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CoverStory

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uuid004865g

Namestring
CoverStory
Legal namestring
CoverStory
Websiteurl
cvrstory.com
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearstring
-
Descriptiontext

CoverStory is a privately held, New York-based premium non-fiction content production company that produces and licenses documentaries to the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks. Co-founded by journalist Emmet McDermott (Chief Creative Officer, former Managing Editor of Digital at The Hollywood Reporter and creator of the award-winning 60 Second Docs brand) and sales executive Scott Kaplan (Chief Executive Officer, 20-year film and series sales veteran who has sold 1000+ projects globally across roles at ICM, GRAVITAS VENTURES, GUNPOWDER & SKY, and Domino Content), CoverStory pairs investigative journalism with established distribution relationships. The company's catalog includes the feature documentary WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, which debuted at #1 on Netflix in April 2022, alongside the short-form series 60 Second Docs.

CoverStory operates as a boutique production house of approximately 10 employees with no proprietary technology stack; the underlying capability is creative talent, editorial access to high-profile documentary subjects, and CEO-led sales. Revenue is generated through documentary content licensing to enterprise buyers (Netflix is explicitly named; Showtime and other top global platforms are referenced as additional channels), with deals negotiated directly by Kaplan against platform commissioning needs rather than consumer-facing pricing. The company is founder-owned and controlled, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the input data, and no patents, trademarks, certifications, regulatory actions, or formal partnerships evidenced.

Short descriptiontext

CoverStory is a privately held, New York-based documentary production company that produces and licenses premium non-fiction films to top global streaming platforms and TV networks, led by a journalist-creator and a 20-year sales executive.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
1–10
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersNew York, United States
HQ citystring
New York
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Offices1 record

Each record includes

City, Country, Type, Description, Source

Keyword5 values
documentary production, non-fiction content, film distribution, content licensing, streaming content sales
Industry1 code
1Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO)
CodeMPADADAKPrimaryYes
NAICS code2 codes
  • Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries51219
  • Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers7115
SIC code2 codes
  • Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production7812
  • Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production7819
Product category
Documentary Production
Social media profiles1 record
GTM motion1 record

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model1 record
1Documentary Content Licensing
TypeLicensing Royalties
Description

CoverStory produces documentaries and licenses/sells them to streaming platforms and TV networks worldwide. The company generates revenue through content sales and distribution deals, with projects sold to platforms including Netflix. The company was founded by a sales veteran with 1000+ projects sold to streaming platforms and TV networks globally.

cvrstory.com
Marketing channels1 record

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels1 record

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components3 values
Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
GTM typeB2B
B2B
Offering typeServices
Services
Brand1 record
160 Second Docs
Description

Award-winning short documentary brand launched by Emmet McDermott in 2016 while at The Hollywood Reporter.

cvrstory.com
Core offering1 text field

CoverStory is a premium non-fiction content production company that produces feature-length and short-form documentaries for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks, including Netflix and Showtime. The company combines journalist-driven investigative storytelling with experienced film sales and distribution, led by co-founders Emmet McDermott (Chief Creative Officer) and Scott Kaplan (Chief Executive Officer). CoverStory's productions are sold and licensed directly to platform buyers through B2B deals negotiated by the CEO.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Product overview1 text field

CoverStory is a premium non-fiction content production company that operates as a single unified offering focused on producing groundbreaking documentaries for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks. The company's portfolio includes feature-length documentaries (such as WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH) and the award-winning short-form series 60 Second Docs. The productions are sold and distributed to streaming platforms and networks globally through sales executive Scott Kaplan's industry relationships.

Product and service3 records
1White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
CategoryDocumentary Production
Description

Feature-length investigative documentary chronicling the rise and fall of Abercrombie & Fitch; debuted at #1 on Netflix in April 2022 as CoverStory's first major feature production. Targeted at streaming platform buyers and global audiences.

260 Second Docs
CategoryShort-form Documentary Production
Description

Award-winning short-form documentary brand launched by Emmet McDermott, featuring condensed documentary storytelling. Targeted at streaming and digital platform audiences as a steady pipeline of short documentary content.

3Documentary Productions
CategoryDocumentary Production
Description

Groundbreaking feature and short-form documentary content produced for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks, including Netflix and Showtime. Sold via B2B licensing deals negotiated by CEO Scott Kaplan.

Scale indicator2 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Recent move4 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight4 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
1Gravitas Ventures
TypeRegional player
Description

Film and documentary sales/distribution company previously run by CoverStory CEO Scott Kaplan; directly comparable through its documentary acquisition and distribution business, though it focuses more on distribution than production.

2XTR
TypeDirect peer
Description

Documentary production and streaming company producing premium non-fiction features; operates in the same premium documentary licensing category as CoverStory, selling to major streaming platforms.

3Vice Studios
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Larger content producer with a significant documentary and non-fiction slate sold globally to streamers; comparable production/sales model but at much greater scale and brand breadth than CoverStory.

4Participant (formerly Participant Media)
TypeDirect peer
Description

Premium non-fiction and documentary producer with deep platform relationships; the closest like-for-like competitor for CoverStory in producing documentaries for global streamers.

5Participant Media
TypeDirect peer
Description

Independent production company specializing in documentary and social-impact non-fiction content sold to global streaming platforms and TV networks — directly comparable business model to CoverStory's premium documentary licensing approach.

6CNN Films
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

In-house documentary production arm of a major news network producing feature-length non-fiction; comparable premium documentary output model but operates as part of a much larger media parent.

7Sandbox Films
TypeEmerging player
Description

Independent documentary production company focused on premium non-fiction features for streamers; smaller emerging player with a comparable premium documentary licensing model to CoverStory.

8A24
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Independent studio with an expanding documentary division producing premium non-fiction for streaming platforms; broader portfolio than CoverStory but overlapping in premium documentary output.

9Imagine Documentaries
TypeDirect peer
Description

Feature and series documentary arm producing premium non-fiction for streamers and broadcasters; comparable to CoverStory in targeting global platforms with high-profile documentary IP.

10Showtime Documentary Films
TypeOthers
Description

Documentary division that is both a buyer of CoverStory-adjacent content and a producer of premium non-fiction; relevant as a customer/competitor in the same premium documentary market.

Market position
Strengths4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat3 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Named customers2 records

Each record includes

Name, Industry, Type, Use case, Source, UUID

Segment1 record

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile1 record

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
No
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles2 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

CoverStory

Documentary Productioncvrstory.com

CoverStory is a privately held, New York-based documentary production company that produces and licenses premium non-fiction films to top global streaming platforms and TV networks, led by a journalist-creator and a 20-year sales executive.

What CoverStory does

CoverStory is a privately held, New York-based premium non-fiction content production company that produces and licenses documentaries to the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks. Co-founded by journalist Emmet McDermott (Chief Creative Officer, former Managing Editor of Digital at The Hollywood Reporter and creator of the award-winning 60 Second Docs brand) and sales executive Scott Kaplan (Chief Executive Officer, 20-year film and series sales veteran who has sold 1000+ projects globally across roles at ICM, GRAVITAS VENTURES, GUNPOWDER & SKY, and Domino Content), CoverStory pairs investigative journalism with established distribution relationships. The company's catalog includes the feature documentary WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, which debuted at #1 on Netflix in April 2022, alongside the short-form series 60 Second Docs.

CoverStory operates as a boutique production house of approximately 10 employees with no proprietary technology stack; the underlying capability is creative talent, editorial access to high-profile documentary subjects, and CEO-led sales. Revenue is generated through documentary content licensing to enterprise buyers (Netflix is explicitly named; Showtime and other top global platforms are referenced as additional channels), with deals negotiated directly by Kaplan against platform commissioning needs rather than consumer-facing pricing. The company is founder-owned and controlled, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the input data, and no patents, trademarks, certifications, regulatory actions, or formal partnerships evidenced.

CoverStory firmographics

Firmographics
Name
CoverStory
Legal name
CoverStory
Website
https://cvrstory.com
Company type
Private
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
1–10 employees
Short description
CoverStory is a privately held, New York-based documentary production company that produces and licenses premium non-fiction films to top global streaming platforms and TV networks, led by a journalist-creator and a 20-year sales executive.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

CoverStory industry classification

Industry
Product category
Documentary Production
NAICS
Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)
SIC
Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
akta.pro primary industry
Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK)

Keywords

  • Documentary production
  • Non-fiction content
  • Film distribution
  • Content licensing
  • Streaming content sales

Where CoverStory is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
New York
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

CoverStory business model

Business model
GTM type
B2B
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

  1. Documentary Content Licensing: CoverStory produces documentaries and licenses/sells them to streaming platforms and TV networks worldwide. The company generates revenue through content sales and distribution deals, with projects sold to platforms including Netflix. The company was founded by a sales veteran with 1000+ projects sold to streaming platforms and TV networks globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

CoverStory product offering

Product offering

Core offering

CoverStory is a premium non-fiction content production company that produces feature-length and short-form documentaries for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks, including Netflix and Showtime. The company combines journalist-driven investigative storytelling with experienced film sales and distribution, led by co-founders Emmet McDermott (Chief Creative Officer) and Scott Kaplan (Chief Executive Officer). CoverStory's productions are sold and licensed directly to platform buyers through B2B deals negotiated by the CEO.

Product overview

CoverStory is a premium non-fiction content production company that operates as a single unified offering focused on producing groundbreaking documentaries for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks. The company's portfolio includes feature-length documentaries (such as WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH) and the award-winning short-form series 60 Second Docs. The productions are sold and distributed to streaming platforms and networks globally through sales executive Scott Kaplan's industry relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

  • 60 Second Docs: Award-winning short documentary brand launched by Emmet McDermott in 2016 while at The Hollywood Reporter.

Products and services

  • White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch Feature-length investigative documentary chronicling the rise and fall of Abercrombie & Fitch; debuted at #1 on Netflix in April 2022 as CoverStory's first major feature production. Targeted at streaming platform buyers and global audiences.
  • 60 Second Docs Award-winning short-form documentary brand launched by Emmet McDermott, featuring condensed documentary storytelling. Targeted at streaming and digital platform audiences as a steady pipeline of short documentary content.
  • Documentary Productions Groundbreaking feature and short-form documentary content produced for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks, including Netflix and Showtime. Sold via B2B licensing deals negotiated by CEO Scott Kaplan.

Companies that use CoverStory

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

CoverStory technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

CoverStory partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

CoverStory competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

  • Gravitas Ventures: Film and documentary sales/distribution company previously run by CoverStory CEO Scott Kaplan; directly comparable through its documentary acquisition and distribution business, though it focuses more on distribution than production.

Direct peers

  • XTR: Documentary production and streaming company producing premium non-fiction features; operates in the same premium documentary licensing category as CoverStory, selling to major streaming platforms.
  • Participant (formerly Participant Media): Premium non-fiction and documentary producer with deep platform relationships; the closest like-for-like competitor for CoverStory in producing documentaries for global streamers.
  • Participant Media: Independent production company specializing in documentary and social-impact non-fiction content sold to global streaming platforms and TV networks — directly comparable business model to CoverStory's premium documentary licensing approach.
  • Imagine Documentaries: Feature and series documentary arm producing premium non-fiction for streamers and broadcasters; comparable to CoverStory in targeting global platforms with high-profile documentary IP.

Broad incumbents

  • Vice Studios: Larger content producer with a significant documentary and non-fiction slate sold globally to streamers; comparable production/sales model but at much greater scale and brand breadth than CoverStory.
  • CNN Films: In-house documentary production arm of a major news network producing feature-length non-fiction; comparable premium documentary output model but operates as part of a much larger media parent.
  • A24: Independent studio with an expanding documentary division producing premium non-fiction for streaming platforms; broader portfolio than CoverStory but overlapping in premium documentary output.

Emerging players

  • Sandbox Films: Independent documentary production company focused on premium non-fiction features for streamers; smaller emerging player with a comparable premium documentary licensing model to CoverStory.

Others

  • Showtime Documentary Films: Documentary division that is both a buyer of CoverStory-adjacent content and a producer of premium non-fiction; relevant as a customer/competitor in the same premium documentary market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

CoverStory social profiles

Digital presence

CoverStory financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

CoverStory leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

CoverStory funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

CoverStory M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CoverStory

What does CoverStory do?

CoverStory is a premium non-fiction content production company that produces feature-length and short-form documentaries for the world's top streaming platforms and TV networks, including Netflix and Showtime. The company combines journalist-driven investigative storytelling with experienced film sales and distribution, led by co-founders Emmet McDermott (Chief Creative Officer) and Scott Kaplan (Chief Executive Officer). CoverStory's productions are sold and licensed directly to platform buyers through B2B deals negotiated by the CEO.

Is CoverStory a public or private company?

CoverStory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was CoverStory founded?

CoverStory was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is CoverStory based?

CoverStory is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.

How does CoverStory make money?

One revenue line is on record: documentary Content Licensing.

Who are CoverStory's main competitors?

Gravitas Ventures is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are XTR, Participant (formerly Participant Media), Participant Media and Imagine Documentaries. Broad incumbents are Vice Studios, CNN Films and A24. Sandbox Films is listed as an emerging player. Showtime Documentary Films is listed as an others.

Does CoverStory have an API?

No public API is recorded for CoverStory.

What industry is CoverStory in?

CoverStory's product category is Documentary Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAK, Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO). Its NAICS code is 51219 and its SIC code is 7812.

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