JOE

What JOE does

JOE* Films is a Cape Town-based creative production studio founded in 2015 by Cannes Lions-winning director Dan Mace, operating under a 'Story First' philosophy that blends cinematic craft with internet-native content creation. The studio employs approximately 140 people, including a core team of 20+ multidisciplinary creatives spanning film, AI, and emerging creative technology, and serves a dual client base of global enterprise brands and major digital creators. Its work spans television commercials, brand films, YouTube original content, music videos, and humanitarian documentaries, with a portfolio that includes projects for Beast Philanthropy (MrBeast), Warner Bros. Discovery, Checkers Sixty60, Vodacom, Tusker, Hunter's, IPL, Insta360, and Eminem.

The studio operates as a professional services / project-based creative house, generating revenue through custom production engagements sourced via portfolio visibility, social media presence, and direct inbound inquiries. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with the long-term Beast Philanthropy partnership (which helped grow that channel to 35M+ subscribers) representing a flagship anchor engagement. Distribution of finished content occurs through client platforms — broadcast TV for commercials, YouTube for creator content — positioning JOE* Films as a 'Cape Town → Everywhere' studio with global reach despite a single geographic headquarters.

The business is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding. The studio has received multiple Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awards and maintains an affiliated venture, ALL OF US Studios, also founded by Dan Mace. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and all commercial engagement is negotiated per project through a 'Start a project' contact workflow.

Name

JOE

Legal name

JOE* Films

Website

https://joefilms.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

JOE* Films is a Cape Town-based creative production studio founded by Dan Mace in 2015, producing commercials, brand films, and YouTube content for global brands and major digital creators like MrBeast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Creative production studio
• Commercial film production
• Brand storytelling content
• YouTube content production
• Digital video production

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Production Services: JOE* Films generates revenue through creative production services for global brands, creating commercials, brand films, and digital content. The studio also produces original content including Beast Philanthropy films and YouTube content for creators.
2. Brand Content Production: Production of TV commercials, brand films, and cultural content for brands like Checkers Sixty60, Tusker, Vodacom, Hunter's, and IPL
3. Creator/YouTube Content Production: Collaboration with creators like MrBeast (Beast Philanthropy) and Casey Neistat to produce YouTube content, including philanthropic documentaries and viral content

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JOE* Films is a Cape Town-based creative production studio that produces film, television commercials, brand content, and YouTube videos for global brands and major digital creators. The studio operates with a team of 20+ multidisciplinary creatives, blending cinematic storytelling craft with internet-native content formats. It delivers end-to-end creative production services from concept through completion for clients such as Beast Philanthropy, Warner Bros. Discovery, Checkers Sixty60, Vodacom, Tusker, and IPL.

Product overview

JOE* Films is a single, unified creative production studio that offers film production, television commercials, YouTube original content, and brand storytelling services. The studio, led by founder Dan Mace, operates as an integrated creative house rather than a modular platform, producing work across multiple channels including Beast Philanthropy content, TVCs for clients like Checkers Sixty60 and Vodacom, and original YouTube documentaries and short films.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JOE* Films Creative Production Studio
• Television Commercial Production (TVCs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 35M+ subscribers on Beast Philanthropy channel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Casey NeistatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with prominent YouTube creator Casey Neistat on creative projects. JOE* Films has worked with Neistat on content creation.
• MrBeast / Beast PhilanthropycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term production partnership creating Beast Philanthropy content. JOE* Films helped build Beast Philanthropy to 35M+ subscribers, producing humanitarian-focused documentary content including 'We Built A Town', 'We Saved 100 Children's Hearts', and numerous other philanthropic films.
• Warner Bros. DiscoverycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted production partner for Warner Bros. Discovery content creation and distribution.
• ALL OF US StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated studio venture founded by Dan Mace alongside JOE* Films. JOE* Films and ALL OF US Studios operate as affiliated creative ventures.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Radical Media: Established US-based production company producing commercials, branded content, documentaries, and feature projects for global brands. Larger incumbent with overlapping capability set to JOE* Films.
• Anonymous Content: Major US-based creative production company producing commercials, feature films, TV, and digital content for global brands and entertainment clients. Larger incumbent with overlapping capabilities to JOE* Films' commercial and content work.

Direct peers

• Egg Films: South Africa-based commercial and content production studio producing TVCs, branded content, and music videos for global brands. Closely comparable in geography, service offering, and target client base to JOE* Films.
• Prettybird: US/UK creative production company producing commercials, branded content, music videos, and digital campaigns. Comparable in director-led, story-first hybrid cinematic/digital model to JOE* Films.
• Somesuch: Global production company producing commercials, music videos, and content. Comparable in high-end, director-driven, story-led creative production model to JOE* Films.
• Velocity Films: Cape Town-based production studio producing commercials, branded content, and digital content for South African and international brands. Same geography and overlapping client base as JOE* Films.
• Bioscope Films: South African production company focused on commercials and brand storytelling. Comparable boutique production studio competing in the same Cape Town / global brand market as JOE* Films.
• Darling Films: South African film production company producing commercials, branded content, and feature work. Directly comparable in market (SA production) and in service offering to JOE* Films.
• Pulse Films: UK-based creative production studio producing commercials, music videos, documentaries, and branded content for global brands and artists. Comparable in cinematic + digital-native hybrid model and global brand roster to JOE* Films.
• Romance Films: South African production company with strong international reputation, producing commercials and branded content. Comparable in scale, geography, and service offering to JOE* Films.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/joefilmms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joefilms

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 JOE