Story Syndicate, the New York-based production company founded by Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentary couple Dan Kogan and Liz Garbus, is launching a multimillion-dollar equity fund for nonfiction films and series.
The first three projects funded by this fund are currently in production. That’s Paul Sollett’s “Master Thief,” which focuses on Sean Murphy, the New England Patriots fan who was convicted of stealing Eli Manning’s New York Giants Super Bowl ring in 2008. Don Argot and Sheena M. Joyce’s “Saget” is about beloved TV dad Bob Saget. and Alex Holmes’ Beverly and Derek, the work of visionary filmmakers and wildlife conservationists Beverly and Derek Joubert, whose work was the inspiration for The Lion King.
Story Syndicate will produce all three films, with Dan Cogan and John Burdin serving as producers, and Liz Garbus and Tommy Corial serving as executive producers.
Story Syndicate was founded in 2019 and has become a power player in the documentation space across all major platforms. Recent projects include Apple TV’s “Number One on the Call Sheet,” Roku’s “Solo Travel with Tracee Ellis Ross,” the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan,” and “Gone Girls: Long Island Murders.”
The eight-figure funding is being funded by private investors and will be used to support three to four commercially viable full-length docs or series each year.
“We want Story Syndicate to be the first choice for directors, producers and IP owners looking for a partner who excels in telling big-tent, culturally relevant stories and breaking new creative ground,” Kogan and Garbus said in a joint statement. “Not only do we have the production expertise, deep experience and relationships to do this at the highest level, but we also have the capital to do it independently. We are excited to bring undeniable storytelling, genre-defying craftsmanship, and put all this to work on behalf of our major rights holders, with an initial slate that represents a diverse range of stories that combine commercial appeal with creative ambition and risk-taking.”
The equity fund represents something of a return to his roots for Kogan, who founded and ran Impact Partners, a leading documentary equity firm, for 13 years. Under Kogan, Impact Partners’ work included the Academy Award-winning films Icarus and The Cove and the Oscar-nominated film How to Survive a Plague. Kogan also worked on “Apollo,” “The Queen of Versailles,” and “Would You Be My Neighbor?” The “Allen v. Farrow” case occurred during his tenure at Impact Partners.
Story Syndicate’s equity funds remain actively open to unscripted projects at all stages of financing and production.
Story Syndicated Equity Fund Project:
Master Thief: This is the incredible true story of how one of the most notorious thieves in New England history, and a die-hard Patriots fan, stole his 2008 Super Bowl ring as the ultimate revenge for the Patriots’ disastrous loss at the hands of Manning’s New York Giants. Then, with law enforcement in pursuit, he nearly pulls off the largest cash heist in U.S. history, only to find an astonishing $92 million still burning inside his safe. Director: Paul Solet, Producer: Glenn Zipper, Sean Stewart, Paul Solet, Dan
Cogan, John Berdine and Eli Manning will serve as executive producers.
Saget: A beloved father on television and one of the boldest and most vulgar stand-ups on stage, the multifaceted character of Bob Saget is revealed through intimate access to family, fellow comics, rare home videos, and never-before-seen footage. This fascinating revelation reveals the complex man behind the laughter, the heartbreaking loss that forged his spirit, and the enduring legacy of kindness etched into his comedy and other works. Directed by Don Argot and Sheena M. Joyce (Taylor Swift: End of an Era, Kelce) and produced by Story Syndicate, Review Studios and 9.14 Pictures.
Beverly and Derek: Lovers, dreamers, and adventurers, Beverly and Derek Joubert have spent 40 years living on the edge of the wilderness. Their partnership, both in life and behind the camera, turned them into visionary filmmakers and conservationists whose work helped inspire The Lion King. Through 40 years of incredible adventures, they captured nature’s raw beauty and deepest mysteries. But the thing they cherished most, Mother Nature, would one day test them beyond anything else.
Never before had they faced a moment that would change their lives forever. Award-winning filmmaker Alex Holmes (Maiden), with Dogwoof and Story Syndicate, brings to the screen for the first time an intimate portrait of a love story like no other.
