What HIVEMIND does

Hivemind is a privately held U.S.-based production company founded in 2018 in Los Angeles by Sean Daniel (former Universal Studios president) and Jason F. Brown, later joined by Kathy Lingg (Bad Robot) and Shay Weiner as producers. The company specializes in developing and producing television, film, animated, and digital media content derived from established intellectual property — most notably The Witcher franchise for Netflix, The Expanse for Amazon Prime Video, The Best Man: The Final Chapters for Peacock, and the feature film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (produced with Guillermo del Toro, grossing over $100M worldwide on a $28M budget). The firm also extends franchises into adjacent formats, including animated features and an interactive game with Telltale Games, and is developing new adaptations such as Paprika.

Hivemind operates a lean production model — approximately 20 employees — and monetizes through licensing and production deals with major streaming platforms rather than through direct-to-consumer products. Revenue mechanics are production fees, backend participation, and IP licensing royalties on each title, with distribution handled exclusively by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock for its major franchises. Customer relationships are anchored at the enterprise level: each named platform acquires full or anchor rights to a franchise, and the company has demonstrated ability to deliver at scale, including The Witcher's debut of 76M households in its first month and The Expanse's six-season run with 95-100% Rotten Tomatoes scores and a 2022 Hugo Award.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging founder credentials and a track record of reviving franchises (notably The Expanse via the #SaveTheExpanse campaign) to secure multi-year, exclusive platform partnerships. Award nominations (Saturn, NAACP Image Awards) and high-profile press coverage in Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, Variety, Forbes, and Collider support top-of-funnel visibility, while platform promotional channels drive mid-funnel discovery. Hivemind does not disclose financials, ownership beyond founders, or headcount growth, leaving private-market positioning and cap table structure opaque to external observers.

Name

HIVEMIND

Legal name

Hivemind

Website

https://hivemindent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hivemind is a privately held Los Angeles–based production studio founded in 2018 that develops and produces television, film, and animated content for major streaming platforms, including The Witcher (Netflix), The Expanse (Amazon Prime Video), and The Best Man (Peacock).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television & Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)

Keywords

• Television production
• Film production
• Content licensing
• Streaming content
• Media production

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Content Production for Streaming Platforms: Hivemind develops and produces television and film content that is licensed/sold to major streaming platforms. Revenue is generated through production deals with platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hivemind is a U.S.-based production company that develops and produces television series, feature films, and animated content based on acquired book IP and original projects. The company licenses and sells its productions to major streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock) for global distribution, generating revenue through production deals and licensing arrangements rather than direct-to-consumer sales.

Product overview

Hivemind is a U.S.-based production company founded in 2018, dedicated to crafting bold, genre-defining stories across television, film, and digital media. The company operates as a content production studio with no unified software platform; its product portfolio consists of individual entertainment productions. Key productions include: Netflix's The Witcher franchise (including the main series, prequel Blood Origin, and animated films Nightmare of the Wolf and Sirens of the Deep); Amazon Prime's The Expanse (six seasons, concluded 2022); Peacock's The Best Man: Final Chapters; and the feature film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (produced with Guillermo del Toro, $100M+ box office). The company collaborates with visionary creators and top studios including Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Telltale, Alcon Entertainment, Lionsgate, and eOne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Witcher Netflix television series adapted from Andrzej Sapkowski's best-selling fantasy novels, which also inspired CD Projekt Red's video game franchise. Premiered in 2019 and expanded into animated films and prequel series.
• The Expanse Sci-fi television series adapted from James S.A. Corey's best-selling novels, running six seasons across Syfy and Amazon Prime Video. Recognized by NPR as 'the best sci-fi series of the decade.'
• The Best Man: Final Chapters Limited series on Peacock that concluded The Best Man franchise. Marked Peacock's first original to land on Nielsen's Top 10 streaming rankings and was nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards.
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 2019 feature film adaptation of Alvin Schwartz's iconic horror book series, produced in collaboration with Guillermo del Toro. Grossed over $100 million worldwide on a $28 million budget and earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Horror Film.
• The Witcher: Blood Origin Prequel television series set more than 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher, following seven outcasts in the elf world united against an unstoppable power.
• The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Animated feature film exploring the backstory of Vesemir, Geralt's mentor, expanding the Witcher universe on Netflix.
• The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• eOne (Entertainment One)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2022eOne (Entertainment One) is listed as a production partner of Hivemind, collaborating on content production.
• Alcon EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHivemind collaborated with Alcon Entertainment to develop and produce The Expanse, working with Alcon Entertainment on all six seasons of the acclaimed sci-fi series.
• Guillermo del TorocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuillermo del Toro served as producer alongside Hivemind's Sean Daniel and Jason Brown on the 2019 film adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, which grossed over $100M worldwide.
• Telltale GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Expanse expanded into an interactive Telltale game released in 2023, extending the franchise into the gaming space.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetflix serves as the primary streaming distributor for Hivemind's The Witcher franchise, including the main series, prequel Blood Origin, animated features Nightmare of the Wolf and Sirens of the Deep.
• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon Prime Video distributes Hivemind's The Expanse (all six seasons) and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film.
• PeacockcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPeacock serves as the exclusive streaming home for Hivemind's The Best Man: The Final Chapters, which became Peacock's first original to land on Nielsen's Top 10 streaming rankings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alcon Entertainment: Independent production company behind The Expanse and other premium streaming/broadcast content. Direct peer and existing Hivemind partner on The Expanse, with similar scope and buyer profile.
• Blumhouse Productions: Specialized horror and genre production company with a model of low-budget/high-ROI theatrical and streaming releases. Comparable to Hivemind's Scary Stories and genre-driven slate economics.
• Bad Robot: J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath's TV/film production company behind major franchise adaptations and streaming-original series. Directly comparable as a creator-led production house with deep ties to top streamers.
• A24: Independent studio producing film and prestige TV with streamer and theatrical distribution. Comparable scale and indie-production model producing critically acclaimed, franchise-quality content.
• Legendary Entertainment: Independent studio producing tentpole franchise films and TV series adapted from existing IP (e.g., Dune, The Witcher game IP adjacent). Comparable to Hivemind's franchise-adaptation model and global streamer distribution.
• Temple Hill Entertainment: Mid-size production company producing YA franchise adaptations (e.g., Twilight, Maze Runner) with global distribution. Comparable scale and franchise-adaptation focus to Hivemind's IP-driven model.
• Skydance Media: Production company producing major IP-driven feature films and streaming series with global distribution. Comparable in scale and focus on adapting premium IP for streaming and theatrical buyers.
• eOne (Entertainment One): Global independent studio producing and distributing film and TV content. Listed as a Hivemind production partner and operates in the same production/distribution space with overlapping genre IP.
• Media Rights Capital (MRC): Independent TV/film producer and financier behind premium streaming series and films. Comparable as an indie production company with deep streamer relationships and franchise-style IP.

Broad incumbents

• Lionsgate: Larger independent studio with broad film and TV production, including franchise IP. Overlaps with Hivemind's franchise-adaptation model but operates at much greater scale across theatrical, streaming, and TV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hivemindent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 HIVEMIND