New Day Films, Inc.

What New Day Films, Inc. does

New Day Films, Inc. is a filmmaker-run cooperative distribution company that licenses educational documentaries to institutions, founded in 1971 and based in Blooming Grove, USA. The company operates as a collective of 200+ independent filmmakers who retain ownership of their individual works while using New Day's distribution infrastructure to reach higher education, K-12 schools, public libraries, corporate buyers, and community organizations. Its catalog spans hundreds of documentary titles covering social justice, disability, arts, immigration, history, and other educational subject areas, with films available through streaming (multiple license terms from 14-day rental to Life of File at $550-$575) and DVD sales (tiered $55-$299). The company was B Corp certified in 2014, maintains a core distribution partnership with streaming platform Kanopy, and has earned accolades including Peabody, UNESCO, Emmy nominations, and SXSW premieres.

The core product is the curated documentary catalog, complemented by educational resources such as curriculum guides, discussion questions, and accessibility features including closed captioning and audio description. The technology layer is a relatively standard documentary film distribution platform supporting both digital streaming and physical DVD fulfillment, with tiered pricing calibrated to customer segment (institutional, K-12, public library, corporate). New Day Films markets through content-rich website pages, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn), email newsletters, educational conferences, and film festivals, supplemented by the Kanopy partnership as a secondary marketplace channel.

The go-to-market is sales-led direct via newday.com, with revenue derived from recurring streaming subscriptions ($150 institutional annual, $500 corporate annual) and one-time DVD/perpetual license sales. Customer acquisition leans on long-standing educator word-of-mouth, SEO-optimized film pages, virtual screening series (Reframe and Refresh), and the trust signal of 50+ years of brand reputation. Operationally, the firm is small (1-10 employees), privately held with no external investment, and structurally a cooperative — a model that constrains rapid scaling but aligns long-tail filmmaker incentives with ongoing content supply.

Name

New Day Films, Inc.

Legal name

New Day Films

Website

https://newday.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Day Films, Inc. is a filmmaker-run cooperative founded in 1971 that distributes award-winning educational documentaries via streaming and DVD sales to universities, K-12 schools, public libraries, corporations, and community groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Documentary Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community) (MPADAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Instructional Nonfiction (MPADADAL), Catalog / Library Distribution & Re-Release (MPADAJAK)

Keywords

• Educational documentaries
• Documentary distribution
• Streaming licenses
• Film collections
• Educational media

Headquarters

HQ city

Blooming Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Streaming Licenses: Digital streaming licenses sold with various durations (14-day, 1-year, 3-year, Life of File) targeting educational institutions, corporations, and community organizations.
2. DVD Sales: Physical DVD distribution to institutions, K-12 schools, public libraries, community groups, and corporations at tiered pricing based on customer type.
3. Corporate Streaming: Premium streaming licenses for corporate environments with 1-year duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Day Films distributes a catalog of several hundred educational documentaries through tiered streaming licenses and physical DVD sales. Customers are primarily educational institutions, public libraries, community groups, and corporations that license films for classroom instruction, library collections, training, and public programming. Distribution is delivered via direct website sales and a streaming partnership with Kanopy.

Product overview

New Day Films is a filmmaker-run cooperative distributor of educational documentaries, offering a diverse catalog of documentary films available through streaming (with multiple licensing terms) and DVD sales. The product portfolio includes individual documentary titles across subject areas (Disabilities, Arts, Immigration, Health, Human Rights, Education, and more), film collections for institutions, licensed content for educational use, and a Film and Speaker program. Films are distributed to colleges/universities, K-12 schools, public libraries, community groups, and corporations with tiered pricing based on organization type and viewing term.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Streaming License Service Digital streaming access to New Day's documentary catalog with multiple licensing term options (14-day rental through Life of File perpetual) sold to institutions, K-12 schools, public libraries, community groups, and corporations at tiered pricing.
• DVD Distribution Physical DVD distribution of individual documentary titles at tiered pricing for institutions ($99-$299), K-12 schools ($79-$99), public libraries ($55-$85), community groups, and corporations, with audio description versions available.
• Curated Film Collections Pre-curated bundles of documentary films organized by subject areas (Children/Youth and Families, Arts, Immigration and Border Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Urban Studies, Science and Technology, Education, History, Religion/Theology/Ethics) sold to institutions at bundled rates.
• Film and Speaker Program Combined documentary screening and live or virtual speaker participation program pairing New Day films with filmmaker or subject-matter experts for educational institutions and community organizations.
• Licensed Films Program Program offering documentary films specifically licensed for educational and institutional use with defined usage rights and term-based licensing (14-day, 1-year, 3-year, Life of File) for institutional buyers.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KanopycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKanopy is a streaming platform partner that offers New Day Films titles to educational institutions. The partnership provides wider distribution through Kanopy's educational streaming network, allowing institutions with existing Kanopy subscriptions to access New Day documentary content.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kanopy: Educational streaming platform serving public libraries and universities. Functions both as New Day's distribution partner and as a broader incumbent that aggregates niche documentary catalogs at scale.
• Swank Motion Pictures: Major non-theatrical licensing distributor licensing films to universities, K-12, libraries, and corporations. Comparable on the institutional/institutional-licensing motion, although broader in scope and much larger.
• Films Media Group (Infobase): Large educational video distributor serving schools and libraries via curated streaming platforms and databases. Comparable as an institutional documentary/video distributor with significantly broader catalog and platform reach.
• Alexander Street / ProQuest: Large academic streaming and database provider carrying documentary video collections for universities and libraries. Comparable as an institutional documentary/video distribution and licensing incumbent.

Direct peers

• Bullfrog Films: Long-established educational documentary distributor serving colleges, K-12, and libraries with a streaming and DVD catalog. Comparable to New Day on customer base, product (social-issue documentaries), and sales channels.
• First Run Features: Independent distributor of documentary and feature films with educational, theatrical, and home video channels. Overlaps New Day on documentary distribution into institutional and educational buyers.
• Media Education Foundation: Produces and distributes documentaries and curriculum materials for higher education on media, identity, and social issues. Closely aligned with New Day's mission-driven, educator-focused documentary distribution model.
• Icarus Films: Independent distributor of documentary and educational films with a long-running catalog and educational streaming access. Comparable to New Day on indie documentary distribution, including educational institutional sales.
• The Cinema Guild: Independent distributor of documentary, art-house, and foreign films with educational institutional sales. Comparable as a documentary distributor working through colleges, libraries, and film festivals.

Emerging players

• GoodDocs: Subscription-based streaming service of curated educational documentaries for colleges, universities, and libraries. Comparable to New Day's streaming distribution path with a newer, subscription-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newdayfilms
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/newdayfilms
• Facebookfacebook.com/newdayfilms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-day-films
• Instagraminstagram.com/newdaydocfilms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 New Day Films, Inc.