True To Nature
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
True To Nature firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- True To Nature
- Legal name
- True to Nature Ltd
- Website
- https://truetonature.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
True To Nature industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Natural History Television Production
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Travel & Adventure Documentaries (MPADADAM), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Wildlife Photography & Filming Experiences (Permitted Visitor Programs) (THAAAFAI)
Keywords
Where True To Nature is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
True To Nature business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- TV Production Commissions: True To Nature generates primary revenue through commissions from broadcasters and streaming platforms for original nature, wildlife, adventure, and children's programming. Productions are commissioned by networks such as Sky Nature, Netflix, BBC, UKTV, Channel 5, National Geographic Wild, and distributed internationally through partners like Fremantle, ITV Studios, and NBCUniversal.
- Content Licensing and Distribution: Secondary revenue stream from licensing produced content to international broadcasters, streaming platforms, and distribution partners across multiple territories including the US, Europe, and global markets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
True To Nature product offering
Product offeringCore offering
True To Nature is an independent television production company that creates premium nature, wildlife, adventure, and children's programming commissioned by major broadcasters and streaming platforms including Sky Nature, Netflix, BBC, UKTV, Channel 5, National Geographic Wild, and PBS. The company delivers blue-chip natural history series, character-led wildlife docu-soaps, expedition formats, and children's factual entertainment for UK and international audiences.
Product overview
True To Nature is an independent TV production company specializing in innovative nature, animal character-led, adventure travel, children's, and specialist factual productions. Their portfolio includes major blue-chip natural history series (PREDATORS, SHARK WITH STEVE BACKSHALL, WHALE WITH STEVE BACKSHALL, EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL), character-driven wildlife documentaries (GANGS OF BABOON FALLS, GANGS OF LEMUR ISLAND, LIVING VOLCANOES), children's programming (ONE ZOO THREE, DREAMFLIGHT, DINO CLUB, GARDEN TALES, OZT GOES WILD IN BRITAIN), and adventure formats (PREDATOR V PREY, CROC WATCH, HIPPO WATCH). The company operates as a production studio producing content for major broadcasters including Sky Nature, Netflix, BBC, CBBC, CBeebies, Nat Geo Wild, Channel 5, and PBS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Expedition with Steve Backshall Adventure documentary series featuring naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall traveling to remote locations to discover wildlife insights. UKTV's first CarbonNeutral certified production.
- PREDATORS narrated by Tom Hardy Blue-chip nature documentary series following five apex predators (Polar Bears, Wild Dogs, Pumas, Lions, Cheetahs) as they navigate changing environments and fight for survival. Nominated for BAFTA Craft Award for Factual Photography.
- WHALE WITH STEVE BACKSHALL Natural history series exploring whales and dolphins across the world's oceans, revealing their complex social relationships, hunting techniques, and conservation challenges. Nominated for Rockie Media Awards 2024 Wildlife and Environmental category.
- SHARK WITH STEVE BACKSHALL Documentary series revealing the diversity and wonder of sharks, exploring over 400 different types and highlighting conservation needs. Launched in conjunction with COP26 and showcased at IMAX theatre.
- ONE ZOO THREE Children's factual entertainment series following three young brothers who live and work at their family zoo in Hertfordshire, showcasing daily operations and animal care. Aired on CBBC.
- PREDATOR V PREY Documentary series examining predation events featuring apex predators including lions, wolves, and crocodiles, using premium archive footage and innovative VFX techniques. Nominated for RTS West of England Awards 2025 VFX & Digital Creativity.
- CROC WATCH WITH STEVE BACKSHALL Two-part series exploring Nile crocodiles in South Africa's Ndumo Game Reserve, revealing their survival adaptations and behaviors. Commissioned by Channel 5.
- HIPPO WATCH WITH STEVE BACKSHALL Two-part series investigating hippo behavior and traits, exploring what fuels their lethal aggression in South African game reserves. Commissioned by Channel 5.
- LIVING VOLCANOES Documentary following biologist Dr Jeffrey Marlow's expedition to an active volcano in Vanuatu to study extremophiles and their survival mechanisms. International co-production with PBS/WNET Thirteen.
- GANGS OF BABOON FALLS Five-part wildlife docu-drama following rival baboon gangs living near Victoria Falls, depicting character-driven stories of romance, rivalries, and family dynamics. Commissioned by Sky Nature.
- GANGS OF LEMUR ISLAND Character-led docu-soap following two rival gangs of Ring-tailed lemurs led by competing queens in a small reserve. Distributed internationally through Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Channel.
- DINO CLUB Children's series featuring 'Dino File' facts about dinosaurs with emoji-inspired visual language, green screen filming, and animated dinosaur world. Day one launch of brand new Sky Kids linear channel.
- DREAMFLIGHT Children's series combining stunning wildlife footage with mindful narration to promote happiness and wellbeing, featuring celebrity vocal talents. Day one launch of brand new Sky Kids linear channel.
- GARDEN TALES Preschool wildlife soap-opera following animal residents of a secret country garden with seasonal storytelling and character voices by Morgana Robinson. Aired on CBeebies.
- OZT GOES WILD IN BRITAIN Children's factual entertainment series showcasing UK conservation success stories and encouraging viewers to help restore British wildlife. Part of BBC's 'Wilder Britain' season.
- SHARK BITES WITH STEVE BACKSHALL Original premium content series exploring shark species using bold graphics and unique shark footage, revealing their extraordinary characteristics. Aired on CBBC/BBC.
- botanica by Airwick Short films series created for Botanica and WWF's Bring Nature Back campaign, supporting restoration of wildflower habitats in the UK. Premiered on Channel 4 in April 2021.
Quantifiable outcome
- UKTV's first CarbonNeutral production certification achieved with Expedition with Steve Backshall
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use True To Nature
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
True To Nature technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
True To Nature partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- BabbasaminorCommunity organization that inspires and supports under-represented young people in Bristol. True To Nature worked with Babbasa to bring in a 6-month placement in 2023, which progressed to a contract with a production.
- Gritty TalentminorOrganization that discovers, nurtures and connects talented people from under-represented groups into the media industry. True To Nature worked with Gritty Talent to bring in two team members for the current series of One Zoo Three.
- WWF-UKcoreTrue To Nature produced short films for Botanica and WWF's Bring Nature Back campaign. Air Wick pledged £300,000 per year from 2021-2023 to WWF-UK for wildflower habitat restoration, with True To Nature creating supporting documentary content.
- Air Wick (Reckitt)coreAir Wick partnered with True To Nature for the Botanica campaign, donating £300,000 per year (2021-2023) to WWF-UK for restoration of 20 million square feet of wildflower habitats in the UK.
- Sky StudioscoreTrue To Nature is backed by Sky Studios and their productions benefit from Sky's CarbonNeutral certification programme. Sky Studios jointly founded the BAFTA Albert Consortium in 2011 and have been CarbonNeutral certified on all productions since 2019. True To Nature's Shark with Steve Backshall was showcased at COP26 and released on Sky Nature.
- Woodland TrustcoreTrue To Nature's One Zoo Three production team worked with the Woodland Trust to secure tree saplings used as props during filming, which were subsequently planted at local schools to support the Woodland Trust planting project.
- Surfers Against SewageminorThe PREDATORS production team participated in a beach clean initiative organized by Surfers Against Sewage and Million Mile Clean in Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol.
- Paradise Wildlife ParkcoreThe One Zoo Three production team collaborated with Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire, helping create wildlife gardens and installing bug hotels made from recycled materials, plus participating in swift bird box workshops.
- FremantlecoreInternational distribution partner handling global sales of True To Nature productions including Expedition with Steve Backshall, Whale with Steve Backshall, Shark with Steve Backshall, Croc Watch, Hippo Watch, and Shark Bites.
- ITV StudioscoreDistribution partner for True To Nature content including Predator v Prey series distributed internationally.
- NBCUniversalcoreInternational distribution partner for productions including PREDATORS and OZT Goes Wild in Britain.
- BAFTA Albert ConsortiumminorIndustry consortium for sustainable production practices. Sky Studios jointly founded the BAFTA Albert Consortium in 2011, and True To Nature productions operate under these sustainability guidelines.
Scale indicators4 records
True To Nature competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wildgaze Films: Independent UK production company founded by ex-BBC NHU producers, focused on wildlife and adventure documentary production for international broadcasters. Direct competitor in nature genre commissioning.
- Plimsoll Productions: Independent UK production company producing premium factual and natural history content including Jackie the Wolf and Animal Empires with similarly tier-one broadcaster and global streaming clients.
- Freeborne Media: Independent UK production company producing natural history and wildlife documentary programming for major UK and international broadcasters, with similar selective commission approach.
- Windfall Films: Independent UK production company producing specialist factual and natural history programming for major broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4, and Discovery, with similar genre and commissioner overlap.
- NHNZ (Natural History New Zealand): Independent New Zealand-based natural history production company producing premium wildlife and documentary content for global broadcasters. Comparable in genre focus and international distribution model.
- Silverback Films: UK independent production company founded by ex-BBC NHU head Alastair Fothergill, producing premium natural history content including Our Planet and David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. Most direct comparison to True To Nature's blue-chip nature documentary commissioning model.
- Lion Television: Established UK independent production company producing premium factual, specialist factual, and natural history content for major UK and international broadcasters, with comparable scale and genre overlap.
- Atlantic Productions: Independent UK production company producing premium natural history, science, and adventure documentaries (e.g., David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef). Comparable in scale and production values for blue-chip natural history commissions.
Regional players
- Icon Films: Bristol-based independent production company producing natural history and factual programming, with a similar regional production base and most direct geographic overlap to True To Nature's Bristol headquarters.
Broad incumbents
- BBC Studios Natural History Unit: In-house BBC production unit and the global leader in natural history content (Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Dynasties). Wendy Darke previously led this unit; it is the dominant incumbent against which True To Nature competes for blue-chip commissions and talent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
True To Nature social profiles
Digital presenceTrue To Nature financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
True To Nature leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
True To Nature subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
True To Nature funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
True To Nature 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 True To Nature
What does True To Nature do?
True To Nature is an independent television production company that creates premium nature, wildlife, adventure, and children's programming commissioned by major broadcasters and streaming platforms including Sky Nature, Netflix, BBC, UKTV, Channel 5, National Geographic Wild, and PBS. The company delivers blue-chip natural history series, character-led wildlife docu-soaps, expedition formats, and children's factual entertainment for UK and international audiences.
Is True To Nature a public or private company?
True To Nature is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was True To Nature founded?
True To Nature was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is True To Nature based?
True To Nature is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does True To Nature make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. TV Production Commissions are the primary driver. The others are content Licensing and Distribution.
Who are True To Nature's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wildgaze Films, Plimsoll Productions, Freeborne Media, Windfall Films, NHNZ (Natural History New Zealand), Silverback Films, Lion Television and Atlantic Productions. Icon Films is listed as a regional player. BBC Studios Natural History Unit is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does True To Nature have an API?
No public API is recorded for True To Nature.
What industry is True To Nature in?
True To Nature's product category is Natural History Television Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAF, Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries, with a secondary code of MPADADAM, Travel & Adventure Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 4833.