StormStock

What StormStock does

StormStock is a premium weather and climate stock footage library founded in 1993 by filmmaker and storm chaser Martin Lisius, operating as a brand within Prairie Pictures, Inc. (a Texas corporation). The company produces and licenses an exclusive archive of hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, storm clouds, flooding, and other severe-weather footage captured on Super 35mm motion picture film (Arri cameras, Kodak stock) and digital systems including 4K, 6K (RED DSMC, RED Komodo), 8K, and a proprietary 16K camera system developed in-house by Lisius. The collection spans 30+ years and includes unique historical captures such as Hurricane Katrina making landfall on Super 35mm and the first violent-class tornado filmed on Super 35mm (1998).

The company's go-to-market combines a direct sales-led model (quote-based rights-managed licensing, personal service, custom contracts, Net 15 terms for established accounts) with a self-serve digital marketplace, Storm Vault, for 24/7 search, preview, and download. Distribution is global via secure digital delivery, with preview clips shared via Dropbox and email. Customers include major film and TV studios (Warner Bros., Netflix, BBC Studios, Disney/Marvel, PBS), advertising agencies and brands (Google, Cisco, General Motors, McDonald's, Verizon, Leo Burnett), large-format venues (MSG Sphere — U2:UV Achtung Baby residency generating $244M in revenue), environmental NGOs (NRDC), and government agencies (FEMA, Salvation Army).

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time footage licensing supplemented by custom-shot production and weather technical consulting services. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed. The company is small (minimal headcount — essentially Lisius, producer Kim George, and a small team), founder-owned, self-funded, and operates with no external venture capital or institutional investment. Founded 1993. Headquarters: Arlington, Texas (P.O. Box 122020).

Name

StormStock

Legal name

Prairie Pictures, Inc.

Website

https://stormstock.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

StormStock is a premium weather and climate stock footage library founded in 1993 within Prairie Pictures, Inc., licensing exclusive hurricane, tornado, and lightning footage captured on Super 35mm film and 4K-16K digital to film studios, TV networks, advertisers, and government agencies worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stock Footage Library

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Footage & Stock Media Licensing (Archival/Newsreel/Stock) (MPADALAD)

Keywords

• Stock footage library
• Weather footage licensing
• Climate stock video
• Nature cinematography
• Storm chase filming

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Footage Licensing: StormStock licenses weather and climate stock footage to film, TV, commercial, documentary, and other production companies. Pricing is custom/quote-based depending on usage, format, and project scope. New accounts require pre-pay; established accounts operate on Net 15 terms. Licenses are valid only upon full payment.
2. Custom Footage Production: StormStock offers custom-shot footage upon request, along with weather technical consulting services for productions requiring accuracy in weather scenes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

StormStock produces and licenses a premium library of weather and climate stock footage captured on Super 35mm film, 4K, 8K, and a proprietary 16K video system. Footage of hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, storm clouds, flooding and blizzards is licensed rights-managed to film, TV, advertising, government, and documentary productions globally. Licensing is offered via a self-serve Storm Vault marketplace and a direct personalized service for custom contracts and research assistance.

Product overview

StormStock is a premium weather and climate footage library and brand within Prairie Pictures, Inc., offering a comprehensive collection of cinematic-quality stock footage. The portfolio centers on the StormStock Collection as the core product, supplemented by resolution tiers (16K Video, 8K Footage) and Super 35mm Film for distinct aesthetic options. Footage is organized into thematic categories including Hurricanes & Typhoons, Tornadoes, Lightning, Storm Clouds, Snow & Winter Storms, Stormy Seas, Flooding & Rain, Sky Plates, and Climate Change. Access and licensing are facilitated through the StormStock Storm Vault marketplace platform, with supporting services including Master Footage Order Form, Preview Clip Request Form, and Price Quote Form.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• StormStock Collection Premium weather and climate stock footage library offering cinematic-quality footage of hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, storm clouds, flooding, blizzards and other natural phenomena for licensing in film, TV, commercial, documentary, and government productions.
• 16K Video World's first source for genuine 16K stock footage featuring extreme weather and climate content captured at ultra-high resolution (~15,985 x 5,792 pixels) using a proprietary dual-DSLR camera system.
• 8K Footage 8K UHD video resolution footage (7,680 x 4,320 pixels) delivering ultra-sharp image quality with four times the detail of 4K UHD.
• Super 35mm Film Cinematic-quality extreme weather footage captured on Super 35mm motion picture film by storm cinematographer Martin Lisius using ARRI cameras with Kodak film stock, including the only Super 35mm footage of Hurricane Katrina making landfall.
• StormStock Storm Vault Online marketplace for previewing, purchasing and downloading full-resolution rights-managed StormStock footage clips 24/7, with global self-serve access for time-sensitive production needs.
• Custom Footage Production & Research Services Bespoke footage production, preview-clip research service (clients send a 'shot wish list' and the team curates matching previews), and weather technical consulting for productions requiring accuracy in weather scenes. Includes the Master Footage Order Form, Preview Clip Request Form, and Price Quote Form workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• StormStock content featured in U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere concert series generating $244 million in revenue
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers23 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Media Hub Advertising (Egypt)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Produced the COP 27 UN Climate Change Conference video featuring StormStock footage from Hurricane Sandy, Irma, Matthew, and Katrina collections. Collaboration for global climate awareness campaign at UN conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• Colorlab (Rockville, Maryland)coreTechnology or Integration · 31 July 2019Colorlab performed film-to-digital transfer of StormStock's Super 35mm footage shot 1998-2008 to UHD 4K video, including Hurricane Katrina and other historical footage. Also transferred Super 35mm Hurricane Katrina film to 4K video.
• Steve Franko of Frankocolor (Dallas, Texas)coreTechnology or Integration · 31 July 2019Veteran colorist Steve Franko handled color work for the Super 35mm to 4K transfer project, working with Lisius to remaster footage from 1998-2008 period.
• Oxford Scientific FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2014Oxford Scientific Films co-produced the BBC series 'Wild Weather with Richard Hammond' with Terra Mater Factual Studios. StormStock provided over 5 minutes of footage including tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, and blizzards shot by founder Martin Lisius on Super 35mm and HD.
• Terra Mater Factual StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2014Co-produced BBC series 'Wild Weather with Richard Hammond' with Oxford Scientific Films. StormStock footage featured in episodes including 'Wind - The Invisible Force,' 'Water - The Shape Shifter,' and 'Temperature - The Driving Force.'
• FOCAL InternationalnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerStormStock is a proud member of FOCAL International, the pre-eminent voice and leading authority on audiovisual archives. StormStock nominated for Footage Library of the Year award in 2016.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Filmsupply: Filmsupply is a premium stock footage platform focused on cinematic, story-driven content for brands and filmmakers. Directly comparable to StormStock's premium, filmmaker-focused positioning and licensing model.
• Pond5: Pond5 is a leading stock footage marketplace with a rights-managed licensing model and contributor-uploaded content. It is the closest direct competitor to StormStock's Storm Vault marketplace in footage licensing mechanics and customer base.
• Dissolve: Dissolve is a premium stock footage marketplace specifically curated for filmmakers and creative professionals. It shares StormStock's premium positioning, rights-managed licensing, and target customer (production houses, agencies, brands).
• Skyworks: Skyworks is a specialist aerial and extreme-environment stock footage library, with a particular focus on drone and aerial cinematography. Comparable to StormStock as a niche premium footage provider for cinematic productions and advertising.
• Nature Picture Library: Nature Picture Library is a specialist nature and environmental stock footage and imagery library. Closely comparable to StormStock's focus on authentic natural phenomena, weather, and wildlife for documentary and editorial customers.
• Bridgeman Images: Bridgeman Images is a leading cultural and archival footage and imagery licensing platform, including nature and historical content. Comparable to StormStock as a rights-managed archive serving film, TV, and editorial customers.
• Storyblocks: Storyblocks operates a subscription-based stock footage and audio platform. It overlaps with StormStock's licensing model at a different price point, competing for the same production customers with unlimited-download alternatives.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe Stock: Adobe Stock is a major stock footage and imagery provider integrated with Creative Cloud. It competes with StormStock at the broader end of the market, particularly for Adobe-based production workflows.
• Shutterstock: Shutterstock operates a large stock footage and imagery marketplace, competing with StormStock for budget-tier and mid-market licensing. Much broader portfolio and subscription-based model, but overlapping on weather and nature content.
• Getty Images: Getty Images is the largest global stock imagery and footage provider, including editorial and weather-related content. While broader in scope, it competes with StormStock for film, TV, and advertising footage licensing deals and has BBC Motion Gallery as a partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvMer7bL5fL5c9vF1Wnk1xw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stormstock
• Xx.com/StormStock
• Facebookfacebook.com/StormStock

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 StormStock