Indie films

What Indie films does

Indie City Films LLC is a privately held, full-service video production company headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2008. The company produces narrative feature films, short documentaries, and branded video content for a roster of clients that includes CBS, CW, NY Post, Page Six, Refinery29, CoverGirl, Domino, Smithsonian, Amazon Alexa, and Sunday Times UK. Its completed feature catalog includes MOUNT JOY (2015, distributed by Glass House Distribution), the Crazy Ex-Girlbehind-the-scenes documentary (2019, distributed via CBS/CW with Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna as producers), and BEFORE/DURING/AFTER (2020, distributed by Gravitas Ventures, winner of four festival awards). A new project, JENNIFER, 42, is currently in development as an animated true crime documentary.

The studio operates with a 1–10 person team and runs as a professional services production shop, supplemented by distribution royalties from theatrical, broadcast, and VOD placements (Amazon Prime, iTunes, cable VOD). Its go-to-market relies on direct outreach, website portfolio, and inbound inquiries via [email protected], with film festival submissions serving as a credibility and distribution-acquisition channel. Revenue streams combine branded content production fees (project-based, quote-based pricing), film distribution licensing, and festival-driven visibility, with no public pricing or revenue figures disclosed.

The company's core assets are its talent relationships, its portfolio of award-recognized content, and its distribution partnerships with Gravitas Ventures, Glass House Distribution, and CBS/CW. Ownership is founder-led, with producer Katie Hyde serving as the principal across productions, and no institutional investors, parent companies, or subsidiaries are disclosed in the available material.

Name

Indie films

Legal name

Indie City Films LLC

Website

https://indiecityfilms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Indie City Films is a Brooklyn-based, full-service video production company producing narrative features, documentaries, and branded content for enterprise clients including CBS, CoverGirl, and Smithsonian.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Services

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

Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK), True Crime Documentaries (MPADADAN)

Keywords

• Narrative film production
• Documentary filmmaking
• Branded video content
• Feature film production
• Video production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Branded Video Content Production: Production of custom video content for commercial brands and media companies. Clients include CoverGirl, Domino, and various other commercial brands requiring promotional and branded entertainment content.
2. Feature Film Distribution: Feature film production with distribution deals through partners like Gravitas Ventures (BEFORE/DURING/AFTER), CBS/CW (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend documentary), Glass House Distribution (MOUNT JOY). Revenue generated through theatrical releases, VOD platforms, and streaming services.
3. Festival Circuit and Awards: Film festival submissions and awards contribute to visibility and distribution opportunities. Films have won multiple festival awards including Dances with Films, River Run, San Diego International Film Festival, and Naples International Film Festival.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Indie City Films is a full-service video production company that produces narrative feature films, short documentaries, and branded video content. The company delivers end-to-end production services — from development through production and distribution coordination — for commercial brands, media and entertainment companies, and independent artists. Its portfolio includes festival-awarded features (BEFORE/DURING/AFTER, MOUNT JOY) and high-profile behind-the-scenes documentaries (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It's Over), with content distributed through VOD platforms, broadcast networks, and theatrical release.

Product overview

Indie City Films is a full-service video production company based in New York City. The company operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing narrative feature film production, short documentary production, and branded content services. Their portfolio includes completed feature films (BEFORE/DURING/AFTER, Crazy Ex Girlfriend documentary, MOUNT JOY), a project in development (JENNIFER, 42), and ongoing production of branded content for commercial clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BEFORE / DURING / AFTER A 2020 post-romantic comedy feature film directed by Steven Kunken and Jack Lewars, written by Finnerty Steeves, and produced by Finnerty Steeves and Katie Hyde. Distributed by Gravitas Ventures to VOD platforms including Amazon Prime.
• Crazy Ex Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It's Over A 42-minute behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the Crazy Ex Girlfriend finale episode, directed by Katie Hyde and produced by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna. Distributed by CBS and CW Network.
• MOUNT JOY A 2015 indie rock romance feature film about musicians in a Pennsylvania band on the verge of making it big, featuring an original soundtrack. Distributed by Glass House Distribution and available on iTunes and Amazon Prime.
• Branded Content Production Full-service production of branded video content for commercial clients, including promotional videos, product launches, and branded entertainment for consumer brands and media partners.
• Narrative Feature Film Production Full-service production of narrative feature films, from development through production and distribution coordination, delivered as a project-based service for clients.
• Short Documentary Production Production of short-form documentary content, including behind-the-scenes and talent-access storytelling for media and entertainment clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple film festival awards including Dances with Films INDUSTRY CHOICE AWARD, River Run JURY PRIZE, San Diego Best Ensemble Cast, Naples PROGRAMMERS CHOICE AWARD
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Gravitas VenturescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Distribution partner for BEFORE/DURING/AFTER feature film. Gravitas Ventures handled distribution of the post-romantic comedy to VOD platforms.
• CBS and CW NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Broadcast distribution partnership for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It's Over documentary. The 42-minute behind-the-scenes documentary about the finale episode was distributed by CBS and CW.
• Rachel BloomflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Executive producer and talent partnership for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend documentary. Rachel Bloom co-produced the behind-the-scenes documentary about her show's finale episode.
• Aline Brosh McKennaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-producer partnership for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend documentary. McKenna is co-creator of the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend show and collaborated on the behind-the-scenes documentary.
• Glass House DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Distribution partner for MOUNT JOY indie rock romance film. Handled distribution to iTunes and Amazon Prime platforms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Participant Media: Larger independent media company producing socially-relevant documentaries and narrative features for theatrical and streaming release. Overlaps with Indie City Films on the documentary/narrative-feature production axis but at significantly greater scale.
• Vox Media Studios: In-house branded-content and documentary production arm of Vox Media, producing video content for enterprise advertisers and platform partners. Comparable capability set to Indie City Films' branded-content work but operating within a much larger parent.
• Gravitas Ventures: Independent film distribution company that already partners with Indie City Films (distributing BEFORE/DURING/AFTER). Operates in the same indie film supply chain at greater scale across acquisitions and VOD distribution.
• Vice Media: Large digital media company producing branded documentaries, short-form video, and feature content for enterprise clients. Comparable on the branded-content-for-major-brands axis but at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Oscilloscope Laboratories: Independent film distribution and production company focused on documentaries and narrative features from emerging filmmakers. Similar in mixing branded/festival indie production with selective distribution.
• Bleecker Street: Independent film distribution and production company focused on narrative features and documentaries with festival pedigrees. Directly comparable acquisition/distribution counterpart for the type of films Indie City Films produces.
• Neon: Independent film distribution and production company that acquires and releases festival-touted narrative features and documentaries. Comparable in producing narrative indie films that travel festival circuits and secure distribution on VOD/streaming platforms.
• A24: Independent film production and distribution company producing prestige narrative features and documentaries, festival-circuit focused, with comparable distribution-to-platforms model. A24 is a much larger and more capitalized version of the Indie City Films model.
• Magnolia Pictures: Independent film distribution company specializing in documentaries, narrative features, and festival-circuit titles. Highly comparable downstream partner/peer for Indie City Films' documentary and indie feature output.

Emerging players

• Insider Studios: Branded-content production operation producing custom video and documentary content for advertisers, with comparable enterprise-client base and short-documentary format. A relevant emerging peer in the branded-video-for-media-brands space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indie-city-films

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 Indie films