What PAKT learned from PEEK Creative Studios

Today, PEEK is no longer only a photography-led production studio

When PAKT acquired PEEK Creative Studios in 2019, the ambition was never just to add another production company to the group. PEEK brought a strong production heritage, an established organization, deep product-content expertise and a craft-driven studio setup built around quality and consistency.

For PAKT, the acquisition represented a bigger opportunity: having a traditional production business evolve into a future-facing content partner, and by doing so, future-proofing those capabilities for the entire PAKT ecosystem.

One of the reasons PEEK stood out was that it was not only founder-led. There were people in the organization ready to take the company forward. That mattered. In any acquisition, continuity is critical. If all knowledge, relationships and decision-making sit with one person, the company becomes vulnerable the moment that person steps away. PEEK had heritage, but it also had the potential for renewal.

For years, production companies were valued for delivering high-quality assets through photography, film, post-production, animation and CGI. That craft still matters, but the market has moved on. Brands now need scalable content systems, consistent workflows and smarter ways to use technology, automation and AI.

This is where PAKT saw the long-term opportunity

The goal was not to erase what PEEK was good at. It was to help the company move from a hands-on production studio to a full funnel creative content partner. That meant looking beyond local clients, beyond small recurring projects and beyond execution alone. It meant helping PEEK solve bigger problems for clients.

Maurice Wenneker, founder, PAKT: “The value was never in replacing PEEK’s craft. The value was in helping that craft move into a bigger market, with bigger questions and bigger opportunities, to further strengthen PAKT on a global scale.”

A key part of the strategy was to shift from many small projects to fewer, larger and more strategic ones. That sounds simple, but it changes almost everything. Bigger projects require a different level of service, planning and production leadership. Clients expect clearer preparation, stronger project management, better pre-production and a more consultative approach.

That transition took time

Moving from production supplier to creative content partner means rethinking skills, processes, client conversations and commercial models. It means respecting what made the company strong, while accepting that the old model cannot be the only model for the future.

This is where being part of PAKT matters

A standalone company often has to prioritize immediate output. Daily delivery can create tunnel vision. It becomes harder to step back, rethink the offer and invest in change. Inside a bigger group, transformation becomes more possible because there is a wider platform around it: shared knowledge, strategic patience, complementary companies and a clearer view of where the market is heading.

For PAKT, the role was to create that platform. To provide patience when results were not immediate. To protect the time needed for change. To encourage a more future-facing strategy while still respecting the craft, culture and client relationships that made PEEK valuable in the first place.

Leadership also played an important role. With Patrick van Drongelen, MD of PEEK, returning to PEEK after time outside the company, the organization gained someone with both deep knowledge of its heritage but also a fresh perspective on what it could become. That combination proved important: respect for the past, but no fear of change.

Today, PEEK is no longer only a photography-led production studio. It has grown into a more full-service creative content agency, with stronger creative and strategic capabilities. For smaller companies, that can mean full-funnel content thinking. For larger companies, it can mean high-quality lower-funnel content at scale. In both cases, the role is broader than execution. PEEK is increasingly part of the conversation earlier, helping shape what content needs to do, not producing what has already been decided elsewhere.

Technology is also central to that shift. PEEK’s management has embraced innovation rather than seeing it as a threat. That mindset matters. In a market shaped by automation, AI and new production models, companies need to be curious enough to adapt and confident enough to use technology without losing their craft.

Transformation does not mean replacing the old with the new. PEEK’s production heritage still matters, but it now connects to bigger strategic questions: how brands scale content, protect quality, adapt assets across channels and use technology without losing creative control.

That is why PEEK has become an important example within PAKT. Some acquisitions are about adding volume or market presence. But the most valuable acquisitions create a path toward a different kind of company. In PEEK’s case, the value has been in giving it the time, context and support to move toward what clients will need next.

Maurice Wenneker: “A group only creates real value if it is interested in evolution. If you only buy the snapshot, you limit what the company can become.”

For PAKT, the learning is clear. When you acquire a company with strong roots, the goal is not to replace those roots. The goal is to help them grow in a new direction.

As PAKT continues to look for acquisitions and new business ventures, PEEK shows why long-term thinking matters. The future will belong to companies that design the systems behind content, connect craft with technology, and help brands scale with intelligence.

That kind of change takes time. But with the right group behind it, time becomes one of the strongest tools you have.

www.pakt.co

Follow Marketing Report on LinkedIn