Stories that Move

emotion.

inspiration.

Impact.

Premium Storytelling for a Multiplatform World

Ocean Rock Studios is a creative company built for the modern media landscape. Founded by acclaimed documentary producer and former PBS executive Bill Gardner, we bring a global perspective and a deeply human approach to stories that illuminate our world and those who shape it.

With expertise spanning content strategy, international production in more than one hundred countries and leadership in development, deal-making and delivery, Ocean Rock Studios crafts storytelling that is creatively bold and emotionally resonant. We don’t simply document the world, we immerse you in it.

Recognition

Genre Portfolio

Selected projects co-created, commissioned, exec’d and/or produced by Bill Gardner

Ethos

Our work spans climate and biodiversity, science and innovation, arts and culture, history and human resilience. Every project begins with a simple idea: the most powerful stories are the ones that reveal our connection to the world we inhabit. We explore how the forces of nature, culture and time shape our lives and how human choices ripple outward across the planet.

We collaborate with leading storytellers, cinematographers, thinkers, scientists and creators and with organizations whose missions align with the urgency and beauty of the stories we tell. Our partnerships span Netflix, BBC Studios, PBS, National Geographic, NASA, the United Nations, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International and The Earthshot Prize.

Ocean Rock Studios brings decades of global field experience to every project, building teams that have filmed in over 100 countries on every continent and in every ocean and environment imaginable, from sacred shrines to contested lands, from underwater reefs, polar landscapes and even the International Space Station. With an emphasis on global reach and local authenticity, we partner with local creatives, experts and communities to make every story reflect the lived reality and honest experience of the place and the people at its center.

With a focus on character-driven narratives, visual elegance and emotional resonance, we tell stories that inform, inspire and endure. Ocean Rock projects invite audiences to see the world differently, to feel its complexity and fragility and to recognize their place within it.

Approach

The most powerful storytelling lives at the intersection of emotional truth, cinematic beauty and meaningful impact. Our projects all have something to say, and are crafted to be felt: by those who make them, those we partner with and those who experience them.

Storytelling Through Character

We begin with character. Whether exploring climate innovation, cultural memory, scientific discovery or artistic creation, we center the individuals who live the story. Their experiences, vulnerabilities and insights provide the emotional anchor that turns information into narrative and narrative into connection. Events don’t simply unfold; they shape and are shaped by those who live them and carry them forward.

Cinematic Craft at Every Stage

Every project is shaped through thoughtful visual imagination, world-class cinematography, immersive sound and intentional editorial choices. Our community of leading writers, cinematographers, editors, musicians and producing partners ensures the craft meets the meaning. Beauty is never ornamental; it carries the emotional weight of the work.

Creative Innovation Across Platforms

The most powerful stories are as multidimensional as the audiences who feel them. We design our projects to live across multiple dimensions, with elements that move in all directions across broadcast, streaming, digital platforms, social storytelling and experiential public programs. Our multiplatform strategies meet audiences where they are with authenticity, clarity and emotional impact.

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