Show of Force
Show of Force is a New York-based documentary and transmedia production company founded in 2006 that creates award-winning feature films, docuseries for PBS/HBO/CNN, and social-impact campaigns for foundations and NGOs such as USAID and the World Bank.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Show of Force does
Show of Force is a privately held New York-based documentary and television production company founded in 2006 by veteran producers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre. The company produces feature-length documentaries, event television series, and transmedia social-impact projects, primarily commissioned by US broadcast networks (PBS, HBO, CNN), and increasingly distributed through streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play). Notable productions include the Emmy-winning Carrier (PBS, 2008), Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (HBO, 2012 Peabody and Emmy winner), Half the Sky and A Path Appears (PBS, transmedia gender-equality series with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn reaching 40M+ people), Soundbreaking (PBS, 8-hour music series with Sir George Martin), and Soundtracks (CNN, 8-hour music series with Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions).
The company's core technical differentiator is a transmedia social-impact platform that bundles long-form documentary content with social media campaigns, mobile games (developed with Games for Change), and a 2,100+ Campus and Community Ambassador network for grassroots activations. The Social Good division — operating as a distinct sub-brand — provides campaign strategy, measurement, and evaluation services to foundation and NGO partners including USAID, Intel, the World Bank, and Room to Read, with documented outcomes such as a 13% shift in parental attitudes toward girls' education in a Kenya field study.
Show of Force operates without disclosed external funding or acquisition history, generating revenue through broadcast production commissions, grant-funded campaign projects, streaming licensing, and brand partnerships. The 11-50 employee company sources revenue from three distinct buyer types: television networks seeking premium documentary content, foundations and NGOs seeking integrated media campaigns to drive behavioral change, and streaming platforms seeking award-credentialed library content. International distribution is handled through FremantleMedia, reaching 150+ television markets.
Show of Force firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Show of Force
- Legal name
- Show of Force LLC
- Website
- https://showofforce.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Show of Force is a New York-based documentary and transmedia production company founded in 2006 that creates award-winning feature films, docuseries for PBS/HBO/CNN, and social-impact campaigns for foundations and NGOs such as USAID and the World Bank.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Show of Force industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Documentary and Television Production Services
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK), Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD), Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)
Keywords
Where Show of Force is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Show of Force business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Broadcast Production Deals: Production and licensing deals with major television networks including PBS, HBO, CNN, and international broadcasters for documentary series and feature films.
- Foundation and NGO Funding: Grant funding and partnerships with organizations such as USAID, World Bank, and Intel for social good campaigns and transmedia development initiatives.
- Streaming and Digital Distribution: Licensing content to streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, iTunes, Google Play, and international distributors.
- Social Impact Games: Mobile and social media games that generate engagement and donations for NGO partners, including the Half the Sky Movement game.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Show of Force product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Show of Force is a media production company that creates award-winning feature documentaries and multi-part event television series for networks including PBS, HBO, and CNN. The company also develops transmedia projects that extend documentary content across social media, mobile games, and community ambassador programs, through a dedicated Social Good division serving foundations, NGOs, and corporate social responsibility partners.
Product overview
Show of Force is a media production company founded in 2006 that creates award-winning feature documentaries, event television series, and transmedia projects. Their portfolio includes major documentary series such as Soundbreaking (8-hour PBS music series with Sir George Martin), Soundtracks (8-part CNN series with Dwayne Johnson), Half the Sky and A Path Appears (PBS documentary series with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn), Carrier (10-hour Emmy-winning PBS series), and Circus (6-part PBS series). They also produce individual documentary films including Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (HBO), Mann v. Ford (HBO), and Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace. Their Social Good division creates transmedia campaigns including the Half the Sky Movement, Global Engagement Initiative with USAID, We The Voters civic campaign, and various gender equality campaigns (Frame Her Right, Wezesha Dada, WEvolve). The company also develops mobile games and social media campaigns to drive engagement on social justice issues.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music An eight-part PBS documentary series exploring the nexus of cutting-edge technology and human artistry in recorded music, featuring over 160 interviews with recording artists and producers; produced in association with Sir George Martin.
- Soundtracks: Songs That Made History An eight-part, hour-long CNN Original Series exploring the music tied to pivotal moments in history from the March on Washington to the Stonewall riots; produced in partnership with Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions.
- Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide A four-hour PBS documentary series featuring Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn with celebrity advocates exploring viable options for empowering women and girls globally; filmed in ten countries.
- A Path Appears A three-part PBS documentary series and transmedia project expanding beyond women's rights to tackle domestic inequality, lack of opportunity, and male inclusion in gender equality; features Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, and actor advocates.
- Carrier An Emmy Award-winning ten-hour PBS documentary series documenting a six-month naval deployment aboard the USS Nimitz to the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War; led by eighteen filmmakers.
- Circus A six-part PBS series following the Big Apple Circus over an entire season, exploring the circus company's people and shared humanity.
- Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present A feature documentary for HBO following performance artist Marina Abramovic preparing for her major retrospective at MoMA; won Peabody and Emmy awards.
- Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace An award-winning short film documenting painter Kehinde Wiley creating portraits of African-American women in collaboration with the Givenchy fashion house; won SXSW Jury Prize.
- Mann v. Ford A feature documentary for HBO revealing how a New Jersey community was poisoned by Ford Motor Company's environmental irresponsibility; follows a Ramapough tribe's lawsuit.
- Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children A five-part HBO docuseries about the Atlanta child murders between 1979 and 1981, telling the inside story forty years later with exclusive archival footage and unseen court documents.
- Hostages A four-part HBO documentary series about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis; winner of the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary.
- Never Let Him Go A four-part documentary series for Hulu investigating the 1988 death of Scott Johnson in Sydney, Australia, and his brother Steve's 35-year quest for justice.
- Where Is Private Dulaney? A documentary series examining the 1979 disappearance of Private Leroy Dulaney from Camp Lejeune; distributed via Hulu.
- This is a Film About The Black Keys A feature documentary tracing Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney's journey from two neighborhood kids jamming in a basement in Akron, Ohio, to rock super-stardom.
- Wezesha Dada A campaign in Kenya using storytelling to share inspiring stories of women and men bringing positive change to women's lives, including national media partnerships for weekly gender-issue coverage.
- WEvolve A global initiative in partnership with the World Bank to empower young women and men to challenge societal norms that lead to gender-based violence; reached nearly 4 million people via social media.
- Global Engagement Initiative A multi-year transmedia initiative implemented in partnership with USAID and Intel to promote gender equality in India and Kenya, including social impact games, short videos, and educational mobile games.
- We The Voters A digital and social impact campaign with 20 viral films that demystifies U.S. politics and empowers voters; created in collaboration with Vulcan Productions.
- Frame Her Right A campaign in India using storytelling through media platforms to highlight gender disparities in Bollywood films and demand that the Censor Board warn audiences about violence against women.
- Show of Force: Social Good A division of Show of Force that creates media and mobile tools to educate and empower people to take action on social justice issues, with services including strategy, measurement, and evaluation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40 million+ people reached through combined broadcast and multi-platform initiatives
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Show of Force
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Show of Force technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Show of Force partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.
- CNNcoreBroadcast partner for Soundtracks: Songs That Made History series. CNN serves as the home for Show of Force's music history documentary series.
- Seven Bucks Productions (Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia)flagshipProduction partnership with Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions for Soundtracks series exploring music tied to pivotal historical moments. This partnership brings high-profile talent and production resources to Show of Force projects.
- Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunncorePulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists and authors who co-created Half the Sky and A Path Appears with Show of Force, serving as the intellectual foundation and on-screen talent for these landmark documentary series and transmedia initiatives.
- PBScorePrimary broadcast partner for documentary series including Half the Sky, A Path Appears, Carrier, Circus, and Soundbreaking. PBS serves as the primary broadcast home for Show of Force content.
- HBOcoreBroadcast partner for feature documentaries including Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present and Mann v. Ford. HBO provides premium distribution for Show of Force's feature-length documentary projects.
- Sir George MartincoreLegendary Beatles producer who served as producer and creative partner for Soundbreaking series. This was Sir George Martin's final project before his passing.
- FremantleMediacoreInternational distribution partner for Half the Sky series, enabling global broadcast in over 150 television markets worldwide.
- Games for ChangemajorDevelopment partner for Half the Sky Movement: The Game, a social impact mobile game with over 1.1 million players that drives education and fundraising for women's issues.
- Third Sector CommunicationsminorIndia-based partner organization for Frame Her Right campaign, working to challenge acceptance of violence against women in Bollywood films.
- Icon ProductionsmajorProduction partner for Carrier documentary series, a ten-hour documentary following a naval deployment to the Persian Gulf.
- ITVSmajorPartner for community cinema programs and public media distribution, enabling local screenings through Campus and Community Ambassadors.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Show of Force competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- XTR: XTR is a documentary production and distribution studio that produces and releases premium nonfiction work directly to streaming platforms. It is comparable to Show of Force because both operate as dedicated documentary studios with streamer-friendly output and a focus on socially resonant nonfiction.
- Kunhardt Films: Kunhardt Films is a documentary production outfit spun out of the Kunhardt family that produces premium nonfiction features and series with broadcast and streaming distribution. It is comparable to Show of Force as a similar-sized, founder-driven social-issue documentary producer working with networks and streamers.
- Kartemquin Films: Kartemquin is a long-standing Chicago-based independent documentary production house behind Hoop Dreams and other acclaimed social-issue docs. It is comparable to Show of Force as a similarly sized independent documentary producer focused on social issues with PBS/streaming distribution and foundation support.
- Vulcan Productions: Vulcan Productions (the late Paul Allen's film arm) produces premium documentaries and social impact campaigns, including Show of Force's collaboration on We The Voters. It is comparable as a mission-driven documentary producer that partners with Show of Force and competes for similar network commissions and foundation funding.
- Participant Media: Participant is a leading independent documentary and feature film production company historically led by Jeff Skoll that produces socially relevant nonfiction and scripted content. It is comparable to Show of Force because both produce premium documentary content with explicit social impact missions, secure top-tier broadcast/streamer distribution, and partner with foundations and CSR-funded initiatives.
- Actual Films: Actual Films is a documentary production company focused on social justice and human rights content with major network distribution. It is directly comparable to Show of Force in subject matter (gender, rights, migration), partner profile (PBS/HBO-style broadcasters and NGOs), and production scale.
- Impact Partners: Impact Partners is a film finance and production company that supports socially relevant documentaries and feature films through equity and grant funding. It is comparable to Show of Force because both blend premium documentary production with foundation/impact capital and pursue similar broadcast and streaming distribution relationships.
- Concordia Studio: Concordia Studio (founded by Laurene Powell Jobs) is a documentary-focused production company behind award-winning features and series including the Oscar-winning American Factory. It is directly comparable to Show of Force in scale, premium-project focus, and the marriage of documentary production with measurable social impact.
Regional players
- Dogwoof: Dogwoof is a leading UK- and US-based documentary sales agent and distributor specializing in theatrical and streaming release of premium documentaries. It is relevant as an ecosystem participant that brings comparable nonfiction titles to streaming and international buyers in competition with Show of Force's distribution pipeline.
Broad incumbents
- PBS (WGBH/ITVS): PBS (and key station WGBH and ITVS as commissioning arms) is Show of Force's primary broadcast client, commissioning premium documentaries for over a decade. It is included as a BROAD_INCUMBENT because, while not a peer producer, PBS defines the market and commissioning economics in which Show of Force operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Show of Force social profiles
Digital presenceShow of Force financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Show of Force leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Show of Force funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Show of Force 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 Show of Force
What does Show of Force do?
Show of Force is a media production company that creates award-winning feature documentaries and multi-part event television series for networks including PBS, HBO, and CNN. The company also develops transmedia projects that extend documentary content across social media, mobile games, and community ambassador programs, through a dedicated Social Good division serving foundations, NGOs, and corporate social responsibility partners.
Is Show of Force a public or private company?
Show of Force is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Show of Force founded?
Show of Force was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Show of Force based?
Show of Force is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Show of Force make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Broadcast Production Deals are the primary driver. The others are foundation and NGO Funding, streaming and Digital Distribution and social Impact Games.
Who are Show of Force's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are XTR, Kunhardt Films, Kartemquin Films, Vulcan Productions, Participant Media, Actual Films, Impact Partners and Concordia Studio. Dogwoof is listed as a regional player. PBS (WGBH/ITVS) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Show of Force have an API?
No public API is recorded for Show of Force.
What industry is Show of Force in?
Show of Force's product category is Documentary and Television Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAG, Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries, with a secondary code of MPADADAK, Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.