What Chief does

Chief is a Manchester-headquartered film and television production company founded by Colin Offland circa 1999, operating for over 25 years with a dual-city presence in Manchester (The Longhouse, MediaCityUK) and London (Bloomsbury Way). The company provides full-service production capabilities spanning pre-production, on-set filming, and post-production — including editing, VFX, CGI, 3D, and colour grading — delivered through vertically integrated facilities and a roster of award-winning directors. Its core assets include The Longhouse Studio (10,000 sq. ft. across two stages, including the largest infinity cove in Greater Manchester) and The Longhouse Post & VFX (six post-production suites co-located with the studio), plus a 25-year North West production-servicing capability covering crew, locations, casting, and permits. A dedicated CHEF. division, launched in 2026, formalises 20+ years of food, drink, and tabletop production into a sub-brand with its own talent roster and post-production resources. The company also produces long-form documentary and branded entertainment content beyond standard 30-second commercials.

Chief generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services contracts — TV commercials, branded content, long-form video, production servicing for external productions, and studio rental — with quote-based pricing negotiated per project. The go-to-market is sales-led through direct engagement with creative agencies and brand clients, pitches, tenders, and long-standing relationships. Customer segments are diversified across food and beverage (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, M&S, Kellogg's), automotive (Bentley, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes AMG), retail, travel, sports, betting, banking, broadcast (BBC, BBC Match of the Day), and charity (Comic Relief), with no public revenue or funding disclosure. Chief is privately held with no recorded external investment, no acquisitions, no leadership changes, and active operations across both UK sites.

Name

Chief

Legal name

Chief

Website

https://chief.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chief is a Manchester-based full-service film and TV production company offering integrated studio, post-production, and VFX services through The Longhouse facility, with a roster of award-winning directors and a dedicated CHEF. food and drink division, serving global brands and agencies across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action Production Management & Line Producing (MPADABAH)

Keywords

• Commercial production services
• Branded content production
• Post-production and VFX
• Studio rental services
• Film production company

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Commercial Production: Chief produces television commercials and short-form advertising content for agencies and direct brand clients. Revenue is project-based, generated per production contract.
2. Long-form Content Production: Chief produces feature-length documentaries, branded content, and long-form video projects. Revenue is project-based per production contract.
3. Production Servicing: Production servicing for incoming productions in the North West, providing crew, locations, studios, and logistical support. Revenue is service fee-based.
4. Studio Rental: Rental of The Longhouse studio facilities (Studios 1 and 2) and equipment to external productions. Revenue is rental fee-based.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chief is a full-service film and TV production company producing television commercials, branded content, and long-form video for advertising agencies and brand clients. It operates The Longhouse studio and post-production facility at MediaCityUK, Manchester, offering integrated pre-production, on-set production, editing, VFX, colour grading, CGI, and 3D under one roof, alongside a dedicated food and drink division called CHEF and North West production servicing.

Product overview

Chief is a production company with over 25 years of experience offering TV and advertising production services. The core offering centers on commercial and branded content production supported by two integrated divisions: The Longhouse facilities (studio, post-production/VFX, and production servicing) and CHEF, a dedicated food and drink video production unit. The company operates from bases in Manchester (MediaCityUK) and London, providing end-to-end production capabilities from pre-production through post-production, including a roster of global directors, two world-class studios, post-production suites, and production servicing for the North West region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHEF. Dedicated food, drink and tabletop division launched in 2026, bringing together 20+ years of experience producing food and drink content with a diverse roster of talented creators and filmmakers.
• The Longhouse

Products and services

• TV & Advertising Production Full-service production of television commercials, brand films, and advertising content for creative agencies and direct brand clients, spanning pre-production, on-set production, and post-production.
• The Longhouse Studio 10,000 sq. ft. film studio facility in MediaCityUK, Manchester, comprising Studio 1 (7,000 sq. ft. white cove) and Studio 2 (2,500 sq. ft. three-wall infinity cove), with green rooms, dressing rooms, client rooms, edit suites, on-site parking, props collection, and overhead lighting rig, available for rent to productions.
• The Longhouse Post & VFX Boutique in-house post-production facility offering offline editing, online editing, 3D, CGI, VFX, and colour grading, integrated with The Longhouse studio workflow for streamlined end-to-end production.
• Production Servicing Production servicing for incoming productions filming in the North West, including in-house production team, location department, art department, casting directors, permits, logistics, and local knowledge support.
• CHEF Food & Drink Production Dedicated food, drink, and tabletop production division combining 20+ years of food and beverage content experience with a diverse roster of creators, a dedicated studio, and in-house post-production department for major CPG and beverage brands.
• Longform Content Production Production of feature-length documentaries, branded entertainment, and long-form video projects for broadcasters, streaming platforms, and brand clients.
• Directors Roster Roster of global directors including award-winning talents, available for assignment to client projects across commercials, branded content, and long-form productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Chief has over 25 years of continuous operation and 20+ years specifically in food and drink production.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers57 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Meanwhile (Manchester Creative Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Chief partnered with Meanwhile (a Manchester creative agency founded by former BBC Creative directors James Cross, Tim Jones, and Al Marchant) for the Red Nose Day 2026 campaign film. This collaboration combines Meanwhile's creative direction with Chief's production capabilities and BBC's broadcast reach.
• BBC (Broadcast Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026BBC serves as the broadcast partner for Red Nose Day 2026, airing the campaign film produced by Chief in collaboration with Meanwhile and Comic Relief.
• Comic ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Chief has been working in partnership with Comic Relief since 2023, producing campaign content for Red Nose Day. The partnership has resulted in the 2026 campaign film and ongoing charity campaign production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smuggler: Smuggler is a global commercial production company representing a roster of award-winning directors. Directly comparable to Chief in serving top-tier brands and agencies with high-end TV commercial and branded content production through a director-talent-led model.
• Pulse Films: Pulse Films is a UK-headquartered production company producing commercials, music videos, branded content, and feature documentaries. Directly comparable to Chief in serving agencies and brands with an integrated commercial and long-form offering, and similarly leveraging UK creative talent.
• RSA Films: RSA Films is a global commercial and long-form production company with a top-tier director roster serving agencies and brands. Directly comparable to Chief in offering full-service TV commercial, branded content, and post-production, with a similar global brand client mix.
• Partizan: Partizan is a global director-led production company producing commercials, music videos, branded content, and documentaries. Directly comparable to Chief in the director representation model, international brand client base, and integrated post-production capabilities.
• Somesuch: Somesuch is a UK-based production company producing commercials, branded content, and feature films. Directly comparable to Chief in the talent-driven commercial production model, the mix of agency and direct-brand clients, and the focus on award-winning creative output.
• Academy Films: Academy Films is a UK-based commercial and content production company with an award-winning director roster. Directly comparable to Chief in the commercial production focus, agency-led GTM, and emphasis on creative-led brand campaigns for major advertisers.
• Anonymous Content: Anonymous Content is a leading global production company representing award-winning directors across commercials, film, and television. Directly comparable to Chief in the talent-led commercial production model, integrated post-production capabilities, and premium brand client roster.
• MJZ: MJZ is a global commercial production company with a premier director roster serving major agencies and advertisers. Comparable to Chief in the talent-driven, agency-tendered commercial production model, with similar prestige-brand client work across CPG, automotive, and tech.
• Stink Studios: Stink Studios is a global creative production company producing commercials, branded content, and digital experiences. Comparable to Chief in the integrated commercial and branded content production model, with similar agency-direct brand engagement approach and cross-format capabilities.
• Gorgeous Enterprises: Gorgeous is a London-based commercial and music video production company with an established director roster. Comparable to Chief in the talent-led production model, the focus on TV commercials and branded content, and serving major agencies and brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chieftv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chief-productions?originalSubdomain=uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearechief

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Chief