Vermilion Films
Vermilion Films is a Portland-based, privately held documentary production company founded in 2006 by Irene Taylor, producing award-winning feature and short documentaries licensed to major streaming platforms and broadcast networks including HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, and National Geographic.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vermilion Films does
Vermilion Films is a privately held documentary production company founded in 2006 by Irene Taylor and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The company produces character-driven feature documentaries and short films across subject matter including music (I AM: Celine Dion), disability and family (Moonlight Sonata, Hear and Now), true crime (Beware the Slenderman), investigative journalism (Leave No Trace), nature (Trees and Other Entanglements), and public health (The Final Inch). Its portfolio is delivered primarily through licensing and distribution partnerships with major streaming platforms and premium broadcasters — Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, Netflix, National Geographic, ABC News Studios, and The New York Times Op-Docs — supplemented by film festival premieres (Sundance) and, for marquee projects, nationwide theatrical release. Revenue is generated through production fees, licensing royalties, and distribution deals; the firm is small (7 employees) and founder-led, with a creative team built around Irene Taylor's Oscar-nominated, Emmy-, Peabody-, and duPont-winning track record, and a recently expanded production infrastructure including Head of Production Stacy Lorts and Lead Investigative Producer Nigel Jaquiss.
Vermilion Films firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vermilion Films
- Legal name
- Vermilion Films
- Website
- https://vermilionfilms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Vermilion Films is a Portland-based, privately held documentary production company founded in 2006 by Irene Taylor, producing award-winning feature and short documentaries licensed to major streaming platforms and broadcast networks including HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, and National Geographic.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vermilion Films industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Documentary Film Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Short-Form Documentaries (MPADADAC), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Business, Politics & Current Affairs Documentaries (MPADADAJ)
Keywords
Where Vermilion Films is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vermilion Films business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Documentary Production and Licensing: Vermilion Films produces documentary features and short films, generating revenue through licensing deals with major broadcasters and streaming platforms (HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, National Geographic), theatrical distribution, and festival premieres.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels5 records
Vermilion Films product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vermilion Films produces character-driven documentary feature films and short documentaries for distribution through major streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and theatrical release. The company licenses completed films to enterprise distribution partners including HBO, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, National Geographic, and ABC News Studios, with festival premieres (Sundance, Lincoln Center) serving as launch platforms for new titles.
Product overview
Vermilion Films is a documentary filmmaking company led by Oscar-nominated, Emmy and Peabody-winning director Irene Taylor. The company produces character-driven documentary films spanning feature-length theatrical documentaries (I Am: Celine Dion, Trees and Other Entanglements, Leave No Trace, Moonlight Sonata, Beware the Slenderman, Hear and Now) and short-form documentaries released primarily through HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and The New York Times Op-Docs. Their portfolio includes award-winning works on topics ranging from music and disability to true crime, environmental issues, and social justice.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- I Am: Celine Dion A feature documentary about Celine Dion, premiered at Lincoln Center in June 2024, released nationwide theatrically, and became Amazon Prime's most popular documentary of all time worldwide.
- Trees and Other Entanglements A feature documentary exploring human obsession with the arboreal world, released by HBO in 2023.
- Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of The Boy Scouts A documentary investigation into one of the most trusted institutions in America, released by ABC News Studios for Hulu in 2022. Won Columbia-DuPont Award.
- Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements A documentary about director Irene Taylor's deaf son, deaf father, and Ludwig Van Beethoven, premiered at Sundance 2019 and nominated for Special Merit at 2020 Emmy Awards.
- Beware the Slenderman A true-crime documentary about two adolescent girls obsessed with an internet bogeyman, released by HBO in 2016.
- Hear and Now Documentary memoir about director Irene Taylor's deaf parents, won Sundance Audience Award 2007 and a Peabody Award.
- Saving Pelican 895 Documentary following the life of a single bird found coated in oil after the 2010 Gulf oil spill, released by HBO. Won an Emmy for affecting music.
- One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp Short documentary that won the 2014 Prime Time Emmy for Best Children's Programming, released by HBO.
- Open Your Eyes
Quantifiable outcome
- I AM: Celine Dion became Amazon Prime's most popular documentary of all time, worldwide
Companies that use Vermilion Films
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vermilion Films technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vermilion Films partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- HBOcorePrimary broadcast and distribution partner for multiple Vermilion Films documentaries including Trees and Other Entanglements, Moonlight Sonata, Beware the Slenderman, and Hear and Now. HBO serves as the main platform for distributing Vermilion's documentary content to audiences.
- Amazon Prime VideocoreStreaming distribution partner for I AM: Celine Dion documentary, which became Amazon Prime's most popular documentary of all time worldwide. The film was also produced with Amazon MGM Studios involvement.
- HulucoreDistribution partner for Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of The Boy Scouts documentary, which won a duPont-Columbia award.
- Sony Music EntertainmentmajorProduction partner for I AM: Celine Dion documentary feature. Sony Music Entertainment was involved in the production of the documentary.
- NetflixcoreDistribution partner for non-fiction documentary series content produced by Peter Richardson through Vermilion Films.
- National GeographiccoreSeries production partner for the Mars documentary series, which was executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Nick Midwig served as series DP for two seasons.
- ABC News StudiosmajorCo-production partner for Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of The Boy Scouts documentary.
- Sundance InstitutemajorFestival premiere partner. Vermilion Films has premiered multiple films at Sundance including Moonlight Sonata (2019) and has been featured in Sundance programming.
- Laika StudiosminorStacy Lorts previously served as Executive Director of Development at Laika Studios, where she optioned and developed material for feature stop-motion animated films including The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings.
- Lincoln CentermajorPremiere venue partner. I AM: Celine Dion premiered at Lincoln Center in June 2024 before entering nationwide theatrical release.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vermilion Films competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kartemquin Films: Chicago-based independent documentary production company producing award-winning, character-driven and social-issue documentaries for over 35 years. Closely comparable to Vermilion as a boutique, prestige-oriented doc shop selling into HBO/Netflix/Amazon and the festival circuit.
- Participant Media: Independent entertainment company that finances and produces socially relevant documentary and narrative films (An Inconvenient Truth, Roma, Food, Inc.). Directly comparable mission and distribution model (HBO, Netflix, theatrical) for prestige issue-driven documentaries.
- Imagine Documentaries: Documentary arm of Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard, Brian Grazer) producing premium docs for Netflix, National Geographic and Discovery. Vermilion directly partnered with Howard/Grazer on the Mars series for NatGeo, evidencing close operational overlap.
- Magnolia Pictures: Independent film distributor and production company with a heavy documentary slate, often handling US theatrical and home entertainment for prestige docs. Closely aligned to Vermilion's hybrid theatrical-streaming distribution path.
- Radical Media: Independent production company producing prestige documentaries and unscripted series for Netflix, HBO, National Geographic and Amazon. Comparable scale, talent-driven model, and multi-platform premium distribution footprint.
- Neon: Independent film company that acquires and produces prestige documentaries and narrative films for theatrical and streaming release. Comparable to Vermilion in festival-to-platform strategy and prestige positioning (Neon distributed I, Tonya; Parasite; Coco).
Broad incumbents
- A24: Major independent studio with a growing documentary slate and theatrical-first distribution model. Overlaps with Vermilion in indie, prestige, theatrical-plus-streaming release strategy but operates at much larger scale across narrative and documentary.
- HBO Documentary Films: In-house documentary production and acquisition unit of HBO/Max. A core buyer and frequent co-production partner for Vermilion (Beware the Slenderman, Moonlight Sonata, Trees, One Last Hug), representing the broader incumbent in the premium cable documentary space.
- CNN Films: CNN's feature documentary production and acquisition unit producing and distributing prestige nonfiction films theatrically and across Warner Bros. Discovery platforms. Comparable mission to Vermilion's news-adjacent investigative work (Leave No Trace, Boy Scouts).
Emerging players
- XTR Documentaries: Documentary-focused production and distribution company operating at a boutique-to-mid scale with theatrical and streaming distribution for prestige docs. Comparable to Vermilion in size, festival strategy, and premium-platform deal-making.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vermilion Films social profiles
Digital presenceVermilion Films financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vermilion Films leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Vermilion Films funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vermilion Films M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vermilion Films
What does Vermilion Films do?
Vermilion Films produces character-driven documentary feature films and short documentaries for distribution through major streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and theatrical release. The company licenses completed films to enterprise distribution partners including HBO, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, National Geographic, and ABC News Studios, with festival premieres (Sundance, Lincoln Center) serving as launch platforms for new titles.
Is Vermilion Films a public or private company?
Vermilion Films is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Vermilion Films founded?
Vermilion Films was founded in 2006.
Where is Vermilion Films based?
Vermilion Films is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vermilion Films make money?
One revenue line is on record: documentary Production and Licensing.
Who are Vermilion Films's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kartemquin Films, Participant Media, Imagine Documentaries, Magnolia Pictures, Radical Media and Neon. Broad incumbents are A24, HBO Documentary Films and CNN Films. XTR Documentaries is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vermilion Films have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vermilion Films.
What industry is Vermilion Films in?
Vermilion Films's product category is Documentary Film Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAA, Feature-Length Documentaries, with a secondary code of MPADADAC, Short-Form Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.