History

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Timeline

Back in the early 90s, Swedish commercials producer Ola Holmgren saw what few others did: Mallorca’s unique potential as a filming destination. Inspired by the island’s light and landscapes, he and Grete decided to make it their home. Soon after settling in Palma’s old town, they opened an office and brought their vision to life under the name Palma Pictures.
Their idea quickly attracted international filmmakers looking for cinematic quality in a Mediterranean setting. Throughout the 90s and early 2000s, Palma Pictures expanded its services beyond commercials, opening its purpose-built studio complex just outside Palma, becoming a hub for high-end TVCs, feature films, and TV dramas. Today, this 4,500m² production studio offers a wide range of facilities, including a 1,000m² sound stage, wardrobe and dressing rooms, workshops, a restaurant and more.
By the mid-2000s, Palma Pictures had established itself as one of Europe’s leading production service companies, working with major global brands and film studios while continuously investing in its team and facilities to remain at the forefront of the industry.

In the last decade, the company expanded geographically, opening offices in Barcelona, the Canary Islands and Lisbon to service productions across mainland Spain, Portugal and the islands, offering seamless end-to-end solutions with local expertise.
With over 30 years of experience, Palma Pictures continues to combine its heritage with innovation, sustainability, and a people-first culture, supporting some of the world’s most renowned filmmakers, photographers and creatives.

Palma Pictures was born

  • 1993

    Founded by Ola and Grete Holmgren

  • 2000

    Shot first long form project, 'Sword of Honour' Opened 4,500 m2 Studio complex

  • 2003

    Recognized by 3 awards from local Government for contribution to local economy and tourism

  • 2006

    Established dedicated team for Photo (Stills) clients which began trading at the end of the year

  • 2007

    Management Buyout (MBO)

  • 2010

    Awarded ISO 14001 &EMAS certification – and have been for each year since

  • 2012

    Opened mainland office in Barcelona

  • 2015

    Shot Emmy award winning 'Night Manager' for BBC Expanded our longform capabilities shooting features films and series including ‘Me Before You' and 'The Night Manager' (BBC) Shot 'Love Island UK' (ITV Studios - Series 1), which we continue to shoot annually

  • 2016

    Shot Super Bowl ad for 'Wix'

  • 2018

    25-year anniversary of Palma Pictures Shot 'Living the Dream' (Sky-Series 2) 'The Crown' (Netflix-Series 3) 'The Mallorca Files' (BBC) 'Hanna' (Amazon Prime) 'MotherFatherSon’ (BBC)

  • 2019

    Launched Palma Pictures Studios (PPS) Established our dedicated talent agency Secured first co-producer credit for feature film 'Off the Rails' (Bill Kenwright Films) Continued filming 'The Crown' (Netflix – Season 4) Continued filming 'The Mallorca Files' (BBC – Season 2) 'Hanna' (Amazon Prime – Season 2)

  • 2020

    Developed new remote shooting software and completed first semi-remote shoot for Mastercard and American Airlines Shot first large crew production, ‘Love Island Germany’ (RTL2 - Season 4), following COVID-19 protocol with no virus cases across 8 weeks ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ (Netflix) PPS signed first book commission deals

  • 2021

    • Shot ‘Hustle’ for Happy Madison / Netflix
    • Shot ‘The Crown - Season 5’ for Leftbank Pictures / Netflix
    • Welcomed back ‘Love Island UK’ after a Covid hiatus
    • Shot ‘Love Island Germany’

  • 2022

    • Shot ‘Hustle’ for Happy Madison / Netflix
    • Shot ‘The Crown - Season 5’ for Leftbank Pictures / Netflix
    • Welcomed back ‘Love Island UK’ after a Covid hiatus
    • Shot ‘Love Island Germany’

  • 2023

    • Shot ‘Den of Thieves - Pantera’ for Atmosphere Entertainment / EOne
    • Shot ‘The Mallorca Files - Season #3’ for Clerkenwell Films / Amazon Studios
    • Shot ‘Avios - Everyday’ TVC for Pulse Films
    • Shot ‘Love Island’ for ITV UK & ITV Australia
    • Invested 400K€ in CAPEX (a record year)

  • 2024

    • Belén Garau joined as Head of Production, Advertising
    • Introduced Client Service Supervisor role
    • Created Eco Manager role for sustainability on set
    • Shot Disney’s ‘The Boy & The Octopus’ (dir. Taika Waititi)
    • Shot Breitling campaign with Austin Butler
    • Shot The War Between the Land and the Sea, Bad Wolf / Disney+
    • Shot The Split Special, Sister / BBC
    • Shot The Seven Dials Mystery, Netflix
    • Shot The City is Ours, Left Bank Pictures / BBC
    • Shot Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, Eleventh Hour Films / MGM+
    • Shot Blade Runner, Alcon Entertainment / Amazon Studios
    • Shot Love Island UK / ITV Studios
    • Shot Love Island Australia / ITV Studios
    • Shot Cheaters / Lift Entertainment Netflix
    • Shot Second Choice / Studio Lambert
    • Shot Limitless / Disney +

What next?

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