Storyteller Studios

What Storyteller Studios does

Storyteller Studios is a privately held, founder-controlled video production company founded in 2013 by Josh Hester in Springfield, Illinois. The firm specializes in documentary-style video production for two primary customer segments: purpose-driven for-profit brands and nonprofit/faith-based organizations, with a specialized small-business tier (Storyteller Small Batch) serving Springfield/Sangamon County businesses with 25 or fewer employees. Core service lines are Brand Videos (a 3–5 minute feature plus social cuts, typically $5,000–$50,000, 6–8 week turnaround), Fundraising Videos for nonprofit events and campaigns ($7,000–$15,000), and Custom Storytelling covering documentaries, recruitment videos, testimonials, and long-form content with quote-based pricing.

The firm operates with a six-person in-house team carrying 74 combined years of experience, 6 film and communication degrees, 12 Regional Emmy Awards/nominations, and 29 Telly Awards. The team conducts on-site field production across 23 states plus D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada, with no subcontracting of freelance crews. Technology stack centers on cinema-quality cameras, professional lighting and audio equipment, and post-production editing, color grading, and visual effects. AI is applied narrowly to workflow tasks (transcription, footage organization, audio sweetening, project management) and is explicitly not used to generate creative content.

The go-to-market is direct sales-led: clients enter through a website inquiry form, proceed to a discovery call with the Executive Producer and Production Manager, then a formal proposal and service agreement, with a 50% deposit and balance due within 30 days of completion. Marketing is content-led, anchored by the 'First Language' blog series, case-study field notes, a 5 Questions e-guide, and social channels on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed outside funding, acquisitions, or parent entity.

Name

Storyteller Studios

Legal name

The Storyteller Studios, Inc.

Website

https://storytellerstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Storyteller Studios is an Emmy Award-winning, Springfield, Illinois-based documentary-style video production company founded in 2013, serving purpose-driven for-profit brands, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations across 23 states with a six-person in-house team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Brand Video Production: Custom documentary-style brand videos for corporate clients. Includes 3-5 minute feature video, shorter cuts for social media and digital advertising. Turnaround typically 6-8 weeks.
2. Fundraising Video Production: High-quality cinematic videos for nonprofit fundraising events, galas, and campaigns. Designed for ongoing use for up to two years.
3. Custom Storytelling: Documentaries, long-form content, event videos, recruitment videos, sponsorship promotions, testimonials, training videos, and other custom projects tailored to client needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Storyteller Studios is a boutique video production company that creates documentary-style video content for nonprofits, brands, and small businesses. Its core services include brand videos, fundraising videos, custom storytelling projects, and a small batch video offering, with project pricing typically ranging from $5,000 to $50,000+. The company has produced content for more than 700 clients across 23 states and 2 countries.

Product overview

Storyteller Studios is an Emmy Award-winning video production company offering three core documentary-style video production services: Brand Videos (for businesses seeking to attract clients through homepage and social content), Fundraising Videos (for nonprofits focused on donor engagement at events and campaigns), and Custom Storytelling (tailored projects including documentaries, event videos, and recruitment pieces). A specialized tier called Storyteller Small Batch serves small local businesses with 25 or fewer employees. All services follow a consistent process: planning, filming, and editing with deliverables including feature videos plus social media cuts. The company operates from Springfield, Illinois and serves clients nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Videos

Quantifiable outcome

• HavenHouse St. Louis annual gala gross nearly doubled, paddle raise more than quadrupled over three-year partnership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Springfield Sangamon Growth AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Commissioned in 2022 to produce 'History Reborn' documentary chronicling how the historic Illinois Old State Capitol was saved and restored in the late 1960s. Features never-before-seen archival film footage and interviews with living architects who led the restoration project.
• Lincoln Presidential FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation to produce documentary film series including 'Warning Signs: Lincoln's Response to Rising Tensions in the 1850s' focused on political polarization and violence in the decade preceding secession, and 'Fortifying Our Democracy: Lincoln's Lyceum Address' focused on safeguarding against tyranny. Both projects feature filmed interviews with acclaimed historians and Lincoln scholars.
• State Historic Sites & Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced 'History Reborn' in partnership with State Historic Sites & Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Land Management. Documentary aired on PBS affiliate stations across the Midwest in 2023 through WSIU Public Broadcasting.
• WSIU Public BroadcastingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAired 'History Reborn' documentary on PBS affiliate stations across the Midwest in 2023.
• Vachel Lindsay AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Vachel Lindsay Association, State Historic Sites Springfield, and Illinois Department of Natural Resources to produce 'The Life and Work of Vachel Lindsay' documentary film for the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site.
• University of Illinois Presidential InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 'Making Our History' project funded by University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and Humanities. Created micro-documentaries on 20 Illinois artists who created original artworks on Lincoln's legacies.
• UIS Center for Lincoln StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with UIS Center for Lincoln Studies, UIS Visual Arts Gallery, Springfield Art Association, and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library for 'Making Our History' exhibit featuring micro-documentaries on artists' Lincoln-inspired works.
• Ashlyn WritesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCopywriting partner for website content, including team bios. Described as 'talented humans at Ashlyn Writes' who beautifully wrote the site copy.
• Chicago DebatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecent work includes a documentary-style film series for Chicago Debates, the urban debate league that partners with Chicago Public Schools to bring academic debate to students across the city.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lemonly: Lemonly is an explainer and storytelling studio that produces mission-driven brand videos, infographics, and animated content for nonprofits and purpose-driven companies. Direct overlap with Storyteller's nonprofit and brand storytelling focus.
• Demo Duck: Demo Duck is a custom explainer and brand video production studio producing animated and live-action content for businesses and nonprofits. Comparable service model and customer base to Storyteller's branded video production.
• Casual Films: Casual Films is a corporate video production agency specializing in brand storytelling, internal communications, and customer story content for enterprise and mission-driven clients. Closely comparable service offering and customer profile to Storyteller.
• SPOKE Studios: SPOKE Studios produces documentary-style brand storytelling videos for purpose-driven organizations. Like Storyteller, they specialize in real-people narrative content over scripted corporate messaging and target nonprofit and values-aligned clients.
• Sandwich Video: Sandwich Video is a creative brand video production company producing emotionally-driven storytelling content for tech and consumer brands. Comparable premium positioning and storytelling-first creative philosophy.
• Killer Visual Strategies: Killer Visual Strategies is a creative agency specializing in visual storytelling and animated explainer videos for nonprofits, education, and purpose-driven brands. Direct competitor in the mission-driven visual storytelling space.
• Wyzowl: Wyzowl is a video production agency specializing in animated explainers, brand videos, and social content for B2B and nonprofit clients. Overlapping video production services and customer segments with Storyteller.

Broad incumbents

• Vidyard: Vidyard is a video creation, hosting, and analytics platform for sales and marketing teams, with adjacent production services. A broad incumbent in the business video category where Storyteller also operates.
• Wistia: Wistia is a video hosting and marketing platform that also offers video production services and educational content for businesses. A larger, broadly-positioned incumbent in the video marketing category that overlaps with Storyteller's B2B video work.

Regional players

• Motion Inc. Motion Inc. is a Midwest-based video production agency serving brand, nonprofit, and corporate clients. Comparable boutique model with regional Midwest focus similar to Storyteller's geographic concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCODPWATuKPWI3pBoMWAXe4A
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheStorytellerStudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/storytellerstudios
• Instagraminstagram.com/thestorytellerstudios
• Pinterestpinterest.com/storytellerstudiosvideo

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 Storyteller Studios