What OC World does

OC World is a nonprofit multimedia company founded around 2021 that produces Orange County, California's sole public affairs news and feature programming. The organization addresses what it characterizes as one of the largest news deserts in the United States, producing in-depth journalism on local government, education, healthcare, immigration, culture, and community issues for a Southern California audience. Its core products include OC World Shows (interview-based public affairs programming), OC History Hunters (historical documentary series), The Power of Community (a six-part public affairs series co-produced with the Orange County Community Foundation), Documentary Shorts, Vignettes, and OC World Media Club (a journalism excellence initiative). Underlying production capability rests on traditional video production and broadcast television workflows led by Emmy-nominated and award-winning cinematographers and editors, with editorial independence policies aligned to Institute for Nonprofit News standards. Distribution is anchored by KLCS-PBS, an Emmy Award-winning station reaching 15.5 million households from Santa Barbara to San Diego, with secondary distribution via YouTube and the ocworld.org website.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. OC World is a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit operating under the fiscal sponsorship of Charitable Ventures, with funding drawn from three streams: individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants. Named supporters include the Vasquez Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Orange County Community Foundation, Swayne Foundation, Wells Fargo, F&M Bank, Santiago Geothermal, Cordoba Corporation, Crevier Family Foundation, and Draper Family Fund, among others. Programming is provided free to air with no paywall or subscription model, and the organization monetizes through donation calls-to-action on its website and at community events. Go-to-market is event-driven and partnership-driven: broadcast presence on KLCS-PBS, co-productions with civic and ethnic-media partners (notably Little Saigon TV and OCCF), university partnerships with UCI and Cal State Fullerton for student journalism fellowships, and earned media coverage in regional outlets such as the Orange County Business Journal and OC Register. The team is small (approximately 5–8 named staff across production, cinematography, digital media, and social media roles), with leadership from co-founders Scott Hays (Executive Producer; former PBS SoCal Inside OC co-producer and published author) and Manuel N. Gómez, Ph.D. (former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UC Irvine). Recognition has accumulated rapidly, including L.A. Area Emmy nominations, 76th Golden Mike Award (2026), 3 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards (2025), Telly Awards, and four nominations in the 68th Southern California Journalism Awards (2026).

Name

OC World

Legal name

OC World

Website

https://ocworld.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OC World is a nonprofit multimedia company producing Orange County's sole public affairs news and feature programming, broadcast on KLCS-PBS to 15.5 million households and streamed on YouTube. It serves Southern California audiences through award-winning documentaries, interviews, and community-focused series funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange County

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: OC World accepts donations from individual supporters and viewers, relying on public donations as a key funding source.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Foundation Grants: OC World depends on corporate sponsorships and foundation grants for general support. Major sponsors include Vasquez Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Orange County Community Foundation, Swayne Foundation, UCI, Wells Fargo, F&M Bank, Santiago Geothermal, Cordoba Corporation, Crevier Family Foundation, and Draper Family Fund. The organization has a fiscal sponsor, Charitable Ventures.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OC World is a nonprofit multimedia company that produces Orange County's sole public affairs news and feature programming. The organization produces television programming covering government, education, healthcare, immigration, culture, and community issues, distributed free to air on KLCS-PBS to 15.5 million Southern California households and via YouTube. Its programming slate includes OC World Shows, OC History Hunters, The Power of Community, Documentary Shorts, and Vignettes.

Product overview

OC World is a nonprofit multimedia company that produces Orange County's sole public affairs news and feature programming. The organization operates as a single, unified media production entity that creates and distributes television content through multiple channels. The core offering consists of OC World Shows—interview-based public affairs programming featuring community leaders, elected officials, and subject matter experts. Supporting products include OC History Hunters (historical documentary series), The Power of Community (multi-episode public affairs series produced in partnership with OCCF), Documentary Shorts, Vignettes, the OC World Media Club (journalism excellence initiative), and the OC World Newsletter. Content is distributed via broadcast on KLCS-PBS (reaching 15.5 million households) and YouTube. The organization is governed by editorial independence and donor transparency policies aligned with Institute for Nonprofit News standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OC World Shows Public affairs news and feature programming including interviews with community leaders, politicians, and experts on topics affecting Orange County. Aired on KLCS-PBS and streamed via YouTube for general Southern California audiences.
• OC History Hunters Historical documentary series exploring Orange County's past, including theme parks, wine industry, piers, and baseball history. Distributed via KLCS-PBS broadcast and YouTube.
• The Power of Community Six-part public affairs series produced in partnership with the Orange County Community Foundation exploring critical issues impacting families across Orange County. First episode covers child and youth mental health.
• Documentary Shorts Short documentary films covering topics such as Alzheimer's disease impact, farmworker plight during COVID-19, and coastal preservation. Distributed via KLCS-PBS, YouTube, and ocworld.org.
• Vignettes Short-form video segments covering transportation innovation, community leaders, and local organizations across Orange County.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 nominations in the 68th Southern California Journalism Awards (2026), L.A. Area Emmy nomination (2026), 3 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards (2025), Golden Mike Award wins in 2023 and 2026, multiple Telly Awards.

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

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

• KLCS-PBScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKLCS-PBS is OC World's primary broadcast partner. OC World airs as Orange County's sole public affairs news and feature programming on KLCS-PBS, a multiple Emmy Award-winning station reaching 15.5 million households from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The partnership provides OC World with access to major broadcast distribution infrastructure and audience reach.
• Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOC World and OCCF co-produce 'The Power of Community,' a six-part public affairs series examining critical issues affecting Orange County. The partnership convenes nonprofit leaders, subject matter experts, funders, and community stakeholders. OCCF is also recognized as a media partner. OC World is a new media partner of OCCF as of January 2026.
• Little Saigon TVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOC World co-produced 'From Saigon to OC' with Little Saigon TV — a program about one family's journey from Vietnam to Orange County. The program won Best Long Form Program or Documentary at the 76th Golden Mike Awards. This is described as a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the two organizations.
• Charitable VenturescoreOthersCharitable Ventures serves as the fiscal sponsor for OC World, enabling the nonprofit to receive tax-deductible donations and manage finances in compliance with nonprofit regulations. OC World acknowledges Charitable Ventures as its fiscal sponsor on its website.
• Local Colleges and Universities (UCI, Cal State Fullerton, and others)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOC World actively collaborates with local colleges and universities to tap scholarly expertise and directly involve and mentor the next generation of journalists. Jasmine Gutierrez, a recent UC Irvine graduate and Phi Beta Kappa inductee, served as a fellow with OC World before joining professionally. Teri Sforza of OC World Media Club featured on the Orange County Register. The organization partners with educational institutions for content research, guest experts, and student involvement.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KCET: KCET is a major Southern California public television station that produces and distributes original local public affairs, news, and cultural programming. Like OC World, KCET serves Southern California audiences with nonprofit-supported public media content, making it a directly comparable regional peer.
• Voice of OC: Voice of OC is a nonprofit, online news organization dedicated to investigative and public affairs journalism in Orange County. It addresses the same 'news desert' problem OC World targets and competes for the same donor and sponsor dollars in the Orange County market.
• KCRW: KCRW is a nonprofit public radio and digital media station based in Santa Monica that produces news, public affairs, and cultural programming for the Los Angeles region. It shares OC World's nonprofit media model, foundation funding approach, and Southern California audience overlap.
• PBS SoCal: PBS SoCal is the primary public broadcasting organization serving Southern California. OC World's Scott Hays previously co-produced 'Inside OC' for PBS SoCal, and both organizations produce public affairs and feature programming for the same Southern California audience on related PBS infrastructure.
• Capital & Main: Capital & Main is a nonprofit news organization producing investigative public affairs reporting distributed across multiple media outlets and platforms. Like OC World, it relies on foundation grants and donations while producing award-winning public affairs content.
• LAist (Southern California Public Radio / KPCC): LAist (formerly KPCC) is a nonprofit public media organization serving Southern California with news, public affairs, and cultural programming. It competes with OC World for the same donor base, foundation grants, and audience attention across the broader SoCal region.

Emerging players

• KVCR / Inland SoCal Public Media: KVCR is an Inland Empire-based public broadcasting station that produces local public affairs and educational programming. It is comparable as a smaller-scale nonprofit PBS affiliate producing original local content, though serving a different Southern California sub-region than OC World.

Broad incumbents

• InvestigateTV (Gray Television): InvestigateTV produces long-form public affairs and investigative journalism distributed across Gray Television's broadcast network. It represents a larger, multi-market incumbent with a comparable mission of producing in-depth local public affairs content beyond daily headlines.
• Spectrum News 1 Southern California: Spectrum News 1 is a 24/7 regional cable news channel serving Southern California including Orange County. It is a much larger, commercially funded incumbent that produces local public affairs content for the same Orange County audience OC World serves.
• SoCal PBS / KLCS-PBS (the station itself): KLCS-PBS is the Los Angeles City/County public broadcasting station that is OC World's primary distribution partner. While technically a partner rather than competitor, KLCS produces its own public affairs and educational programming that occupies adjacent airtime and competes for the same Southern California donor pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq0aqX1NQ3DUBEzapLjkX_g
• Facebookfacebook.com/ocworld
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oc-world-tv

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 OC World