Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is an independent film and television production company founded in 1986 by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, producing theatrical films, streaming series, documentaries, and podcasts for studios and platforms including Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Peacock, and Netflix.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersBeverly Hills, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Imagine Entertainment does
Imagine Entertainment is an independent film and television production company founded in 1986 by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. The company develops and produces theatrical feature films, television series, documentaries, and documentary podcasts distributed through major studios and streaming platforms including Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Peacock, and Netflix. Its catalog includes A Beautiful Mind (Academy Award for Best Picture), Apollo 13, 8 Mile, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (over $345 million worldwide box office), and television series such as Arrested Development and Empire. Beyond traditional production, Imagine Entertainment has expanded into brand-funded content initiatives (e.g., the Modern Rural Collective with Land O'Lakes), documentary podcast production via iHeartPodcasts, and digital-IP adaptation through Wattpad Webtoon Studios.
The company's operating model is project-based, with revenue generated through production fees, backend participation, licensing agreements, and sponsored content deals. It markets primarily through studio press channels, trade publications, and festival presence rather than direct consumer marketing. Leadership includes co-founders Brian Grazer (Chairman) and Ron Howard (Director and Chairman), President/COO Steve Shikiya, CSO Justin Wilkes, and two heads of production. The company has pursued inorganic capability expansion through the 2018 acquisitions of Jax Media and Marginal Mediaworks, and in 2025 began integrating AI tools into production workflows via a partnership with Obsidian Studio. Imagine Entertainment is a private company with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and 51-100 employees.
Imagine Entertainment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Imagine Entertainment
- Legal name
- Imagine Entertainment
- Website
- https://imagine-entertainment.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Imagine Entertainment is an independent film and television production company founded in 1986 by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, producing theatrical films, streaming series, documentaries, and podcasts for studios and platforms including Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Peacock, and Netflix.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Imagine Entertainment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film and Television Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO)
Keywords
Where Imagine Entertainment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverly Hills
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Imagine Entertainment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Film Production Revenue: Production of theatrical films distributed by major studios including Universal Pictures and 20th Century Studios, generating revenue through production fees, backend participation, and licensing
- Television Production Revenue: Production of television series for networks and streaming platforms including Peacock, generating revenue through production fees and licensing agreements
- Brand Partnership Revenue: Collaborative branded content initiatives with consumer brands like Land O'Lakes, creating sponsored content and toolkit development
- Podcast Production: Documentary podcast production through iHeartPodcasts partnership, including The Secret World of Roald Dahl series
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Imagine Entertainment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Imagine Entertainment is an independent film and television production company that develops, produces, and licenses theatrical feature films, television series, documentary films, and documentary podcasts. It sells content and production services to major studios (Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios) and streaming platforms (Peacock, Netflix), and also produces branded content initiatives with consumer brands such as Land O'Lakes.
Product overview
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. The company operates as a unified production studio producing theatrical feature films (such as the Whalefall film for 20th Century Studios and Angel Down WWI drama), television series (including The 'Burbs for Peacock and Empire), documentary films through Imagine Documentaries, and documentary podcasts via iHeartPodcasts. The company has also developed the Modern Rural Collective toolkit in partnership with Land O'Lakes. The portfolio represents a single unified production capability rather than distinct modular products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $345 million worldwide box office for How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Imagine Entertainment
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Imagine Entertainment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Imagine Entertainment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.
- Death Row PicturescoreDeath Row Pictures, Snoop Dogg's content label, has an overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment. Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer is producing the first project under this deal - the Snoop Dogg biopic 'Snoop' scheduled for August 6, 2027 release with Universal Pictures distributing. Craig Brewer directs and Jonathan Daviss stars.
- ICON InternationalminorICON International established partnerships with talent agencies, creators, and distributors including Imagine Entertainment as part of its Content and Entertainment solution for brand-funded content financing, production, and distribution.
- Land O'LakesminorImagine Entertainment partnered with dairy and food giant Land O'Lakes to launch the Modern Rural Collective initiative, aiming to modernize portrayals of rural America in film and TV. The partnership includes a 25-page toolkit with statistics and anecdotes for producers, discussed at Sundance Film Festival.
- iHeartPodcastsminoriHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment created documentary podcast series 'The Secret World of Roald Dahl,' exploring the author's secret life as a spy for MI6. First episode released January 19, 2026. This is the sixth podcast to come out of the partnership between the two companies.
- Obsidian StudiostrategicObsidian Studio, an AI-powered creative studio founded in 2025, partnered with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment. The partnership aims to integrate AI tools like Runway into film projects for storyboarding, previsualization, and post-production services, serving both Hollywood and global brands.
- 20th Century StudioscoreRon Howard's Imagine Entertainment is producing Whalefall for 20th Century Studios. The film, an adaptation of Daniel Kraus' novel about a scuba diver who gets swallowed by an 80-foot sperm whale, is directed by Brian Duffield and set for October theatrical release.
- Case Study FilmscoreLily Collins' production company Case Study Films is partnering with Imagine Entertainment on a film chronicling the making of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' Collins will star as Audrey Hepburn and produce alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Justin Wilkes.
- Wattpad Webtoon StudiosminorWattpad Webtoon Studios has multiple projects with Imagine Entertainment including 'Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell' adaptation (160M views), demonstrating interest in digital-first IP adaptations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Imagine Entertainment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Participant Media: Participant produces socially conscious feature films and documentaries (An Inconvenient Truth, Roma) and has transitioned into streaming-era production. It overlaps with Imagine on documentary production and enterprise distribution to streamers and studios.
- Legendary Entertainment: Legendary produces tentpole theatrical films (Dune, Godzilla) and premium TV, distributing via Universal and Warner Bros. Its scale, franchise focus, and studio partnership model directly mirror Imagine's enterprise positioning.
- Amblin Entertainment: Founded by Steven Spielberg, Amblin is a long-running independent film and TV production company with similar enterprise distribution model, marquee founder brand, and decades-long relationships with major studios—making it the closest direct comparable to Imagine.
- Plan B Entertainment: Brad Pitt's Plan B produces prestige film and TV (12 Years a Slave, Moonlight) for studios and streamers, sharing Imagine's founder-attached, awards-driven, enterprise-distribution model.
- Skydance Media: Skydance produces major franchise films (Mission Impossible, Top Gun) and streaming content (The Old Man, Reacher) with major studio partnerships (Paramount, Apple), making it a direct comparable in scale, scope, and GTM to Imagine.
- Bad Robot: J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot produces feature films and prestige TV series (Lost, Westworld, Star Trek), with similar enterprise client base among streamers and studios, and operates with the same founder-driven creative model as Imagine.
- Blumhouse Productions: Jason Blum's Blumhouse is a major independent film/TV producer (Get Out, Halloween franchise) with streaming deals (Amazon) and a founder-driven model closely parallel to Imagine's structure and enterprise GTM.
- A24: A24 is an independent film and television production company producing awards-caliber content (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Moonlight) with major studio and streaming distribution—a closely aligned independent production peer to Imagine.
Broad incumbents
- Lionsgate: Lionsgate is a publicly traded major studio producing and distributing film/TV (Hunger Games, John Wick). It is broader than Imagine but operates in the same production-distribution ecosystem with overlapping enterprise customers.
- Entertainment One (Hasbro/eOne): eOne produces and distributes film and TV (Yellowstone, Peppa Pig) globally, sharing Imagine's enterprise distribution model but with a broader portfolio and corporate parent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Imagine Entertainment social profiles
Digital presenceImagine Entertainment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Imagine Entertainment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Imagine Entertainment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Imagine Entertainment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Imagine Entertainment
What does Imagine Entertainment do?
Imagine Entertainment is an independent film and television production company that develops, produces, and licenses theatrical feature films, television series, documentary films, and documentary podcasts. It sells content and production services to major studios (Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios) and streaming platforms (Peacock, Netflix), and also produces branded content initiatives with consumer brands such as Land O'Lakes.
Is Imagine Entertainment a public or private company?
Imagine Entertainment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Imagine Entertainment founded?
Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Imagine Entertainment based?
Imagine Entertainment is headquartered in Beverly Hills, United States, in the North America region.
How does Imagine Entertainment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Film Production Revenue is the primary driver. The others are television Production Revenue, brand Partnership Revenue and podcast Production.
Who are Imagine Entertainment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Participant Media, Legendary Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, Plan B Entertainment, Skydance Media, Bad Robot, Blumhouse Productions and A24. Broad incumbents are Lionsgate and Entertainment One (Hasbro/eOne).
Does Imagine Entertainment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Imagine Entertainment.
What industry is Imagine Entertainment in?
Imagine Entertainment's product category is Film and Television Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADABAC, Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action), with a secondary code of MPADADAO, Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted). Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7812.