Captains

What Captains does

Captains is an independent documentary entertainment studio headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, producing and financing non-fiction series, feature documentaries, and formats for streaming platforms, broadcasters, cinemas, and social channels. The company's product portfolio spans flagship documentary series (Força Koeman on Videoland, Jamal on Streamz, TALLON: Onder Druk on HBO Max/Eurosport, Within Temptation: The Invisible Force on YouTube), branded content campaigns (Volvo Changemakers, PostNL Portretten, Allianz Direct Protect What You Love, Rijksmuseum Christmas commercial), docu-reality formats (The Girlfriend Experience), and a planned fiction feature (Fanny). Captains operates a project-based professional services revenue model, sourcing commissions from streaming platforms, regional broadcasters, and brands, with a flagship Brand-Funded Originals concept that explicitly bridges cash-constrained streamers with brands seeking authentic storytelling.

The company's technology stack is conventional documentary filmmaking, with no proprietary AI, API, or platform integrations disclosed; value creation rests on creative talent (Lucy van Gaalen, Stephen Kearney, Jop Goslinga, Remy Steijger), access to subjects via partnerships (Wasserman for sports access, Eyeforce and Edwin van der Sar Foundation for Rain in Moscow), and distribution relationships built through annual MIPCOM attendance and direct enterprise relationships with HBO Max Netherlands, Videoland, Streamz, Ziggo Sport, OneFootball, and Vimeo. The studio has roughly 20 employees, was awarded the FD Gazelle 2021 by Het Financiele Dagblad for sustained 20%+ revenue growth, and was a leadership-team-installed business unit model construct business cases linking brands to audiences.

In August 2024 Captains co-owners established the Dutch International Film Fund (DIFF), a private equity vehicle targeting EUR 2.5M in commitments to co-finance documentaries, extending the studio's role from producer to producer-financier. Go-to-market is hybrid: enterprise field sales pitching to commissioners at streamers and broadcasters, event-driven sales via MIPCOM Cannes and Dutch Media Week, and brand-funded pitch targeted at advertiser CMOs. Operationally the studio is privately held, profitable per FD Gazelle criteria, and has not raised external venture capital.

Name

Captains

Legal name

Captains

Website

https://captains.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Captains is an independent Dutch documentary entertainment studio that produces and finances non-fiction series, features, and formats for streaming platforms, broadcasters, brands, and cinemas, serving clients including HBO Max, Videoland, Streamz, Volvo, and OneFootball.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Production Services for Streaming Platforms: Captains produces documentary series and features for streaming platforms like HBO Max, Videoland, and Streamz, earning revenue through production fees and potentially co-production arrangements.
2. Brand-Funded Originals: Captains develops and produces brand-funded documentary content where brands like Volvo, PostNL, and Allianz Direct finance productions as part of their marketing and storytelling initiatives. This innovative approach replaces traditional streaming financing.
3. Broadcast and TV Content: Production of content for traditional broadcasters including Ziggo Sport, Omroep West, and other regional/national TV outlets.
4. Corporate Documentary Production: Creation of branded documentary content for corporate clients including Restoration Hardware, showcasing their brand values through authentic storytelling.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Captains is a documentary entertainment studio that produces and finances documentary series, features, and formats for streaming platforms, cinema releases, social media channels, and television broadcasters. It serves streamers (HBO Max, Videoland, Streamz), traditional broadcasters (Ziggo Sport, Omroep West), and corporate brand clients (Volvo, PostNL, Allianz Direct, YoungCapital, Rijksmuseum) through commissioned productions and an innovative Brand-Funded Originals model that pairs brands with streamers as financing partners.

Product overview

Captains is a Documentary Entertainment Studio that produces and finances series, features, and formats for streaming, cinema, social, and TV platforms. The portfolio includes flagship documentary series (Força Koeman, Jamal, TALLON: Onder Druk, Within Temptation: The Invisible Force), docu-reality series (The Girlfriend Experience), branded documentary content for clients (Volvo Changemakers, Allianz Direct Protect What You Love, Rijksmuseum Christmas), fiction film projects (Fanny), and the Dutch International Film Fund (DIFF) for investment in documentary productions. Content is distributed across major streaming platforms including HBO Max, Videoland, Streamz, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Força Koeman Three-season documentary series following Ronald Koeman as coach of FC Barcelona with behind-the-scenes access from transfers to El Clásico, distributed on Videoland and recognized as one of Holland's biggest streamer's hit series.
• Jamal Three-part documentary series following kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik toward becoming world champion, captured over two years of filming, produced as a Streamz original.
• TALLON: Onder Druk Documentary following Dutch tennis star Tallon Griekspoor through career and mental challenges as the Netherlands' No. 1 player, streaming on HBO Max Netherlands and Eurosport.
• Within Temptation: The Invisible Force Documentary offering an intimate glimpse of Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation as founders Sharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt engage with the war in Ukraine, premiering exclusively on YouTube.
• The Girlfriend Experience Four-part docu-reality series offering an intimate look into the world of high-class escorts, produced with a female-led crew and streaming exclusively on Streamz.
• The Untold Legends of Football 96 cinematic videos produced for OneFootball soccer app leading up to the World Cup Russia, telling famous soccer stories from unknown perspectives, achieving 31 million organic views.
• Destination Wembley Documentary in collaboration with Ziggo Sport about FC Barcelona's 1992 European Cup victory at Wembley, reuniting former players and teammates.
• Rain in Moscow Documentary telling the story of Manchester United's 2008 Champions League final victory featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Sir Alex Ferguson, streaming on Vimeo.
• Windwapper Documentary about the impact of one wind turbine on Leidschendam residents and the power relationship between citizens and government, broadcast on Omroep West.
• Changemakers Short documentary series for Volvo's international sustainability campaign featuring real changemaker stories linked to Volvo's goal of being climate neutral by 2040.
• Portretten Brand content campaign for PostNL highlighting iconic mail carriers and their connections to neighborhoods they serve.
• Protect What You Love Video campaign for Allianz Direct Nederland launching in September 2020, inspiring audiences to care for important possessions, with ongoing content partnership across channels.
• Spotlight Social media series for YoungCapital recruitment platform producing content to inspire combining passion and work, with assets from full stories to square videos.
• Christmas at Rijksmuseum Annual Christmas film for Rijksmuseum exploring the power of imagination through art, following a young girl looking at Hendrick Avercamp's painting 'Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters'.
• Julian Lennon Documentary Short documentary introducing Julian Lennon to Restoration Hardware/General Public artist collective, filmed in the south of France showing his life and artistic inspiration.
• Those Who Wonder Branded documentary series developed in collaboration with TU Delft around groundbreaking scientific stories.
• The Reverse of the Medal Documentary ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics revealing untold stories of displacement, inequality, and social turmoil, questioning the financial and political maneuvering surrounding the games.
• Island of Hope Documentary about people with albinism in Tanzania, focusing on Ukerewe Island as a rare haven where they can live with relative security.
• Fanny Fiction film about an ambitious hairdresser who must survive within the demanding world of the Viennese court, drawing unexpected attention from the Empress.
• Dutch International Film Fund (DIFF) Private equity fund investing in high-end films and series for international audiences, promoting independent film financing in the Netherlands for productions developed for global distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31 million views and 6 million viewers for The Untold Legends of Football project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ScenerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Scenery is an Amsterdam-based production company that co-produced the Jamal documentary series with Captains for Streamz. This was Captains' first original production for the Belgian market.
• WassermancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWasserman is an athlete management company that collaborated with Captains on the Força Koeman documentary series. The partnership allowed exclusive access to Ronald Koeman and facilitated the three-season production for Videoland.
• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaptains is producing an international documentary series around groundbreaking scientific stories in collaboration with TU Delft, a leading technical university.
• Restoration HardwareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Restoration Hardware/General Public to develop a short documentary video introducing Julian Lennon to RH's modern artist collective.
• RedrumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedrum collaborated with Captains on the Rijksmuseum Christmas commercial production.
• EyeforceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEyeforce partnered with Captains and the Edwin van der Sar Foundation on the Rain in Moscow documentary about Manchester United's 2008 Champions League final.
• Edwin van der Sar FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit foundation partnered with Captains and Eyeforce on the Rain in Moscow documentary.
• OneFootballcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOneFootball is the largest soccer news app in the world with 50 million downloads. Partnered with Captains to produce The Untold Legends of Football series of 96 cinematic videos.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pulse Films: UK-based production company producing feature documentaries, branded entertainment, and series for streamers and global brands. Direct functional peer to Captains' documentary + brand-funded originals model.
• Dogwoof: UK-based documentary sales, distribution, and production company. Comparable as a documentary specialist working with streamers and brands, and a potential distribution partner for Captains internationally.
• Submarine: Amsterdam-based independent production company producing documentaries, branded content, and series for streamers and brands. Highly comparable to Captains in size, Dutch roots, and dual documentary/branded-content focus.
• New Amsterdam: Dutch independent production company developing documentary and drama series for international streamers, including Netflix. Comparable scale and Benelux production base with similar documentary and series focus.

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: Major international content producer and distributor producing documentaries and factual series for global streamers and broadcasters, including work in the Benelux region.
• All3Media: Global production group with a large portfolio of indie labels producing documentaries and factual programming for streamers. Comparable in production style but at materially larger scale.
• Endemol Shine: Major international content producer owned by Banijay with deep documentary, factual, and branded content capabilities. Relevant incumbent competing for the same streaming and brand commissions.
• A24: US-based independent studio producing premium documentaries, narrative features, and branded content, often working directly with streamers. Comparable as an indie studio punching above its weight in prestige documentary content.
• Fremantle: One of the largest global production and distribution companies, producing documentaries, drama, and branded content for streamers and broadcasters. Sets the competitive benchmark Captains must outperform on commissions.
• Banijay: Global production group owning many indie labels across documentary, entertainment, and factual programming. Competes for the same streamer commissions and represents the consolidated incumbent in the space Captains operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/captainsagency
• Facebookfacebook.com/captainsagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/captainsagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Captains