What HOCK FILMS, INC. does

Hock Films, Inc. is a privately held, New York-based documentary film production company founded by director Jonathan Hock, operating with a small team of approximately six employees. The company specializes in sports documentaries that blend cinematic techniques, archival footage integration, and character-driven narrative storytelling to explore themes of race, class, family, identity, and the American experience through athletic figures and their communities. Its catalog spans more than 20 productions across feature-length documentaries, ESPN '30 for 30' films, multi-episode series, and short-form content distributed under categories such as Documentaries, '30 for 30,' Series, and Shorts.

Revenue is generated primarily through commissioned documentary production for ESPN Films, particularly for the 30 for 30 series, with ESPN acting as anchor commissioner across multiple titles. Secondary revenue streams include licensing and distribution to streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), physical DVD sales through Amazon, theatrical and film-festival premieres (notably Tribeca), and short-form content distributed on Vimeo. The company is commercially represented by Cinetic Media and has executed co-productions with external partners such as Milojo Productions and the Farrelly Brothers. Hock Films maintains no public revenue disclosures, no external funding, no parent company, and no technology or AI-based product offerings; its competitive position rests on the founder's eight Emmy Awards, the studio's content library, and its long-standing ESPN relationship.

Name

HOCK FILMS, INC.

Legal name

Hock Films, Inc.

Website

https://hockfilms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hock Films, Inc. is a privately held, New York-based documentary film production company founded by Jonathan Hock, producing sports documentaries primarily commissioned by ESPN for its 30 for 30 series and distributed via Netflix, Amazon, and film festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Documentary Production: ESPN commissions Hock Films to produce documentaries for the 30 for 30 series and other ESPN properties, including Through the Fire, The Best That Never Was, Survive and Advance, Unguarded, and other sports documentaries.
2. Film Licensing and Distribution: Films are licensed to broadcasters like ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. DVDs are sold through Amazon. Films premiered at film festivals before distribution deals.
3. DVD Sales: Physical DVD sales through Amazon and other retail channels for films like The Best That Never Was, The Lost Son of Havana, Through the Fire, and The Streak.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hock Films, Inc. is a documentary film production company that produces sports-related feature films, documentary series, and shorts. The company is best known for producing multiple films for ESPN's "30 for 30" series and distributes finished content through broadcasters (ESPN, ABC), streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+), physical DVD retail, and Vimeo for shorts.

Product overview

Hock Films, Inc. is a documentary film production company founded by Jonathan Hock that produces sports-related documentary films, series, and shorts. The company's portfolio includes feature-length documentary films (such as Through the Fire, The Streak, The Lost Son of Havana, Fastball), ESPN '30 for 30' documentary films (including The Best That Never Was, Survive and Advance, Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies), documentary series (72 - A Gathering of Champions, The Tournament: A History of ACC Men's Basketball), and short documentary films (Umlando series, Grantland Presents Hockumentaries). The company distributes its content through platforms including ESPN, Netflix, Amazon, Vimeo, and ESPN.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Through the Fire Feature-length sports documentary following Sebastian Telfair's senior year of high school basketball as he weighed college against the NBA draft; premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and distributed via ESPN, Amazon (DVD), and other channels.
• The Streak Documentary about Brandon High School's 34-year, 439-match winning streak in wrestling, co-produced with Milojo Productions (Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos); premiered on ESPN2 in April 2008.
• The Lost Son of Havana Documentary about baseball player Luis Tiant, executive produced by the Farrelly Brothers (Peter and Bobby) and Kris Meyer; premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2009 and became the first film sold at the 2009 festival, with ESPN acquiring broadcast rights.
• The Best That Never Was ESPN '30 for 30' documentary chronicling the story of high school football prodigy Marcus Dupree; premiered November 9, 2010 on ESPN and was named among the four best documentaries of the 30 for 30 series.
• Fastball Sports documentary narrated by Kevin Costner exploring the science and history of the fastball in baseball; distributed via Amazon Prime Video and Amazon DVD retail.
• Survive and Advance ESPN '30 for 30' documentary telling the untold story of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack basketball team and the greatest championship run in college basketball history; premiered March 17, 2013 on ESPN.
• ESPN '30 for 30' Documentary Films Collection Documentary films produced for ESPN's acclaimed '30 for 30' series, including The Best That Never Was, Unguarded, Survive and Advance, Of Miracles and Men, The Gospel According to Mac, One and Not Done, Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, The Dominican Dream, and False Positive. Commissioned by ESPN Films.
• 72 - A Gathering of Champions Multi-episode Olympic documentary series hosted on the Olympics.com platform, covering the historic 1972 Olympic Games gathering of champions.
• The Tournament: A History of ACC Men's Basketball Multi-episode documentary series on ESPN exploring the history of ACC Men's Basketball tournament.
• Umlando: Through My Father's Eyes Ten-part documentary short series featuring Hugh Masekela broadcast on ABC, ESPN, and espn.com throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup in June 2010.
• Grantland Presents Hockumentaries Shorts Short-form documentary series produced for Grantland, available on Vimeo, featuring episodes 'Jake', 'Tom Konchalski', 'Royce White', 'Kliff Kingsbury', and 'Steve Nash | The Finish Line'.
• Open Heart

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple films named among the best of ESPN's 30 for 30 series
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Cinetic MediacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCinetic Media serves as the talent and booking representative for Hock Films, handled by John Sloss and Steven Farneth at their New York office at 599 Broadway.
• Milojo Productions (Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilojo Productions, owned by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, co-produced The Streak documentary about Brandon High School wrestling. This was the first project from Milojo Productions to air on ESPN.
• Farrelly Brothers (Peter and Bobby Farrelly)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Farrelly Brothers (Peter and Bobby), known for There's Something About Mary, served as executive producers of The Lost Son of Havana documentary about Luis Tiant.
• Kris MeyermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKris Meyer co-produced The Lost Son of Havana alongside the Farrelly Brothers.
• ESPN FilmsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerESPN Films is the primary commissioning partner for Hock Films documentaries, including multiple entries in the acclaimed 30 for 30 series such as The Best That Never Was, Survive and Advance, Unguarded, and others.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ESPN Films: ESPN's in-house documentary production unit and primary commissioning partner for the 30 for 30 series. Direct peer because Hock Films operates as an external production partner inside ESPN's documentary ecosystem on the same 30 for 30 slate.
• WWE Studios: In-house production arm producing documentary and scripted content tied to a sports IP library. Comparable sports-doc production model with a single dominant commissioning/ownership entity, though at much larger scale.
• NFL Films: Long-running sports documentary and cinematography unit for the NFL, producing feature docs, series, and short-form content for league-controlled platforms. Closely comparable operating model to Hock: specialized sports-doc shop with a single dominant commissioner/distributor.
• Mandalay Sports Media: Sports-focused production company producing long-form documentary content for streamers and broadcasters, including projects for Netflix, HBO, and Amazon. Comparable as a boutique-to-mid sports documentary production company chasing premium commissions.
• Religion of Sports: Athlete-founded sports documentary production company behind Tom Brady's Man in the Arena and other premium sports docs for ESPN+, Netflix, and Showtime. Comparable as a high-prestige sports-doc shop competing for the same commissioning slots and streamer relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Imagine Entertainment Documentaries: Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's production banner produces feature docs including sports titles (e.g., Trophy) for Netflix and theatrical release. Comparable sports documentary production capabilities as part of a broader portfolio spanning scripted, documentary, and branded content.
• HBO Sports Documentary: Premium cable/streamer's long-running sports documentary programming (Real Sports, Being Serena, etc.). Comparable buyer of premium sports documentary content and competitor for the same prestige commissions and festival-premiering titles.
• Netflix Documentary: Global streaming platform's in-house documentary division that both commissions and acquires sports-adjacent docs (e.g., Hock's Open Heart). Comparable as a buyer/distributor of sports documentary content rather than as a producer, but materially shapes the same commissioning market.

Regional players

• Magnolia Pictures: Independent film distributor specializing in documentary acquisition and theatrical/streaming release including sports titles. Comparable as a downstream distribution channel and festival-to-platform acquirer for documentary features, overlapping with Hock's distribution model on the indie/festival side.

Others

• 30 for 30 (ESPN): The flagship documentary anthology that commissions Hock Films and competing directors; not a peer company but rather the program/franchise that defines the competitive commissioning market for sports documentary producers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hock-films-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 HOCK FILMS, INC.