What CREEK & RIVER does

CREEK & RIVER Co., Ltd. (株式会社クリーク・アンド・リバー社) is a Japan-based, publicly listed (Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, ticker 4763) creator services company founded in 1990. The company operates a horizontal platform serving the creative industry through three integrated business lines: a creator talent agency and staffing business (dispatch, placement, and direct recruitment), end-to-end production commissioning, and education/training services delivered via its CREATIVE VILLAGE digital platform. Its network spans 60,000+ registered creators and 1,000+ production partners, with named enterprise clients concentrated in Japan's game industry (Square Enix, Hit-Point, Pokelabo, Atlas).

The company's core digital product is CREATIVE VILLAGE, which combines a specialized job search engine (CREATIVE JOB), e-learning courses (UI/UX, JavaScript, React), live and archived webinars, editorial content (TOP Creator's Columns, C&R Magazine), and LINE-based job notifications into a unified member ecosystem. Beyond the platform, CREEK & RIVER operates an internal VFX studio (cri-vfx.jp) producing game effects for console, social, and arcade titles, and extends its service offering through wholly-owned C&R Group subsidiaries including overseas entities.

Revenue is generated through professional services across staffing/placement fees, production project commissions, and education/training programs, with pricing structured on a quote-based rather than published basis. The company maintains regional offices in Tokyo (headquarters), Osaka, Nagoya, and Sapporo, providing geographic coverage across Japan's major creative-industry clusters. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales with a multi-channel content marketing approach (SEO, email, LINE, Twitter/X, Facebook) targeted at both creator supply and enterprise demand.

Name

CREEK & RIVER

Legal name

株式会社クリーク･アンド･リバー社

Website

https://creativevillage.ne.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CREEK & RIVER is a Japan-based, TSE Prime-listed (ticker 4763) creative talent agency and staffing company founded in 1990, operating the CREATIVE VILLAGE platform that connects 60,000+ registered creators with 1,000+ production partners across video, web, game, and publishing industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Talent Staffing and Production Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Management & Talent Representation (BPAFAHAB), Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK)

Keywords

• Creative talent agency
• Staffing services
• Talent placement
• Production outsourcing
• VFX production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 人材派遣・紹介事業: クリエイター人材の派遣、紹介予定派遣(employee dispatch/recruitment placement services)。企業のクリエイティブ制作ニーズに対して、適材適所のクリエイターを派遣・紹介。派遣・紹介予定派遣・社員紹介など多様な雇用形態で対応。
2. 制作請負事業: プロジェクトまるごとの制作請負。企画・制作・運用に至るプロジェクトの構築から、制作過程で必要とされる各種業務に至るまでプロジェクトの雰囲aréマネジメントサービスを提供。
3. 教育・研修事業: CREATIVE VILLAGE上でeラーニングやセミナーイベント等服务を提供。UI・UX基礎講座、JavaScript講座、React入門講座など各種クリエイティブスキル研修。

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CREEK & RIVER operates a creative talent agency and staffing business, dispatching and placing creative professionals (designers, programmers, video creators, writers, marketers, directors) into enterprises via a 60,000+ creator network and 1,000+ production partner network. It provides full-cycle production commission services (企画/制作/運用) for video, web/mobile, advertising, and publishing projects, alongside individual-focused career support, e-learning, and the CREATIVE VILLAGE media platform. Engagement models include dispatch (派遣), tentative placement (紹介予定派遣), employee introduction (社員紹介), and standard recruitment placement (紹介).

Product overview

CREATIVE VILLAGE is a comprehensive media and job platform for creative professionals, operated by CREEK & RIVER (株式会社クリーク・アンド・リバー社). The platform combines a job search engine (CREATIVE JOB), e-learning courses, live and archived webinars, editorial content (TOP Creator's Columns, C&R Magazine), seminars, and creative industry news. Supporting services include a LINE-based job information channel, contest listings, and employment support. The ecosystem integrates content, community, and career services for creators in fields including video production, web development, game development, design, and marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CREATIVE VILLAGE: A comprehensive media platform for creative professionals offering job search, skill development content, seminars, and industry news

Products and services

• CREATIVE VILLAGE Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 内定率が高いという評価
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 株式会社スクウェア・エニックスcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerスクウェア・エニックスとpokeラボが共同開発した『SINoALICE ーシノアリスー』を提供。スクウェア・エニックス发行的ゲーム作品的制作にクリエイターを紹介している。ゲーム業界でのクリエイター紹介において深い合作关系。
• 株式会社 Pokelabo (ポケラボ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerスクウェア・エニックスとpokeラボが共同開発するスマートフォン向けゲームアプリ『SINoALICE』のエフェクト担当など、クリエイター紹介で提携。
• 1,000社を超えるプロダクションネットワークcoreOthers映像、Web・モバイル、广告・出版などあらゆるコンテンツニーズに対応可能な制作プロダクション企業ネットワーク。制作請負と人材支援の両面から連携。

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings: Japan's largest HR/staffing conglomerate operating job platforms (Indeed, Rikunabi), staffing, and HR technology. Overlaps with CREEK & RIVER in creative and professional placement but operates across all industries at vastly greater scale.
• Hakuhodo: Japan's second-largest advertising agency group with deep creative production capabilities. Comparable to CREEK & RIVER as a major buyer of creative talent and producer of branded content across digital and video.
• Dentsu: Largest Japanese advertising agency network globally with extensive creative production and digital operations. Competes with CREEK & RIVER for the same pool of creative talent and overlaps in outsourced production services.
• Pasona Group: Diversified Japanese HR services group offering staffing, placement, BPO, and career consulting. Comparable to CREEK & RIVER's dispatch and placement business, though with a broader cross-industry focus rather than creative specialization.
• ManpowerGroup Japan: Global staffing leader with a Japan subsidiary offering dispatch and placement across professional and creative roles. Overlaps with CREEK & RIVER's dispatch business and competes for the same enterprise creative-hiring budgets.

Direct peers

• Wantedly: Japanese job-matching platform widely used by startups and creative/digital agencies for engineer, designer, and director hiring. Direct comparable to CREEK & RIVER's CREATIVE JOB vertical in target audience and self-registration job-discovery model.
• BizReach: Premium Japanese job platform focused on experienced professional and managerial hires, with strong adoption among digital and creative firms. Comparable to CREEK & RIVER's placement services for senior creative and production talent.
• Robert Walters Japan: Specialist international recruitment firm operating in Japan across technology, media, and creative functions. Directly comparable to CREEK & RIVER in mid-to-senior creative and digital placement with similar fee-based model.
• Indeed Japan: Leading Japanese job-search aggregator and Apply-Connect product increasingly used by creative employers. Comparable to CREEK & RIVER's CREATIVE JOB search as a top-of-funnel job-discovery surface for Japanese job seekers.
• Hays Japan: Specialist international recruitment firm active in Japan across technology, digital, and creative roles. Directly comparable to CREEK & RIVER in specialist placement model and creative-vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/creek_crvillage
• Facebookfacebook.com/cr.creativevillage

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 CREEK & RIVER