1Department Entertainment Services

What 1Department Entertainment Services does

1Department Entertainment Services is a privately held, vertically integrated film, television, design, and practical entertainment studio headquartered at 2935 Conroy Road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company operates a working film studio with in-house practical set design and construction capabilities, producing real movie-quality sets used both for content production and for the company's own ticketed immersive attractions. Its content portfolio spans 30+ produced titles organized across three genre verticals — Thriller, Drama/Comedy, and Holiday — with annual Holiday-season output between 2019 and 2022 suggesting a steady release cadence aimed at streaming platforms and occasional theatrical release.

The company runs two wholly-owned sub-brands: Behind The Scenes Studios (1D Studios), the film production entity operating at 1dstudios.com, and Behind The Screams (1DBTS), the consumer-facing immersive experience brand operating at 1dbts.com. The flagship consumer product, Haunted Carnival, is an indoor haunted house attraction built from the studio's own movie-quality sets and sold directly to consumers via online ticketing. Distribution is split: B2B content is licensed to streaming and theatrical platforms for global reach, while the immersive experience is sold B2C through the company's own e-commerce storefront on a domestic Canadian basis.

The business operates with a hybrid go-to-market: direct enterprise engagement with streaming platforms and television networks for content production licensing, plus direct-to-consumer ticketing for experiential products. A referral channel partnership with Smyth Casting handles background performer casting. Pricing for production services is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and ticket pricing for Haunted Carnival is likewise not disclosed on the website. No external institutional investors, parent company, acquisitions, or funding rounds are reported in the available source material, consistent with a founder-financed, privately held operation of sub-scale size.

Name

1Department Entertainment Services

Legal name

1Department Entertainment Services

Website

https://1department.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

1Department Entertainment Services is a privately held Ottawa-based film, television, and practical entertainment studio that produces 30+ titles across Thriller, Drama/Comedy, and Holiday genres for streaming and theatrical platforms, while also operating the Haunted Carnival ticketed immersive experience built from its own movie-quality sets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Film & Television Production: 1Department produces films and television content across genres including Thriller, Drama/Comedy, and Holiday. Content is produced and delivered across multiple platforms and distributed via streaming services and theatrical release.
2. Immersive Entertainment Experiences: The studio operates ticketed immersive experiences such as the Haunted Carnival indoor haunted house attraction, where visitors purchase tickets to enter movie-quality set environments built within the working film studio.
3. Design & Practical Entertainment Services: Provides practical design and set construction services, managing projects from blueprint to physical delivery, serving clients from inception through final production.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

1Department is a full-service film, television, design, and practical entertainment studio that produces original content across Thriller, Drama/Comedy, and Holiday genres. It owns and operates a working film studio with in-house practical set design and construction capabilities, producing 30+ titles distributed through streaming platforms and theatrical release. The studio also monetizes its movie-quality sets by operating ticketed immersive consumer experiences such as the Haunted Carnival indoor haunted attraction.

Product overview

1Department Entertainment Services is a film, television, design, and practical entertainment studio that delivers content across multiple platforms. The company operates as a single integrated studio with in-house resources that allow engagement and management of projects from inception to delivery. Their portfolio includes three film production categories (Thriller, Drama/Comedy, and Holiday genres) as well as two immersive experience offerings (Haunted Carnival and Behind The Screams haunted attractions), all produced through their Behind The Scenes film studio facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Behind The Screams: Indoor haunted house and immersive experience featuring movie-quality sets inside a working film studio.
• Behind The Scenes

Products and services

• Haunted Carnival (Behind The Screams)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Smyth CastingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSmyth Casting serves as the designated casting partner for 1Department, handling background performer opportunities for film and television productions. Smyth Casting is referenced on 1Department as the point of contact for background performer casting, indicating a referral-type channel partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hallmark Media: Major producer of holiday and seasonal made-for-TV content. Direct peer for 1Department's annual Christmas/holiday film slate, serving the same genre and distribution windows.
• A24: Independent film and television studio producing across multiple genres including drama, thriller, and prestige content. Comparable as a multi-genre independent producer operating outside the major studio system.
• Blumhouse Productions: Independent film and television production company specializing in low-budget horror, thriller, and suspense content. Directly comparable to 1Department's thriller portfolio and high-volume, capital-efficient production model.
• Lifetime (A+E Networks): Cable/streaming brand known for made-for-TV thrillers and dramas. Comparable to 1Department's thriller and drama portfolio in target audience, budget profile, and distribution model.
• Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group: Operator of large-scale haunted house and immersive Halloween attractions across multiple U.S. markets. Direct peer to 1Department's Haunted Carnival / Behind The Screams immersive experience business.

Broad incumbents

• Lionsgate: Independent-leaning major studio with diversified film/TV production and library operations. Comparable as a broader incumbent in independent film production, though at vastly greater scale.
• Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Destinations & Experiences): Industry-leading large-scale immersive horror entertainment experience operated at Universal theme parks. Comparable to 1Department's Haunted Carnival concept, but at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.

Regional players

• Shaftesbury Films: Canadian-based film and television production company with a multi-genre slate. Comparable as a regional peer for 1Department's Canadian production operations and genre breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qodeinteractive
• Facebookfacebook.com/1dept.entertainment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1dstudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 1Department Entertainment Services