Loki Films
Loki Films is a Brooklyn-based independent documentary and narrative film production company co-owned by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, producing award-winning feature documentaries, docuseries, and short-form content distributed through HBO, Netflix, Showtime, PBS, and other major platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Loki Films does
Loki Films is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent documentary and narrative film production company co-owned and operated by filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The company produces feature-length documentaries, docuseries, television documentaries, and short-form content, with a thematic focus on social issues, religion, criminal justice, immigration, disability, and press freedom. Distribution partners across its history include HBO, Netflix, Showtime, PBS, A&E, MTV, CNN, ESPN, Sony Pictures Classics, and the New York Times Op-Docs platform; co-funding partners include the Ford Foundation, ITVS, Impact Partners, and Vulcan Productions.
The company's core product is content — each project is a separately financed, produced, and licensed work, with revenue mechanics driven by distribution advances, license fees from broadcasters and streamers, festival premiere economics, theatrical box office (rare), and limited branded work. The firm operates a project-based revenue model rather than a recurring SaaS or subscription model, with deal sizes for individual features typically in the low single-digit millions of dollars of production budget. Production technology is conventional (cinéma vérité cinematography, standard post-production), and the company holds no disclosed patents, proprietary software, or AI/ML capabilities.
Loki Films is privately held by its two founders, with no disclosed external institutional investors, parent entities, acquisitions, or funding rounds. The organization operates from a single Brooklyn headquarters with a headcount in the 11-50 range, working alongside a rotating bench of film co-producers, co-funding partners, and broadcasters. Its principal assets are the founders' creative reputation, a multi-decade content library, and the broadcast/streaming distribution relationships accumulated through that work.
Loki Films firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Loki Films
- Legal name
- Loki Films
- Website
- https://lokifilms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Loki Films is a Brooklyn-based independent documentary and narrative film production company co-owned by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, producing award-winning feature documentaries, docuseries, and short-form content distributed through HBO, Netflix, Showtime, PBS, and other major platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Loki Films industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Documentary Film Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)
Keywords
Where Loki Films is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Loki Films business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Loki Films product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Loki Films produces documentary feature films, narrative features, docuseries, television documentaries, and short-form content. The company co-creates award-winning projects commissioned by and distributed through major broadcast networks and streaming platforms including HBO, Netflix, Showtime, PBS, MTV, CNN, A&E, and ESPN, with co-production funding support from foundations such as ITVS, Impact Partners, Ford Foundation, and Vulcan Productions.
Product overview
Loki Films is a documentary and narrative film production company based in Brooklyn, New York, co-owned by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The company operates as a single unified production studio producing documentary films, docuseries, television documentaries, and short-form content. Their portfolio includes feature-length documentaries (such as the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp, Emmy-winning Detropia and The Boys of Baraka), narrative features (I Carry You With Me), docuseries (Love Fraud, Mind/Trip), and a wide range of short-form content including NY Times Op-Docs, CNN Heroes tributes, and branded content. The company produces content for major broadcast and streaming platforms including HBO, Netflix, Showtime, MTV, PBS, ESPN, and A&E.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Folktales Documentary following three teenagers who enroll in a traditional folk high school in northern Norway, learning to rely on themselves and sled dogs as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
- Quad Gods Feature-length documentary following three New Yorkers with quadriplegia who create the world's first all-quadriplegic Esports team at Mount Sinai Hospital, navigating disability and pursuing athletic competition.
- Endangered Intimate chronicle following four journalists from Brazil, Mexico, the UK, and Florida who face threats to press freedom and personal safety while reporting amidst misinformation.
- Jesus Camp Academy Award-nominated documentary following children at a Christian summer camp in North Dakota being trained to become politically active in America's religious right movement.
- One of Us Documentary following three individuals attempting to leave New York's Hasidic Jewish community, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the cost of breaking away.
- Detropia Emmy-winning documentary depicting Detroit's economic collapse through vivid imagery, following residents as they navigate post-industrial decline.
- 12th & Delaware Peabody Award-winning HBO documentary examining the abortion debate through the lens of an abortion clinic and pro-life organization located across the street from each other.
- Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You Documentary chronicling television legend Norman Lear's life, work, and influence through his groundbreaking 1970s sitcoms including All In the Family and Maude.
- I Carry You With Me Heidi Ewing's narrative debut following two men from Mexico whose relationship propels them on a journey to New York City, blending personal love story with immigration narrative.
- The Boys of Baraka Emmy and NAACP Image Award-winning documentary following 20 at-risk boys from Baltimore sent to an experimental boarding school in Kenya.
- Baby God Documentary directed by Hannah Olson about Dr. Quincy Fortier who covertly used his own sperm to inseminate fertility patients for over 30 years; distributed by Netflix.
- Mad Justice Documentary following parole officer Michael Lesser as he oversees ex-inmates with mental illness attempting to reintegrate into society.
- Dissident: Oswaldo Paya and the Varela Project Documentary examining Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya and his Varela Project civic movement calling for democratic reforms through a national referendum.
- Public Defenders A&E documentary series following public defenders in New York City's criminal court system, examining the challenges of defending those who cannot afford legal representation.
- Ward 2-West Documentary providing unprecedented access to New York's Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, exploring the insanity plea defense through the story of one patient.
- Mind/Trip Eight-part original series examining psychological disorders including OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder through innovative graphic technology and sound design.
- Love Fraud Showtime docuseries following women who were victims of a romance scammer and their pursuit of justice with a bounty hunter.
- The Carman Family Deaths Documentary exploring mysteries surrounding Nathan Carman, who survived a week on a life raft after his mother's death at sea, and the investigation into his grandfather's murder.
- Shorts and Commercials Collection of short documentary films including NY Times Op-Docs, CNN Heroes tributes, Stand Up 2 Cancer segments, MTV True Life episodes, and branded content for various clients.
- Call Your Mother Documentary exploring the complex relationships between comedians and their mothers, featuring interviews with Louie Anderson, Tig Notaro, Jim Gaffigan, Awkwafina, and others.
Quantifiable outcome
- Academy Award nomination for Jesus Camp documentary
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Loki Films
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Loki Films technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Loki Films partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- HBOcoreMajor distribution partner for documentaries including Endangered, 12th & Delaware, The Education of Mohammad Hussein, and co-directing a film on the silencing of journalists worldwide. HBO distributes Loki Films content to its subscribers on both linear television and HBO Max streaming platform.
- NetflixcoreStreaming distribution partner for One of Us, Dogs: The Kid With a Dog, and Baby God. Netflix provides global streaming distribution for Loki Films documentary content.
- ShowtimecoreDistribution partner for Love Fraud docuseries, which premiered at Sundance 2020 opening night. Showtime provides broadcast and streaming distribution.
- PBScoreDistribution partner for Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (American Masters series) and Detropia. PBS provides public broadcasting distribution reach.
- MTVmajorPartner for True Life series, I'm a Boxer in Detroit, True Life: Saudi Arabia, and Detroit Hustles Harder web campaign. MTV distributes documentary content to its youth-focused audience.
- The New York TimesmajorPartner for NY Times Op-Docs series producing short opinionated documentaries including Dismantling Detroit, The Public Square, and Not Dead Yet. Content appears in the Times' digital platform.
- A&E NetworkmajorPartner for Inside Scientology, The Lord's Bootcamp (48 Hours collaboration), Ward 2-West, and Public Defenders (Investigative Reports series). A&E provides broadcast distribution.
- Sony Pictures ClassicscoreReleased I Carry You With Me theatrically and on home video. Sony Pictures Classics provided theatrical distribution and marketing for this narrative feature.
- CNNmajorPartner for CNN Heroes tribute series producing segments on various humanitarian heroes. CNN distributes short documentary content to its global news audience.
- ESPNmajorPartner for Nine for IX: Branded documentary exploring the double standard placed on female athletes. Part of ESPN's series of documentaries about women's sports.
- The Ford FoundationmajorCollaboration partner on Detropia documentary. The Ford Foundation provides funding and support for social issue documentaries.
- ITVSmajorCo-production partner on Detropia. ITVS (Independent Television Service) provides funding and support for independent public media content.
- Impact PartnersmajorCollaboration partner on Detropia. Impact Partners is a documentary film fund supporting social issue films.
- Vulcan ProductionsmajorPartnership with Vulcan Productions on We The Economy: The Foreign Aid Paradox. Paul Allen's production company focuses on issue-based documentary content.
- American ExpressminorProduced A Dream Preferred in association with American Express as part of a celebration of small businesses and entrepreneurs series (Tribeca Digital Studios).
- Magnolia FilmsmajorJesus Camp was a Magnolia Films/A&E Indie release. Magnolia provides theatrical distribution for independent documentaries.
- WIRED StudiosmajorExecutive producers Helen Estabrook, Sarah Amos, and Andrew Whitney from WIRED Studios for The Carman Family Deaths documentary. WIRED Studios provides production support and distribution.
- Mount Sinai HospitalmajorQuad Gods follows quadriplegic individuals who meet at Mount Sinai Hospital's neuro-rehabilitation lab and create the world's first all-quadriplegic Esports team.
- Committee to Protect JournalistsmajorFeatured in Endangered documentary to contextualize the urgency of journalist safety and press freedom issues worldwide.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Loki Films competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Actual Films: Independent documentary production company led by Liz Garbus, producing prestige features and docuseries for the same HBO, Netflix, Showtime client roster as Loki Films (e.g., Becoming, At the Ready, Love, Marilyn). Closely comparable in scale, output quality, and distributor relationships.
- Jigsaw Productions: Alex Gibney's New York-based documentary and narrative production company producing high-prestige nonfiction for HBO, Netflix, and Showtime (e.g., Going Clear, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Looming Tower). Highly comparable independent doc shop with similar award pedigree.
- Kartemquin Films: Iconic Chicago-based independent documentary studio (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters, Minding the Gap) producing issue-driven non-fiction for major U.S. broadcasters and streamers. Comparable in mission, founder-led operation, and long-running relationships with PBS and public-media partners.
- Concordia Studio: Independent documentary studio behind Attica, Riotsville, U.S.A., and Stay Prayed Up, distributing across Showtime, Netflix, and festivals. Directly comparable independent doc shop pursuing similar festival/awards strategy and impact-financing partnerships.
- Sandbox Films: Independent documentary studio producing science, society, and culture features with festival and streamer distribution (Fire of Love, Particle Fever). Comparable boutique indie documentary producer pursuing similar awards and theatrical pathways.
Broad incumbents
- Participant Media: Large, impact-driven media company producing documentary and narrative films (An Inconvenient Truth, CITIZENFOUR, Roma) with deep relationships across Netflix, HBO, and theatrical distributors. Operates at a much larger scale but competes for the same issue-led, awards-track documentary deals that anchor Loki's slate.
- Imagine Documentaries: Documentary division of Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard/Brian Grazer), producing prestige non-fiction for National Geographic, CNN, HBO, and Netflix. A larger, broader incumbent operating in the same prestige-documentary space as Loki.
Emerging players
- XTR: Newer documentary production and streaming-distribution platform commissioning and producing feature documentaries (Pray, Obey, Kill; Malice). An emerging player partly overlapping with Loki on the indie awards-track documentary space but bundled with its own streaming service.
Others
- Impact Partners: Film fund and strategic investor supporting social-issue documentaries, including co-financing Loki's Detropia. Functions as both a comparable indie-doc counterpart in the funding ecosystem and a current/former partner on titles like Food, Inc. and The Cove.
- Field of Vision: Commissioning platform for short-form documentary produced in collaboration with The New York Times Op-Docs and other outlets. Directly comparable to Loki's short-form Op-Docs and CNN Heroes work, but focuses on commissioning rather than hands-on production.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Loki Films social profiles
Digital presenceLoki Films financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Loki Films leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Loki Films funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Loki Films 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 Loki Films
What does Loki Films do?
Loki Films produces documentary feature films, narrative features, docuseries, television documentaries, and short-form content. The company co-creates award-winning projects commissioned by and distributed through major broadcast networks and streaming platforms including HBO, Netflix, Showtime, PBS, MTV, CNN, A&E, and ESPN, with co-production funding support from foundations such as ITVS, Impact Partners, Ford Foundation, and Vulcan Productions.
Is Loki Films a public or private company?
Loki Films is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Loki Films founded?
Loki Films was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Loki Films based?
Loki Films is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Loki Films's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Actual Films, Jigsaw Productions, Kartemquin Films, Concordia Studio and Sandbox Films. Broad incumbents are Participant Media and Imagine Documentaries. XTR is listed as an emerging player. Others are Impact Partners and Field of Vision.
Does Loki Films have an API?
No public API is recorded for Loki Films.
What industry is Loki Films in?
Loki Films's product category is Documentary Film Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAA, Feature-Length Documentaries, with a secondary code of MPADADAG, Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7812.