronted by a Google Maps-based interactive property browser that pins listings with price markers. The product experience includes dual onboarding tracks ("I'm a Filmmaker" and "I'm a Host"), host property submission forms, user login/registration, and a booking workflow tied to security deposits. There is no native mobile application, no public API or SDK, no documented AI/ML components, and no disclosed third-party platform integrations beyond Google Maps.
Filming Locations earns revenue via a marketplace commission on each booking, with hosts setting hourly rates (observed range ~287 AED/hr for a 1-bedroom apartment in JVT to 8,000 AED/hr for a Palm Jumeirah luxury villa) and collecting security deposits of 3,000–50,000 AED per booking. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, no named headcount, and no published management team beyond founder/CEO Elena Kovalenko. Its go-to-market is purely organic/SEO-driven through the website, with no documented sales motion, partnerships, or marketing spend disclosed in the source data.
Filming Locations firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Filming Locations
- Legal name
- Filming Locations
- Website
- https://filminglocations.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Filming Locations is a Dubai-founded, two-sided online marketplace (est. 2021) that connects property owners with filmmakers and production companies seeking hourly-rented filming locations across the UAE. It earns commission on bookings from a self-serve, web-based inventory spanning villas, farms, apartments, and heritage sites.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Filming Locations industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Filming Location Marketplace
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Locations Services (Scouting, Permits, Management) (MPADAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Studios, Stages & Location Services (Facilities, Location Scouting/Permits) (MPAAAMAG)
Keywords
Where Filming Locations is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Filming Locations business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Booking Commission: Platform earns a commission on each property booking made through the marketplace. Property owners list their spaces (villas, farms, apartments) and filmmakers pay hourly rates. The platform facilitates transactions between property hosts and production companies/filmmakers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Award-Winning 5 Bedroom Villa in Jumeirah Park |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Opulent High-End Villa in Palm Jumeirah |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 3-Bedroom Wabi Sabi Style Villa in Jumeirah |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Contemporary Farm in Sharjah |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bespoke 3 Bedroom Villa in Damac Hills |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tranquil 3 Bedroom Villa in JVT |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Serene 1 Bedroom Apartment in JVT |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Unfurnished 4 Bedroom Townhouse in Al Barari |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Palatial Villa With Lake View in Jumeirah Islands |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Filming Locations product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Filming Locations operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects property owners (hosts) with filmmakers and production companies seeking filming locations in the UAE. Hosts list properties such as villas, apartments, farms, and event spaces for hourly rental, while filmmakers browse, filter by Emirate, location type, and features, and book directly through the platform. The platform earns a commission on each booking completed between hosts and production crews.
Product overview
Filming Locations operates a single unified marketplace platform that enables filmmakers to discover and book filming locations across the UAE. The platform allows property owners to list their spaces (villas, apartments, farms, event spaces) for hourly rental by film crews. The core offering is the searchable property marketplace with location filters (Emirate), property type, and features, supplemented by a property listing submission process for hosts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Filming Locations
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Filming Locations technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Filming Locations partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Filming Locations competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- TwoHousesDown: Location-scouting database used by location managers and productions. Comparable as a supply-side listing platform for filming locations, particularly for residential and unique properties.
- Tagvenue: Online venue marketplace with presence in the UAE and other Gulf markets. While skewed toward private events rather than film shoots, it overlaps on the host-supply side and same UAE/MENA geography, making it a partial competitor for listings and hosts.
- ShotHotspot: Location library and marketplace targeted at photographers and filmmakers. Comparable on the supply/discovery side of filming-location marketplaces, albeit with a smaller catalog and different geographic mix.
Direct peers
- Giggster: Two-sided marketplace that rents unique homes and spaces by the hour to film, photo and event production crews. Closest direct analog to Filming Locations' marketplace model, though operating primarily in the US/Canada.
- Peerspace: Hourly booking marketplace for film shoots, photo productions and private events. Operates the same two-sided host-vs-renter model and competes for the same production-crew demand pool, giving Filming Locations a recognized comp.
- The Location Guide: International directory and library of filming locations used by location managers and production companies. Overlaps with Filming Locations on the location-scout-and-browse workflow, but historically licensing-driven rather than hourly transactional.
Broad incumbents
- Eventbrite: Global events and experiences marketplace that, while not a filming-locations platform, competes for the higher-priced 'Events and celebrations' segment on which Filming Locations already lists (15,000–20,000 AED). Adjacent competitive pressure on the events half of the offering.
- ProductionHUB: Long-standing production services directory and marketplace for crew, equipment and locations across the US. Functions as a broader incumbent in the production-resources category and would be a likely international competitor if Filming Locations scaled.
Others
- Abu Dhabi Film Commission: Government-affiliated body promoting the emirate as a filming destination and supporting permit facilitation. Functions as an ecosystem enabler that shapes where UAE film demand concentrates and could partner with — or compete against — a private marketplace.
- Image Nation: Abu Dhabi-headquartered film and content production company and a regional production-services incumbent. Not a direct marketplace competitor, but an important ecosystem participant that drives demand for UAE location-scouting services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Filming Locations social profiles
Digital presenceFilming Locations financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Filming Locations leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Filming Locations funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Filming Locations M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Filming Locations
What does Filming Locations do?
Filming Locations operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects property owners (hosts) with filmmakers and production companies seeking filming locations in the UAE. Hosts list properties such as villas, apartments, farms, and event spaces for hourly rental, while filmmakers browse, filter by Emirate, location type, and features, and book directly through the platform. The platform earns a commission on each booking completed between hosts and production crews.
Is Filming Locations a public or private company?
Filming Locations is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Filming Locations founded?
Filming Locations was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Filming Locations based?
Filming Locations is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Filming Locations make money?
One revenue line is on record: booking Commission.
Who are Filming Locations's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are TwoHousesDown, Tagvenue and ShotHotspot. Direct peers are Giggster, Peerspace and The Location Guide. Broad incumbents are Eventbrite and ProductionHUB. Others are Abu Dhabi Film Commission and Image Nation.
Does Filming Locations have an API?
No public API is recorded for Filming Locations.
What industry is Filming Locations in?
Filming Locations's product category is Filming Location Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAFAE, Locations Services (Scouting, Permits, Management), with a secondary code of MPAAAMAG, Studios, Stages & Location Services (Facilities, Location Scouting/Permits). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7819.