k22 film

What k22 film does

K22 Film (legal entity: k22film GmbH) is a German documentary film production company founded in 2011 by Ralf Blasius and Wolfram Giese and headquartered at Poststraße 37, Mainz. The company produces documentary films and series for German and European public broadcasters, with a thematic concentration in science, geology, nature, environmental and climate topics, technology, and cultural heritage. Core productions include multi-part series such as Expedition Anden, Expedition Deutschland, Oasen – Inseln des Lebens, Der Metall-Planet, Deutschlands Schätze, and Das Geheimnis von Santorini, often featuring expert on-screen hosts (notably geologist Colin Devey). Output quality depends on standard documentary production capabilities — high-quality cinematography, sound design, editing, and post-production — alongside international co-production experience with European broadcasters.

The company operates a pure B2B professional-services model. K22 Film secures commissions from broadcasting commissioning editors at ZDF, ARTE, 3sat, ZDFinfo, and SWR, and delivers finished documentary content for production fees negotiated per project. There is no public pricing, no self-distribution platform, and no direct-to-consumer product; distribution occurs entirely through the commissioning broadcasters, with ARTE co-productions enabling pan-European reach. Go-to-market relies on established industry relationships and the founders' 14-year track record rather than broad marketing — the company maintains a bilingual website and modest Facebook/Instagram presence.

K22 Film is privately held by its two founders, with no disclosed external investment, no subsidiaries, no parent company, and an estimated headcount of 2-15 (a small creative team). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The operating model implies project-based revenue with limited diversification across buyers — a structural concentration on a small set of German and European public broadcasters — and the business is therefore best characterized as a stable, founder-led independent documentary production house rather than a scaled media business.

Name

k22 film

Legal name

k22film GmbH

Website

https://k22film.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

K22 Film is a Mainz-based German documentary production company founded in 2011, producing science, nature, and cultural documentaries commissioned primarily by German and European public broadcasters including ZDF and ARTE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Adventure Documentaries (MPADADAM), Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Science documentaries
• Nature documentaries
• Broadcast commissioning
• Factual television

Headquarters

HQ city

Mainz-kastel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Documentary Production: K22 Film operates as a production company that creates documentary films commissioned by German and European public broadcasters. Revenue is generated through production fees paid by commissioning broadcasters for original documentary content. The company produces content for ZDF, ARTE, 3sat, ZDFinfo, and SWR.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

K22 Film is a German documentary film production company that produces commissioned documentary films and multi-episode series on science, nature, and historical subjects for German and European public broadcasters. The company develops, produces, and delivers finished broadcast-ready content to channels including ZDF, ARTE, 3sat, ZDFinfo, and SWR, operating as a project-based production service for public-service broadcasters.

Product overview

k22 film is a documentary film production company based in Mainz, Germany, founded in 2011 by Ralf Blasius and Wolfram Giese. The company produces documentary films and series for the German and international market, working primarily with broadcasters such as ZDF, ARTE, and 3sat. Their portfolio spans science documentaries, nature and wildlife films, historical documentaries, technology and innovation series, and cultural documentaries. Key productions include the Expedition series (Expedition Anden, Expedition Deutschland), geological documentaries (Das Geheimnis von Santorini, Der Metall-Planet), environmental and climate documentaries (Oasen, Extremwetter und Klimawandel), and biographical/cultural films (Hans Hass, Die Ungläubigen vom Hindukusch).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Documentary film and series production End-to-end commissioned production of documentary films and series covering science, nature, and historical subjects, delivered broadcast-ready to public broadcasters in Germany and Europe.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Terra Mater Studios: Austrian-owned premium factual/nature/science documentary producer (Wildlife, Nature, Science units) that commissions and co-produces content for European pubcasters including ARTE and ZDF. Directly comparable in genre mix (science, nature, exploration) and broadcaster customer base to K22 Film.
• Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion: German independent documentary production house based in Hamburg/Cologne producing factual, science, and current-affairs content for ARD, ZDF, ARTE, and international broadcasters. Comparable to K22 in scale, broadcaster dependency, and thematic focus on science and societal issues.
• Autentic GmbH: German factual/documentary production and distribution company producing science, nature, history, and lifestyle content for ZDF, ARTE, and other European pubcasters. Comparable in broadcaster customer overlap, factual-genre focus, and presence in co-productions with ARTE.
• Taglicht Media: Cologne-based factual and documentary production company producing history, science, and current-affairs content for WDR, ARD, ZDF, and ARTE. Directly comparable as a German independent documentary house serving the same public-broadcaster commissioning ecosystem.
• Doclights (NDR/RB): In-house documentary production arm of NDR and Radio Bremen producing factual content for ARD network. Comparable in science and nature documentary output for German public broadcasters, but with the structural advantage of an integrated broadcaster parent.

Broad incumbents

• UFA (Bertelsmann): Germany's largest TV production group, producing documentaries, drama, and entertainment for RTL, ARD, ZDF, and streaming platforms. Overlaps with K22 in the documentary/factual segment but at vastly greater scale and with portfolio breadth that K22 cannot match.
• Studio Hamburg Production Group: One of Germany's largest independent production groups, producing documentaries, drama, and entertainment across multiple broadcasters and streaming platforms. Comparable in the documentary segment, but operates at substantially larger scale with broader portfolio diversification.
• Spiegel TV: Major German documentary and factual producer affiliated with Spiegel, producing science, history, and current-affairs content for ARD and other broadcasters. Comparable in factual-genre output and broadcaster relationships, but operates at significantly larger scale than K22.
• ZDF Enterprises: ZDF's commercial distribution and co-production arm, licensing ZDF content internationally and co-financing factual/documentary productions. Comparable as the distribution and internationalization channel that K22 accesses via ZDF commissions, though structurally a customer and partner rather than peer competitor.

Emerging players

• Broadview TV: Leipzig-based independent documentary production company focused on current-affairs, science, and societal topics for German pubcasters (ZDF, ARD, 3sat). Comparable to K22 in scale and genre focus, representing a similarly-positioned independent competitor in the same commissioning pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/k22film
• Instagraminstagram.com/k22film
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/k22-film

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 k22 film