Story Syndicate
Story Syndicate is a New York-based, privately held film and television production company founded in 2019 that produces premium documentary, unscripted, and scripted content for major streaming and broadcast buyers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, National Geographic, Roku, Apple, and ESPN Films.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Story Syndicate does
Story Syndicate is a New York-based, privately held film and television production company founded in 2019 by Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan. The company produces premium documentary films, docuseries, and limited scripted and unscripted content for major global buyers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, National Geographic, Roku, Apple, and ESPN Films. Its portfolio spans true crime (Gone Girls, Who Killed Garrett Phillips?, One Night in Idaho), biography and history (Becoming Cousteau, SALLY, What Happened, Miss Simone?, Love, Marilyn), social and cultural issues (All In: The Fight For Democracy, Love to the Max, Number One On the Call Sheet), science and exploration (the UNKNOWN series for Netflix), and — more recently — scripted drama and sports documentaries (Give Me The Ball! for ESPN Films' 30 For 30; So Far Gone for Netflix).
The underlying operation is a creator-friendly production-services platform: Story Syndicate supplies filmmakers with creative and operational infrastructure, matches ideas with emerging directors, and aligns the interests of platforms, filmmakers, partners, and viewers. Core production work uses traditional documentary and narrative filmmaking techniques with contemporary editorial and storytelling approaches; the company discloses no proprietary technology stack, software products, or AI/ML systems, and holds no patents. Distribution is handled through licensing deals and co-productions with streaming and broadcast partners, with a growing share of straight-to-series orders and franchise renewals.
The business model is B2B content production and licensing. Revenue is earned via production fees, licensing fees, and co-production arrangements negotiated directly with platforms and networks; pricing is not publicly disclosed and the company does not sell consumer-facing products. The buyer set is small but elite — seven or fewer global streaming and cable platforms — and the company increasingly bundles multi-party co-production partners (Paramount Television Studios, James Patterson Entertainment, Tomorrow Studios, ESPN Films) to de-risk individual commissions and compound IP value across seasons.
Story Syndicate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Story Syndicate
- Legal name
- Story Syndicate LLC
- Website
- https://storysyndicate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Story Syndicate is a New York-based, privately held film and television production company founded in 2019 that produces premium documentary, unscripted, and scripted content for major streaming and broadcast buyers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, National Geographic, Roku, Apple, and ESPN Films.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Story Syndicate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Television and Film Production Services
- NAICS
- Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming) (MPADADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Investigative & Journalism Documentaries (MPADADAD), Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)
Keywords
Where Story Syndicate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Story Syndicate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Content Production and Licensing: Story Syndicate produces documentary and scripted content for major streaming platforms, earning revenue through production fees, licensing deals, and co-production arrangements with platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, and National Geographic.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels4 records
Story Syndicate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Story Syndicate is a film and television production company that develops and produces premium documentary films, docuseries, and limited scripted content for major streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, National Geographic, Roku, and Apple. The company operates as a B2B production house, licensing or co-producing content with platforms while providing filmmakers with creative and operational infrastructure.
Product overview
Story Syndicate is a New York-based film and television production company founded in 2019 by Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan. The company specializes in premium documentary films and docuseries, producing content across multiple streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, Roku, National Geographic, ESPN Films, and Apple TV+. Their portfolio spans diverse genres including true crime (One Night In Idaho: The College Murders, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, Who Killed Garrett Phillips?), biographical documentaries (Give Me The Ball!, What Happened Miss Simone?, Becoming Cousteau, SALLY), social issue documentaries (All In: The Fight For Democracy, Love to the Max, Number One On the Call Sheet), science and exploration (UNKNOWN series including Cosmic Time Machine, Killer Robots, The Lost Pyramid, Cave of Bones), entertainment (Dynasty: The Murdochs, Harry & Meghan), and investigative journalism (Britney vs Spears, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, I Am Vanessa Guillén). The company provides creative and operational infrastructure for filmmakers while maintaining relationships with major streaming platforms and networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- One Night In Idaho: The College Murders A docuseries covering the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, produced for Amazon Prime Video. Features exclusive access to figures closest to the victims.
- Give Me The Ball! A documentary about tennis legend Billie Jean King, chronicling her 39 Grand Slam victories, advocacy for equal pay and LGBTQ rights, and her landmark 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' match against Bobby Riggs. Produced for ESPN Films' 30 For 30 series.
- Dynasty: The Murdochs A four-part docuseries examining the Murdoch family's media empire, succession saga, and internal family drama. Directed by Liz Garbus for Netflix.
- Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross An unscripted travel series following actress Tracee Ellis Ross on solo trips to Morocco, Mexico, and Spain. Became Roku's most-watched unscripted series.
- Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer A docuseries about the Long Island Serial Killer case, focusing on the women who worked in the sex industry who disappeared from New York City and Long Island.
- TITAN: The OceanGate Disaster A documentary examining the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible in 2023, exploring CEO Stockton Rush's quest to become a billionaire innovator and the doomed underwater endeavor.
- Mayor Pete A documentary following Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign from announcement through his victory in the Iowa Caucus and appointment as the first LGBTQ Cabinet member in history.
- Harry & Meghan A six-episode documentary series offering an unprecedented look at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, exploring their courtship and challenges they faced with the British royal institution.
- Fauci A documentary portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci, examining his career spanning seven U.S. presidents from the AIDS pandemic through COVID-19.
- Icarus Academy Award-winning documentary that uncovered a major Olympic cheating scandal through an investigation into Russia's state-sponsored doping program.
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Emmy Award-winning documentary exploring the life of Nina Simone, examining her struggle to reconcile artistic ambition with devotion to the civil rights movement.
- Britney vs Spears A Netflix documentary exploring Britney Spears' conservatorship and her public and private search for freedom.
- Nuclear Family A three-part HBO documentary series following filmmaker Ry Russo-Young exploring the meaning of family through her own family's story of being born to two lesbian mothers.
- Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara A documentary examining a catfish scheme that targeted fans of indie rock duo Tegan and Sara over 16 years, featuring investigation by Erin Lee Carr.
- Becoming Cousteau A National Geographic documentary exploring the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau through never-before-seen footage, examining his iconic films, inventions, and environmental advocacy.
- Enigma An HBO documentary examining the divergent paths of transgender icons April Ashley and Amanda Lear, exploring disparate but intertwined legacies.
- SALLY A National Geographic documentary about Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, revealing her hidden romance with partner Tam O'Shaughnessy and the sacrifices of their 27 years together.
- Who Killed Garrett Phillips? An HBO documentary examining the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of Clarkson University soccer coach Nick Hillary.
- Love, Marilyn A documentary exploring the inner life of Marilyn Monroe through her personal papers, diaries, and letters, with performed readings by contemporary actresses.
- UNKNOWN: Cosmic Time Machine A four-part Netflix docuseries following the team behind the James Webb Telescope and exploring stories of adventure and exploration in uncharted territories.
- UNKNOWN: Killer Robots A Netflix documentary exploring the rise of AI-powered robots on the battlefield and the future of warfare where machines make their own decisions.
- UNKNOWN: The Lost Pyramid A Netflix documentary following two of the world's most famous Egyptologists seeking to unearth ancient treasures in Saqqara.
- UNKNOWN: Cave of Bones A Netflix documentary journey into the Cradle of Humankind discovering secrets buried deep within that challenge understanding of human history.
- I Am Vanessa Guillén A documentary following Vanessa Guillén's family as they lead an international movement to find her and expose corruption within the U.S. military ranks.
- All In: The Fight For Democracy An Amazon documentary examining the issue of voter suppression in the United States with Stacey Abrams providing insider perspective on barriers to voting.
- The Murders Before the Marathon A Hulu documentary examining whether solving a 1993 triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts could have prevented the Boston Marathon bombing.
- Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York An HBO four-part documentary series about the LGBTQ+ community's fight to solve a series of murders in New York City in the early 1990s.
- Number One On the Call Sheet Apple documentary in two parts celebrating Black achievement in Hollywood, focusing on Black leading women and men in the film industry.
- Love to the Max A short documentary following a Texas family's fight to stay together in the face of persecution for loving their transgender child.
- Lost Girls A narrative feature film based on Robert Kolker's 2013 nonfiction book, following Mari Gilbert's search for her missing daughter and discovery of murdered sex workers on Long Island.
- I'll Be Gone in the Dark An HBO six-part documentary series chronicling the Golden State Killer investigation and Michelle McNamara's obsessive pursuit of the case.
- Convergence: Courage in a Crisis A documentary following unsung heroes across eight countries during the COVID-19 pandemic who helped turn the tide toward a brighter future.
- Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna A Hulu documentary about the 2021 shooting on the set of Rust that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, told firsthand by people who lived it.
- Maternal Instinct A true-crime documentary about a woman pulled over by police claiming she just gave birth, with the revelation that neither the baby nor the blood were hers.
Companies that use Story Syndicate
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Story Syndicate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Story Syndicate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tomorrow StudioscoreTomorrow Studios (Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements) is co-producing So Far Gone drama series with Story Syndicate and Netflix.
- Paramount Television StudioscoreParamount Television Studios is co-producing One Night in Idaho: The College Murders Season 2 with Story Syndicate, continuing their partnership on the docuseries covering the University of Idaho murders.
- James Patterson EntertainmentcoreJames Patterson Entertainment is co-producing One Night in Idaho: The College Murders with Story Syndicate and Paramount Television Studios.
- ESPN FilmscoreESPN Films collaborated with Story Syndicate on the 30 For 30 documentary Give Me the Ball! about Billie Jean King.
- NetflixcoreNetflix is a primary distribution partner for Story Syndicate content including Dynasty: The Murdochs, Harry & Meghan, Gone Girls, TITAN: The OceanGate Disaster, and So Far Gone straight-to-series order.
- Amazon Prime VideocoreAmazon Prime Video distributes Story Syndicate productions including One Night in Idaho and Mayor Pete.
- HBOcoreHBO distributes Story Syndicate content including Nuclear Family, Who Killed Garrett Phillips?, Last Call, and Icarus (licensing).
- HulucoreHulu distributes Story Syndicate content including Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara and The Murders Before the Marathon.
- National GeographiccoreNational Geographic distributes Story Syndicate content including Becoming Cousteau, SALLY, and Fauci.
- RokucoreRoku distributes Story Syndicate's Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross, which became Roku's most-watched unscripted series.
- ApplecoreApple distributes Story Syndicate content including Number One On the Call Sheet.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Story Syndicate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Participant Media: Participant is a premium documentary and narrative production company with a similar socially conscious slate distributed across streaming platforms; both companies produce award-winning docuseries and feature docs for Netflix, Amazon, and HBO.
- Radical Media: Radical Media is a long-standing production company producing documentaries, prestige unscripted, and branded content for streamers and networks; overlapping with Story Syndicate in premium documentary and Netflix/Amazon commissions.
- World of Wonder: World of Wonder produces premium unscripted and documentary content for streamers (notably Netflix), comparable in genre mix (biographical, social-issue docs) and distribution footprint to Story Syndicate.
- Kartemquin Films: Kartemquin is an Emmy-winning documentary production company producing social-issue and biographical features for streamers and PBS, sharing Story Syndicate's award-driven, filmmaker-led production approach.
- XTR: XTR is a documentary production and streaming-distribution company producing premium nonfiction for streamers and broadcasters, with comparable distribution-oriented business model and similar platform relationships.
- Campfire Studios: Campfire is an independent documentary and scripted production company producing high-end nonfiction for streaming platforms, overlapping with Story Syndicate in genres like true crime and biographical documentary.
- Concordia Studio: Concordia Studio is a New York-based premium documentary and narrative production company with strong streamer relationships (Netflix, Apple); comparable in slate profile, founder profile, and platform distribution strategy.
- Imagine Documentaries: Imagine's documentary arm produces premium biographical and social-issue features for streamers (Netflix, Nat Geo) in the same talent-driven, award-chasing model as Story Syndicate, with comparable budgets and distribution partners.
- Duplass Brothers Productions: Duplass Brothers is an indie production company producing premium documentary and scripted content for streamers (especially Netflix/HBO), with a similar indie filmmaker-led model targeting the same platform buyers.
- Moxie Firecracker Films: Moxie Firecracker is an independent documentary production company focused on premium nonfiction for streaming platforms, with comparable production scale, award ambition, and platform-licensing business model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Story Syndicate social profiles
Digital presenceStory Syndicate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Story Syndicate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Story Syndicate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Story Syndicate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Story Syndicate
What does Story Syndicate do?
Story Syndicate is a film and television production company that develops and produces premium documentary films, docuseries, and limited scripted content for major streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, National Geographic, Roku, and Apple. The company operates as a B2B production house, licensing or co-producing content with platforms while providing filmmakers with creative and operational infrastructure.
Is Story Syndicate a public or private company?
Story Syndicate is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Story Syndicate founded?
Story Syndicate was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Story Syndicate based?
Story Syndicate is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Story Syndicate make money?
One revenue line is on record: content Production and Licensing.
Who are Story Syndicate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Participant Media, Radical Media, World of Wonder, Kartemquin Films, XTR, Campfire Studios, Concordia Studio, Imagine Documentaries, Duplass Brothers Productions and Moxie Firecracker Films.
Does Story Syndicate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Story Syndicate.
What industry is Story Syndicate in?
Story Syndicate's product category is Television and Film Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAB, Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming), with a secondary code of MPADADAD, Investigative & Journalism Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 516 and its SIC code is 7812.