Storied Media Group

What Storied Media Group does

Storied Media Group (SMG) is a privately held, for-profit entertainment services company headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 2013, the firm self-positions as "Hollywood's leader in packaging, developing, and selling nonfiction intellectual property." Its functional role sits at the intersection of literary representation, producer representation, and studio sales specifically for the nonfiction segment (documentary, docuseries, biopic, true-crime, journalism-derived, and similar fact-based formats), as distinct from the broader fiction packaging and talent agency categories dominated by larger legacy firms. The company operates with a headcount in the 11-50 range, consistent with a boutique, deal-driven studio services operation rather than a scaled platform.

The core product is intellectual property itself: optioned or controlled nonfiction underlying rights, shaped into development-ready packages (typically combining rights, a writer/showrunner, a director or producer attachment, and a pitch deck) and sold to studio, network, and streaming buyers. The underlying "technology" in this context is the firm's editorial and relational infrastructure — its pipeline of author/journalist/filmmaker relationships, its track record of closed deals, and its internal development capacity to turn raw nonfiction material into a market-ready package. No proprietary software, data product, or technology platform is disclosed in the available materials; the value creation mechanism is curatorial and transactional rather than technological.

The business model is commission- and fee-driven on closed IP transactions: revenue is generated when a packaged nonfiction project is sold to a buyer, typically through a packaging/agency fee, producer fee, or backend participation in the underlying rights. Customer segments are concentrated among Hollywood buyers (studios, premium streamers, networks, and select international co-producers), while the supply side consists of nonfiction rights holders including authors, journalists, estates, and documentary producers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the firm's own materials do not articulate a standardized pricing structure, which is consistent with deal-by-deal negotiation. As a private company with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures, the firm's capitalization structure and ownership remain undisclosed.

Name

Storied Media Group

Website

https://storiedmediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Storied Media Group is a Santa Monica-based, privately held entertainment services firm founded in 2013 that packages, develops, and sells nonfiction intellectual property to Hollywood studios, streamers, and networks, operating with 11-50 employees as a boutique deal-driven business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment IP Packaging & Sales

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments) (MPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Nonfiction IP packaging
• Entertainment rights sales
• Literary adaptation services
• Hollywood film packaging
• IP development for studios

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Core offering

Storied Media Group (SMG) packages, develops, and sells nonfiction intellectual property for adaptation into film, television, and streaming projects. The company represents nonfiction rights, develops underlying material into production-ready projects, and brokers these packages to buyers in the entertainment industry. Its role spans acquisition of underlying IP, development of projects, and sale/licensing of those projects to production buyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Broad incumbents

• Imagine Entertainment: Major Hollywood production company with a dedicated documentary and nonfiction arm. Comparable to SMG because it packages, develops, and sells nonfiction IP to studios and streamers, though at a significantly larger scale and broader film/TV portfolio.
• A24: Independent entertainment company with a strong documentary and prestige nonfiction slate. Comparable in the nonfiction development/sales space, though A24 operates at greater scale and with a much wider scripted and distribution footprint.

Direct peers

• Participant Media: Los Angeles-based media company that finances, produces, and distributes socially relevant documentary and nonfiction content. Directly comparable to SMG's mission of developing and selling nonfiction IP to top-tier distribution partners.
• XTR: Documentary-focused production and streaming company that develops, finances, and distributes nonfiction feature films. Closely aligned with SMG's nonfiction IP packaging and sales role, though XTR also operates a consumer streaming platform.
• Vice Studios: Vice's production arm develops and sells nonfiction content — feature docs, series, and branded programming — to streamers and networks. Operates in the same nonfiction IP development and sales value chain as SMG.
• Submarine Entertainment: Independent documentary sales agent and producer that represents and sells nonfiction titles to global buyers. Directly comparable to SMG's role as intermediary packaging and selling nonfiction IP.
• Dogwoof: Leading UK/US documentary sales, distribution, and production company. Comparable to SMG because it actively packages, acquires, and sells nonfiction titles to streamers, broadcasters, and theatrical buyers.

Emerging players

• Passionflix: Vertically integrated nonfiction/lifestyle content company that develops, produces, and distributes its own IP. Comparable to SMG as a nonfiction-focused developer and seller, though narrower in genre and self-distributing.
• Kartemquin Films: Long-standing Chicago-based documentary producer known for developing and packaging award-winning nonfiction IP. Comparable in the nonfiction development role, though nonprofit-structured and operating at a smaller scale than SMG.
• 30WEST: Independent film and documentary production/finance company that develops, packages, and sells nonfiction and narrative IP. Comparable to SMG in packaging and selling nonfiction rights to top-tier buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/storied_media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Storied Media Group