Yavor Gadzhev is a service producer with Film Fixers Balkans. An actor by education and a producer by trade, Yavor has been in the industry for seven years and has serviced productions in many countries across South-Eastern Europe.
He has worked on commercials, TV and shorts – but he has a soft spot for music videos and anything involving bikes and cars.
Yavor sat down with LBB to discuss falling into the world of production by accident, inspiring confidence on set, and why you should consider the Balkans for your next production.
Can you walk us through your journey in the production service industry?
I have to admit I kind of got here by accident. I was just finishing my studies at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia when I got a call to translate for a French production filming in Bulgaria.
I was studying acting and had almost no interest in what happens behind the camera at that point, but it quickly became interesting for me. I learned pretty fast all the details of the industry on a local level, and then started looking all around Europe and the world to see what other service companies are doing.
I’ve always felt like we’re all in the same boat instead of being direct competitors. Even when another Balkan company outbids us and wins a project, I’m still kind of happy because that production did in fact end up in the Balkans (as I always thought it could). It was just a matter of fine details who gets to do it.
What are some of the most challenging productions you’ve worked on, and how did you overcome those challenges?
Definitely productions where the director is either not confident enough in their idea or there is a power struggle between them, the agency and the client.
This is always a very sensitive situation and especially awkward for the service producer, as usually we cannot really do anything about it. But I feel that flagging certain things and managing expectations early on (which is in our power) goes a long way to mitigate potential rifts between director and agency and to inspire confidence in the director.
What key qualities set your company apart from others in the industry?
It is certainly the ability to make almost anything happen. We’ve always felt that the Balkans are attractive not only because of lower budgets and great crews and equipment, but also because here you can do things you cannot really do everywhere else.
So we are really serious when it comes to making crazy ideas and demands happen – in part because when our clients are here and working with us, we consider them our guests, and you know the legendary hospitality that we Balkan people have to live up to! Part of it is to make our guests feel like everything is possible, even their wildest dreams.
What is the most extreme example of a major issue during a shoot, and how did your team resolve it?
I am not sure if it is the most extreme, but one springs to mind. A project was supposed to film in a major square in a Balkan capital – and all was going well until the municipality informed us that, since there was a political campaign going on, they had decided to give the square to a political rally instead of our production.
And, of course, we got this news a week before our shoot!
Not an easy thing to share with your client – but we’ve always been good at communicating with clients and crews. I strongly believe we all work as one when producing a project, and that always requires honesty. So we not only discussed it with the client in a good manner – together we found an even better solution for the scene in a different location.
How do you stay calm in high-pressure situations?
I always have the firm belief that all’s going to end well, no matter the current situation. I try to look at it from afar and see what can be done. Also – take five minutes to think it over. But use them to really think, not to worry!
There’s a substantial difference between the two. Isolate the problem and think about what can be done to mitigate it as much as possible. Don’t think about grand consequences or thoughts starting with “Oh my god…”, and don’t think about what brought it on or who is responsible – do that after the shoot is over. While you are solving a problem, it will only make you angry, anxious or both.
How do you approach location scouting?
I approach it as if I already have the project in the bag. I put 100% of effort, time and money behind it – I know that if I provide the perfect location, the rest is easier. But to do that I need a precise brief from the client – which is not always easy, especially at an early stage.
How do you manage budget constraints without compromising quality?
You can never have too much control over every department’s budget. I like to speak with my HODs very often and make sure we’ve really stretched the budget as far as we can. If we’ve left some quality on the table, the client will notice and it will leave a bad taste.
What matters most when working with local crews and talent?
To be honest with them and treat them as friends. We only have so many crews and talents where we work, and all of them are extremely valuable to me, so I always try to put them on the same level as my client. For me, as a service producer, it is almost equally important for the crew to be happy as the client.
How do you build strong relationships with clients?
Try to be their friend in the circus they’ve put themselves into! We are not a corporation and there is nothing corporate about us – we are humans, we develop personal relationships with each client and we genuinely care about their wellbeing during and after the project.
I really feel for my clients when they have to explain issues from a shoot to their own clients – I am sure they have it harder than us. So I try to be understanding and to share some of that enormous pressure.
How will the production service industry evolve in the next five years?
The service industry has to become very, very creative to compensate for very tight budgets. Creative in finding new ways to make impossible things possible – building relationships with locations, local providers and crews on a level where a smaller budget is not a problem.
I also believe we’ll often see a production company doing a bulk of projects with the same service company – service companies have already started offering benefits for two, three or four projects at once.
One piece of advice for clients looking for production services?
Remember that by picking a service company you are not only picking a budget, but also a service producer you’ll work with for the next month or more.
Do you understand each other? Do they seem reliable? Are they interested? Are they excited? Do you vibe on a personal level? If the answer is yes to all of these, you’re onto something bigger than a single project – a relationship that can last and, in the long run, be more economical for everyone.
This article was first published on LBB Online on 19 August 2026. Learn more about our work across 19 countries at filmfixersbalkans.com.
