Green Fire Productions

What Green Fire Productions does

Green Fire Productions is a private, founder-owned documentary film production company established in 1989 by Karen and Ralf Meyer and headquartered at P.O. Box 369, La Grande, Oregon. The company specializes in solution-oriented conservation and social-justice storytelling, producing documentary films and short-form video for a client base of conservation NGOs (American Rivers, Trout Unlimited), federal agencies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service), Indigenous governance bodies (Coastal First Nations), aquariums, museums, and local government entities. Its film portfolio is organized into themed collections: the Ocean Frontiers 4-part series, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, Lords of Nature (broadcast on PBS and narrated by Peter Coyote), the Common Ground Oregon Marine Reserves series, Restoring Rivers & Removing Dams, Deep-Sea Corals, Protecting Wildlands, and More Ocean Films.

The company's core technology is conventional documentary cinematography — including expedition-level underwater and wilderness filming, as evidenced by founder Ralf Meyer joining the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster for deep-sea coral exploration — combined with post-production and curriculum-aligned educational packaging. There are no software, AI/ML, or platform components; the underlying technology is creative production capability and a curated content library built over 30+ years. Distribution leverages PBS broadcasts, a YouTube channel (GreenFireMedia), free streaming on dedicated film websites, and a partner network of 1,500+ organizations conducting public screenings at aquariums, museums, festivals, and classrooms. Educator resources (study guides, lesson plans, discussion guides) are aligned to U.S. Next Generation Science Standards and British Columbia curriculum and distributed as free downloads.

Green Fire operates as a professional-services-plus-licensing business model. Revenue derives from commissioned film production for conservation campaigns and stakeholder-engagement projects (e.g., coalition work with American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and NPS for dam-removal advocacy) and from licensing and distribution of films through PBS and educational platforms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has remained privately held under the founders' ownership with no external investment, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Its operating geographies span the Pacific Northwest, broader U.S. regions, and British Columbia, with global reach through partner screening networks. Documented policy and behavioral outcomes — including the designation of five Oregon marine reserves following the Common Ground series, designation of the Copper Salmon Wilderness in 2009, and a 5-0 borough council vote for dam removal in Collegeville, Pennsylvania following 'Taking a Second Look' — serve as the company's primary value-proposition currency rather than traditional SaaS-style metrics.

Name

Green Fire Productions

Legal name

Green Fire Productions

Website

https://greenfireproductions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Green Fire Productions is a founder-owned Oregon documentary film studio founded in 1989 that produces conservation and social-justice films and K-12 educator resources for NGOs, federal agencies, Indigenous communities, and aquariums, distributed via PBS, YouTube, and a 1,500+ partner screening network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

Keywords

• Conservation documentary films
• Environmental film production
• Ocean stewardship media
• Wildlife documentary series
• Conservation storytelling services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Grande

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Film Production Services: Producing communication films for clients including NGOs, government agencies, and conservation organizations. Notable clients include American Rivers (Taking a Second Look, Restoring America's Rivers), National Park Service, and Trout Unlimited coalition for dam removal campaigns.
2. Licensing and Distribution: Films aired on PBS and distributed through educational platforms, with materials made available as free downloads to schools and institutions

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Green Fire Productions is an independent documentary film production company that creates solution-oriented conservation films for NGOs, government agencies, First Nations tribes, and educational institutions. Their film portfolio covers marine reserves, dam removal, ocean planning, predator conservation, and wildland protection, with companion K-12 and post-secondary educator resources aligned to U.S. Next Generation Science Standards and British Columbia curriculum. Films are distributed through PBS, YouTube, public screenings, aquariums, film festivals, and a 1,500+ partner network.

Product overview

Green Fire Productions is a documentary film production company founded in 1989 that produces conservation films. Their core product portfolio consists of documentary films organized into themed collections: the Ocean Frontiers 4-part film series, Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network, Lords of Nature, Common Ground Oregon Marine Reserves series, Restoring Rivers & Removing Dams collection, Deep-Sea Corals, Protecting Wildlands, and More Ocean Films. They complement their films with educator resources including study guides, discussion guides, and curriculum materials (Exploring Ocean Frontiers Educator Resources and Exploring the Great Bear Sea Curriculum Resources) that are connected to U.S. Next Generation Science Standards and British Columbia curriculum. The films have aired on PBS and are used worldwide by NGOs, agencies, businesses, educators, industry associations, First Nations and Native American tribes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocean Frontiers Film Series 4-part documentary film series about collaborative ocean planning featuring government, industry, science and conservation stakeholders working together on ocean stewardship.
• Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network Documentary film documenting the collaborative work to create the world's largest Indigenous-led Marine Protected Area Network along British Columbia's coast.
• Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators Documentary narrated by Peter Coyote and broadcast on PBS exploring the role top predators such as wolves and cougars play in restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Common Ground, Oregon Marine Reserves Three-film documentary series documenting the effort to establish marine reserves off the Oregon coast, featuring interviews and underwater footage that helped lead to designation of five marine reserves.
• Restoring Rivers & Removing Dams Collection of films documenting river restoration through dam removal, culvert replacement, and floodplain restoration, including 'Taking a Second Look', 'Restoring America's Rivers', and 'The Best Country'.
• Deep-Sea Corals Short documentary video documenting deep-sea coral exploration aboard a NOAA research ship in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Protecting Wildlands Collection of three films focused on public land conservation and endangered species recovery, including 'Beyond Borders', 'Wild Connections', and 'Apache Wilderness Journeys'.
• More Ocean Films Collection of short ocean conservation films including 'Hypoxia', 'It's All Connected', 'St. Croix East End Marine Park', and 'Reflections on Change'.
• Exploring Ocean Frontiers Educator Resources Secondary lessons and post-secondary discussion guides engaging students in inquiry-based ocean stewardship education, aligned to U.S. Next Generation Science Standards.
• Exploring the Great Bear Sea Curriculum Resources Elementary, secondary and post-secondary curriculum resources exploring Indigenous Knowledge, collaborative science, marine planning, biodiversity and sustainable resource management, aligned to British Columbia curriculum.
• Lords of Nature Study Guide & Discussion Guide Classroom study guide and discussion guide for all ages developed to accompany the Lords of Nature documentary.

Quantifiable outcome

• Common Ground film series catalyzed designation of five marine reserves off Oregon coast
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Fire produced 'Taking a Second Look' and 'Restoring America's Rivers' for American Rivers' dam removal campaign. American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to protect and restore healthy rivers.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the coalition including Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, and National Park Service that promoted dam removal across the country, choosing Green Fire to produce the video program.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the coalition promoting dam removal, working with Green Fire to produce dam removal success story videos.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Fire's cameraman Ralf Meyer joined the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster for the Southeast Deep Coral Initiative expedition, capturing deep-sea coral exploration on film.
• Coastal First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced the Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network film for Coastal First Nations, documenting Indigenous-led collaborative marine protection efforts in British Columbia.
• Ocean Frontiers Partner NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 1,500+ partners including conservation organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions that screen the Ocean Frontiers film series.
• Southeast Deep Coral InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative expedition to map and survey deep-sea coral ecosystems in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with film documentation by Green Fire.
• Oregon Marine Reserves PartnershipminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership supporting the designation and promotion of Oregon's marine reserves, with links to Green Fire's Common Ground film series.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Exposure Labs: Exposure Labs is an impact-driven documentary production company behind films such as An Inconvenient Truth and Chasing Ice, working with NGOs and advocacy coalitions to amplify climate and environmental stories. Green Fire operates in the same impact-documentary model, producing commissioned films for conservation partners.
• SeaLegacy: SeaLegacy is a direct peer producing ocean and marine conservation films, photography, and storytelling for NGOs, governments, and brands. Like Green Fire, its work is solution-oriented and meant to catalyze ocean policy and public engagement, with overlapping subjects (marine protected areas, ocean planning) and audience (conservation community, broadcasters).
• Conservation Media Ltd. Conservation Media is a production company producing documentary films and storytelling projects for conservation NGOs, foundations, and government agencies focused on threatened ecosystems and species. It mirrors Green Fire's commissioning model with conservation organizations producing advocacy content.
• Wildstar Films: Wildstar Films is a natural history and conservation documentary production company producing films for broadcasters including BBC, PBS, and Netflix. The shared focus on nature/conservation cinematography, broadcast distribution, and impact storytelling makes it a like-for-like comparison.
• The Redford Center: The Redford Center produces environmental storytelling and documentary films with conservation impact, partnering with NGOs and filmmakers to drive awareness and action. Both organizations focus on solution-oriented environmental filmmaking for NGO coalitions and engagement campaigns.
• MacGillivray Freeman Films: MacGillivray Freeman Films produces IMAX-format nature and conservation documentaries distributed to museums, aquariums, science centers, and IMAX theaters worldwide. Green Fire's aquarium and museum screenings for ocean/conservation films parallel this educational-out-of-home distribution approach.
• OceanX Media: OceanX Media produces ocean exploration and conservation films and series for streaming and broadcast, working with scientists and NGOs to translate deep-sea and marine science into narrative content. Green Fire's Ocean Frontiers and Deep-Sea Corals films cover the same science-to-story-to-policy niche, including NOAA research ship collaborations.

Emerging players

• Kartemquin Films: Kartemquin Films is a nonprofit documentary production house producing social-issue and advocacy films for PBS and educational distribution. Green Fire's nonprofit-style production model and PBS/educator distribution channels parallel Kartemquin's approach, though Kartemquin is broader across social issues rather than conservation-only.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Studios: National Geographic Studios is an established wildlife and exploration documentary producer with broad programming, major budgets, and institutional scale. It overlaps with Green Fire on conservation, ocean, and wildlife storytelling but as a much larger portfolio player rather than niche specialist.
• HHMI Tangled Bank Studios: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a science-focused documentary production company producing nature and biology films for PBS, Netflix, and streaming. As a broader incumbent it overlaps with Green Fire on science/NGSS-aligned educational distribution through PBS and educator resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GreenFireMedia

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 Green Fire Productions