What Media Factory does

Media Factory is an Emmy award-winning film and video production company founded by producers Niall McKay and Marissa Aroy, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with a New York office opened in 2011. The company produces documentaries, drama, international production services, branded content, educational programming, and operates two Irish-focused film festivals (Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles). Notable productions include the Emmy-winning PBS documentary 'Sikhs in America' (2008), the Emmy-nominated 'Delano Manongs' (2015), the IFTA-nominated 'The Bass Player,' and the radio drama 'The Morrigan' (2020).

The company's technology stack is conventional: professional film and video production equipment used for documentary, drama, and corporate content. There are no disclosed proprietary platforms, software products, or AI/ML systems. Distribution relies on partnerships with public broadcasters (PBS via ITVS, RTÉ in Ireland, LinkTV) and the film festival circuit (Tribeca, Edinburgh, Dublin International, Mill Valley). Customer-facing marketing is primarily through the company website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), and festival participation.

Media Factory operates a project-based professional services business with custom-quoted fees and no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue streams include one-time documentary licensing to broadcasters, corporate branded content (Wired, Lego, McLaren), educational content production (Canal Cl@se, C.E.O. Women, Chabot Space and Science Center), international production services (UNICEF in the Philippines, Malaria No More in Tanzania), and event management for the Irish Film festivals. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding or headcount.

Name

Media Factory

Legal name

Media Factory

Website

https://mediafactory.tv

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Media Factory is an Emmy award-winning, founder-owned documentary and video production company based in Berkeley and New York, producing award-winning films for PBS and RTÉ, branded content for corporate clients, and operating Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Video Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Internal Communications Video (MPADAEAC), Business, Politics & Current Affairs Documentaries (MPADADAJ), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI)

Keywords

• Documentary production
• Branded video content
• Corporate video production
• Educational content production
• International film production

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Documentary Production: Production of award-winning documentaries for broadcasters such as PBS and RTÉ, including licensing fees and production contracts
2. Corporate Video Production: Branded content and corporate video production for clients including Wired Magazine, Lego, and Irish Arts Center
3. Educational Content Production: Production of educational programs for educational institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies
4. Film Festival Production: Production and management of Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles film festivals and filmmaker events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Media Factory is an Emmy award-winning film and video production company that produces documentaries, drama, branded content, international productions, and educational programs for broadcasters, corporations, nonprofits, and cultural institutions. The company also produces and manages the Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles film festivals for the Irish-American filmmaking community.

Product overview

Media Factory is an Emmy award-winning video and film production company that offers documentary production, drama production, international production services, branded content production, educational content production, and film festival management. The company's core offerings include award-winning documentaries for PBS and RTÉ, comedy dramas such as 'On the Lig' and 'Nuts', branded content for corporate clients like Wired Magazine and Lego, and educational programming for organizations including C.E.O. Women and Chabot Space and Science Center. Media Factory also produces and manages Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles film festivals. This is a service-based production company, not a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Documentary Production Award-winning documentary production service for public broadcasters and networks, covering socially conscious topics including history of Filipino-Americans, peace process in Northern Ireland, and educational programs.
• Drama Production Comedy drama and short narrative film production including 'On the Lig' about Irish Artists in New York, 'The Recipe' about overseas foreign workers in the Philippines, and 'Nuts' by Irvine Welsh.
• International Production Services International film production covering humanitarian and news magazine topics in Philippines, Tanzania, Paraguay, and Northern Ireland for clients like UNICEF, Malaria No More, and PBS Frontline World.
• Branded Content Production Corporate video and branded content production service for clients including Wired Magazine, Lego, Irish Arts Center, McLaren, Paycycle, NComputing, and Filetek.
• Educational Content Production Educational program production for Canal Cl@se (Venezuela), C.E.O. Women, and Chabot Space and Science Center, including 'English Highway' sitcom series and 'Grand Café' educational soap opera.
• Film Festivals & Exhibition Production and management of Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles film festivals, including filmmaker events and workshops for the Irish filmmaking community in the US.
• Sikhs in America Emmy award-winning 26-minute PBS documentary profiling the Sikh community in the United States.
• The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the UFW Documentary telling the unknown history of Filipino farmworkers in Delano, California who started the Great Grape Strike of 1965.
• The Bass Player Personal documentary by Niall McKay about his father Jim, a jazz bass player, nominated for Irish Film and Television Academy Award, aired on RTÉ.
• NUTS Dark comedy short film directed by Irvine Welsh (author of Trainspotting), addressing testicular cancer and racism in Ireland.
• Without a Net Documentary broadcast on LinkTV following a young African mother struggling to save her baby from malaria, filmed in Tanzania.
• The Morrigan Radio drama spotlighting Ella Young, Maud Gonne and Countess Markievicz in Ireland's War of Independence, broadcast on Dublin City FM 103.2.
• The Ferry PBS documentary series produced by Media Factory.

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Investigative ReportingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the 'Climate Matters: Working for a Cooler Planet' series with the Center for Investigative Reporting. The series explored environmental topics targeting young viewers ages 12-25 on topics including carbon offsets, bio-diesel, and renewable energy.
• Irish Film New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia Factory produces Irish Film New York and Irish Film Los Angeles film festivals and filmmaker events for the Irish filmmaking community in the US. Events have hosted Ireland's President Higgins at Lincoln Center.
• Irish Film Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Irish Film Los Angeles film festival creating filmmaker events and workshops for the Irish filmmaking community in the US.
• ITVS (Independent Television Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for documentaries including 'Delano Manongs' through ITVS national distribution on PBS.
• Irish Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated Irish Arts Center's first video channel and produced content for the center's programs and events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kartemquin Films: Chicago-based independent documentary production company with similar mission-driven profile, producing Emmy-winning docs for PBS and other public broadcasters over several decades. Highly comparable in scale, funding model (foundation-supported), and PBS-aligned documentary focus.
• Moxie Firecracker Films: Independent documentary production company producing socially conscious and cultural documentaries for PBS and other public media outlets. Comparable as a small, mission-driven Emmy-recognized indie producer serving public broadcasters.
• Multitude Films: Independent documentary production company producing Emmy-winning social issue docs for PBS and other broadcasters. Comparable in scale, mission-driven focus, and public broadcaster distribution strategy.
• Participant Media: Socially conscious documentary and narrative film producer focused on impact-driven storytelling on cultural, social, and environmental topics — directly comparable to Media Factory's social issue and advocacy documentary slate.
• Florentine Films: Ken Burns-associated documentary production company producing Emmy-winning historical and cultural documentaries for PBS. Most directly comparable in terms of Emmy credentials, PBS broadcaster relationship, and cultural/historical documentary focus.

Broad incumbents

• Vulcan Productions: Paul Allen-founded documentary production company producing Emmy and award-winning docs on social issues and the environment for major broadcasters. Larger scale than Media Factory but operates in the same socially conscious documentary space.
• Discovery Studios:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mediafactorytv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mediafactory
• Xx.com/mediafactorytv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-factory_382567

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 Media Factory