The Documentary Group

What The Documentary Group does

The Documentary Group is a privately held, New York-based documentary production company founded in 2006 by the core producing team of Peter Jennings at ABC News, including co-founders Richard Robbins and Kayce Freed Jennings, alongside President Tom Yellin. The company produces premium non-fiction content spanning feature documentaries (e.g., Cartel Land, Father Soldier Son, Girl Rising, Mission Possible: The Race for a Vaccine), limited and ongoing television series (e.g., The Deep End, Amend: The Fight for America, The Age of Aerospace, Firing Line with Margaret Hoover), short-form digital content, and podcasts (Svetlana! Svetlana!), with distribution across major U.S. broadcasters and streaming platforms including PBS, Netflix, Hulu, Discovery, ABC News, MSNBC, CNN Films, Freeform, iHeartMedia, and Roku.

The underlying technology is conventional documentary filmmaking — production, editorial, and post-production workflows rather than a proprietary software platform — supported by a staff of 51-100 employees that includes dedicated roles for editorial, production, finance, and facilities management. The company has earned two Academy Award nominations and a portfolio of duPont, Peabody, Emmy, Gabriel, and Polk awards, and has placed projects in competition at Sundance, Tribeca, Telluride, Sheffield DocFest, and BAFTA.

Revenue is generated through project-based production fees and content licensing from commissioning networks and streamers — a professional services model with no disclosed pricing tiers. The company operates as a sales-led B2B business, securing production deals on a project-by-project basis. Customer concentration is concentrated among a small set of major U.S. content buyers, and there are no disclosed institutional investors, parent companies, external funding rounds, or M&A activity in the input data.

Name

The Documentary Group

Legal name

The Documentary Group

Website

https://thedocumentarygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Documentary Group is a New York-based documentary production company, founded in 2006 by former ABC News producers, that creates premium non-fiction content (features, series, podcasts, short-form) for major U.S. broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Politics & Current Affairs Documentaries (MPADADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), Historical, Biographical & Archival Documentaries (MPADADAE)

Keywords

• Documentary production services
• Non-fiction content production
• Feature documentary production
• Limited series production
• Branded content production

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Production Deals and Content Licensing: The Documentary Group generates revenue through production fees and deals with networks and streaming platforms. As a production company, they create documentary content under contract with broadcasters and streamers, receiving payment for production services and licensing of content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Documentary Group is a documentary production company that develops and produces premium non-fiction content — including feature documentaries, limited and ongoing series, documentary specials, short-form content, and podcasts — under contract with major television networks and streaming platforms. The company sells production services and licenses finished content to broadcasters and streamers such as PBS, Netflix, Hulu, Discovery, ABC News, CNN Films, MSNBC, Freeform, iHeartMedia, and Roku.

Product overview

The Documentary Group is a two-time Academy Award-nominated documentary production company founded in 2006 by former ABC News producers. The company produces a diverse portfolio of premium non-fiction content including limited and ongoing documentary series (such as The Deep End, America In Primetime, The Age of Aerospace, Amend, Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, and Invisible Killers), feature documentaries (including Cartel Land, When Lambs Become Lions, Father Soldier Son, Girl Rising, and Mission Possible), short-form documentary content (The Constitution Project, Electionland, The Spiritual Exercises), podcasts (Svetlana! Svetlana!), and digital/streaming content distributed across Netflix, Hulu, PBS, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery, CNN Films, MSNBC, Freeform, and Roku. The company has won numerous awards including duPont, Peabody, Emmy, Gabriel, and Polk awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Deep End A four-part docu-series exploring the world of one of today's most controversial spiritual teachers and her dedicated followers, filmed over three years with unprecedented access. Distributed in association with Freeform and Hulu.
• Amend: The Fight for America A six-part Netflix series created by Robe Imbriano, executive produced and hosted by Will Smith, telling stories of Americans who fought to enshrine constitutional values.
• Svetlana! Svetlana! A narrative podcast hosted by Dan Kitrosser about Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva, her defection from the Soviet Union, and her complicated life in the West. Distributed via iHeartMedia.
• Cartel Land A feature documentary by Matthew Heineman with unprecedented access to vigilante groups in Mexico and Arizona fighting drug cartels. Official selection at Sundance Film Festival and BAFTA nominee.
• When Lambs Become Lions

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• iHeartMediamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023
• HulucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021
• PBScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020
• RokumajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020
• MSNBCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018
• Fusion Media GroupmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018
• The New York TimesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018
• DiscoverycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016
• CNN FilmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016
• Discovery SciencemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016
• Vice StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016
• BoeingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016
• A&E IndieFilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015
• FreeformmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013
• 10x10minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kartemquin Films: Long-standing Chicago-based independent documentary production house (Hoop Dreams, Minding the Gap) producing award-winning non-fiction features for major U.S. distributors. Directly comparable to TDG as an independent, award-focused doc producer serving networks/streamers via project commissions.
• XTR: Independent documentary production and distribution company whose slate spans feature documentaries for major streamers. Comparable to TDG in independent B2B documentary production model and focus on premium feature docs for networks and streaming platforms.
• Sandbox Films: Independent non-fiction production company focused on science- and ideas-driven documentary features and series for major streamers (Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+). Comparable to TDG in B2B production model, premium feature/series output, and top-streamer buyer base.
• Participant: Independent production company historically focused on impact-driven documentaries (An Inconvenient Truth, American Factory, CITI) distributed through major networks and streamers. Directly comparable to TDG as a feature-doc-driven B2B production company serving premium U.S. distributors with award-grade non-fiction output.
• Actual Films: Independent documentary production company producing premium feature documentaries and series for major networks/streamers, frequently with award nominations. Comparable to TDG in independent B2B operating model, prestige positioning, and reliance on major-streamer commissions.
• Imagine Documentaries: Documentary division of Imagine Entertainment producing premium feature-length documentaries and docuseries for streamers and premium networks. Comparable to TDG in target customers (Netflix, Disney+, Discovery+), prestige-documentary positioning, and project-based commission model.
• Concordia Studio: NY-based independent production company founded by Liz Garbus producing premium long-form documentaries and series for major streamers (e.g., Becoming for Netflix), often in partnership with The New York Times. Directly comparable to TDG in B2B operating model, project-based revenue, New York footprint, premium non-fiction focus, and top-streamer client base.
• Moxie Firecracker Films: Independent documentary production company producing award-winning feature documentaries and series (Fed Up, The Invisible War) distributed across premium networks and streamers. Directly comparable to TDG as an independent producer of long-form non-fiction for major U.S. distributors.

Broad incumbents

• A24: Major independent film and television entity with an established documentary division (Moonlight's producing arm also funds non-fiction). Comparable to TDG as a producer/distributor of premium documentaries for major streamers, but materially larger and more diversified across scripted film/TV — i.e., a broader incumbent rather than a doc-only specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/220440404642
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedocumentarygroup
• Xx.com/Doc_Group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-documentary-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 The Documentary Group