What HMS Media does

HMS Media, Inc. is a privately-held, full-service video production company founded in 1988 and headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois (Chicago metropolitan area). The company specializes in capturing live performing arts — Broadway shows, national tours, resident theater, dance, opera, music, and museums — and translating those performances into broadcast, streaming, and HD cinecast content that preserves the emotional impact of a live audience experience. Its core technology and craft cover the full production pipeline: writing and development, shooting, lighting, design, editing, audio recording and mixing, casting, and distribution coordination. The company also produces documentary and digital content for social service agencies and advocacy organizations.

HMS operates on a professional services, project-based revenue model with no publicly disclosed pricing; engagements are quote-based and bespoke to each production's scope. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging 35+ years of institutional trust and a track record of 26 Emmy Awards and 41 Emmy nominations. Primary customer segments are Broadway shows and national tours, resident theater/dance/music companies, broadcast/streaming/cinecast distributors (notably PBS and WTTW), and social service/advocacy organizations. A complementary direct-to-consumer merchandise channel sells DVDs and Blu-rays through Amazon and ShopPBS.

The company remains founder-led, bootstrapped with no institutional funding rounds, and operates with a small core team of approximately 6 named staff under co-founders Scott Silberstein (Executive Producer) and Matt Hoffman (President). Long-standing core partnerships with PBS and WTTW anchor its distribution, and a relaunched Substack newsletter ('Arts In Action') supports top-of-funnel awareness.

Name

HMS Media

Legal name

HMS Media, Inc.

Website

https://hmsmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HMS Media is a Chicago-based, full-service video production company founded in 1988 that specializes in capturing live performing arts for PBS, streaming, and HD cinecast, serving Broadway tours, major theaters, opera, dance, and social-service organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Record Production and Distribution (512250)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Management (DAM) for Media/Creative (MPAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Footage & Stock Media Licensing (Archival/Newsreel/Stock) (MPADALAD)

Keywords

• Video production services
• Live performance capture
• Broadcast production
• Documentary filmmaking
• Performing arts media

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Video Production Services: HMS Media generates revenue by providing full-service video production to arts organizations, Broadway productions, social service agencies, and advocacy organizations. They offer both project-based work (individual productions) and ongoing client relationships. Production services include documentary development, live event capture, broadcast specials, and digital content creation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HMS Media is a full-service video production company that writes, develops, shoots, lights, designs, edits, records and mixes audio, casts, and handles distribution for clients in the performing arts and social causes sectors. Its work spans live performance capture for Broadway shows and national tours, broadcast specials and documentaries for PBS and other outlets, content for resident theaters/dance/music organizations, and advocacy-focused storytelling for social service agencies. The company also retails select productions as DVDs and Blu-rays.

Product overview

HMS Media is a full-service media production company offering soup-to-nuts production capabilities including writing, development, shooting, lighting, design, editing, audio recording and mixing, casting, and distribution services. The company's product portfolio spans DVD/Blu-ray physical products (concert specials like First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb, Handel's Messiah Rocks, Celtic Woman's Emerald, Under the Streetlamp PBS specials, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and Lookingglass Alice), broadcast streaming specials, and COVID-19 era virtual productions. HMS Media has won 26 Emmy Awards across categories including Outstanding Entertainment Special, Outstanding Editing, Outstanding Audio, and Outstanding Lighting Design for productions with performing arts organizations, social service agencies, and broadcast outlets including PBS, WTTW, and streaming platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Broadcast and Streaming Production Services Full-service production of broadcast specials, streaming series, and HD cinecast content for PBS, WTTW, international streaming platforms, and cinema distributors. Award-winning work spans entertainment programming, arts specials, and live performance captures distributed globally.
• Broadway Shows and Tours Production Live performance capture and content production for Broadway shows and national tours, including Tony Awards coverage, morning and late-night show features, social media content, and HD cinecast distribution. Crews deploy across the United States to capture performances in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and London.
• Performing and Fine Arts Production Production services for resident theaters, dance companies, music organizations, and museums. Creates broadcast specials, documentaries, performance captures, and digital content that conveys the visceral experience of live performance for remote audiences. Clients include Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Hubbard Street Dance, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
• Issues and Causes Content Production Production services for social service agencies and advocacy organizations, creating broadcast specials, virtual galas, live streams, fundraising campaigns, and digital content that turn organizational missions into memorable, impactful stories. Includes documentary development and storytelling for nonprofit causes.
• HMS Media DVD and Blu-ray Catalog Direct-to-consumer retail catalog of HMS Media productions including 'First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb', 'Emerald: Musical Gems, Celtic Woman Live in Concert', 'A Christmas Carol - The Concert', 'Second to None: 10th Anniversary Special Edition', 'Under the Streetlamp PBS Specials', 'Gentleman's Rule: Live at Star Plaza Theatre', and 'Handel's Messiah Rocks'. Distributed through Amazon and ShopPBS.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 Emmy Awards and 41 Emmy nominations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1990PBS serves as the national distribution platform for HMS Media's programming. HMS has produced nearly three dozen specials for PBS, including national broadcasts of 'Lookingglass Alice', 'Chicago Voices', 'First You Dream: The Songs of Kander & Ebb', and 'The Hip Hop Nutcracker'.
• WTTWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989WTTW (Chicago public television) was HMS Media's first broadcast partner, airing their debut documentary 'Why Am I Hiding' in 1989. This long-standing relationship has produced nearly three dozen PBS specials and established HMS as a leading arts production company.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• FilmRise: Independent film and documentary distribution company operating across AVOD/FAST streaming channels. Comparable as a downstream distribution channel for HMS's documentary and performance-capture back-catalog.

Direct peers

• Accentus Music: Produces classical music and concert films for international broadcasters and streaming platforms. Overlaps with HMS Media on the core competency of capturing premium classical and performing arts content for broadcast.
• Idéale Audience: French producer specializing in filmed concerts, ballet, and opera with international distribution. Highly comparable to HMS Media on both the production (live performing arts capture) and distribution (streaming/cinema/broadcast) sides.
• THIRTEEN / WNET: New York PBS station and major PBS arts producer (Great Performances, etc.). Operates as both a peer and an indirect partner for HMS Media; comparable as a nonprofit arts broadcaster that produces and commissions performing arts programming.
• C Major Entertainment: C Major produces and distributes high-end concert, ballet, and opera video for streaming and broadcast, including partnerships with major orchestras and opera houses. It is the closest direct peer to HMS Media in the niche of premium performing-arts capture for global distribution.
• Eagle Rock Entertainment: Long-running producer and distributor of concert, music documentary, and performance DVDs and digital content. Comparable to HMS Media's concert-special/DVD arm (Celtic Woman, Under the Streetlamp).

Broad incumbents

• Naxos of America: Classical music label with a growing catalog of filmed concert and ballet productions distributed via streaming and DVD. Comparable as a classical/arts content producer-distributor serving similar institutional clients.
• WETA: Large PBS station producing national arts and cultural programming. Comparable to HMS Media as an incumbent public broadcaster that commissions and produces performing arts content at scale.
• WTTW Chicago: HMS's primary regional broadcast partner since 1989, but also a peer as a Chicago-based PBS producer and commissioner of arts programming. Functions as both client and adjacent competitor for regional arts commissions.

Emerging players

• Stagecast: Streaming platform and production partner specialized in theater and performing arts capture for digital distribution. Comparable to HMS Media's newer virtual-galas and live-stream service lines targeting resident theaters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hms-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 HMS Media