Melcher Media

What Melcher Media does

Melcher Media is a privately held New York-based content production studio founded by Charles Melcher in 1993 that creates premium branded content across physical books, interactive mobile apps, films, AR and VR experiences, and live events. The company produces bespoke projects for three client categories: entertainment studios and streaming platforms (Netflix, HBO, Amazon Studios, NBCUniversal), Fortune 500 and global brands (Facebook, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Lexus, Harley-Davidson, GE), and high-profile individuals (Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, J.J. Abrams, Garth Brooks). Its technical work spans AR-augmented companion books, interactive iOS apps (e.g., Our Choice, Facebook Paper, Monty Python Holy Book of Days), VR films, the proprietary oBook scent-emission format built with Vapor Communications, and sustainable materials innovation like the DuraBook Cradle-to-Cradle format.

The studio monetizes primarily through project-based professional services engagements with bespoke pricing per commission, supplemented by book licensing and royalty income through major retailers (Amazon) and digital distribution (Apple App Store), and by publishing-partner relationships with Simon & Schuster, Grand Central, Hachette, Chronicle, Rodale, and Flatiron. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales anchored by the Future of StoryTelling (FoST) thought-leadership platform — an annual invitation-only 500-leader summit with Tech Tastings, Innovation Days, Story Crawls, and traveling exhibitions (Museum of the Moving Image, Phi Centre Montreal), supplemented by an FoST film series and 500,000+-follower community. The company is independently owned, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent entity, and operates from a single New York headquarters with 11-50 employees.

Name

Melcher Media

Legal name

Melcher Media Inc.

Website

https://melcher.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Melcher Media is a New York-based, privately held content production studio that creates premium books, interactive apps, AR/VR experiences, and films for entertainment studios, Fortune 500 brands, and celebrities. Founded in 1993 by Charles Melcher, it runs the Future of StoryTelling (FoST) thought-leadership platform and event community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Content Creation Services: Project-based content creation including books, apps, films, and interactive experiences for enterprise clients, entertainment studios, publishers, and brands. Work is commissioned and produced for specific clients.
2. Publishing and Licensing: Licensing of developed content and intellectual property to publishers, with titles sold through major retail channels including Amazon and App Store.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Melcher Media is a book producer, app developer, and branded content company that produces premium physical and digital storytelling products on a commissioned, project basis. Core deliverables include custom books, interactive iOS/Android apps, AR/VR experiences, short films, and corporate/celebrity publishing programs created for entertainment studios, Fortune 500 brands, and public figures. The company also operates the Future of StoryTelling (FoST) platform—an events, exhibitions, and content community dedicated to immersive storytelling.

Product overview

Melcher Media is a media production company specializing in innovative storytelling across multiple platforms. The company operates primarily through its Future of StoryTelling (FoST) Summit as a central hub, complemented by a diverse portfolio of products and services including: companion books with AR features (Garth Brooks Anthology, Mr. Robot Red Wheelbarrow, S. Novel), interactive iOS/Android apps (Facebook Paper, Our Choice App, Burtysnsky Oil, Haggadah, Metropolitan Revolution), VR experiences (One Small Act, Glen Keane VR animation), oBooks with scent technology (Goldilocks), FoST films, events (Tech Tastings, Innovation Days, Story Crawl, Sensory Stories Exhibition, Time Warner Story Arcade), and traditional publishing (cookbooks, coffee table books, corporate publishing). The company creates immersive, multimedia experiences that blend physical and digital storytelling formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Future of StoryTelling (FoST): A passionate community dedicated to exploring how storytelling is evolving in the digital age, featuring summits, workshops, exhibitions, and an award-winning series of short films.

Products and services

• Future of StoryTelling (FoST) Summit Annual invitation-only two-day gathering of 500 leaders from business, media, technology, and arts featuring speaker-led roundtables, hands-on workshops, and immersive exhibitions focused on how storytelling evolves in the digital age.
• FoST Tech Tastings Experiential programs designed to educate, inspire, and entertain corporate teams with curated showcases of the latest immersive storytelling projects and technologies.
• FoST Innovation Day Full-day experiential programming for groups and organizations featuring immersive storytelling demonstrations and innovative technology showcases.
• FoST Curriculum An interactive methodology for story education developed by Melcher Media for teaching storytelling techniques.
• FoST Story Crawl Curated tours of Manhattan and Brooklyn's innovative storytelling studios including Sub Rosa, Fake Love, the Interaction Lab at Rockwell Group, and Stinkdigital, with hands-on tutorials from leading creatives.
• Sensory Stories Exhibition Traveling interactive exhibit featuring VR experiences, interactive films, participatory installations, and sensory storytelling technologies including oBooks with scent capabilities, curated by FoST at Museum of the Moving Image and Phi Centre.
• Time Warner Story Arcade Curated exhibit in Time Warner Medialab featuring exemplary projects from gaming, interactive storytelling, second-screen experiences, and new distribution methods across 9,600 square feet.
• Custom Interactive App Development (iOS/Android) Project-based custom development of multimedia iOS and Android apps featuring full-screen photography, video, animations, interactive graphics, maps, and documentary footage as interactive e-books and branded content experiences for enterprise clients.
• Custom Companion Book Production (with AR features) Project-based custom design and production of premium illustrated tie-in books for entertainment IP featuring augmented reality, hidden Easter eggs, interactive elements, and removable artifacts that expand the original content universe.
• Custom VR Experience Production Project-based custom production of virtual reality films and experiences for nonprofit, brand, and entertainment clients, including work distributed via Google Cardboard and HTC Vive.
• oBook Scent-Enabled Digital Book Service Project-based production of scent-enabled e-books using proprietary oBook technology and the oPhone device, allowing readers to experience smells at key points in the story (flowers, cedar, berries, honey, coffee, chocolate).
• Custom Film/Video Production for Brands Project-based custom production of short documentary, animated, and awareness films for enterprise clients covering humanitarian, environmental, and brand storytelling needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple New York Times bestsellers produced including Hamilton: The Revolution, Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell (500,000+ copies sold), Domino: The Book of Decorating (250,000+ copies sold)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Amazon StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Teamed up with Amazon Studios on two unique marketing campaigns to promote its hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, including a Haggadah tie-in.
• NetflixflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Melcher Media collaborated with Netflix on multiple projects including the Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down companion book and Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events illustrated tie-in book. The partnership produced Emmy-nominated companion content for Netflix's hit series.
• Riot GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Created the first ever League of Legends book, Realms of Runeterra, in partnership with Riot Games.
• Houghton Mifflin HarcourtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Melcher Media collaborated with Martha Stewart and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to publish The Martha Manual - an all-encompassing how-to manual.
• TBScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018TBS asked Melcher Media to create The Last O.G. Cookbook - a spinoff cookbook for the Tracy Morgan comedy show.
• Grand Central PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Partnered with Grand Central Publishing for Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window and Hamilton: The Revolution.
• Microsoft ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Produced Future Visions - a collection of original science fiction stories inspired by and celebrating the work being done by Microsoft Research Labs worldwide.
• HBOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Melcher Media created the HBO Publishing Program - a family of books reflecting the quality of HBO's original series. Projects include Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell (500,000+ copies sold), Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
• FacebookflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Produced multiple projects including Facebook Films (Nepal earthquake relief film, Refugee Film), Facebook Paper app development, and Love Earth campaign content for COP21. The Earth page created for the campaign has over 500,000 followers.
• LexuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Created The Art of Lexus to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the luxury brand. Three editions were created reflecting different vehicle personalities.
• PepsiCocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Commissioned by PepsiCo to create Fifty Years of PEP - the first narrative detailing the history of the company for its 50th anniversary.
• Hachette BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Publishing partner for Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events tie-in book in 2018.
• Phi Centre (Montreal)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Sensory Stories exhibition traveled to acclaimed Phi Centre in Montreal, Canada until mid-September 2015.
• Google Creative LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Featured interactive film from Google Creative Lab for the Google Cube as part of Sensory Stories exhibition.
• Vapor Communications (oPhone)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Collaborated with Vapor Communications creators of the oPhone device on the world's first oBook incorporating scent technology.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnered with Accenture authors Peter Lacy and Jakob Rutqvist on Waste to Wealth - a book about the circular economy published as an e-book.
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Teamed up with Rotary International to produce One Small Act - a VR film inspiring action in the fight against polio, with support from U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
• UbisoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Collaborated with leading video game company Ubisoft to craft New York Collapse - an interactive book for Tom Clancy's The Division video game.
• International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Created IFF's award-winning sustainability report. Book composed of 100% FSC-certified material and 100% recycled paper.
• Time WarnercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Curated a Story Arcade exhibit in Time Warner Medialab's 9,600-square-foot space showcasing innovative storytelling projects.
• Simon & SchustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Worked with Simon & Schuster as publishing partner on The Gershwins and Me with Michael Feinstein. Also published Domino: The Book of Decorating with Simon & Schuster.
• AdobecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Collaborated with Adobe and Cooper Films on Adobe Creative Class - an inspiring short film about the power of imagination.
• Museum of the Moving ImagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008FoST curated Sensory Stories exhibition at New York's Museum of the Moving Image featuring VR experiences and interactive storytelling.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/melcher_media
• Facebookfacebook.com/MelcherMediaInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/melchermedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melcher-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Melcher Media