Lucky 8 TV
Lucky 8 TV is an independent unscripted television production company founded in 2013 that develops and produces docuseries and feature documentaries across crime, food, science, and wildlife genres for tier-1 buyers including Netflix, A&E, History, and National Geographic.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lucky 8 TV does
Lucky 8 TV is an independent unscripted television production company founded in 2013 by Kim Woodard, Greg Henry, George Kralovansky, and Isaac Holub. The company produces series and feature documentaries across multiple genres — including crime/incarceration, food, science, wildlife, and history — for distribution to tier-1 broadcast, cable, and streaming buyers. Flagship franchises include 60 Days In (A&E, the network's top-rated program airing in 100+ territories), Unlocked: A Jail Experiment (Netflix), The Food That Built America (History), Marines (Netflix), and the Emmy-nominated Jane Goodall: The Hope (National Geographic). The company maintains a slate of more than 25 active series spanning roughly 15 networks and streamers, with operations centered in Stamford, CT (headquarters) and New York City, employing 51-100 people. A subsidiary brand, Learning Tree Productions, serves as a production arm focused on docuseries content.
The business model is B2B project-based content licensing and production services. Lucky 8 sells unscripted concepts and completed series to networks and streamers under production deals, commissioning fees, and licensing arrangements; pricing is negotiated per-project and not publicly disclosed. The company has no proprietary technology platform — its offering is creative development, production execution, and the institutional relationships that secure commissions. Go-to-market is sales-led: the company pitches concepts directly to network and streaming programming executives, using its track record of hits as proof-of-concept to win series orders and renewals.
Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the company operates as a privately held firm with no disclosed institutional investors or parent ownership. Senior leadership has been augmented over time by experienced unscripted industry executives, including an overall deal with veteran producer Jason Bolicki (who returned to Lucky 8 after running his own banner Exit Four) and a VP hire (Jessica Winchell Morsa). Marketing and visibility are maintained through the corporate website, press coverage in trade publications (Variety, Deadline, IndieWire, RealScreen, Entertainment Weekly), and presence at industry events including a Realscreen Trailblazers recognition.
Lucky 8 TV firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lucky 8 TV
- Legal name
- Lucky 8 TV
- Website
- https://lucky8.tv
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Lucky 8 TV is an independent unscripted television production company founded in 2013 that develops and produces docuseries and feature documentaries across crime, food, science, and wildlife genres for tier-1 buyers including Netflix, A&E, History, and National Geographic.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lucky 8 TV industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Television Production Services
- NAICS
- Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)
Keywords
Where Lucky 8 TV is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Lucky 8 TV business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Content Production and Licensing: Lucky 8 TV produces unscripted series and feature documentaries for networks and streaming platforms. Revenue is generated through production deals, licensing fees, and commissions paid by networks in exchange for original content. The company creates series across multiple genres including crime, food, science, and wildlife for clients such as Netflix, A&E, History, and National Geographic.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels3 records
Lucky 8 TV product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lucky 8 TV produces original unscripted television series and feature documentaries on commission and for license to major TV networks and streaming platforms. Content spans multiple genres including crime/true crime, food, science, wildlife, and history, with clients such as Netflix, A&E, History, National Geographic, PBS, Food Network, and Discovery.
Product overview
Lucky 8 TV is an unscripted television production company that creates series and feature documentaries across multiple genres including crime/true crime, food, science, wildlife, and history. It operates as a single unified production company rather than a platform with modules. The company's product portfolio consists of distinct TV series and documentary films distributed across major streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime) and cable/broadcast networks (A&E, HISTORY Channel, National Geographic, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, Science Channel, Bravo, MTV, Discovery+, Oprah Network, PBS, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel). Key productions include 'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' (Netflix), '60 Days In' (A&E), 'The Food That Built America' (HISTORY), and 'Jane Goodall: The Hope' (NatGeo).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Unlocked: A Jail Experiment
Quantifiable outcome
- 60 Days In became the top-rated program on A&E and airs in 100+ territories
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lucky 8 TV
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Lucky 8 TV technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lucky 8 TV partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NetflixcoreNetflix serves as Lucky 8 TV's primary streaming platform customer, licensing original content including the Netflix hit Unlocked: A Jail Experiment and feature documentaries. This is a content licensing and distribution relationship where Lucky 8 produces content exclusively or primarily for Netflix distribution.
- A&E NetworkcoreA&E is a long-standing distribution partner for Lucky 8 TV's docuseries including the hit show 60 Days In and Booked: First Day In. This represents a multi-series, multi-season partnership.
- The HISTORY ChannelcoreHistory Channel distributes Lucky 8's documentary series including The Food that Built America and The Mega-Brands That Built America.
- National GeographiccoreNational Geographic distributes Lucky 8's documentary content including To Catch A Smuggler, Jane Goodall: The Hope (Emmy-nominated), and Storm Rising.
- PBSminorPBS distributes Lucky 8 feature documentaries including Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons.
- Food NetworkminorFood Network distributes Lucky 8's food-related programming including Kids BBQ Championship.
- Discovery / Discovery+coreDiscovery networks (including Discovery+) distribute Lucky 8 content across multiple shows including Baby Drivers, Dark Waters, Secrets of the Underground, and others.
- ShowtimeminorShowtime distributed the acclaimed documentary Bronx Obama produced by Lucky 8.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lucky 8 TV competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Magical Elves: Independent unscripted production company behind Top Chef, Nailed It!, and The Real World. Closely comparable to Lucky 8 in scale, multi-genre portfolio, and A-list network/streamer buyer relationships.
- Leftfield Pictures: Independent unscripted producer of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, Marriage Boot Camp, and other reality hits. Direct comparable in genre mix, production scale, and buyer relationships (Discovery, TLC, Netflix).
- Sharp Entertainment: Independent unscripted production company producing Ink Master, 90 Day Fiancé spin-offs, and numerous Discovery/Netflix projects. Closely aligned with Lucky 8 in crime/lifestyle genre focus and buyer relationships.
- 44 Blue Productions: Independent unscripted producer of Locked Up Abroad, Wahlburgers, and other cable/streamer hits. Strong comparable in the crime/exploration genre overlap with Lucky 8's incarceration and NatGeo-adjacent content.
- World of Wonder: Independent unscripted producer behind RuPaul's Drag Race, Million Dollar Listing, and other cable/streaming franchises. Comparable as a prolific, independently owned unscripted house with diverse buyer relationships.
- Renegade 83: Independent unscripted producer of The Amazing Race (US) and other competition/reality formats. Direct comparable in the cable unscripted production space with multiple network buyers.
- Industrial Media: Independent unscripted and documentary production company (formerly Industrial Entertainment) producing American Monster, Selena + Chef, and various Netflix/Discovery projects. Comparable mid-sized independent with cross-format capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Fremantle: Global unscripted production powerhouse (American Idol, X Factor, Got Talent). Represents the large incumbent against which Lucky 8 competes for commissions and top talent, with vastly greater scale and capital.
- Banijay: Global super-indie (Big Brother, Survivor, MasterChef) following its acquisition of Endemol Shine. Represents the consolidated, well-capitalized competitive threat to mid-sized US independents like Lucky 8.
- All3Media America: US arm of All3Media (Undercover Boss, The Circle, Gogglebox). Broad incumbent in the unscripted space with portfolio scale and international distribution capability that exceeds Lucky 8's footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lucky 8 TV social profiles
Digital presenceLucky 8 TV financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lucky 8 TV leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Lucky 8 TV subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Lucky 8 TV funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lucky 8 TV 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 Lucky 8 TV
What does Lucky 8 TV do?
Lucky 8 TV produces original unscripted television series and feature documentaries on commission and for license to major TV networks and streaming platforms. Content spans multiple genres including crime/true crime, food, science, wildlife, and history, with clients such as Netflix, A&E, History, National Geographic, PBS, Food Network, and Discovery.
Is Lucky 8 TV a public or private company?
Lucky 8 TV is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lucky 8 TV founded?
Lucky 8 TV was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Lucky 8 TV based?
Lucky 8 TV is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lucky 8 TV make money?
One revenue line is on record: content Production and Licensing.
Who are Lucky 8 TV's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Magical Elves, Leftfield Pictures, Sharp Entertainment, 44 Blue Productions, World of Wonder, Renegade 83 and Industrial Media. Broad incumbents are Fremantle, Banijay and All3Media America.
Does Lucky 8 TV have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lucky 8 TV.
What industry is Lucky 8 TV in?
Lucky 8 TV's product category is Television Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADABAC, Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action). Its NAICS code is 713 and its SIC code is 7990.