Tri Destined Studios

What Tri Destined Studios does

Tri Destined Studios is a privately held, African-American owned film and television production and distribution studio founded in 1998 by N.D. Brown (CEO) and Trey Haley (President), with partner Gregory Anderson serving as President of Film. Headquartered in Northridge, California, the studio operates with a core team of 1-10 employees and produces feature films and scripted TV series targeting urban and modern-American audiences, with a content slate built substantially on adaptations of Carl Weber's New York Times best-selling novels.

The company's product portfolio includes the multi-season crime drama Carl Weber's The Family Business (Seasons 1-3 on BET Plus), films Always a Bridesmaid (Netflix), Throwback Holiday (BET/digital), Carl Weber's Influence (BET Plus), 48 Hours to Live, The Man in 3B, The Preacher's Son, Couples' Night, Black Coffee, and other dramatic features and romantic comedies. Productions are monetized via licensing deals with BET/BET Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, TV One, and Bounce TV, with supplementary distribution through iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and international networks (French network TF1, Spain, South America, Mexico). Supplemental revenue is generated through product placement and cross-promotion partnerships with Burger King, Wells Fargo, and Nissan.

The business model is project-based B2B content licensing with no disclosed pricing or minimum guarantees; the studio does not operate its own distribution platform or maintain a direct-to-consumer audience. Competitive advantages rest on IP rights to Carl Weber's literary catalog, a 25-year operating history, established relationships with major distributors and studios (Warner Brothers, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Screen Gems, E-One, RLJ/Image), and a stated mission of providing employment opportunities to minorities and women in entertainment. The studio has no disclosed external funding, operates cash-flow positive over multiple decades, and reports no proprietary technology beyond traditional production workflows.

Name

Tri Destined Studios

Legal name

Tri Destined Studios

Website

https://tridestined.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tri Destined Studios is a privately held, African-American owned film and television production studio founded in 1998 in Northridge, California, producing urban-themed content — anchored by Carl Weber's The Family Business series on BET Plus — for licensing to major streaming and broadcast platforms including Netflix and Amazon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Northridge

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Content Licensing: The studio produces films and television series that are licensed to major streaming platforms and networks including BET, Netflix, Amazon, TV One, and Bounce TV. Revenue is generated through licensing deals for streaming rights and broadcast distribution.
2. Theatrical Distribution: Some productions receive theatrical release followed by distribution across digital download platforms, generating revenue through box office and subsequent digital sales.
3. Product Placement and Brand Partnerships: The studio partners with corporations such as Burger King, Wells Fargo, and Nissan to provide product placement, cross-promotion, and brand imaging within productions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tri Destined Studios is an independent film and television production company that develops, produces, and distributes urban-themed entertainment content. The studio produces feature films and television series, which are then licensed to streaming platforms and broadcast networks including BET, BET Plus, Netflix, Amazon, TV One, and Bounce TV. It also secures product placement and brand partnerships with corporations such as Burger King, Wells Fargo, and Nissan.

Product overview

Tri Destined Studios is an African-American owned film and television production and distribution studio founded in 1998. The company produces urban entertainment content including TV series and feature films distributed through streaming platforms like BET Plus, Netflix, and various digital download channels. The product portfolio centers on Carl Weber's branded content (The Family Business TV series spanning multiple seasons, and films like Influence, The Preacher's Son) alongside romantic comedies (Always a Bridesmaid, Throwback Holiday, Couples' Night, Black Coffee), thrillers (48 Hours to Live, The Man in 3B), and dramatic features. The studio operates as a single unified production company rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, producing content for third-party distribution rather than offering a proprietary digital product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carl Weber's The Family Business (TV Series) A crime drama TV series following the Duncan family, who run an exotic car dealership by day and live a dangerous secret life by night. Currently streaming on BET Plus across multiple seasons.
• Always a Bridesmaid

Quantifiable outcome

• Stomp the Yard grossed over $100 million with only a $13 million budget
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Carl WebercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarl Weber is a NY Times best-selling author whose works have been adapted by Tri Destined Studios into films and TV series including The Family Business (Seasons 1-3), The Preacher's Son, and Influence. This partnership leverages Weber's literary brand to create compelling content.
• Warner Brothers/Asylum RecordsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for multimedia productions. Warner Brothers and Asylum Records are part of the Warner Music Group ecosystem.
• Universal StudiosmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudio distribution partner for film and television content.
• Sony StudiosmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudio distribution partner for film and television content.
• Paramount StudiosmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudio distribution partner for film and television content.
• Screen GemsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSony's specialty label focused on urban and diverse content distribution.
• RLJ/Image EntertainmentmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner specializing in urban entertainment content.
• E-OnemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEntertainment One distribution partner for film and television content.
• Urban BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partner for urban fiction content that serves as source material for film and TV adaptations.
• Flavor UnitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company partner specializing in urban entertainment.
• BETcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary streaming and broadcast partner. BET Plus streams The Family Business series and other Tri Destined productions. BET is a major urban entertainment network.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal streaming partner for Tri Destined content including Always a Bridesmaid.
• AmazonmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming and digital distribution partner for content available on Amazon Prime Video.
• LifetimeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTelevision network partner for content distribution.
• TV OneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast network partner targeting African-American audiences.
• Bounce TVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast network partner targeting African-American audiences.
• Burger KingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate brand partner for product placement and cross-promotion within productions.
• Wells FargominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate brand partner for product placement and cross-promotion within productions.
• NissanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate brand partner for product placement, cross-promotion, and community outreach programs. Nissan also partnered with the company's student leadership program.
• Revelations EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorgan Freeman's production company where Trey Haley honed production skills before founding Tri Destined Studios.
• Organization of Black ScreenwritersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry organization partner supporting minority representation in screenwriting.
• Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partners for community outreach and talent development initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyler Perry Studios: Tyler Perry Studios is the dominant African-American owned production and distribution studio, producing urban-themed films and TV series distributed on BET, Netflix, and OWN. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both target the same African-American urban audience with faith-inflected family dramas, comedies, and crime thrillers; however Tyler Perry operates at far greater scale with a 330-acre owned studio campus and direct deals with major streamers.
• BET Plus (original content): BET Plus, as a streaming service, commissions and acquires a large volume of African-American targeted films and series from independent producers including Tri Destined Studios. It is comparable because Tri Destined's flagship series The Family Business runs on BET Plus, making the platform both a key revenue channel and a benchmark for the kind of serialized Black family/business dramas Tri Destined competes to produce.
• BET Studios: BET Studios is a vertically integrated content production and distribution arm of BET Networks, producing and acquiring urban and Black-targeted scripted content for BET, BET Plus, and Paramount platforms. It is comparable to Tri Destined because they operate in the same urban content vertical and BET is Tri Destined's primary streaming partner (making BET Studios both a buyer and a direct competitor for premium Black content).
• Lionsgate: Lionsgate is a large independent studio with multiple divisions including urban-content labels, faith-based films (AFFIRM) and urban comedy/thriller output through subsidiaries. It is comparable to Tri Destined because Lionsgate operates as an independent studio sourcing and distributing Black-targeted urban comedies and dramas, mirroring Tri Destined's positioning as a smaller, independently owned alternative.

Direct peers

• Will Packer Productions: Will Packer Productions is an independent film and TV production company focused on commercially successful urban and African-American themed theatrical releases and series. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both produce Black-targeted content for major distributors and streaming platforms and have track records of producing theatrical hits with modest budgets.
• ARRAY Releasing: ARRAY (Ava DuVernay's collective) produces and distributes films by underrepresented filmmakers, primarily for African-American and diverse audiences, distributed through Netflix and theatrical partners. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both studios are mission-driven, produce content for underrepresented audiences, and rely on major-platform distribution deals (Netflix, BET) to scale reach.
• Rainforest Films: Rainforest Films is an independent urban/African-American film production company behind the Barbershop and Friday franchises and produces Black-targeted theatrical and TV content distributed through major studios. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both operate as Black-owned independent production studios that deliver urban comedies and dramas to wide commercial audiences through major-studio distribution partnerships.
• DeVon Franklin Productions: DeVon Franklin Productions is an independent producer of faith-based urban and inspirational films and television, distributed through Sony AFFIRM and Netflix. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both produce faith-friendly urban comedies and dramas aimed at Black audiences and secure placement on major faith-oriented and urban-skewing networks and streaming platforms.
• Harpo Films (Oprah Winfrey Network): Harpo Films produces premium scripted and unscripted content centered on Black stories and audiences, distributed through OWN and other platforms. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both focus on empowering narratives for African-American audiences and leverage deeply networked producer talent with premium distribution partnerships.
• Foxxhole Productions: Foxxhole Productions is Jamie Foxx's urban-themed production company producing films and TV series distributed through Sony, Netflix, and other major platforms. It is comparable to Tri Destined because both focus on Black-led entertainment across comedy, drama, and thriller genres, and rely on similar studio and streamer distribution channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tridestined
• Facebookfacebook.com/tridestined
• Instagraminstagram.com/tridestined

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Tri Destined Studios