Symbio Studios

What Symbio Studios does

Symbio Studios is a privately held, founder-led multimedia production company headquartered in Washington, United States, that produces nature, wildlife, cultural, and educational documentary content for tier-1 broadcasters and streaming platforms including National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+, ABC, PBS, and Discovery Channel. The studio was established by multi-Emmy Award-winning director and producer Patrick Greene, who brings 20+ years of production experience and a track record across 100+ productions as Director, Executive Producer, and Director of Photography. Its work is distinguished by specialized underwater cinematography and remote-location field production, supported by scientific collaboration with Dr. Mike Heithaus, Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University and a marine ecologist with 120+ published scientific papers.

The company's product portfolio centers on long-form documentary series and specials — Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin (ABC), Maui Shark Mystery, The Real Black Panther, Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead, Safari Brothers, Alaska Animal Rescue, The Everglades: A Symphony of Life, and the Made With Love cultural artisan series (Italy, Ireland, England) — alongside the Symbio Education sub-brand, which packages documentary footage into inquiry-based STEM curriculum for K-12 classrooms through a partnership with the Science3D education platform. Production is co-developed with strategic partners including Litton Entertainment, MTO Productions, and Ampersand Media for broadcast series.

Symbio generates revenue primarily through B2B content licensing and production contracts negotiated with broadcaster programming executives, supplemented by backend participation and educational licensing. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven: the studio develops concepts, pitches to commissioning editors at major networks and streaming platforms, and secures production commissions. Distribution channels are exclusively enterprise (National Geographic, Disney+, ABC, PBS, Nat Geo WILD) and mid-market educational institutions via Symbio Education. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no parent company — the operation is bootstrapped and founder-controlled, with a workforce of 11–50 employees.

Name

Symbio Studios

Legal name

Symbio Studios

Website

https://symbiostudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Symbio Studios is a founder-led documentary production company that produces nature, wildlife, and cultural programming for tier-1 broadcasters (National Geographic, Disney+, ABC, PBS) and STEM educational content for K-12 classrooms via its Symbio Education sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary and Educational Content Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADADAF

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

SECONDARYMPADADAI

Arts & Culture Documentaries

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

Keywords

• Documentary production
• Wildlife filmmaking
• Educational media
• STEM video content
• Nature programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Content Licensing: Symbio Studios produces documentary and educational content for major broadcasters including National Geographic, Disney+, ABC, PBS, and Nat Geo WILD. Revenue is generated through production contracts, licensing fees, and potentially backend participation.
2. Educational Content Distribution: Production of STEM education content distributed to K-12 schools and educational institutions through partnerships with educational publishers and platforms.
3. Symbio Education Platform: Educational content combining documentary footage with classroom curriculum, potentially sold or licensed to educational institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Symbio Studios is a documentary and educational content production company that produces nature, wildlife, cultural, and historical documentary films and series for major broadcasters and streaming platforms including National Geographic, Disney+, ABC, PBS, and Nat Geo WILD. The company also operates a Symbio Education sub-brand that creates STEM-aligned video and inquiry-based curriculum for K-12 classrooms, and it specializes in technically challenging productions such as underwater cinematography and remote-location wildlife filming.

Product overview

Symbio Studios is a documentary production company led by multi-Emmy Award-winning producer Patrick Greene that produces nature, cultural, historical documentaries, and educational content. The portfolio includes the core production studio, the Symbio Education sub-brand for classroom content, and multiple documentary series and films spanning wildlife (Ocean Mysteries, Maui Shark Mystery, The Real Black Panther, Alaska Animal Rescue, Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead, Safari Brothers), environmental storytelling (The Everglades: A Symphony of Life), and cultural documentaries (Made With Love series covering Italy, Ireland, and England). Content is distributed via traditional channels including National Geographic, ABC, PBS, streamers, cable, and new media platforms including social media and apps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Symbio Education: Educational division focused on bringing scientific research and STEM content to K-12 classrooms through videos, inquiry-based curriculum, and engaging scientists. Website: science3d.education.

Products and services

• Symbio Education An educational content division that combines Symbio's documentary footage with inquiry-based, STEM-aligned curriculum and in-classroom videos featuring real scientists, targeted at K-12 schools and educational institutions.
• Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin An ongoing documentary series hosted by Jeff Corwin covering global wildlife conservation stories, distributed on ABC and won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards.
• Made With Love Series A documentary franchise covering master artisans and craftsmanship traditions in Italy, Ireland, and England, including glassblowing, mosaic work, weaving, and culinary crafts.
• Maui Shark Mystery A standalone documentary that follows an all-female research team investigating tiger sharks in Maui and their connection to Pacific humpback whale migrations, distributed via Disney+.
• The Real Black Panther A documentary chronicling the story of Saya, a rare black panther in India's Kabini/Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, distributed via Disney+.
• Alaska Animal Rescue A documentary series following first responders, veterinarians, and animal caretakers at Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaska Raptor Center, and Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center as they rescue injured wildlife.
• Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead A wildlife documentary investigating whether bull sharks hunt cooperatively against great hammerheads, with on-camera investigation led by Dr. Mike Heithaus and a team of shark experts.
• Safari Brothers A documentary series profiling brothers Brent and Grant Reed and their safari and guide-training business in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, distributed via National Geographic.
• The Everglades: A Symphony of Life A documentary film about the Everglades ecosystem, pairing imagery with original music performed by the New World Symphony, broadcast on South Florida PBS.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2014 Daytime Emmy winner for Outstanding Travel Series and Outstanding Director
• +1 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Litton EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin. Litton Entertainment is a production company specializing in lifestyle, documentary, and reality content.
• MTO ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin series.
• Ampersand MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin ABC network series.
• Florida International UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dr. Mike Heithaus, Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at FIU, who serves as Educational Consultant and brings scientific expertise to documentary projects.
• Science3D EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSymbio Education division partners with Science3D platform to deliver STEM educational content combining documentary video with inquiry-based curriculum.
• New World SymphonyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Florida's New World Symphony performed 'Umoja,' composed by Grammy Award-winning flutist Valerie Coleman, featured in The Everglades: A Symphony of Life documentary.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NHNZ (Natural History New Zealand): Specialist natural history production studio producing wildlife and adventure documentaries for international broadcasters. Directly comparable as a specialty natural history production house competing for the same commissioning slots.
• Silverback Films: Award-winning UK production company behind landmark natural history series (e.g., Our Planet). A high-end boutique wildlife producer competing for premium streamer commissions in the same category as Symbio.
• Off the Fence: Independent documentary production company with deep nature/wildlife and science programming, supplying broadcasters worldwide. Directly comparable production-side peer in the same genre and distribution channels.
• Wildstar Films: Boutique natural history production company producing wildlife and ocean documentaries for streamers and broadcasters. Direct competitor for niche, premium nature commissions with a comparable boutique footprint.
• Plimsoll Productions: Mid-sized independent UK production company focused on premium natural history and wildlife documentaries for global streamers and broadcasters. Highly comparable mid-scale boutique competing for the same premium nature/wildlife commissions Symbio targets.
• Lion Mountain Media: Independent producer of premium natural history and wildlife programming for global broadcasters and streamers. Peer boutique competing for the same high-end nature commissions.
• Red Rock Films: Wildlife and natural history production company producing content for broadcasters globally, including natural history specials. Comparable boutique natural history peer of similar scale.

Emerging players

• Spring Films: Independent production company producing natural history and science-led documentaries for broadcasters and streamers. A comparable emerging specialist peer, slightly earlier stage but operating in the same commissioning ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Studios Natural History Unit: Industry-leading natural history production unit behind landmark series like Planet Earth and Blue Planet. Sets the bar (and budget expectations) for premium wildlife commissions that Symbio must compete against, especially for streamer tentpole slots.
• Discovery (Discovery Inc. / Warner Bros. Discovery): Major broadcaster/programmer of wildlife and nature content (Discovery Channel, Animal Planet) and increasingly a buyer of content Symbio could supply. Functions as an adjacent incumbent rather than a direct production competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/symbiostudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Symbio Studios