Participant Media to Shutter Operations

Participant Media, a 20-year-old independent studio focused on socially conscious filmmaking, is winding down its operations.

Founded by Jeff Skoll, chairman, and led by CEO David Linde, Participant was behind the Oscar-winning films Green Book and Spotlight and docs such as American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and An Inconvenient Truth. Over its 20-year history, it released 135 films and five series, winning 21 Oscars and 18 Emmys.

“For 20 years, Participant has stood as the leading global media company focused on timely and emotionally transformational stories which speak to the world’s most pressing issues,” Skoll said in a memo to staff. “When I founded this company in 2004, I set out to maximize impact. It was a groundbreaking philanthropic venture that was the first—and for a long time, the only—of its kind.”

In announcing plans to shutter the company, Skoll said, “it is the right time for me to evaluate my next chapter and approach to tackling the pressing issues of our time.”