One Story Up

What One Story Up does

One Story Up is a privately held documentary production company founded in 2018 by Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams and 5-time Emmy-winning producer Geoff Martz. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY with an Amsterdam office, the company develops, produces, and executive-produces socially and artistically driven documentary films, television and streaming series, shorts, animation, and VR experiences. Its commercial output is monetized predominantly through licensing and co-production deals with major streaming platforms — Netflix, Hulu, HBO/HBO Max, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Topic — supplemented by foundation grants (Ford Foundation, Sundance Institute, Pulitzer Center, Bertha Foundation) and impact-producer financing from partners such as Impact Partners and LAMF. Film-festival premieres at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and Hot Docs serve as the top-of-funnel development and visibility channel that feeds subsequent platform commissions.

The company's differentiating capability is concentrated founder-level creative leadership — Roger Ross Williams is the first African-American director to win an Academy Award (Music By Prudence) and personally directs or executive-produces most projects — combined with a recurring brand positioning around BIPOC storytelling that has earned the company a 2022 Deadline Disruptor list placement, a Primetime Emmy for The 1619 Project, a Peabody Award for High on the Hog, and an Oscar shortlist for Makayla's Voice. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales: Williams and Martz leverage their industry relationships to secure platform commissions directly, co-produce with strategic partners (Lionsgate, Harpo Films, The New York Times, Vulcan Productions, Film 45, Pilgrim Media Group, HiddenLight Productions, Circle and Square), and then deliver through platform licensing agreements.

The business model is project-based rather than recurring SaaS-style revenue: each title is a self-contained deal with its own commission, financing stack, and license fee. Active and recent titles span 2020 through 2025, with two features (Move Ya Body: the Birth of House and How to Build a Library) premiering at Sundance 2025 alongside a continuing pipeline including The Empire of Ebony, Ranger, and The Battle for Laikipia. No external institutional investment, headcount, or revenue figures were disclosed in available sources.

Name

One Story Up

Legal name

One Story Up

Website

https://onestoryupproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

One Story Up is an independent documentary production company that develops, produces, and licenses socially and artistically driven films, series, shorts, animation, and VR for major streaming platforms and broadcasters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming) (MPADADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), True Crime Documentaries (MPADADAN), Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)

Keywords

• Documentary production
• Nonfiction filmmaking
• Streaming content production
• Documentary series creation
• VR documentary experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Streaming Platform Licensing: One Story Up produces documentary content that is licensed to major streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, HBO/HBO Max, and Apple TV+. The company serves as production company and executive producer, receiving licensing fees and production fees from platforms.
2. Festival Distribution: Projects premiere at major film festivals (Sundance, SXSW, Hot Docs) before distribution, creating additional revenue through festival grants, awards, and subsequent licensing deals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

One Story Up is a production company that develops and produces documentary films, television/streaming series, documentary shorts, and VR experiences. Projects are commissioned and licensed to major streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Apple TV+, Prime Video) and broadcasters. The company focuses on socially and artistically driven nonfiction storytelling with diverse creatives, voices, and talent.

Product overview

One Story Up is a documentary production company founded by Oscar and Emmy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams and Emmy Award-winning producer Geoff Martz. The company specializes in creating artistically and socially driven documentary films, television series, documentary shorts, and VR experiences. Their portfolio includes feature documentaries such as Move Ya Body: the Birth of House, How to Build a Library, and Makayla's Voice; streaming series like High on the Hog (Netflix), The 1619 Project (Hulu), The Super Models (Apple TV+), and Stamped from the Beginning (Netflix); documentary specials including Between the World and Me (HBO) and Master of Light (HBO); and VR experiences such as Traveling While Black. The company distributes content through major platforms including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Apple TV+, and Topic. The company maintains offices in Brooklyn, NY and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Documentary Films

Quantifiable outcome

• Roger Ross Williams is the first African-American director to win an Academy Award
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HiddenLight ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Move Ya Body: the Birth of House documentary premiering at Sundance 2025
• Circle and SquarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for How to Build a Library documentary premiering at Sundance 2025
• TopiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming platform partner for One Story Up short film series showcasing emerging underrepresented filmmakers
• Vulcan ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Master of Light documentary with George Anthony Morton
• DOCMAKERSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Master of Light documentary
• Pilgrim Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for High on the Hog documentary series on Netflix
• Film 45coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction association for The Innocence Files documentary series on Netflix
• LionsgatecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction partner for The 1619 Project series; Lionsgate Production in association with One Story Up
• Harpo FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for The 1619 Project series with Oprah Winfrey
• The New York TimescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for The 1619 Project series based on Nikole Hannah-Jones journalism
• Disney/ABCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction and distribution partner for The 1619 Project series
• Indikate ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction association for Ranger documentary feature
• Toni KamauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for The Battle for Laikipia documentary
• Women Make MoviesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistribution partner mentioned in How to Build a Library credits
• MACROminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partner for The Empire of Ebony documentary

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kartemquin Films: Long-established Chicago-based documentary production company producing socially engaged feature docs and series for PBS, Netflix, and theatrical release. Closely comparable in mission (impact-driven, diverse storytelling) and output type, though with longer operating history and PBS-centric distribution.
• XTR: Documentary studio producing and distributing feature documentaries, series, and shorts for streaming platforms. Directly comparable in project mix and target streaming buyers, with a stronger emphasis on theatrical and own-platform distribution.
• Story Syndicate: Independent documentary production company founded by Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan, producing premium documentary series and films for Netflix, HBO, and other streamers. Directly comparable in scale, target buyers, and project type, and One Story Up has collaborated with both founders on The Innocence Files.
• Park Pictures: Independent production company producing documentary and narrative films, series, and shorts for streaming platforms and theatrical. Comparable in project type (premium features and shorts for streamers) and scale, with stronger roots in commercials and music videos.
• Pulse Films: Independent production company producing feature documentaries, docuseries, and branded content for Netflix, Hulu, and others. Comparable in project mix (premium doc features and series) and target streaming buyers, with a stronger branded content/ads business.
• Concordia Studio: Documentary-focused production company (backed by Laurene Powell Jobs) producing feature documentaries and series for Netflix and other streamers. Directly comparable in project type (premium doc features/series for streaming) and buyer relationships, though with materially larger capital base.

Broad incumbents

• Radical Media: Long-established production company spanning documentary, branded content, and commercial work, producing premium docs for Netflix and other platforms. Comparable in premium documentary output, though with a much broader commercial and branded content practice.
• Participant: Long-standing impact-driven media company producing socially relevant documentary and narrative films for streamers and theatrical. Highly comparable in mission and project type (impact documentary, social-issue content), though with broader format and significantly larger historical footprint.
• A24: Independent entertainment company producing and distributing premium documentaries, narrative features, and series for streamers and theatrical. Comparable in producing premium, award-contending content for streaming (and having acquired projects like Cassandro's neighbor titles), though operating at substantially larger scale across narrative, TV, and distribution.
• Imagine Documentaries: Documentary arm of Imagine Entertainment producing premium documentaries and docuseries for Netflix, Disney+, and other streamers. Comparable in output type and buyer relationships, with significantly greater capital and parent studio resources behind it.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/onestoryup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/one-story-up

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 One Story Up