Heliograf Sp. z o.o.

What Heliograf Sp. z o.o. does

Heliograf Sp. z o.o. is a Polish independent film technology company founded in 1990 by Sylwester Adamski and headquartered in Warsaw, operating as a film rental house, equipment sales channel, and crew provider for the Polish production industry. Its core offerings span professional cinema camera rental, LED and conventional lighting rental, grip and transport services, lens rental (including premium sets such as Cooke S8/i FF, Atlas Mercury anamorphic, and re-housed Kowa Prominar vintage anamorphics), and bundled gaffer/crew staffing. The company maintains a fleet of nearly 200 ARRI LED fixtures (including 30 ARRI SkyPanel X units acquired in April 2024 and ARRI Orbiter, s360, s120, s60, and s30 models) and 15 NANLUX Evoke 5000B units added in 2025, alongside Creamsource SpaceX, Nanlux Dyno, and Nanlite panels. Its equipment inventory is supplemented by Studio Helio, a 252 m² professional film studio with three-phase power, makeup/VIP/wardrobe facilities, and the Warsaw Virtual Studios XR/LED wall virtual production facility co-founded with WIZJA xR.

Revenue is generated through quote-based equipment rental, studio rental, professional gaffer services, and equipment sales, with no public pricing. Distribution is direct B2B via dedicated department contacts — Piotr Kępisty for the camera department and Aleksandra Dejneka for lighting — and is concentrated among Polish film, television, and advertising production companies. Named anchor customers include the three largest Polish broadcasters — TVP (Telewizja Polska), TVN, and Polsat — and a long tail of feature film and documentary productions spanning titles such as 'Zielona granica', 'Gierek', 'Broad Peak', and 'Fucking Bornholm'. Marketing and pipeline development rely on annual participation in IBC Amsterdam, partnerships with the Gdynia Polish Feature Film Festival and Koszalin Film Debut Festival (seventh consecutive year), and formal relationships with five Polish film schools (PWSFTviT, WSF, Wajda School, WRiTv UŚ, Munk Studio) supported by a discounted Student Rental Program launched in June 2024.

The company operates as a privately held founder-led entity with 13 employees and no disclosed institutional investors or external funding. Strategic positioning is anchored on three pillars: depth of premium equipment inventory, embedded gaffer talent described as 'the best Polish gaffers with many years of experience,' and early-mover advantage in Polish virtual production through Warsaw Virtual Studios. The founder's 2023 Honorary Membership in the Polish Society of Cinematographers (PSC) and 35 years of unbroken operation reinforce a relationship-driven competitive position in a market where trust, crew quality, and equipment availability disproportionately influence rental decisions.

Name

Heliograf Sp. z o.o.

Legal name

Heliograf Sp. z o.o.

Website

https://heliograf.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heliograf Sp. z o.o. is a Polish independent film technology company (founded 1990) that rents professional cinema cameras, LED lighting, premium lens sets, and gaffers to Polish film, TV, and advertising productions. It also operates Studio Helio and the Warsaw Virtual Studios XR/LED wall.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Equipment Rental

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soundstage & Stage Rental (Film/TV) (MPADAIAA), Studio Campus / Production Facility Operators (MPADAIAC)

Keywords

• Film equipment rental
• Camera rental
• Lighting rental
• Virtual production studio
• Film production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: Rental of professional film lighting, camera, grip, and transport equipment to production companies. Core revenue stream. Equipment is rented with expert gaffers (lighting technicians) and camera operators.
2. Studio Rental (Studio Helio): Rental of 252 m² film studio space with professional facilities (makeup room, VIP room, wardrobe, three-phase power). Studio includes lighting and camera equipment available for on-site rental.
3. Gaffers / Crew Services: Provision of experienced gaffer (chief lighting technician) professionals to film and TV productions. Gaffers are described as 'the best Polish gaffers with many years of experience.'
4. Equipment Sales: Sale of film equipment including lighting and camera gear through the Sales section of the website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heliograf rents professional film camera and lighting equipment and operates physical studio space to film, TV, and advertising productions in Poland. It sells complementary services including gaffer crew, equipment transport, and a student rental program, and operates Warsaw Virtual Studios, an XR/LED wall virtual production facility, alongside Studio Helio.

Product overview

Heliograf is one of Poland's largest independent film technology companies, operating since 1990 as a film rental house. The company offers a unified portfolio of camera rental, lighting rental, and production studio services, unified by professional equipment and experienced gaffers. Core offerings include camera packages (ARRI Alexa Mini LF), lighting equipment (ARRI SkyPanel X, Nanlux Evoke series, Creamsource SpaceX), Studio Helio (252m² film studio), and Warsaw Virtual Studios (XR/LED wall production). Equipment rental includes specialized anamorphic lenses (Atlas Mercury, Cooke S8/i FF, Kowa Prominar), and support services like transport and video assist. The company also maintains an active student rental program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Studio Helio: A 252 m² professional film studio facility with professional amenities including makeup room, VIP room, and wardrobe, offering three-phase power supply for film, commercial, and television productions.
• Warsaw Virtual Studios

Products and services

• Camera Rental Rental of professional cinema cameras including ARRI Alexa Mini LF and comprehensive camera packages with lenses and video assist equipment, sold to film, TV, and advertising productions.
• Lighting Rental Rental of film lighting equipment including ARRI SkyPanel X, s360, s120, s60, s30, Orbiter, Nanlux Evoke series, Creamsource SpaceX, and various LED fixtures — totaling nearly 200 ARRI LED lamps.
• Studio Helio 252 m² professional film studio with three-phase power (2x63A, 2x32A, 9x16A), makeup room, VIP room, wardrobe, lounge, guest room, and shower facilities — rented to film, commercial, and television productions.
• Warsaw Virtual Studios (XR Studio) Extended Reality (XR) virtual production studio with LED wall, synchronized programmable lighting, and Disguise mediaserver enabling virtual location shooting without physical set construction.
• Equipment Sales Sale of new and used film equipment including cameras, lenses, and lighting, with trade-in options offered to production companies.
• Gaffers Team (Lighting Crew Services) Provision of experienced gaffer (chief lighting technician) professionals described as the best Polish gaffers with many years of experience on major film, advertising, and TV productions.
• Transport Services Professional transportation of film equipment including specialized camera vans adapted for comfortable working conditions on set.
• Student Rental Program Discounted rental program for film students offering professional film equipment at preferential pricing to support emerging filmmakers, in partnership with Polish film schools.

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

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

• WIZJA xRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022HELIOGRAF & WIZJA xR co-founded Warsaw Virtual Studios — one of the first XR/LED wall virtual production studios in Poland. WIZJA xR handles LED wall technology and virtual environment production while Heliograf provides lighting, cameras, and crew. The partnership has been running workshop sessions since 2022.
• Nanlux / NanguangmajorTechnology or IntegrationHeliograf participates in Nanguang Global LED Distributor Conference and was among the first to acquire NANLUX Evoke 5000B units (15 units as of 2025). Long-standing equipment partnership with Nanlux/Nanguang for LED lighting products.
• ARRImajorTechnology or IntegrationHeliograf operates nearly 200 ARRI LED fixtures including 30 SkyPanel X units. As an ARRI equipment rental house, they represent ARRI's technology in the Polish market and participate in ARRI product showcases.
• Cooke OpticsmajorTechnology or IntegrationHeliograf holds the only complete Cooke S8/i FF lens set in Poland (18/25/32/40/50/75/100/135mm). Represents Cooke Optics premium lens brand in Polish rental market.
• Disguise (d3 Technologies)coreTechnology or IntegrationWarsaw Virtual Studios uses Disguise mediaserver to orchestrate XR/LED wall content, virtual camera matching, and synchronized lighting programming. Full redundant system for production safety.
• PWSFTviT (Polish National Film School in Łódź)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm school collaboration — students use Heliograf equipment and services for educational productions. Heliograf supports school projects as part of industry outreach.
• Munk Studio / Studio MunkaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm school collaboration — Munk Studio students produce film projects with Heliograf equipment. Heliograf is also a co-producer on some student films and sponsors awards at festivals.
• Wajda SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm school collaboration — Wajda School students and graduates use Heliograf equipment for educational and debut productions.
• WRiTv UŚ (University of Silesia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm school collaboration — film and television students at WRiTv UŚ benefit from Heliograf equipment access and industry mentorship.
• WSF (Warsaw Film School)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm school collaboration — Warsaw Film School students use Heliograf equipment for productions.
• EKRANY / PYD / PND (Papaya New Directors)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeliograf collaborates with film project initiatives EKRANY and Papaya New Directors (PYD/PND) to support emerging filmmakers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Panavision: World-leading cinema equipment rental company providing cameras, lenses and lighting packages for feature, episodic and commercial productions. Directly comparable in business model (camera/lighting rental plus crew support) though with global reach rather than Heliograf's Polish focus.
• Studio Babelsberg: Germany's largest film studio complex offering soundstages, production facilities and production services. Comparable as a European film production facility operator with soundstage rental and production support, though at significantly larger scale and broader service scope.
• ARRI Rental: Global film equipment rental arm of ARRI, offering camera and lighting packages to high-end feature and commercial productions. Comparable as a direct provider of the same ARRI cameras and lighting Heliograf stocks, but operating at global scale rather than Polish-market focus.

Direct peers

• Vantage Film: European film equipment rental company headquartered in Germany, supplying cameras, lighting and grip to feature and commercial productions across Europe. Comparable as a regional European rental house with overlapping product lines (premium cameras, anamorphic glass, LED lighting) and similar customer base.
• Keslow Camera: US-based camera and lighting rental house serving feature, episodic and commercial productions. Closely comparable business model to Heliograf — high-end digital cinema cameras, lighting packages and crew — but operating in the North American market.
• Otto Nemenz International: Long-established camera and lens rental house serving Hollywood features, episodic and commercial work. Directly comparable in product mix (premium cinema cameras, anamorphic/prime lens sets) though based in the US.

Regional players

• Cinesound: Polish film sound and equipment services provider serving domestic film and TV productions. Comparable in serving the same Polish production ecosystem with technical equipment and crew, though with stronger emphasis on audio.
• MBF Film (MBS Film): Polish film equipment and services company serving domestic productions with camera and lighting packages. Comparable as a domestic Polish competitor offering similar rental services to the same feature, TV and advertising customer base.

Others

• Cooke Optics: UK-based premium cinema lens manufacturer whose products (S8/i FF, S7/i FF) anchor Heliograf's lens rental offering. Comparable as a technology partner rather than direct competitor, but shapes the camera/lens rental category Heliograf operates in.
• WIZJA xR: Polish virtual production studio and Heliograf's JV partner in Warsaw Virtual Studios. Comparable as an XR/LED-wall production specialist; overlapping only in the virtual production capability rather than core rental.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/heliograf
• Instagraminstagram.com/heliograf_technika_filmowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heliograf-sp-z-o-o

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Heliograf Sp. z o.o.