2020

The year 2020 hasn’t been kind to anyone, and although, like most production companies, we’ve had to face new challenges and a drop in sales, we’ve got reasons not only to be grateful, but also proud. Thinking about how the world has changed - as have we - I decided to sum up the experiences of recent months and thank all those who put their trust in us in difficult times - as well as the Papaya team, without whose commitment the following achievements would simply have not been possible. This year, as never before, it’s been crucial to be close to both agency and client, to respond adequately and effectively to every need, regardless of the budget, and to create unconventional ways of solving problems.

In particular, the important basic value that we’ve managed not only to maintain, but above all to strengthen, is our team - the team we’ve built over the years - not only in terms of individual, unique competencies but also collective compatibility. Today, the Papaya team is 20% larger; stronger than ever before and is developing in innovative ways under the care of Iwona Mnich, who was promoted to Head of Production, Justyna Górniak, who joined Papaya as Chief People Officer, and Mariusz Urbańczyk - our new Chief Operating Officer.

The second, most important success in 2020 is inextricably linked to what the Papaya team stands for - how it functions and collaborates - both internally and in relation to clients and agencies. Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the pandemic, we managed not only to formulate, but also effectively implement a comprehensive set of rules to facilitate shooting on set, not only thanks to the absolute requirement of mutually responsible behaviour and the extensive use of technology, but also thanks to innovations such as disinfection tunnels and foggers.

Satisfaction was brought by the fact that payments for our partners and subcontractors were accelerated - in this very difficult time - that of the great unknown in which the industry suddenly found itself. We’ve been an advocate for responsible business for years and we’ve always believed that being part of the industry is not only about the sources of our income, but also obliges us to take care of conditions and standards in the market in which we operate together with other entities. The pandemic gave us a chance to show that we are serious in our declarations and that the consistent, long-term application of the policy of shared responsibility – proper business building - is vital and brings results so that we all have something to come back to.

A well-deserved round of applause goes to the Papaya Young Directors team. After the outbreak of the pandemic - in the blink of an eye - not only did they adapt the entire concept of this year's finals to the new reality, but above all they created conditions for the finalists to safely finish filmmaking and managed to flawlessly execute the unique event, which on the one hand allowed winners to receive their awards and celebrate their victory on stage, on the other - enabled many thousands of international viewers to participate safely online.

The production challenges we faced did not prevent our planned expansion. In the autumn, we opened a new office in Lisbon, where we completed the first productions for our US clients. In turn, Papaya Films London produced historic ad campaigns, made award-winning and much appreciated music videos and signed contracts with Carlsberg and Reckitt Benckiser, thanks to which we’ve managed to finish the year on a financial positive in the UK. The foreign successes of 2020 will be crowned by the next part of the production event carried out for GSK and Hogarth NY by the combined forces of teams in New York, Warsaw and Lisbon. Additionally - together with the DDB Warsaw, we implemented the first, pioneering user-generated content campaign in Europe for T-Mobile, as well as the first service production carried out 100% remotely for the BUHL, and the first campaign in Poland with the participation of a non-heteronormative couple for Durex.

It’s impossible not to mention the award for Best Short Film at the 36th Warsaw Film Festival for “Into The Night" - produced by us and directed by Papaya’s Kamila Tarabura. And also unexpected in the context of this year's turbulence is the development of our talented roster. Thanks to the extremely effective work of the Talent Management team, filmmakers such as Daniel Jaroszek, Bartosz Dombrowski, Julia Rogowska and Patryk Kin can boast of a really successful time in terms of development.

2020 also turned out to be a breakthrough year for Papaya.Rocks, whose consistent increase in popularity translated into half a million views per month and a great deal more than a million readers per year.

This year’s last quarter is for us, a time of climate declarations. We are proud to have committed to climate neutrality by the end of 2030. To this end, a Chief Sustainability Officer will join our team in 2021. Sustainable production itself is not new to us. For over 10 years, Papaya has been introducing innovative, effective solutions in the office and on set, including transferring documents to the digital space, using a qualified electronic signature and minimizing transport and consumption of plastic. And while our introduction of further innovations, such as the automation process and the implementation of AI tools for production, has been slowed down by the unexpected challenges of 2020, we are still well on the way to exciting, revolutionary changes that we plan to achieve in the coming years.

And finally - for the fifth time in a row, we were awarded the title of the KTR Production Company of the Year, which in the current market conditions and in light of recent experiences is of really special importance to us. We take it as a great boost to our commitment in the days ahead.

However, none of the above could have happened were it not for the courage and character of the clients who did not lay down their arms and - showing truly inspiring openness and bravery - continued their production in unprecedented conditions which had never before been experienced by anyone in the entire creative industry.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.