100% and Simon & Paul on Forging a New Production Partnership
In a collaborative partnership between Amsterdam and Hamburg, the production company teams at 100% and Simon & Paul have come together “to push the boundaries of craft and creative production in Germany,” according to the teams.
As a result of this, Simon & Paul will now exclusively represent 100%’s roster of creatively diverse directors and photographers within the German market. With a common vision of how the companies should be run, both production companies are ready to take on this next chapter together, harnessing the power of storytelling and building on individual successes together.
To hear more about the partnership and what they plan to achieve, LBB’s Nisna Mahtani spoke with the Simon & Paul team, as well as 100% partner and executive producer, Gijs Determeijer.
LBB> What made you both want to partner up together? What do you hope will come from this collaboration?
S&P> Most importantly, we both share a common vision. Not only in terms of filmmaking and creative work but also in terms of how we think a company should be run. We already have a strong roster when it comes to storytelling, comedy and lifestyle, so we were looking to extend and diversify that - and with 100%’s incredible talented directors, who are visionary in other fields like fashion and culture, it felt like a perfect match.
Gijs> We opened a Berlin office in 2018 because we saw a lot of potential in the German market and until covid kicked in, we had a good ride. We worked with great agencies on campaigns and met lots of people. Unfortunately, travel restrictions made it quite hard to go back and forth, and the entire industry turned more inward. We also needed to focus more on our Amsterdam office, so in 2022 we closed our Berlin office. Even though we still work for German agencies out of Amsterdam, we also feel in many cases having a presence ‘on the ground’ is super important. Entering pitches in the German market as an outsider is hard - there aren’t many examples of foreign companies making it here on their own - so we have been looking for the right partner for years.
In 2023, we received some really cool scripts from Simon & Paul and after meeting the guys in Berlin and Amsterdam, we got a good feeling about it. They are a fast-growing company with great board flow and a similar mindset to ours. The first pitches and shoots we’ve done together have been a great experience.
LBB> What is this shared mindset or ethos? How are the two companies working together to create this partnership?
S&P> We share the same understanding of craft and creativity and are both companies that try to push the boundaries of every project to achieve the best result. Where are we complimentary? Well, we will figure that out!
Gijs> The jobs we’ve done so far together were jobs neither of us would have received otherwise, so as it turns out, we are already truly complimentary. We are similar in being completely independent and being founded by a group of friends making small shoots together, which grew steadily and organically into the companies we currently are.
LBB> What's been the secret to Simon & Paul's success, what makes you different and unique, why do clients come back?
S&P> We always have the highest expectations of ourselves, which doesn’t make our lives easy - but definitely keeps the clients coming back! Plus, we’re known for always being 100% reliable and finding solutions, crucially, without sacrificing creativity.
LBB> What is the creative scene like in Hamburg, both in comparison to Germany and more internationally in the creative landscape?
S&P> Hamburg has traditionally been the centre of advertising in Germany, but over the past decade, it’s had a hard time attracting creatives in our field. By contrast, more and more agencies and production houses have opened in Berlin…and so many creatives moved there instead. We’ve already launched some events like Passion Film Screenings and networking nights to help reanimate the scene in Hamburg and give creatives a better platform to connect. So this collaboration is just another logical step to show people how great the city is.
LBB> What are some of the hot topics in German production and the creative industries at the moment? Are there any trends which you’re keen to delve deeper into?
S&P> Germany has taken a huge leap in modernising the pitch process with the new Pitch Cost Share model [a collaboration between the Directors' Association DRCT and the Producers' Alliance Advertising Section]. Getting paid for a pitch is an absolute game-changer for this industry.
Alongside that, there’s a general feeling that there are many changes brewing in the creative departments of our agencies - thanks to creatives with great visions and aspirations to put Germany back on the creative map through great films with great stories.
LBB> What are the risks of embarking on an adventure like this, and how is the market changing?
S&P> The production industry always has its ups and downs, depending on the general market situation. Over the last few years, the market has gotten saturated, and unfortunately, some great colleagues had to close their businesses. But after three years of crisis, 2024 has started off really well - and it feels like an exciting time in every way.
Gijs> 100% wouldn’t be able to survive on work from the relatively small Dutch market, so we’ve needed to look beyond our borders for jobs. Luckily we came across some exciting global campaigns from all over the world last year, for Peloton, Sprite, Casetify, Pukka and World of Tanks to name a few highlights. The market is moving more towards campaigns consisting of smaller films, with lots of deliverables, but as long as we can do this for big brands for global or European markets, we’ll be fine.
LBB> For S&P and 100%, what is the stance on AI and how it’s set to impact production companies? How are you considering this and proactively problem solving?
S&P> We like to think of AI as our ‘little helper’, rather than the big, bad enemy. Of course, great ideas still need human collaboration and can’t come solely from AI, but we already use it for many daily production tasks and it’s certain to be part of our films soon. We just have to make sure we are riding this train and not being left behind. I would be lying if I said that the launch of Open AI’s Sora did not concern me a bit - but let’s see it as an opportunity to make our films even better.
Gijs> It is not a question of ‘if’ AI is coming, but how we will be using it. We’re exploring how AI can augment our work with the talents we already represent, and simultaneously we are looking for the most original digital creators, who love to collaborate.
LBB> Where are the big opportunities for creative production now and in the years to come? Is the key creativity, diversification or something else entirely?
S&P> Text-to-video and text-to-image creations are some of the most buzzed-about new technologies at the moment - and there are endless ways that filmmaking can benefit from them. Other than that, the trend for remote work shows no signs of going away; it’s an efficient and sustainable option for the future.
LBB> How's 2024 panning out so far?
Gijs> This partnership announcement is one of many highlights to come! So far, we’ve been super busy on the commercial side of things, but we are also producing a couple of films this year, including a documentary we are shooting in occupied territory in Israel, which has been quite stressful. But we also just had an incredible validation of our craft here in Amsterdam, as 100% managed to take home 12 (twelve!) awards at the Dutch Creativity Awards show last week - including the Grand Prix for our work with Patta, Nike and FC Barcelona.
S&P> We’ve also been busy so far, and the board flow is amazing. We’re also excited to see how we can leverage our partnership with 100% to the max.
