What Campfire Film & Television does

Campfire Film & Television is a Culver City-based independent production company founded and led by Ross Dinerstein, operating for more than 20 years with an 11–50 person team. The company develops and produces premium scripted series, feature films, and documentary content, with a slate exceeding 80 titles across its history and two Emmy wins (including for Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food). Its output is sold primarily to major US streamers and premium cable — Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max/Max, Peacock, and NBC — with adjacent podcast production for Audible and Spotify.

The company's business model is project-based fee-plus-IP economics typical of independent producers: Campfire attaches talent, develops and packages projects, secures distribution commitments from premium buyers, and earns production fees, producer credits, and back-end participation. It has assembled a multi-banner partner ecosystem that includes Archewell (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), David Fincher, LeBron James' UNINTERRUPTED, Imagine Entertainment, the SmartLess trio, and Chrissy Teigen, which both de-risks greenlights and creates recurring production optionality.

The 2024–2025 slate is anchored by the authorized 10th-anniversary One Direction documentary on Netflix, the Masaka Kids musical special with Archewell, the true-crime series My Father BTK Killer, and the theatrical release of We Bury The Dead in Australia. The company remains founder-controlled with no disclosed external capital, positioning it as a boutique, talent-relationship-driven production operator rather than a scale-driven content factory.

Name

Campfire Film & Television

Legal name

Campfire Studios

Website

https://campfire.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Campfire Film & Television is a Culver City-based independent producer founded by Ross Dinerstein, developing premium scripted series, features, documentaries, and podcasts for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, NBC, Audible, and Spotify with a 20+ year track record.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Culver City

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

Revenue model

1. Content Production & Licensing: Campfire Studios produces films, television series, and documentaries for major streaming platforms and theatrical release. Revenue is generated through production deals, licensing agreements with platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, and NBC, and theatrical distribution partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Campfire Film & Television (Campfire Studios) is a premium film and television production company that develops and produces scripted features, documentary series, narrative series, and original podcasts. Productions are developed in-house and licensed to major streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, NBC) and theatrical distributors, with podcasts distributed via Audible and Spotify. The company operates four content divisions: Narrative, Non-Fiction, Podcasts, and Adapted IP.

Product overview

Campfire Studios is a two-time Emmy Award-winning production company that produces premium scripted and documentary storytelling across film, television, and streaming platforms. The company operates four core content divisions: Narrative Content (dramas, thrillers, and comedies for theatrical and streaming release), Non-Fiction/Documentary Content (true crime series, sports documentaries, and cultural examinations), Podcast Production (original audio series companion to their documentary work), and Adapted IP (literary and true-story adaptations). The company has produced over 80 series and features that have premiered at major festivals, released theatrically, and launched on platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, and NBC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Narrative Content Scripted feature films and television series produced by Campfire Studios, including horror titles (The Pact, The Pact 2), thriller (Unknown), drama (The Grand), and romantic comedy (The Book of Love). Delivered to streaming platforms and theatrical distributors.
• Non-Fiction / Documentary Content Documentary series and features covering true crime, sports, cultural phenomena, and real-life stories, including Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults, The Menendez Brothers, WeWork, The Way Down, TikTok Boom, and Neymar, produced for Netflix, Hulu, Max, Peacock, and Amazon.
• Podcast Production Original podcast series produced by Campfire Studios, including Abuse of Power (seasons 1-3, Audible, 2021 Webby Award winner), The Staircase Podcast, and The Menendez Brothers Podcast companion series.
• Adapted IP (Intellectual Property) Film and television adaptations based on books and other intellectual property, including Silicon Cowboys (from Open by Rod Canion), 1922 (from Stephen King's novella), The Innocent Man (from John Grisham's book), and Special (from Ryan O'Connell's memoir).

Quantifiable outcome

• Two-time Emmy Award winner
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Archewell Productions (Prince Harry & Meghan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Archewell Productions partnered with Campfire Studios on Masaka Kids: A Rhythm Within, a short documentary about children at a Ugandan orphanage. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex serve as Executive Producers through their production company.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor streaming platform that distributes numerous Campfire productions including The Menendez Brothers, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, My Father The BTK Killer, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, Masaka Kids, 6 Balloons, 1922, Special, Poisoned, and others.
• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for films including Silicon Cowboys, Love and Bananas, The Nightmare, TikTok Boom, The Divide, Powder Blue, Higher Power, Youth in Oregon, The Package, and The Money Game.
• HulucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for series and documentaries including WeWork, Hysterical, A Glitch in the Matrix, The Most Dangerous Animal of All, The Lost Sons, and The Innocent Man.
• HBO Max / MaxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for The Way Down (Parts 1 & 2), Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults, Smartless: On The Road, and Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty.
• PeacockcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Dream Big: The Michelle Wie Story, The Book of Love, The Void, and Soccer documentary Kickback.
• AudiblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast platform hosting Campfire's Abuse of Power series (3 seasons), The Staircase podcast, and other podcast productions.
• SpotifycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast platform hosting Campfire's The Staircase podcast and The Menendez Brothers podcast companion series.
• David FinchercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcclaimed director serves as Executive Producer on Voir, a Netflix series of visual essays exploring cinema.
• Chrissy TeigencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelebrity partner serves as Executive Producer on The Way Down (Part 1), exploring Remnant Fellowship Church and Gwen Shamblin Lara.
• LeBron James / UNINTERRUPTEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeBron James and UNINTERRUPTED team partnered on Neymar docuseries, with Lebron James, Maverick Carter, and Devin Johnson as Executive Producers.
• Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard, Brian Grazer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment partnered on Choir documentary series for Disney+, with Sara Bernstein, Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Ron Howard as Executive Producers.
• Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean HayescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SmartLess podcast hosts partnered with Campfire on SmartLess: On The Road docuseries for Max, following their sold-out live tour.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Participant Media: Participant (formerly Participant Media) is a documentary-and-impact-focused film and television company with a similar emphasis on social-issue documentaries and premium streaming distribution. Direct peer in content type, target buyer (Netflix/Amazon/Hulu), and festival strategy.
• Blumhouse Productions: Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions is a premium film and television production company specializing in lean, high-ROI genre and prestige content, with deep streaming relationships (Netflix, Amazon). Direct peer in production model, platform mix, and indie-prestige positioning, though heavier in scripted horror than Campfire's documentary lean.
• Vice Media: Vice Media's Vice Studios produces premium documentary and unscripted content for streamers and linear, including true crime and cultural-phenomenon documentaries. Direct peer in documentary genre and platform relationships, though Vice is materially larger with its own distribution assets.
• Imagine Entertainment: Founded by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment is a premium film and television production company operating in the same premium-documentary and scripted space as Campfire, and is itself a named partner on Campfire's Choir documentary for Disney+. Direct comparable in slate type, platform mix, and premium positioning.
• A24: A24 is a premium independent film and television studio with a similar festival-first (Sundance) brand identity and similar streaming buyers (Netflix, Apple, HBO). Direct comparable in the premium-indie production category, though A24 is materially larger and owns more recurring IP and distribution infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Lionsgate: Lionsgate is a major studio with both production and distribution capabilities across film and television. Broad incumbent that competes with Campfire on premium scripted and unscripted projects for the same streaming and theatrical buyers, but at materially larger scale and with owned distribution.

Emerging players

• Higher Ground Productions: Founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, Higher Ground produces premium scripted and documentary content for Netflix with a similar talent-driven, prestige positioning. Emerging player in the same content category and platform mix, with comparable reliance on a high-profile founder brand.
• NEON: NEON is an independent film production and distribution company with a strong festival-circuit identity and premium streaming relationships. Comparable in indie-prestige positioning and festival-to-platform pipeline, though NEON operates its own theatrical distribution arm.
• SpringHill Company: LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company is a premium content and brand company producing scripted, documentary, and branded content for streamers and theatrical. Direct comparable through its partnership with Campfire on the Neymar docuseries and similar reliance on celebrity-talent-led deal flow.
• Ample Entertainment: Ample Entertainment is an unscripted and documentary production company with prior leadership pedigree relevant to Campfire's SVP Nonfiction Content (Anne Hazlett came from Ample). Comparable in scale, content type, and platform relationships; serves as a useful sub-scale emerging peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/campfirefilmtv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/campfire-film-tv

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 Campfire Film & Television