Barcroft media

Barcroft Media, rebranded as Barcroft Studios and later Future Studios, is a factual content producer and distributor. It was founded in 2003 by Sam Barcroft, a former photojournalist and newspaper picture editor. What began as a freelance photography business operating from a spare room in Tottenham quickly evolved from supplying exclusive stories and images to print media into a significant producer of original video content for television networks, VOD platforms, and digital publishers.

The company's business model centers on creating and distributing compelling, real-life stories for a global audience, with a focus on 'the amazing side of life'. Initially, Barcroft Media served as a content agency for news outlets, but it strategically expanded by launching Barcroft TV, a direct-to-consumer YouTube channel, and Barcroft Productions for creating full-length television series for major broadcasters like the BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, and National Geographic Channel. Revenue is generated through multiple streams, including licensing content, advertising revenue from digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook Watch, and Snapchat, and production fees for television series. A key strategy has been to incubate digital series on social media and then develop the most successful ones into longer television formats.

Significant milestones include receiving a minority stake investment from Channel 4's Indie Growth Fund in 2016 to fuel expansion. In January 2019, the company restructured and rebranded from Barcroft Media to Barcroft Studios to better reflect its focus on production for a converging content market. A major turning point came in November 2019 when the global multi-platform media company Future plc acquired Barcroft Studios for £23.5 million. Following the acquisition, Sam Barcroft continued to lead the division. The integration into Future led to further growth, and in October 2021, Barcroft Studios was rebranded as Future Studios to align with its parent company. The company's popular digital series include 'Born Different', 'Extreme Love', and 'Beastly'.

Keywords: factual content, video production, digital media, content distribution, documentary, social video, storytelling, news agency, VOD content, television production, content licensing, factual entertainment, Barcroft TV, Future Studios, Sam Barcroft, digital-to-TV, original series, YouTube content, Snapchat content, Facebook Watch