Good Deed Entertainment
Good Deed Entertainment is a privately held Ohio-based independent film studio that acquires, finances, produces and distributes indie features across 15+ streaming platforms, serving independent filmmakers (supply) and indie/horror audiences (demand) under three brands: GDE, Cranked Up Films, and Cranked Up TV.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAshland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Good Deed Entertainment does
Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) is a privately held, Ohio-based independent film studio that acquires, finances, produces, and distributes quality feature films and documentaries for streaming and digital audiences. The company operates under three corporate brands: the main Good Deed Entertainment label (drama, documentary, romance, holiday, family, LGBTQ and war titles); Cranked Up Films, a dedicated genre division focused on high-concept horror, grounded sci-fi and speculative fiction; and Cranked Up TV, an owned streaming service that hosts the genre catalog alongside third-party distribution. Its customer base is two-sided — independent filmmakers and producers seeking US/global digital distribution on its submission portal, and adult indie/arthouse and horror audiences consuming content across 15+ downstream platforms.
Its core offering is a film distribution and production engine rather than a software product: titles are simultaneously released across Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Hoopla, Kanopy, Peacock, Philo, Xumo, Plex, Sling, Fawesome, and niche partners such as Tello Films. The company earns revenue through a mix of licensing royalties on streaming platforms, one-time transactional sales and rentals (EST/TVOD), original production recoupment via downstream digital rights, and subscription revenue from Cranked Up TV. Marketing is run in-house using Mailchimp, Google AdWords/Display remarketing, Facebook Custom Audience retargeting, organic social across Instagram/TikTok/Facebook/YouTube/Reddit, and a film festival circuit pipeline that has yielded tier-1 press coverage in Deadline, The New York Times, and IndieWire.
The business is founder-led and operates leanly from 141 East Main St., Ashland, OH 44805 with an 8-person named team covering acquisitions, sales, distribution, production, marketing, and operations. There is no disclosed external funding, no public-market listing, and no institutional investor; ownership appears concentrated in the Donley family (Scott Donley as Founder/CEO, Erik Donley as EVP of Acquisitions). The 2025 release slate — including Caterpillar (NYT-reviewed), Drive Back Home, Dogs on the Sendero, Looking Through Water, Temple Grandin: An Open Door, The Christmas Writer, and the Cranked Up Films release Wormtown — is the densest annual output disclosed and signals an accelerating pace of acquisition and release activity.
Good Deed Entertainment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Good Deed Entertainment
- Legal name
- Good Deed Entertainment, LLC
- Website
- https://gooddeedentertainment.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Good Deed Entertainment is a privately held Ohio-based independent film studio that acquires, finances, produces and distributes indie features across 15+ streaming platforms, serving independent filmmakers (supply) and indie/horror audiences (demand) under three brands: GDE, Cranked Up Films, and Cranked Up TV.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Good Deed Entertainment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ashland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Good Deed Entertainment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Film distribution revenue: Licenses GDE-distributed films to streaming platforms (Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home, Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, etc.) and digital storefronts on transactional and/or platform-revenue-share basis. Each film page directs buyers to watch via these platforms.
- Original film production revenue: Develops, finances and produces original film and television content through Good Deed Entertainment and Cranked Up Films, subsequently distributing to recoup investment via streaming/digital channels.
- Owned streaming service (Cranked Up TV): Operates Cranked Up TV streaming service as a direct subscription/streaming revenue channel feeding its genre (primarily horror) catalog.
- Transactional / EST digital sales: Films are available for one-time purchase or rental on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Vudu, Microsoft Store, etc., generating transactional revenue per sale.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Film licensing/acquisition pricing not publicly disclosed |
| Other | Other | Junior Marketing Coordinator compensation |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels18 records
Marketing channels8 records
Good Deed Entertainment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Good Deed Entertainment is an Ohio-based independent film studio that develops, finances, produces, and distributes independent feature films across digital streaming and transactional platforms. The company operates a multi-label portfolio: the main Good Deed Entertainment label for drama, documentary, romance, holiday, and family-oriented titles; Cranked Up Films, a genre division for horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction; and Cranked Up TV, an owned streaming service. Filmmakers submit finished features through a dedicated submission portal for distribution consideration.
Product overview
Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) operates as a unified multi-label independent film distribution and production company rather than a single software product. The portfolio is anchored by the parent Good Deed Entertainment label (drama, documentary, romance, holiday, and general audience films), supported by two specialized sub-brands: Cranked Up Films, the genre division focused on horror, grounded sci-fi, and speculative fiction; and Cranked Up TV, the company's owned streaming service. Together these labels form GDE's complete offering — a film studio that produces, finances, and distributes quality entertainment across film, television, and digital/web platforms, with marketing, sales, and operations run from its Ashland, Ohio headquarters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cranked Up Films: Genre division/label of Good Deed Entertainment that develops, produces, and distributes high-concept horror, grounded sci-fi, and speculative fiction.
- Cranked Up TV
Products and services
- Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) main label Parent brand and core label of the studio dedicated to producing, financing, and distributing quality independent entertainment for film, television, the worldwide web, and emerging platforms.
- Cranked Up Films GDE's genre division that develops, produces, and distributes high-concept horror, grounded sci-fi, and speculative fiction feature films.
- Cranked Up TV streaming service Owned streaming service operated by Good Deed Entertainment as one of three corporate brands, providing direct-to-consumer distribution of the studio's horror and genre catalog.
- Caterpillar 1H 51MIN feature film featured on the homepage; covered by Deadline and The New York Times. Available on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
- The Christmas Writer 1H 34MIN holiday-genre feature film available on Amazon and Tello Films.
- Drive Back Home 1H 40MIN feature film available on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube, and Google Play.
- Dogs on the Sendero 1H 40MIN drama feature film available on Amazon, Apple, Fandango at Home, YouTube, and Google Play.
- Looking Through Water 1H 47MIN feature film available on Fandango at Home, Amazon, Apple, and Google Play.
- Temple Grandin: An Open Door 1H documentary about Temple Grandin, available on Amazon, Apple TV, YouTube, and Hoopla.
- Wormtown Apocalyptic horror film released on VOD by Cranked Up Films after earning Best Feature at HorrOrigins, The Chicago Horror Film Festival, and From Beyond Film Festival.
Quantifiable outcome
- Released 50+ films across the 2016-2025 catalog spanning three labels
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Good Deed Entertainment
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Good Deed Entertainment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
Good Deed Entertainment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- MailchimpcoreMailchimp is used by Good Deed Entertainment for the majority of its emailing and marketing tasks. The integration is disclosed in the company's Privacy Policy as a third-party service provider supporting the business.
- Apple TVflagshipApple TV is a primary transactional distribution platform for every Good Deed Entertainment film, including all 2025 releases (Drive Back Home, Caterpillar, Dogs on the Sendero, Looking Through Water, Temple Grandin: An Open Door, The Christmas Writer) and the full 2024/2023/2022 catalogs.
- Amazon Prime VideoflagshipAmazon is a primary transactional distribution platform for every Good Deed Entertainment film, including 2025 releases and historical catalog.
- Fandango at HomeflagshipFandango at Home is a primary transactional distribution platform for nearly every Good Deed Entertainment film, including 2025 releases and historical catalog.
- TubiflagshipTubi is a primary free ad-supported distribution platform for many Good Deed Entertainment catalog titles including Growing Up Smith, All Nighter, Some Freaks, So B. It, and more.
- Pluto TVcorePluto TV is a free ad-supported distribution platform for several Good Deed Entertainment titles including Enemy Lines, Lucky Grandma, Boomtown, and others.
- Roku ChannelcoreThe Roku Channel is a free ad-supported distribution platform for several GDE titles including Growing Up Smith, All Nighter, Some Freaks, So B. It, and others.
- HooplacoreHoopla is a library-anchored free distribution platform for many GDE catalog titles.
- KanopycoreKanopy is a library-anchored free distribution platform for many GDE catalog titles, particularly documentaries and indie films.
- Google PlaycoreGoogle Play is a transactional distribution platform for many GDE titles.
- YouTube Movies
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Good Deed Entertainment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vertical Entertainment: Vertical Entertainment is an independent distribution company acquiring and releasing indie films across transactional and ad-supported platforms, directly comparable in scale and business model to GDE.
- Samuel Goldwyn Films: Samuel Goldwyn Films is an independent distributor handling drama, documentary, and select genre titles, directly comparable to GDE's main-label indie catalog strategy.
- Oscilloscope Laboratories: Oscilloscope Laboratories is an independent film distribution label focused on curated indie and documentary titles, directly comparable to GDE's curated indie acquisition approach.
- Bleecker Street: Bleecker Street is an independent film finance, production, and distribution company releasing prestige indie titles, directly comparable to GDE's producer-distributor hybrid that finances and releases select films.
- IFC Films: IFC Films is an established independent film distributor covering indie dramas, documentaries, and genre titles across VOD and theatrical, directly comparable to GDE's distribution footprint and indie acquisition model.
- FilmRise: FilmRise is an independent film and television distribution company that places content on ad-supported streaming platforms like Tubi, Pluto, and Roku — directly comparable to GDE's heavy reliance on free ad-supported distribution.
- Magnolia Pictures: Magnolia Pictures is an independent distributor of documentaries, dramas, and genre films across theatrical, VOD, and home video, directly comparable to GDE's multi-label indie distribution approach.
- Neon: Neon is an independent film distribution and production company that acquires and releases prestige/indie titles, directly comparable to GDE's model of acquiring finished features and distributing via streaming/transactional platforms.
Broad incumbents
- A24: A24 is a leading independent film studio that produces, finances, and distributes indie films across theatrical, streaming, and transactional channels — the most prominent scale comparable to GDE's production-distribution hybrid model.
- Cinedigm: Cinedigm is an independent film and streaming company operating owned channels on ad-supported platforms, broadly comparable to GDE's Cranked Up TV owned streaming model and multi-platform distribution approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Good Deed Entertainment social profiles
Digital presenceGood Deed Entertainment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Good Deed Entertainment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Good Deed Entertainment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Good Deed Entertainment subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Good Deed Entertainment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Good Deed Entertainment 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 Good Deed Entertainment
What does Good Deed Entertainment do?
Good Deed Entertainment is an Ohio-based independent film studio that develops, finances, produces, and distributes independent feature films across digital streaming and transactional platforms. The company operates a multi-label portfolio: the main Good Deed Entertainment label for drama, documentary, romance, holiday, and family-oriented titles; Cranked Up Films, a genre division for horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction; and Cranked Up TV, an owned streaming service. Filmmakers submit finished features through a dedicated submission portal for distribution consideration.
Is Good Deed Entertainment a public or private company?
Good Deed Entertainment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Good Deed Entertainment founded?
Good Deed Entertainment was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Good Deed Entertainment based?
Good Deed Entertainment is headquartered in Ashland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Good Deed Entertainment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Film distribution revenue is the primary driver. The others are original film production revenue, owned streaming service (Cranked Up TV) and transactional / EST digital sales.
Who are Good Deed Entertainment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vertical Entertainment, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Bleecker Street, IFC Films, FilmRise, Magnolia Pictures and Neon. Broad incumbents are A24 and Cinedigm.
Does Good Deed Entertainment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Good Deed Entertainment.