What Saint Thomas Productions does

Saint Thomas Productions is a French documentary production company founded in 1995 in Paris and relocated to Marseille in 2000. The company specializes in wildlife, science, and environmental factual filmmaking, with UHD/4K/HDR production capability deployed since 2009. Core technical infrastructure includes the in-house VFX and 3D animation subsidiary 3DFromMars (acquired September 2014), enabling integrated production of complex visualizations such as 3D models reconstructed from space-probe imagery for the Asteroid Quest project. The company has built a stock footage library exceeding 12,000 hours, including the world's largest volcano footage bank and a recently digitized historical archive.

The business operates across five revenue streams: (i) co-productions and pre-sales to international broadcasters, (ii) catalogue licensing of completed programs, (iii) VFX and post-production services via 3DFromMars, (iv) stock footage licensing to third-party producers, and (v) immersive experiences and giant-screen distribution to museums, zoos, science centers, and theme parks. Since the 2017 release of 'A New Prehistory,' the company has pursued a strategy of simultaneous multi-platform day-1 releases across television, theatrical, and immersive formats.

Distribution spans 160+ countries with content delivered to broadcasters including Canal+, ARTE, France 2/3/5, M6, National Geographic, Discovery, PBS, BBC, NHK, Curiosity Stream, and Disney+. The company holds 100+ international festival awards and is led by founders Frédéric and Bertrand Loyer with a small core team (reported as 1-10 employees). Recent activity includes the Asteroid Quest partnership with NASA, JAXA, ESA, and other space agencies, the A23A documentary and immersive release in January 2025, a 2022 office expansion in Marseille, and a dedicated business development hire for the international immersive channel.

Name

Saint Thomas Productions

Legal name

Saint Thomas Productions

Website

https://saint-thomas.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saint Thomas Productions is a Marseille-based documentary production company founded in 1995 that creates wildlife, science, and environmental films for major broadcasters and immersive venues across 160+ countries, supported by an in-house VFX studio and a 12,000+ hour footage library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Historical, Biographical & Archival Documentaries (MPADADAE)

Keywords

• Documentary production services
• Wildlife documentary production
• Science factual programming
• UHD 4K film production
• Stock footage licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Co-production and Pre-sales Revenue: STP funds its films on the international market through co-productions or pre-sales to major broadcasters and distributors. This has been the core revenue model since inception.
2. International Catalogue Licensing and Distribution: Since 2003, STP distributes its films and other catalogues on the international market. Their back catalogue has been made available online on AVOD and SVOD services since 2013.
3. VFX Services: Revenue generated from the in-house VFX company 3DFromMars, which provides visual effects for STP productions and contributes to the company's innovative digital imagery capabilities.
4. Stock Footage Licensing: STP licenses its archive of more than 12,000 hours of classified footage, including the world's largest HD and 4K image bank of volcanoes, to third parties. Sales are conducted directly and through trusted stock footage platforms.
5. Immersive Theater and Giant Screen Distribution: STP produces and distributes films for immersive theaters, science museums, and giant-screen venues. Productions like 'Asteroid Quest' are designed for cost-effective evergreen releases in science museums and dedicated theatres, including virtual theatres in metaverses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Saint Thomas Productions is an independent documentary production company that produces science, wildlife, and natural history factual television programs in UHD/4K/HDR. Its work is sold to international broadcasters, streaming platforms, and museums, and the company also licenses more than 12,000 hours of stock footage — including the world's largest volcanic footage archive — to third parties, supported by in-house VFX capabilities through its subsidiary 3DFromMars.

Product overview

Saint Thomas Productions is a documentary and factual content production company founded in 1995, operating as a single unified production house rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering centers on documentary film and series production across wildlife, science, and environmental themes, supported by in-house VFX capabilities through its subsidiary 3DfromMars. The portfolio includes flagship documentary series (Life on Fire, A New Prehistory, Hurricane: The Anatomy), UHD/4K HDR content production, VR/immersive experiences for museums, giant screen productions for science theaters, and a stock footage library of over 12,000 hours including the world's largest volcanic footage archive. Since 2017, the company has adopted a multi-media release strategy designing content simultaneously for TV, immersive theaters, streaming platforms, and web distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science and wildlife documentary series production

Quantifiable outcome

• OTTER ISLAND achieved a 9.2% market share — the best rating of the strand for 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered significant, key, minor, social impact and core.

• NASAsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with NASA on 'Asteroid Quest', along with JAXA, ESA, OCA, and Johns Hopkins University, for the science documentary about asteroid exploration.
• JAXAsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with JAXA on 'Asteroid Quest' along with NASA, ESA, OCA, and Johns Hopkins University for documentary content about asteroid exploration.
• ESAsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with ESA on 'Asteroid Quest' along with NASA, JAXA, OCA, and Johns Hopkins University.
• OCA (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur)significantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with OCA on 'Asteroid Quest' along with NASA, JAXA, ESA, and Johns Hopkins University.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitysignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University on 'Asteroid Quest' along with NASA, JAXA, ESA, and OCA.
• Red Nature FilmskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022STP partnered with Red Nature Films and Ouragan Films on the 'Big Little Things' 3x1h series production, awarded Best Pitch at Sunny Side of the Doc 2022.
• CNRSsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) on 'Feathered Dinosaurs' documentary.
• Paris Natural History MuseumsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Paris Natural History Museum on 'Feathered Dinosaurs' documentary.
• Shanghai Academy of SciencesignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Shanghai Academy of Science on 'Feathered Dinosaurs' documentary.
• Belgian Royal Academy of SciencesignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Belgian Royal Academy of Science on 'Feathered Dinosaurs' documentary.
• Bureau MeteorminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Website design, production and development partner. Bureau Meteor designed and maintains the saint-thomas.net website.
• Un puits une école à Madagascarsocial impactOthers · 1 January 2022STP's film 'Slaves to Water' about a village in Madagascar without water access helped raise awareness. The non-profit 'Un puits une école à Madagascar' subsequently secured funding to build a well in the village of Belemboké.
• 3DFromMarscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2014In September 2014, STP acquired the special effects company 3DFromMars and hosts it at its headquarters in Marseilles. The joined forces have created innovative digital imagery and AI tools, giving STP access to big/giant screens and multi-media releases.
• Ouragan FilmskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014STP co-produced the Hurricane series with Ouragan Films (produced by Jacqueline Farmer), and the associated feature film 'Hurricane' was released in theaters in 2016 in both 2D and S3D.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Off the Fence: Amsterdam-based independent factual content producer and distributor supplying science, nature, and history documentaries to broadcasters and streaming platforms globally. Closely comparable in co-production model, catalogue distribution, and international reach.
• NHNZ (Natural History New Zealand): Specialist factual producer focused on wildlife, nature, and science programming for international broadcasters. Comparable to STP in co-production-driven model, multi-territory sales, and emphasis on premium natural history content.
• Plimsoll Productions: UK-based independent factual production company producing premium wildlife, natural history, and adventure documentaries for global broadcasters and streamers. Closely comparable in scale, business model, and content focus to STP.
• Terra Mater Studios: Austrian nature/science documentary producer and distributor backing high-end factual projects for international TV and theatrical release. Comparable to STP in content focus (wildlife, science) and multi-territory co-production model.
• MacGillivray Freeman Films: Leading US producer of IMAX and giant-screen documentaries for museums and science centres. Directly comparable to STP's giant-screen/immersive theater distribution business and museum content vertical.
• Passion Pictures: UK-based award-winning factual and documentary producer (Oscar-winning documentaries, natural history) serving global broadcasters. Comparable to STP in producing high-end factual shows with international co-production financing.

Others

• D3D Cinema: Specialist distributor of giant-screen and immersive 3D content to museums and IMAX-style theaters globally. Comparable to STP's giant-screen distribution arm as an adjacent ecosystem participant in the immersive documentary venue channel.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Studios: Producer of premium science, wildlife, and exploration documentaries — a customer of STP's content but also a direct competitor in the international factual market with far larger budgets and platform leverage.
• ZDF Enterprises: German public broadcaster's distribution and co-production arm handling factual and documentary content internationally. Comparable to STP as both a co-production partner (NDR/WDR/ZDF group are STP clients) and a competing factual distributor.
• BBC Studios Natural History Unit: The world's largest and most prestigious producer of natural history and science documentaries (Planet Earth, Blue Planet). Directly comparable to STP as a science/wildlife factual producer serving international broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SaintThomasProductions
• Instagraminstagram.com/saintthomasproductions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-thomas-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Saint Thomas Productions