esse Magazine

What esse Magazine does

esse Magazine is an Italian digital media brand focused on urban music and youth culture, founded in 2016 in Milan by Antonio Dikele Distefano and operated under the legal entity Cantera SRL. The company produces editorial content, branded video series, and live events aimed at an audience of approximately 1.5 million followers with 1 billion annual impressions, skewing toward an average viewer age of 24. Its core formats include the Basement Café series (produced with Lavazza), Red Bull 64 Bars (with Red Bull), Esse a Teatro, and the Interviste di Esse interview series, alongside an annual Esse Awards ceremony held at Triennale Milano since 2020.

The business model is centered on branded content production and brand partnerships. esse Magazine generates revenue by developing co-branded editorial formats and events for a roster of international clients that includes Red Bull, Lavazza, Nike, Puma, Barilla, Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Netflix, Calvin Klein/YOOX, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Snipes, Converse, AB InBev, and Sprite, with recent talent-driven collaborations including Coco Gauff. The company has begun building adjacent verticals under the Cantera SRL umbrella, most notably Esse Academy, which extends the brand into education and creator development.

Operationally, esse Magazine runs with a team of approximately 20 employees, indicating a deliberately lean production model that relies on the cultural credibility of its founder and editorial team, a proprietary content IP portfolio, and the audience scale of its social channels to win and execute premium brand engagements. There is no disclosed external funding, no AI/ML capability described, and limited public visibility into revenue, contract structures, or geographic footprint beyond Italy.

Name

esse Magazine

Legal name

Cantera SRL

Website

https://essemagazine.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

esse Magazine is a Milan-based digital media brand producing urban-music editorial content, branded video series, and live events for Italian youth audiences, monetizing through partnerships with premium consumer brands such as Red Bull, Lavazza, and Nike.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branded Content Production: Production of branded video and photographic content for major brands including Barilla, Calvin Klein/YOOX, Puma, Nike, Snipes, and Converse. Cantera production company curates promotional campaigns with talent selection and social media promotion.
2. Brand Partnerships and Consultancy: Marketing consultancy and partnership agreements with brands seeking to reach the youth demographic through the urban music space. Includes talent selection, campaign strategy, and social promotion services.
3. Media Coverage and Editorial Services: Digital magazine providing editorial coverage, interviews, and music-focused content. Revenue generated through advertising and sponsored content opportunities with music industry stakeholders.
4. Event Organization: Organization of events such as Esse Awards in Triennale Milano, Basement Next Gen with Lavazza, and other branded activations. Revenue from brand sponsorships and ticket sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Esse Magazine is an Italian digital media platform and production company focused on Italian and international urban music. It operates a multi-channel editorial publication (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, Apple Music, Spotify) producing original documentaries, artist interviews, and branded content formats. The company also produces live events (Esse Awards, Esse a Teatro) and offers branded content production services to major consumer brands seeking access to the Italian youth demographic.

Product overview

Esse Magazine is a unified content creation platform and media publication focused on Italian and international urban music. The core offering consists of a digital magazine (Esse Magazine), a production company (Cantera SRL), and educational initiative (Esse Academy). The product portfolio includes original documentary series (Documentari originali esse), YouTube format shows (Format YouTube esse with Interviste di Esse, Basement Cafè, Esse a Teatro), branded content campaigns for major clients (Red Bull, Lavazza, Nike, Puma, Barilla), and live events (Esse Awards). The platform operates as a full-service content creator producing interviews, documentaries, branded content, and event coverage across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other social channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esse Magazine (Digital Publication) Digital magazine publishing editorial coverage, interviews, documentaries, and multimedia content about Italian and international urban music. Targets Italian youth audience aged ~24.
• Branded Content Production Services Full-service branded content production including video production, photo shoots, campaign strategy, talent selection, and social media promotion for brands such as Barilla, Nike, Puma, Red Bull, Lavazza, Calvin Klein/YOOX, Sprite, and others.
• Esse Academy Educational initiative providing training and resources related to music industry and content creation.
• Esse Awards Annual awards ceremony event held at Triennale Milano featuring rap scene interviews, live performances, and awards ceremony with major Italian urban music artists. Open to brand sponsorship.
• Red Bull 64 Bars (Co-Produced Format) Music competition format where rappers perform original 64-bar freestyles. Co-produced with Red Bull; associated album released through Universal Music Italia and certified gold.
• Basement Café (Co-Produced Format) Branded interview format featuring rap artists in a cinema-inspired setting. Produced by Blue Joint for Lavazza in partnership with Esse Magazine; later replicated for the German market.
• Esse a Teatro (Theater Interview Series) Theatrical interview format bringing Italian urban music artists face-to-face with fans in intimate theater settings, hosted by Antonio Dikele Distefano. Drives ticket sales and event revenue.
• Original Documentary Series Self-produced documentary series on Italian urban music artists and scene, including 'Stile Originale' (with Island Records for Guè Pequeno) and documentaries about Capo Plaza, SLF, and other scene figures. Documentary 'Primo concerto a Salerno' reached nearly 2 million YouTube views.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 billion impressions generated annually across all platforms
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Triennale MilanoflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration for Esse Awards event bringing together top Italian rap artists including Marracash, Machete, Lazza, Gemitaiz, and Madman. Event featured interviews, rap writing talk, surprise live performances, and award ceremony. Held at prestigious Triennale di Milano venue, establishing event as premium cultural moment.
• LavazzacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Long-term strategic partnership with Lavazza for branded content production. Created the iconic Basement Cafè format, a branded interview show featuring rap artists in cinema-inspired setting. Lavazza later replicated the format in Germany with German rap magazine 16Bars. Also collaborated on Ready to Drink product launch as marketing consultant and talent selector.
• Discovery+ / LBA (Lega Basket Serie A)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Content partnership to create basketball-focused content for Italian Serie A. Produced Instagram posts and YouTube videos to bridge music and basketball fan bases. Basketball players themselves participate in music-focused formats.
• Next Gen ATP FinalsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with Lavazza to bring Basement Cafè hub to Next Gen ATP Finals 2019 edition. Created discussion space where artists, athletes, and youth engaged on topics including environmental respect, diversity, future, and education. Featured live performances.
• Red BullcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Strategic partnership for Red Bull 64 Bars format, a music competition show where rappers perform 64-bar freestyles. Cantera handles video production and provides 360-degree consultancy. Format achieved record numbers for Red Bull website and spawned a gold-certified album on Universal Music Italia. Also collaborated on Netflix series 'Zero' soundtrack placement.
• AB InBevminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Organized alcohol-free concert event for AB InBev's #bevicomesecifosseundomani campaign at Dude Club Milan. Free entrance event bringing urban music culture to brand activation.
• Island RecordsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership for 'Stile Originale' documentary series celebrating Guè Pequeno's decade anniversary and Fastlife 4 mixtape release. Created two-episode documentary about the artist's legacy, contributing to successful album repack and new release. Partnership combines editorial content with major label promotional objectives.
• YOOX / Calvin KleinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo production partnership for CKONE collection launch. Produced social media video content featuring Italian pop singer Roshelle as main talent for YOOX and Calvin Klein collaboration.
• Blue Joint (Production House)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduction partner for Basement Cafè format. Blue Joint handles the physical production while Esse provides creative direction, format development, and distribution.
• 16Bars (German Rap Magazine)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman rap magazine that licensed the Basement Cafè format from Lavazza for German market replication. Format cross-border expansion demonstrating Esse's content innovation influence.
• Billy TacosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative production of original freestyles with key Italian urban music exponents for brand activation content.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The FADER: US-based digital music magazine focused on emerging artists, documentaries, and long-form interviews. Closely comparable to Esse in its editorial-first, digital-native format mix (interviews, documentaries, branded content) targeting a youth audience.
• Boiler Room: UK-based music media platform combining live performance streaming, documentaries, and cultural content with strong brand partnerships. Comparable to Esse in blending editorial video, brand-funded content, and live events around music culture.
• Billboard Italia: Italian edition of Billboard covering the Italian and global music industry. Most directly comparable Italian-market peer to Esse in operating a music media brand in Italy, though with broader genre coverage and more established industry positioning.
• Highsnobiety: Digital youth-culture publication covering music, fashion, and streetwear with strong branded-content and brand-partnership operations. Comparable to Esse in blending editorial credibility, brand-funded content, and youth-demographic reach across fashion and music.
• 16Bars: German rap/urban music media platform. 16Bars is explicitly comparable to Esse because it licensed the Basement Café format from Lavazza for the German market, making it a direct cross-border functional equivalent in the urban music niche.
• Noisey (Vice Music): Vice's music vertical producing documentaries, artist profiles, and youth-culture video content. Comparable to Esse in producing documentary series and branded music content aimed at a global youth audience with rap/urban emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Rolling Stone Italia: Italian edition of Rolling Stone covering music, culture, and entertainment. Comparable to Esse as an established Italian music media brand, though with broader genre coverage and a print/digital heritage rather than Esse's digital-native format.
• Pitchfork: Major digital music publication covering reviews, news, features, and long-form editorial. Comparable to Esse as a digital-first music media brand, though Pitchfork's editorial focus on criticism differs from Esse's documentary/interview-led approach.
• Complex: Large US digital media company covering music, fashion, and pop culture with significant branded content production. Comparable to Esse in its branded-content-plus-editorial model, but operates at much larger scale and across multiple verticals.
• Red Bull Music: Brand-backed music media operation by Red Bull producing documentaries, event coverage, and editorial content. Directly comparable to Esse through the multi-year Red Bull 64 Bars partnership and similar brand-funded music content model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0TFalPRyuOWuOgVgm0Lg9Q
• Instagraminstagram.com/essemagazine
• TikToktiktok.com/@esse_magazine?
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/essemagazine

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 esse Magazine