One Story Up
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
One Story Up firmographics
Firmographics- 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
One Story Up industry classification
Industry- 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
Where One Story Up is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
One Story Up business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
One Story Up product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use One Story Up
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
One Story Up technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
One Story Up partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HiddenLight ProductionscoreCo-production partner for Move Ya Body: the Birth of House documentary premiering at Sundance 2025
- Circle and SquarecoreCo-production partner for How to Build a Library documentary premiering at Sundance 2025
- TopiccoreStreaming platform partner for One Story Up short film series showcasing emerging underrepresented filmmakers
- Vulcan ProductionscoreCo-production partner for Master of Light documentary with George Anthony Morton
- DOCMAKERSminorCollaboration on Master of Light documentary
- Pilgrim Media GroupcoreCo-production partner for High on the Hog documentary series on Netflix
- Film 45coreProduction association for The Innocence Files documentary series on Netflix
- LionsgatecoreProduction partner for The 1619 Project series; Lionsgate Production in association with One Story Up
- Harpo FilmscoreProduction partner for The 1619 Project series with Oprah Winfrey
- The New York TimescoreProduction partner for The 1619 Project series based on Nikole Hannah-Jones journalism
- Disney/ABCcoreProduction and distribution partner for The 1619 Project series
- Indikate ProductionminorProduction association for Ranger documentary feature
- Toni KamauminorCo-production partner for The Battle for Laikipia documentary
- Women Make MoviesminorDistribution partner mentioned in How to Build a Library credits
- MACROminorAssociation partner for The Empire of Ebony documentary
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
One Story Up competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
One Story Up social profiles
Digital presenceOne Story Up financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
One Story Up leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
One Story Up funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
One Story Up 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 One Story Up
What does One Story Up do?
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.
Is One Story Up a public or private company?
One Story Up is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was One Story Up founded?
One Story Up was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is One Story Up based?
One Story Up is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does One Story Up make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Streaming Platform Licensing is the primary driver. The others are festival Distribution.
Who are One Story Up's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kartemquin Films, XTR, Story Syndicate, Park Pictures, Pulse Films and Concordia Studio. Broad incumbents are Radical Media, Participant, A24 and Imagine Documentaries.
Does One Story Up have an API?
No public API is recorded for One Story Up.
What industry is One Story Up in?
One Story Up's product category is Documentary Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAB, Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming), with a secondary code of MPADADAA, Feature-Length Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.