Celebrating OTO Film at 31: the Story So Far

“Would you believe that the first Polish commercial did not appear on state television until 1983?” That was just a decade before Jacek Kulczycki would found OTO Film with two colleagues, in 1992, and go on to shoot a series of spots for Poland’s largest independent daily newspaper only a week later. Jacek says that OTO Film had no founding philosophy but it did have a few guiding principles like “work hard, create new, passionate things that no one before me had done, learn, keep learning.” 

Today, OTO Film celebrates 31 years in business and sees no signs of slowing down, with seven companies across the production landscape under its umbrella. “OTO Film became one of the two or three largest production houses in Poland. And it remains so to this day.”

Despite thousands of spots to the company’s name, “every new project is a new and fresh challenge for me,” Jacek says. While OTO has worked with hundreds of brands and agencies over the course of its storied history, it’s the long-standing relationships that Jacek is particularly proud of. Asahi, Carslsberg, Play, and T-Mobile have all worked with OTO for years. “With Jeronimo Martins, the Portuguese chain of Biedronka stores, my company has had business ties for more than 23 years! However, our longest standing client is Reckitt. We have been working with them for 30 years when its largest factory in Europe was established in Poland,” Jacek adds. 

“I can't imagine doing a job that is boring,” confesses Jacek. Perhaps this is behind OTO’s unstoppable appetite to not merely keep up with the times, but to stand firmly ahead. “Advertising reflects the times we live in. I believe that good advertising is a true work of art,” is Jacek’s approach. To achieve this state, constant learning and perfecting must be in motion so that every day is better than what’s come before.

“The important thing is that once the order is received (won), the work should be executed to the best of everyone’s ability. The production house must be an excellent craftsperson, knowing and adept at using the tools to produce the film. You can't create works of art if you don't have a mastery of technique. And this technique must be constantly learned. This means closely following the development of technology, being up to date with new types of cameras, cranes, lenses, drones. Knowing what tool to use to achieve the effect expected by the client. To know directors, cinematographers, production designers, but also specialists in tabletop or animatronics,” he explains. 

Jacek’s focus is never just on the advertising industry. Success comes from knowing what ‘excellent’ and ‘interesting’ looks and sounds like in other industries and markets too. Basically, embrace the new and learn from it. “Keep a close eye on trends in world cinematography, follow what is happening in painting, sculpture but also in experimental visual arts. Accept, like and respect social media. Look at influencers. Listen to podcasts. Go to classical, jazz music concerts,” he advises.

Another area where the OTO Film Group is leading is in virtual production. Why? “Virtual production is the future. This became clear to me when I saw the Mandalorian series.  Or more precisely, the making of. Scenery that changes in a second, season, time of day, rate of movement and size of clouds that can be controlled? The lack of huge, expensive decorations that get knocked down and thrown away after one day of shooting? Instead, you have backgrounds that you store on disks and that you can change and reuse at will,” he says. 

In this technology Jacek absolutely sees the future, noting that any current detractors “don't know what they are talking about and clearly don't understand the potential of big led screens.” He’s so sure about this technology that he, alongside his daughter - Melania, launched VuFinder Studios, a virtual production facility in the heart of Warsaw. 

Under Melania’s leadership, VuFinder has already worked on over 40 spots despite being operational for half of this year for McCann New York, MRM New York, Havas London, Havas Warsaw, BETC Paris, Carlsberg, and Rattling Stuff. Jacek predicts that 2024 will be a “breakthrough” year. VuFinder’s future-facing facility is equipped with the latest technology and a versatile, immersive performance stage that blends the physical and virtual world. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, 3D environments can be interactively displayed on over 800m2 of fully modular LED volumes in real-time, complemented by state-of-the-art camera tracking technology, advanced graphics servers, and 600m2 or 1200m2 studio options.

“When Melania and I decided to establish Vu Finder Studios, we decided that we would not save money on the two cornerstones of this technological company: equipment and people. Therefore, we decided to purchase top-of-the-line LED screens from ROE Visual called Black Pearl. Mandalorian, Solo - A Star Wars Story or The Irishman were produced on exactly such screens. It was a costly investment, but extremely important because thanks to these super-resolution screens we jumped light years ahead of our competition,” Jacek explains. 

“These two companies operate in perfect symbiosis, with OTO Film excelling as a production house and VuFinder Studios serving as a top-tier virtual production services provider,” says Melania Kulczycka, client director. We not only share common values and goals but also function as an incredibly cohesive, efficient team. Our synergy is rooted in a deep understanding of each other's operational processes and leveraging each other's strengths. This mutual understanding and trust form the bedrock of our successful cooperation. The level of reliance and partnership we've cultivated is undoubtedly the key to the flourishing collaboration between these two companies.”

VuFinder is oriented towards finding the most cutting-edge solutions for its clients while the industry gets to grips with this still fairly new and incredibly expansive tool. Melania says that more and more projects are coming in that are virtual production-specific and that couldn’t be realised in any other way, adding that “truly remarkable to witness the commercial and film industry fully embracing the potential of virtual production.”

For Melania, being part of the family’s storied business - and now helping to write its next chapter - is a “uniquely rewarding experience.” She adds: “What I cherish the most is the unwavering trust we have in each other. Working within a family business also comes with significant responsibility that I deeply appreciate. It's an opportunity that I don't take for granted and it's a privilege to contribute to the success of our family's business.”

Alongside VuFinder, the OTO Film group consists of six other companies: OTO Film (line-production); Orka (VFX/post-production); Café Ole (music and sound); Jugglers (talent agency); D!fference (ethnically diverse casting agency); and Under Ski Tower (original content). ‘Everything Under One Roof’ is the slogan that marks the philosophy of the OTO Film group with each company offering the best-in-class in each of their disciplines. 

ORKA and Cafe Ole were founded first with Jacek slowly launching others when he felt the time was right. He notes that the more recent additions are already achieving a lot of success. Jugglers currently represents over 30 global filmmakers who work in Europe and the Middle East as well as Poland. D!fference is quite new to the Polish market and it’s spearheading diversity and inclusion initiatives by bringing talented and diverse actors on board, while Under Ski Tower is involved in creating film content for the likes of Netflix, Disney, and HBO Max. “It has produced its first feature film ‘Game Over’, the first documentary about Warsaw's necropolis ‘We Already Were’, and a dozen music videos for various artists,” he proudly adds. 

Monika Wagner, head of production and EP, at OTO Film works to broaden OTO Film’s reach in Poland and internationally in front of production companies, agencies, and brands. For Monika, OTO’s strength absolutely lies in working together. “Our group consists of multiple companies, each with a specific offer and character – yet complimentary on many levels. It’s fun to tap into each other's experiences and see how we can best respond to any given request or challenge,” she adds. 

Jacek has long believed in the ability to offer the full spectrum of services to customers. For him, it’s a highly logical position. “It is much better, faster, more efficient to work with sister companies, with whom, by the way, you have contact daily. This three-component model of production+post+sound has worked very well for many years and has been a kind of hallmark that distinguishes OTO Film from the competition.”

“A commercial production company that’s been around for three decades - especially based in a former ‘emerging market’ - is doing something right, to say the least,” adds Andre Troubetzkoi, international producer, as he’s helping to promote the “tremendous” roll that OTO is on on the global stage. What does he think is the main ingredient in OTO’s continued success over the past three decades? It’s a combination of factors, in Andre’s mind. “The fact that the OTO Film Group is 100% Polish and based solely in Warsaw allows us to guarantee quality and certainty, which clients appreciate.”

With 31 years of business already under his belt, Jacek’s future plans are not getting any smaller or less ambitious. The next step will be uniting all seven companies under the OTO Film Group umbrella. “By the end of the year I want to formally create a holding company, which will cement the connections of all the companies into one creation. This is important because the resulting organisation will be the largest and most diverse holding company in Poland and in this part of Europe. This will open completely new prospects for the group.” We press to find out more, to see what this might look like in terms of projects and clients but Jacek is politely withholding. “I can’t talk about all our plans but I will reveal more when the time is right next year.”

Reflecting on the three decades in business, Jacek says: “When I look back on OTO Film, my philosophy from when I founded the company to now has not changed.” Really, there’s hardly a need to change a philosophy that has change built in by default. Jacek adds parting thoughts on the one element above all that’s been with him from the start: “full commitment - that's what I demand from myself, that's what I demand from others.”