What Real & Fiction Film-und Fernsehproduktion does

Real & Fiction content company GmbH is a Cologne-based film and television production company founded in 1997, operating as a private GmbH under German law. The company produces a full-service content portfolio spanning reportages, documentaries, docutainment, and multi-part streaming series for major German and European broadcasters — primarily ZDF (including ZDFinfo, ZDF Reportage, and ZDF WISO), 3sat, and the Franco-German channel ARTE — alongside employer branding videos, image films, project films, and social media content for corporate clients, agencies, event organizers, and individual creators. The production stack covers the entire pipeline in-house: concept development (research, storyboard, treatment), production filming (camera, sound, lighting, drone aerial filming, live streaming, mobile directing), and post-production (editing, animation, color grading, voice recording, sound design, audio mixing), with social media content creation including thumbnails, carousel posts, Reels/Shorts, Stories, and community management.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: direct outreach to enterprises for employer-branding and corporate content, partnerships with agencies for campaign videos, and service offerings to event organizers and creators/influencers, layered on long-standing direct commissioning relationships with public-service broadcasters. Revenue is generated through custom project-based pricing on multi-year contracts; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. In 2023 the company adopted certified green production methods following 23 industry-wide eco-standards for German TV and online productions and added sustainability consulting as an adjacent service line. Quality management has been ISO 9001 certified by TÜV Rheinland since 2013.

Operationally, the firm is a boutique production house with 11–50 employees (a named team of approximately 11 editorial, production, post-production, and management staff plus an apprentice), privately held by managing directors Oliver Koytek and Carla Koytek with no disclosed external institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no parent company. Geographic scope is principally DACH (with selective Franco-German distribution via ARTE). Recurring awards — including Medienpreis Mittelstand (2023) and a Herbert Quandt Medien-Preis nomination (2023) — and a 25+ year operating history underpin its position in the German public-broadcasting supply ecosystem.

Name

Real & Fiction Film-und Fernsehproduktion

Legal name

REAL & FICTION content company GmbH

Website

https://realandfiction.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Real & Fiction content company GmbH is a Cologne-based, privately held German film and television production company that produces documentaries, reportages, docutainment, and streaming series for ZDF, 3sat, and ARTE, plus employer-branding videos, image films, and social media content for corporate clients, agencies, and creators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Video Production & Post-Production (BPAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Internal Communications Video (MPADAEAC), Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

Keywords

• Film production services
• Television content production
• Corporate video production
• Documentary production
• Social media content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV and Streaming Content Production: Production of reportages, documentaries, docutainment, and streaming series for television broadcasters and streaming platforms such as ZDF, ZDFinfo, ZDF Reportage, 3sat, and ARTE.
2. Corporate Content Production: Employer branding through high-quality recruiting videos and image films, project films, and social media content for businesses; campaign videos or corporate films for agencies; professional trailers, video documentation, and after-movies for event organizers.
3. Creator/Influencer Content: Web videos and social media content production for individual creators and influencers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Real & Fiction Film-und Fernsehproduktion is a full-service film and television production company that produces reportages, documentaries, docutainment, and streaming series primarily for German public broadcasters (ZDF, 3sat, ARTE), and also delivers corporate content such as employer branding videos, image films, campaign videos, event documentation, and social media content for businesses, agencies, event organizers, foundations, and individual creators. The company manages the entire production pipeline from concept development (research, storyboarding, treatment) through filming and post-production (editing, animation, color grading, sound design) to final delivery, and additionally offers Green Consulting for sustainable production practices.

Product overview

Real & Fiction content company GmbH operates as a full-service film and television production company founded in 1997, offering a comprehensive content production portfolio that includes reportages, documentaries, docutainment, and streaming series for major German broadcasters (ZDF, 3sat, ARTE). The company extends beyond traditional TV production to offer corporate content services including employer branding videos, image films, and social media content production for companies, agencies, event organizers, and influencers. Their service offering encompasses the full production pipeline from concept development (research, storyboarding, treatment creation) through production (filming, directing, post-production, color grading, sound design) to final delivery. The company also provides specialized Green Consulting services for sustainable production practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reportagen (Reportages) Reportage-style video productions for television and streaming platforms, covering social issues, festivals, and human interest stories. Produced for German broadcasters such as ZDF (e.g., Mom Business – Familienleben online, 96 Stunden Party – Das Parookaville Festival).
• Dokumentationen (Documentaries) In-depth documentary productions covering true crime, environmental, medical, and social topics. Examples include Zukunft der Medizin – Kann KI heilen? (WISO/ZDF) and Skrupellos! Kriminelle Maschen (ZDF).
• Dokutainment Docutainment formats combining documentary storytelling with entertainment elements, produced for German public broadcasters.
• Streamingreihen (Streaming Series) Multi-part streaming series for platforms such as ZDF, covering topics from sustainability challenges to travel documentaries.
• Employer Branding Videos and Imagefilme (Corporate Films) High-quality recruiting videos, corporate image films, project films, and social media content for businesses seeking to strengthen employer branding and corporate communications. Includes campaign video and corporate film production for agencies.
• Social Media Content Production Creative social media content including thumbnails, info-postings, carousel posts, Reels/Shorts, Stories/Story Highlights, poll and announcement posts, and community management for companies, agencies, creators, and influencers.
• Event Video Production (Trailers, Video Documentation, After-Movies) Professional trailers, video documentation, and after-movies for event organizers to promote and document their events.
• Green Consulting for Sustainable Production Sustainability consulting for film and TV production following 23 industry-wide eco-standards for German TV and online productions, including eco-friendly travel, avoidance of domestic flights and single-use products, and use of green electricity.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO 9001 certified quality management since 2013
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor German public-service TV broadcaster; primary broadcast partner for documentaries, reportages, and streaming series. Productions include 'Mom Business – Familienleben online', '96 Stunden Party – Das Parookaville Festival', 'TikTok erklärt die Welt', and multiple ZDFinfo productions.
• 3satcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman-language public-service TV channel; broadcast partner for documentary 'Handwerker – verzweifelt gesucht!' which won Medienpreis Mittelstand 2023.
• ARTEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean public-service TV channel co-operated by France and Germany; broadcast partner for documentaries.
• Aktion MenschminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman social welfare foundation; collaboration on project films including 'mobisaar' mobility service project for inclusion.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Letterbox Filmproduktion: Letterbox is a Cologne-based independent production company producing feature films, series, and documentaries for German broadcasters and international partners. It is a direct peer in the same geography and production category as Real & Fiction, with a comparable independent-broadcaster service model.
• Mager & Wieland Filmproduktion: Mager & Wieland is a Cologne-based independent production company producing documentaries and reports for German broadcasters. It is a direct peer based in the same city as Real & Fiction, competing for the same local commissioning opportunities from WDR and other regional public broadcasters.
• Wiedemann & Berg Film: Wiedemann & Berg is a mid-sized German film and TV production company producing content for broadcasters and streaming platforms. It is a direct peer to Real & Fiction, operating in the same German premium production segment with a similar broadcaster-led business model.
• Polyphon Film- und Fernsehgesellschaft: Polyphon is a Hamburg-based independent production company producing documentaries, reportages, and entertainment formats for ARD, ZDF, and other German broadcasters. It is a direct peer producing comparable reportage and documentary content for the same primary commissioning clients.
• Pilot Film Produktion: Pilot Film is a Munich-based independent production company producing documentary and reportage content for German public broadcasters. It is a direct peer in the same factual-TV segment, with a comparable size and broadcaster-dependent business model.

Broad incumbents

• Endemol Shine Germany: Endemol Shine Germany produces entertainment, factual, and scripted content for German broadcasters. It is a broad incumbent in the same factual/documentary commissioning space as Real & Fiction, with significantly greater scale and access to international IP.
• Banijay Germany (formerly Endemol Shine): Banijay Germany produces entertainment, factual, and documentary content for German broadcasters as part of the global Banijay group. It is a broad incumbent in the same documentary and factual-production space, with materially greater scale and IP library.
• Studio Hamburg Enterprises: Studio Hamburg is a long-established German production group producing film, TV, and documentary content for major broadcasters including NDR, ARD, and ZDF. It is a broad incumbent comparable in the documentary and TV-production segment, with deeper production infrastructure and a wider slate.
• UFA (Bertelsmann): UFA is one of Europe's largest TV production groups, producing entertainment, drama, and documentary content for German public and private broadcasters. It is a broad incumbent in the same content-production space as Real & Fiction, with significantly greater scale, slate depth, and international reach.

Emerging players

• DocStation: DocStation is a German production company focused on documentary content for streaming and digital platforms. It is an emerging player with partial overlap to Real & Fiction's documentary and streaming-series work, particularly relevant as commissioning shifts from linear to streaming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/realandfiction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/real-fiction-produktion
• Instagraminstagram.com/realandfiction

Compliance2 records

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 Real & Fiction Film-und Fernsehproduktion