HALAL joins forces with Hamburg's Simon & Paul - making a new production superpower

New strategic alliance between two independent powerhouses combines HALAL’s inimitable fashion-forward aesthetic with Simon & Paul’s craft, comedy and storytelling 

Hamburg/Amsterdam - 11 March 2024 - Two of Europe’s most creatively innovative independent production companies, HALAL and Simon & Paul, have joined forces to create a new production superpower.  The goal: to push the boundaries of craft and creative production in Germany.  

The strategic partnership will see Simon & Paul exclusively representing HALAL’s roster of creatively diverse directors and photographers, bringing a new generation of cutting-edge storytellers to the German market. Including the directors Ryan Staake, Andzej Gavriss, Emma Westenberg, Anna Maria van ‘t Hek - and photographers Nick van Tiem, Lois Cohen & Fofo Altinell. Additionally to this, HALAL will run its German business solely through Simon & Paul.

As a relatively young production company, Simon & Paul has swiftly built a strong reputation for its craft-driven, high-quality and innovative offering that integrates a DIY mentality with a solid client base, showcased in its work with German and international agencies on award-winning campaigns for brands like The Coca Cola Company, Google, BMW and Vodafone . The company has a diverse roster including Daniel Lundh, Elisha Smith-Leverock & Ivan Jurado with a focus on comedy and storytelling, creating work with a modern aesthetic that taps into the zeitgeist, while at the same time feeling classic and timeless.

Meanwhile, HALAL, led by EP extraordinaire Gijs Determeijer & Head of Production Job Sanders, has been making waves since it was founded in 2010, solidifying its position as a global industry leader in culture, fashion and lifestyle film and photography thanks to boundary-pushing work such as for Nike, Zalando, Gentle Monster and G-Star.

“This new creative partnership is much more than sharing a roster of talent - it’s a case of one plus one equals three because together we form a production superpower. HALAL and Simon & Paul are ultimately complimentary. We both have distinct styles and ways of articulating our creative vision, yet we have the same creative blood and share the ethos of pushing creativity to its limits - caring intensely about details and the quality of each project. Our mission has always been to make each piece of work a masterpiece - and with this new collaboration with HALAL we can take our mission to the next level.” says Simon Fessler at Simon & Paul 

“Simon & Paul are the ones to watch. They have in-depth knowledge of the German market, are highly experienced and reliable ‘safe hands’ - but at the same time, they have a fresh, innovative and totally modern approach to creative production. Also, they never stop until they make the best creative, just like we do at HALAL. So Germany watch out! Our new creative partnership is about to shake things up.” says Gijs Determeijer at HALAL.

The new collaboration will see Simon & Paul elevating its current director roster by exclusively representing some of HALAL’s finest directors in the German market. The Hamburg-based production company will also extend and diversify its production offering with HALAL’s roster of award-winning photographers, so that creative agencies and brands can come to Simon & Paul as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for highly crafted visual content.