Eleven years ago, Film Fixers Balkans started as a small production company working from the basement of a house near Sofia. Driven by a passion for filmmaking and the idea of a crew creating something new together, the team had little money but big dreams.
One day fate smiled on them with a project for the BBC. That opened the door to producing foreign TV shows – a format more unpredictable and adventurous than commercials, films or music videos, even with a script and a concept.
The team was motivated and open to all kinds of work, and that paid off. Word of mouth brought strong recommendations and soon the workflow became a waterfall. Then COVID came and everything froze; like many businesses, the company struggled to survive.
From a small basement to global TV shows and major commercials, the team tells the story of how they became Meet the Balkans. First, Trayan Velev, CEO of Film Fixers Balkans / Meet the Balkans.
Trayan, tell us about the concept behind Meet the Balkans.
Meet the Balkans is a subdivision of Film Fixers Balkans focused on music videos, commercials and films. From the very beginning, our idea has been to unite the full potential of the Balkans under a single umbrella.
The goal is to show that the Balkans offer perfect locations for all kinds of productions. The name is exactly what it sounds like – honest and straightforward. It’s about visiting the region, experiencing the culture, and not just coming here to work but truly enjoying your time.
Working here also lets you optimise your budget – you can use tax incentives while having a complete creative experience. We want to showcase the region so people fall in love with it and come back.
Before Meet the Balkans, our name was mainly associated with the word “fixer”, which usually means a local assistant on smaller or journalistic projects. After 11 years we’ve grown far beyond that, and it’s important to show how capable we’ve become. Meet the Balkans is designed for larger-scale projects. Our mission is to promote the Balkans as a jewel in the crown of Europe – come and meet the Balkans, meet the local crew and meet your creative self through us!
Stoyan Galabov, head of production, shared a look behind the curtain – where not everything is seen through rose-tinted glasses.
Stoyan, can you share a personal story from the early days?
Did I ever tell you we didn’t even have money to buy martenitsi back then? (Martenitsi are traditional Bulgarian red-and-white bracelets, believed to bring health and luck at the start of spring.)
It was around 2014 or 2015, before one of our first big projects, Dual Survival – we had already finished Undercover Angel. By the end of that year we had no work and no money. Sometime in January or February, Trayan told me: “You should probably start looking for another job. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.” I said, “Let’s wait a few more days. If nothing comes up, I’ll start looking.”
The very next day he called: “You’re not going anywhere! A big project just came in.” When we issued the first invoice we still couldn’t afford martenitsi – Trayan was hiding from his parents because he couldn’t exchange bracelets with them. When the payment arrived, the first thing we bought were martenitsi, about one euro each, and we treated ourselves to lunch. A small, almost tragicomic moment – but it reminds me how far we’ve come.
I share this to motivate others: follow your dreams and believe in the process. The struggle is part of success – at least it was for us.
Why did Film Fixers Balkans evolve into Meet the Balkans?
Over time we expanded beyond Bulgaria, gradually covering the whole Balkan region with our crews and partners, and became known for high-quality service and production support for international clients.
As we grew, we realised we had developed a more creative side. Meet the Balkans represents that evolution – the branch dedicated to commercials, music videos and films. We are no longer just a service company; we’ve become a full-scale production company, with professional producers and a wide network of talented freelancers in every department. We’re not just fixers anymore – we’re a creative community.
Finally, Yavor Gadzhev, senior producer at Meet the Balkans.
Yavor, did you feel the transition from Film Fixers Balkans to Meet the Balkans?
I’ve been with the company for six years and witnessed the whole transition. Honestly, it wasn’t a transformation from one thing into another – it felt more like we created something new. Our TV work continues full steam ahead, stronger than ever.
The real turning point was a commercial for the Korean video game Lineage, filmed in Prohodna Cave – “The Eyes of God”. We realised that the budget for that single four-day shoot was similar to producing an entire TV series, which needs at least a month of pre-production and another of filming. That was an eye-opener.
There are months in the year without TV shoots, so we thought – why not use that time for commercials? Step by step we moved into this new area. It’s a very different business: the requirements, the pace and the level of professionalism expected are all on another level. You can’t be “just a fixer” on a commercial – you need clear specialisation and a well-structured crew of producers, production managers, art directors and so on. That’s why Meet the Balkans became the part of the company focused on short-form content, branded films and music videos.
The change was smooth, not abrupt. We still produce TV shows alongside everything else – we’re always growing and evolving.
This article was first published on LBB Online on 10 November 2025. Learn more about our work across 19 countries at filmfixersbalkans.com.
