Resort-grade pictures, made on the island.
IM Studios runs photo and video teams inside the resorts of North Malé and Baa Atoll, and an in-resort guest studio at You and Me Maldives. Content for resorts every week, shoots for guests every day, one company.
Every resort needs pictures every week. Nobody is on the island to take them.
Resorts fly in freelancers for campaigns and rely on phones in between. Guests book once-in-a-lifetime trips and go home with holiday snaps. Both problems have the same answer: a professional team already on the island.
Content never stops
Social feeds, listings, new villas, menus, seasonal campaigns: resorts need fresh photo and video weekly.
Fly-in crews are slow and expensive
Flights, boats, rooms and schedules; a two-day visiting shoot costs what an island team charges for a month.
Guests want it, resorts rarely offer it
Weddings, proposals, honeymoons and anniversaries are the highest-value moments of a trip and usually go unphotographed.
What clients buy
a shoot they can book this week, delivered edited within days, at a fixed price.
A tourism economy that never stops posting.
Why now
Content spend is shifting to short video, resorts under occupancy pressure need distinctive content, and mirrorless and drone kit makes small island teams viable.
Sources: Ministry of Tourism 2025 arrivals via Hotelier Maldives; Raajje.mv and Travel Trade Maldives for resorts and beds (2025).
Three studios, one island company.
Malé hub
North Malé Atoll
Baros, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Dhawa Ihuru, Safari Island
Studio Manager, Photographer, Videographer
Dharavandhoo base
Baa Atoll
Amilla Fushi, Finolhu, Dreamland, island shoots
Photographer, Videographer and drone operator; managed from Malé
You and Me studio
in-resort guest studio
Direct bookings plus three event channels
Photographer, Studio Manager
Fixed prices, fast delivery.
Half-day, photo and video, edited set
Weddings, proposals, anniversaries
Bundled with honeymoon packages
Dharavandhoo base
Eight resorts, forty shoots a month.
| Client | Studio | Price | Shoots/mo | Revenue/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baros Maldives | Malé | 600 | 7 | 4,200 |
| Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru | Malé | 600 | 5 | 3,000 |
| Dhawa Ihuru | Malé | 600 | 3 | 1,800 |
| Safari Island | Malé | 600 | 3 | 1,800 |
| Amilla Fushi | Dharavandhoo | 600 | 7 | 4,200 |
| Finolhu Maldives | Dharavandhoo | 600 | 5 | 3,000 |
| Dreamland Resort | Dharavandhoo | 600 | 5 | 3,000 |
| Dharavandhoo island shoots | Dharavandhoo | 250 | 5 | 1,250 |
| Total | 40 | 22,250 |
Monthly averages per the client agreements; confirm minimum commitments.
A studio where the guests already are.
Ikebana event promo
bookings at USD 600
IM Maldives bookings
USD 350 per honeymoon package
Asad Photo referrals
USD 600 per shoot
Concession to the resort is 25% of direct bookings (placeholder).
A head office of five and three island teams.
Ibrahim Assad
MD & Founder
20+ years as a professional photographer in the Maldives. Operated photo studios at multiple resorts. Portfolio includes 1,000+ luxury destination weddings, corporate events, honeymoon and travel shoots. Hands-on operator and end-to-end project manager.
Abdula Nashid
Board Member & Investor
Founder and CEO of the Maldives' leading wedding and events company. Sole supplier of event flowers to every island in the Maldives. 15-year portfolio of island buyouts, luxury proposals, destination weddings, and corporate events. Provides market access and strategic guidance.
Areef
Founder, IM Studio
16+ years operating photo studios across Maldivian resorts (6+ studios). Established travel agency partner providing referral bookings and cross-promotion. Brings operational continuity and strong client relationships.
Head Office (month 1 to 5)
| MD, Marketing and Operations Head | USD 1,200/mo |
| Operations Manager | USD 1,000/mo |
| Finance Director | USD 800/mo |
| Operations Director | USD 800/mo |
| Head office months 1–5 | USD 3,800/mo |
From month 6
| Communications team member | USD 600/mo |
| Head office from month 6 | USD 4,400/mo |
Malé team
| Studio Manager | 800 |
| Photographer | 800 |
| Videographer | 800 |
| Total | 2,400 |
Dharavandhoo team
| Photographer | 800 |
| Videographer & drone op | 800 |
| Total | 1,600 |
You and Me team
| Photographer | 800 |
| Studio Manager | 1,000 |
| Total | 1,800 |
One resort shoot, USD 387 contribution.
Malé resort shoot
| Price | 600 |
| Staff cost per shoot | 133 |
| Transport | 80 |
| Contribution | 387 |
| Margin | 64% |
Dharavandhoo
| Resort shoot price | 600 |
| Staff per shoot | 73 |
| Transport | 80 |
| Contribution | 447 |
| Island shoot price | 250 |
| Staff per shoot | 73 |
| Transport | 20 |
| Contribution | 157 |
USD 41.6k a month at run-rate.
| Malé | USD 10,800 | |
| Dharavandhoo | USD 11,450 | |
| You and Me | USD 19,300 | |
| Total run-rate | USD 41,550 |
Cash positive from the first month.
| Quarter | Revenue | Staff | Other costs | Net | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 86,263 | 30,000 | 25,515 | 30,747 | 30,747 |
| Q2 | 112,250 | 30,600 | 28,050 | 53,600 | 84,348 |
| Q3 | 118,450 | 31,800 | 28,290 | 58,360 | 142,708 |
| Q4 | 124,650 | 31,800 | 28,530 | 64,320 | 207,028 |
| Year 1 | 441,612 | 124,200 | 110,385 | 207,028 | 207,028 |
Resort shoots ramp to average by month 3; event channels ramp 2 to 6; placeholder costs included.
Fifty-two percent at run-rate, after the costs we assumed.
Why we show the lower number
Placeholder costs are real assumptions we made on transport, concessions, equipment renewal, rent, software and marketing. We show the conservative picture to prove the model holds even if placeholders land differently.
We're raising for growth and gear.
Equity 15 to 20% or SAFE, to decide
Equipment, working capital, and legal setup
Operating cash from month 1 supports early dividends or reinvestment in a fourth studio
Regional media or hospitality-services group, or roll-up with sister businesses
From launch to region.
Months 1 to 3
Teams hired, equipment in place, eight anchor contracts live, You and Me studio open, resort shoots at average by month 3.
Month 6
Communications hire, event channels at 4 a month.
Months 7 to 12
Event channels at 6 a month, retainer packages offered to resorts.
Year 2
Fourth studio (South Malé or Ari Atoll), content calendars for resort groups.
Planning for what could go wrong.
Seasonality (monsoon occupancy dips)
Mitigation: Retainers and content calendars smooth demand.
Client concentration (eight contracts)
Mitigation: A pipeline of the next six resorts and the guest studio as a second leg.
Key staff retention
Mitigation: Two-person minimum per studio and cross-training.
Weather and logistics
Mitigation: Scheduling buffers, drone permissions, rain-day editing.
Equipment loss
Mitigation: Insurance and the renewal fund.
Let's put a professional behind every camera on the island.
Forward-looking statements in this deck are based on assumptions. Actual results may differ materially.