Groundmaking
Groundmaking is a Southern California documentary film studio producing fundraising and impact films for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, supplemented by paid educational workshops on nonprofit video storytelling.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Groundmaking does
Groundmaking is a Southern California-based documentary film studio founded in 2017 by Reuben Herzl that produces observational, human-centered documentary films for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. The studio's core product is custom documentary production intended to help nonprofits build donor trust, communicate impact, and support fundraising objectives; clients span land conservation, education, public health, legal aid, community services, and the arts, including organizations such as Trust for Public Land, California Community Foundation, Heluna Health, and LAFLA.
The studio's service is delivered as bespoke, project-based engagements rather than as a scalable software platform, with underlying production comprising on-location filming, observational editing, and narrative structuring tailored to each nonprofit's mission and audience. The technical stack is traditional documentary craft rather than technology infrastructure, with no proprietary platform or software product; distribution of educational content and learning resources is supported through a public-facing website and a separate e-commerce storefront.
Groundmaking's revenue model combines two streams: (1) one-time project fees from custom documentary production, priced per engagement with nonprofit clients, and (2) transactional revenue from paid educational products, exemplified by the Show Don't Tell Workshop sold at $99 per attendee through its e-commerce channel. Go-to-market is consultative and relationship-driven, relying on direct engagement with nonprofit decision-makers, conference appearances at industry events such as the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, and inbound content marketing rather than paid acquisition or channel partnerships. The studio operates as a bootstrapped LLC with 1-10 employees, concentrated in the Los Angeles area.
Groundmaking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Groundmaking
- Legal name
- GROUNDMAKING, LLC
- Website
- https://groundmaking.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Groundmaking is a Southern California documentary film studio producing fundraising and impact films for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, supplemented by paid educational workshops on nonprofit video storytelling.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Groundmaking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Groundmaking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Documentary Film Production: Custom documentary film production for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Films are designed to build trust, inspire generosity, and move people to action. Revenue is project-based, likely varying by scope and duration.
- Workshop and Training Programs: Virtual and in-person workshops teaching nonprofit professionals about video storytelling, gala videos, and content creation. Priced at $99 per workshop with additional materials included.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Show Don't Tell Gala Video Workshop - $99 per attendee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Groundmaking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Groundmaking is a Southern California documentary film studio that produces custom documentary films for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, including fundraising films, impact stories, and organizational narratives designed to build donor trust and inspire action. The studio also sells virtual workshops, most notably the Show Don't Tell Gala Video Workshop, that teach nonprofit professionals how to plan, budget, and produce their own gala and storytelling videos.
Product overview
Groundmaking is a documentary film studio offering documentary filmmaking services for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. The core offering is documentary films for fundraising and impact storytelling. As an add-on, the company offers the Show Don't Tell Workshop, a virtual training program for nonprofit professionals on gala video strategy and production. Educational resources covering nonprofit storytelling topics complement the service offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Documentary Films for Nonprofits Custom documentary storytelling films produced for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, including fundraising films, impact stories, and organizational narratives designed to build donor trust, inspire generosity, and move people to action.
- Show Don't Tell Gala Video Workshop A 2-hour virtual workshop for nonprofit professionals covering gala video strategy, budgeting, production planning, storytelling development, and RFP creation. Includes a Gala Video Decision Scorecard, The Gala Video Planning Workbook, Sample Gala Video Budget and RFP Templates, a Story Discovery Interview Guide, and a 30-minute Q&A recording, priced at $99 per attendee with limited enrollment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Build donor trust and inspire generosity through authentic documentary storytelling
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Groundmaking
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Groundmaking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Groundmaking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Groundmaking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kartemquin Films: Independent Chicago-based documentary production company producing social-issue and impact documentaries. Direct peer as an independent production studio specializing in documentary storytelling for social missions.
- Picture Motion: Impact entertainment firm that designs and executes impact campaigns for documentary films, frequently partnering with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Direct peer in the nonprofit/impact documentary storytelling space.
- Doc Society: International organization supporting impact documentary filmmakers with funding, mentorship, and impact strategy. Operates in the same documentary-for-impact category as Groundmaking and shares a nonprofit-aligned audience.
- Working Films: Nonprofit organization that leverages documentary film and storytelling for social justice and impact campaigns. Comparable focus on documentary production aimed at mission-driven audiences and nonprofit partners.
Broad incumbents
- Participant Media: Large impact media company producing socially relevant feature films, documentaries, and series with explicit social-impact mandates. Broad incumbent that overlaps with Groundmaking's documentary-for-impact category at much greater scale.
- National Geographic Studios: Major documentary production studio within National Geographic producing premium documentary content across platforms. Broad incumbent in documentary production with vastly greater resources and distribution reach than Groundmaking.
- PBS (Documentary Unit): Public broadcaster with extensive documentary programming and co-production partnerships with independent producers. Broad incumbent that commissions and distributes the kind of human-centered documentaries Groundmaking produces.
- Discovery Studios: Global media company's documentary production arm producing large-scale factual and documentary programming. Broad incumbent in documentary production and distribution.
Others
- Film Independent: Nonprofit organization supporting independent filmmakers through funding, education, and events (e.g., Spirit Awards, Filmmaker Forum). Adjacent ecosystem participant serving a comparable community of independent documentary producers.
- International Documentary Association: Trade and professional association for the documentary industry providing resources, advocacy, and the DocuDay conference. Adjacent ecosystem organization serving the same documentary professional community as Groundmaking.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Groundmaking social profiles
Digital presenceGroundmaking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Groundmaking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Groundmaking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Groundmaking 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 Groundmaking
What does Groundmaking do?
Groundmaking is a Southern California documentary film studio that produces custom documentary films for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, including fundraising films, impact stories, and organizational narratives designed to build donor trust and inspire action. The studio also sells virtual workshops, most notably the Show Don't Tell Gala Video Workshop, that teach nonprofit professionals how to plan, budget, and produce their own gala and storytelling videos.
Is Groundmaking a public or private company?
Groundmaking is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Groundmaking founded?
Groundmaking was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Groundmaking based?
Groundmaking is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Groundmaking make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Documentary Film Production is the primary driver. The others are workshop and Training Programs.
Who are Groundmaking's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kartemquin Films, Picture Motion, Doc Society and Working Films. Broad incumbents are Participant Media, National Geographic Studios, PBS (Documentary Unit) and Discovery Studios. Others are Film Independent and International Documentary Association.
Does Groundmaking have an API?
No public API is recorded for Groundmaking.