What Shepherd Entertainment does

Shepherd Entertainment, Inc., operating as Shepherd Film, is a privately held documentary film production company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company produces documentary and travel film series covering cultural heritage, world destinations, historical events, musical traditions, and wine regions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Its core technology and differentiator lies in archival research capabilities built over 38 years of operation, including access to 7 million meters of archival film sourced from 440 world archives and 6,000 newspaper articles across 36 countries, supporting a slate of productions that has yielded 148 completed films.

Shepherd's product portfolio includes major serial productions such as "100 years" (a 100-part documentary series on 20th-century events, produced at a cost of 5.5 million Euro), "Cradles of Culture" (a 12-part UNESCO World Heritage series), "Great Destinations" (an 86-part travel documentary series), "Wonders of the World," "Traditions," "Famous Wines: Tokaj," and "Usti Opre." The company operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees and a broader production network of 60 editors, cameramen, and research assistants. Producer Anna Udvardy, associated with the company, won an Academy Award in 2017 for "Sing."

The business model is project-based, generating revenue primarily through one-time licensing of completed productions to international television broadcasters and streaming platforms. Distribution is supported by channel partnerships with Grupa BB Media and Meteor Filmstúdió (Hungary). The company was founded in 2007 and is independently owned with no disclosed venture capital, private equity investment, or parent company affiliations. Revenue and pricing details are not publicly disclosed, and the company operates with a marketing presence primarily through its website (shepherdfilm.com) and Vimeo-hosted trailers.

Name

Shepherd Entertainment

Legal name

Shepherd Entertainment, Inc.

Website

https://shepherdfilm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shepherd Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based documentary film production company producing cultural, historical, and travel documentary series for international television broadcasters and streaming platforms, with a 38-year track record and 148 completed films.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Film Production and Licensing: Shepherd Entertainment produces documentary films across multiple formats (6-86 episodes) and licenses completed productions to television broadcasters and streaming platforms internationally. Productions include cultural documentaries, travel series, and historical content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Shepherd Entertainment (Shepherd Film) is a documentary and travel film production company that produces cultural heritage, historical, and travel documentary content in formats ranging from single 60-80 minute films to large multi-episode series (up to 86 episodes). Completed productions are licensed to international television broadcasters and streaming platforms, with distribution partnerships via Grupa BB Media and Meteor Filmstúdió.

Product overview

Shepherd Entertainment operates Shepherd Film, a documentary and travel film production company with 38 years of experience and 148 completed films. The company produces documentary film series including '100 years' (100-part historical documentary), 'Cradles of Culture' (12-part World Heritage series), 'Great Destination's' (86-part travel series), 'Wonders of the World', 'Traditions', 'Famous Wines: Tokaj', and 'Usti Opre'. Films span cultural heritage, historical events, travel destinations, music, and wine traditions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 years of documentary production experience with 148 completed films
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Meteor FilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeteor Film was founded by producer László Udvardy in 1946. Anna Udvardy (associated with Shepherd Film) followed her father's footsteps in the film industry. Meteor Film is a documentary studio that achieved great success on multiple festivals and contributed to a feature film in 2007.
• Grupa BB MediaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner logo displayed on Shepherd Film website, indicating an ongoing working relationship for content distribution.
• Meteor FilmstúdióminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHungarian film studio partner with logo displayed on Shepherd Film website, indicating collaborative production or distribution relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: Major UK-based production and distribution company with factual and documentary output. Comparable in genre (travel, heritage, factual entertainment) and in licensing internationally through its distribution network.
• ZDF Enterprises: Distribution arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, actively licensing cultural, historical, and travel documentaries globally. Comparable as both a competitor (in co-production) and a counterpart for international content sales.
• National Geographic Partners: Global documentary content giant producing travel, cultural, and historical programming. Highly comparable subject matter (UNESCO sites, world heritage, exploration), but operates at vastly larger scale with owned channels and platform deals.
• BBC Studios: Produces and distributes premium documentaries including travel, history, and cultural programming. Closely comparable in subject categories (cultural heritage, history) and in licensing content to global broadcasters and streamers.
• PBS Distribution: Major commissioner and distributor of cultural, historical, and travel documentaries in the U.S. Comparable buyer/sales counterpart for Shepherd Film-style content and a benchmark for cultural-heritage programming at scale.
• Discovery (Warner Bros. Discovery): Operates global documentary channels and produces large-volume factual programming. Comparable in travel, nature, and cultural documentary genres, with substantially larger production and distribution capabilities.
• All3Media: Large international production and distribution group with factual and documentary labels. Comparable as a buyer/distributor of premium documentary content and as a competitor in co-production finance.

Direct peers

• Kartemquin Films: Independent documentary production studio (Chicago-based) producing award-winning cultural and historical documentaries. Closely comparable in scale, independent structure, and reliance on broadcast/streamer licensing revenue.
• Lion TV: Independent UK documentary producer specializing in factual, travel, and history programming. Directly comparable as a similarly sized independent producer competing for broadcaster commissions in cultural-heritage and travel genres.
• Participant Media: Independent production company producing documentary and scripted content with social/cultural themes. Comparable as a values-driven, independently structured documentary producer competing for premium commissions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShepherdInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/shepherdfilms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepherd-entertainment

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 Shepherd Entertainment