CREE8 Acquires PRODUCER to Build Complete Cloud Production Ecosystem

AcquisitionIndustry News

by Nino LeitnerDecember 10^th, 2025

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Cloud production studio platform CREE8 has acquired Swiss-based production management software PRODUCER, bringing together over 20,000 users worldwide in a move that extends the combined platform across planning, production, post, and delivery.

The acquisition marks another major step in CREE8‘s strategy to create an end-to-end creative ecosystem, following the company’s earlier acquisition of Edit Cloud in September 2025. PRODUCER, which CineD has covered extensively since early 2024 and awarded our Best-of-Show Award in the Streaming / Remote Production / Cloud Workflows category at IBC 2024, brings established enterprise credentials and a substantial user base to the table.

From partnership to acquisition

CREE8 and PRODUCER first announced their strategic partnership at NAB 2025, where they showcased an integration connecting PRODUCER’s project management tools with CREE8’s cloud storage and virtual workstations. That collaboration clearly went well, as the two companies have now completed a full acquisition less than eight months later.

Lisa Watts, CEO of CREE8, explained the strategic rationale: “PRODUCER strengthens CREE8 by expanding our integrated workflow across planning, production, post, and delivery. Together, we’re giving teams a single connected environment that reduces handoffs, speeds execution, and keeps work secure across multi-cloud.”

The acquisition continues CREE8’s aggressive expansion strategy in 2025, which has included winning the NAB Show Product of the Year Award in the Remote Production category and bringing Edit Cloud’s enterprise onboarding expertise into the fold.

What PRODUCER brings to the ecosystem

For those unfamiliar with PRODUCER, we first looked at the platform in our video interview series back in early 2024. The software offers an all-in-one production management solution covering storyboards, shot lists, call sheets, schedules, and review workflows, all centralized in a single cloud-based environment.

Xaver Walser, Co-Founder and CEO of PRODUCER, has described the platform as “a painkiller for filmmakers.” The software came from his own experience on a commercial shoot where a client asked if all the created content, shooting schedules, and feedback notes could exist in one place. That question sparked the development of what became PRODUCER.

The platform counts major brands including Zalando among its enterprise clients, particularly in sectors like fashion, retail, utilities, and finance that need to coordinate large, multi-stakeholder content productions. PRODUCER has built its enterprise credibility through ISO 27001 certification, single sign-on capability, backing from both Microsoft’s Startup Program and NVIDIA’s Inception initiative, and availability in the Microsoft Marketplace.

The Mark II evolution

When we spoke with Xaver Walser at IBC 2024, PRODUCER had just reached nearly 10,000 users and was rolling out its Mark II update with features like Project Calendars for visual timeline management and enhanced task assignment workflows. The platform has since doubled that user count to more than 20,000 users worldwide, demonstrating strong market traction in the production management space.

The CineD editorial team recognized PRODUCER’s approach to consolidating fragmented production workflows with our Best-of-Show Award at IBC 2024. The platform’s ability to keep producers, editors, and clients in a shared context while automating repetitive tasks like generating call sheets from storyboards stood out as genuinely useful for working professionals.

What is CREE8?

For those less familiar with CREE8, the West Hollywood-based company provides a cloud-native production platform that gives creative teams access to high-performance virtual workstations, centralized storage, and real-time collaboration tools. Rather than building expensive on-premises edit suites or dealing with the complexity of DIY cloud infrastructure, productions can spin up GPU-powered workstations running industry-standard software like Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Autodesk Flame directly in the cloud.

CEO Lisa Watts describes the company as “the F1 pit crew for any creative production team,” providing access to powerful cloud resources without the months of setup traditionally required. The platform handles configuration, security, and updates, letting creative professionals focus on the work itself. CREE8 serves a diverse client roster spanning broadcast, VFX, gaming, and advertising, including NHRA, CNN, Intuit, Wayfair, Hallmark, and British Airways. The company holds SOC 2 and TPN certifications, making it suitable for security-conscious productions, and won the NAB 2025 Product of the Year Award in the Remote Production category.

Where PRODUCER fits becomes clear when you consider what CREE8 was missing: robust pre-production and project management tools. CREE8 excels at the execution side of production, providing the infrastructure where editors, colorists, and VFX artists actually do the work. PRODUCER fills the gap at the front end of the pipeline, handling everything from initial concepting and storyboarding through scheduling, call sheets, and client approvals. By combining both platforms, teams can now plan a project in PRODUCER, then seamlessly move into CREE8’s cloud workstations for execution, all within a connected ecosystem that maintains context and reduces the handoffs that slow productions down.

Creating the Co-Creation Cloud

The combined platform will extend what CREE8 calls the Co-Creation Cloud across the full production lifecycle. This means teams can manage projects in PRODUCER, spin up GPU-powered workstations in CREE8 for editing and finishing, collaborate on reviews, and deliver final assets, all within a connected multi-cloud environment.

The combined platform will extend what CREE8 calls the Co-Creation Cloud across the full production lifecycle. This means teams can manage projects in PRODUCER, spin up GPU-powered workstations in CREE8 for editing and finishing, collaborate on reviews, and deliver final assets, all within a connected multi-cloud environment.

Paul-Emile Joessel, Co-Founder and CTO of PRODUCER, noted the scale opportunity: “Our goal has always been to empower creative professionals across every sector. To do that effectively we needed a partner with both scale and ambition. CREE8 gives us that opportunity, and this next chapter will take our technology further than ever.”

Enterprise security and compliance

One aspect worth highlighting for CineD readers working with enterprise clients is the security infrastructure both companies have built. CREE8 offers SOC 2 and TPN compliance with encrypted storage and granular access controls, while PRODUCER brings ISO 27001 certification and enterprise single sign-on.

For productions working under NDAs or handling sensitive brand content, this combination of certifications matters. The multi-cloud approach also allows users to choose server locations in the US, Europe, or South America, with Australia support coming.

What this means for users

Existing PRODUCER users should see expanded capabilities through access to CREE8’s high-performance cloud workstations and collaboration tools. The elimination of data silos between project management and actual content creation could genuinely streamline workflows for teams currently juggling separate systems for planning and execution.

For CREE8 users, the integration brings more sophisticated front-of-funnel project management, from early concepting through storyboarding and scheduling, before content moves into cloud editing environments.

Industry context

The acquisition reflects broader consolidation in the cloud production space as the industry moves toward the MovieLabs 2030 Vision of fully cloud-based media workflows. CREE8 is a member of MovieLabs and the Hollywood Professional Association, contributing to standards development for cloud-based media production.

With industry analysts predicting more than 70% of media workflows will be cloud-based by 2027, platforms that can offer end-to-end solutions rather than point products are positioning themselves to capture larger shares of production budgets.

The CREE8 acquisition of PRODUCER creates one of the more comprehensive cloud production platforms currently available, spanning project management through delivery. Will this consolidated approach resonate with production teams, or do you prefer best-of-breed tools for each workflow stage? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!