Leave It Better

What Leave It Better does

Leave It Better, operating as Leave It Better Media, is an independent documentary film production company headquartered in New York and structured as Leave It Better LLC. Founded by Graham Meriwether, who serves as director, writer, producer, cinematographer, and editor across its catalog, the company produces feature-length and short documentaries centered on sustainable agriculture, local food systems, and community-based environmental action. Its filmography includes Farmers for America (narrated by Mike Rowe), American Meat, Who Will Feed Us?, 75 Park: e pluribus unum, and the Farming: Part One series, alongside the Leave It Better Kids Garden community garden initiative in the Bronx that originated the brand in 2009.

The company's core technology is documentary filmmaking — there is no software product, platform, or proprietary AI component. Distribution is built around a tiered, one-time-perpetual screening license model: community screenings at $100, conferences at $200, educational institutions at $250, college digital platforms at $200, single movie theater screenings at an undisclosed price, unlimited movie theater screenings at $350, and individual digital downloads at $9.99 per film or segment. Channels include direct self-serve website sales and partner-driven distribution through agricultural nonprofits such as the National Young Farmers Coalition, Farmer Veteran Coalition, National Farmers Union, and ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture, with additional visibility via The Filmshop filmmakers collective and the MikeRoweWORKS Foundation.

Leave It Better serves a fragmented customer base of community groups, schools and colleges, agricultural conferences, movie theaters, and individual consumers interested in food systems and sustainable farming content. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no published revenue, operating as a small independent content business reliant on license fees and partner-driven outreach rather than recurring or enterprise contracts.

Name

Leave It Better

Legal name

Leave It Better LLC

Website

https://leaveitbetter.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leave It Better is an independent documentary production company that produces films on sustainable agriculture and food systems, monetizing its catalog through tiered one-time screening licenses and $9.99 individual downloads distributed via its website and partner nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Sustainable agriculture media
• Food systems storytelling
• Screening license distribution
• Environmental documentary films

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Documentary Film Licensing: One-time license fees for screening documentary films including Farmers for America and American Meat. Licenses are tiered by use case: community, educational, conference, and movie theater. Also includes individual digital download sales at $9.99 per film or segment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Leave It Better Media produces and distributes documentary films centered on sustainable agriculture, regenerative farming, food systems, and community-based environmental solutions. Its films (Farmers for America, American Meat, Who Will Feed Us?, 75 Park: e pluribus unum, Farming: Part One) are monetized through tiered one-time screening licenses for community groups, educational institutions, conferences, and movie theaters, and through direct individual digital downloads at $9.99 per film.

Product overview

Leave It Better Media is a documentary filmmaking company producing content focused on environmental solutions, local agriculture, and community building. Their portfolio includes documentary films (Farmers for America, American Meat, Who Will Feed Us?, 75 Park: e pluribus unum, Farming: Part One), screening license products for various use cases (community, educational, conference, theater), and community programs like the Leave It Better Kids Garden. The company operates on a content licensing model where they produce documentaries and offer screening licenses for educational institutions, conferences, community groups, and movie theaters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farmers for America Feature-length documentary celebrating and inspiring the next generation of American farmers, profiling young farmers stepping up as the average U.S. farmer age reaches 60 and half of America's farmland is expected to change hands in the next 12 years.
• American Meat Pro-farmer documentary examining chicken, hog, and cattle production in America, exploring both industrial feedlot operations and alternative agricultural models such as Polyface Farms.
• Who Will Feed Us? Documentary following one family's move from city to country, told through the eyes of a four-year-old discovering America's food system, leading to an unexpected rural life.
• 75 Park: e pluribus unum Documentary exploring the history of a Bronx neighborhood park and the racial inequities in NYC parks systems, following a young filmmaker uncovering the area's past.
• Farming: Part One Documentary series featuring American farmers sharing philosophies on farming and life, focused on themes of self-reliance.
• Screening Licenses Tiered license tiers for screening the company's documentary films, priced by use case: community screening ($100), educational institution ($250), conference screening ($200), college digital ($200), movie theater single screening (undisclosed), and movie theater unlimited ($350).

Quantifiable outcome

• Half of America's farmland expected to change hands in next 12 years - film addresses this generational transition
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Young Farmers CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistribution and outreach partner for the Farmers for America documentary. Coalition promotes land access for young farmers and shapes agricultural policies. Leave It Better provides documentary content while NYFC provides access to their farmer network and resources.
• Farmer Veteran CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization dedicated to mobilizing veterans to feed America. Documentary Farmers for America features veteran farmers, and FVC provides outreach support and connects with farmer veterans across the nation.
• National Farmers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational advocacy organization representing family farmers, fishers, and ranchers. Provides farm business toolbox resources and outreach support for documentary distribution.
• ATTRA Sustainable AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization offering free technical assistance and resources for farmers. Featured as resource partner on Farmers for America resources page.
• Eager FarmerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline connection platform for experienced farmers, farm managers, land owners, and aspiring farmers. Provides resource links for people seeking farm jobs and partnerships.
• MikeRoweWORKS FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit focused on closing the skills gap and work ethic scholarship program. Mike Rowe serves as narrator for Farmers for America documentary, bringing significant credibility and name recognition.
• The FilmshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational film collective of media producers and independent filmmakers. Graham Meriwether is co-founder. Teresa Loong is chairperson. Collective provides collaborative production environment for documentary projects.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• First Run Features: Independent distributor of documentary and independent films with theatrical and educational licensing tiers; comparable to Leave It Better's multi-tier screening license structure.
• New Day Films: Filmmaker-run distribution cooperative specializing in educational and social-issue documentaries for schools, libraries, and community groups; highly comparable GTM motion and license-based revenue model.
• Kartemquin Films: Impact-driven independent documentary production house producing social-issue films with outreach partners; comparable mission, partner-driven distribution model, and small-team operating profile.
• Bullfrog Films: Long-standing distributor and producer of educational documentary films focused on environmental and social issues; closely comparable to Leave It Better's educational screening-license model and sustainability-focused library.
• Collective Eye Films: Independent documentary distributor specializing in educational and community screenings of social-issue films; near-direct overlap in target buyers (schools, libraries, community groups) and licensing-based monetization.
• Good Docs: Subscription-based documentary distribution platform for educational and community screenings; comparable buyer base and licensing model, but adds a recurring-revenue angle that Leave It Better lacks.

Broad incumbents

• Participant Media: Larger impact media company producing documentaries and narrative films aimed at social and environmental change; comparable thematic focus but operates at significantly broader scale and capital base.
• Apple TV+ documentary unit: Major streaming platform commissioning high-profile food-system and sustainability documentaries; represents the most prominent competitive and channel-partner threat to niche producers.
• PBS Independent Lens: Long-running PBS strand showcasing independent documentary films on social issues; a meaningful distribution and commissioning channel for the kind of films Leave It Better produces.

Emerging players

• The Meatrix: Short-form and feature documentary content focused on industrial animal agriculture and sustainable alternatives; thematically overlaps Leave It Better's 'American Meat' and farmer-focused content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leave-it-better-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Leave It Better