Ruptly Launches Global Doc Division

The international news and media agency Ruptly has unveiled a global documentary division, with a debut catalog of more than 170 docs covering human interest stories centered on global themes.

To mark the launch and in recognition of the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Ruptly Documentary Collection will be granting one free documentary license per client. Clients worldwide, with few territorial restrictions, will be able to procure original documentaries with non-exclusive rights and a 30-day broadcast window, or a period of 30 days online. The new division will also actively forge new partnerships with documentary production companies and content owners, acquiring distribution rights for newly produced documentaries as well as existing catalogs.

Among the key titles available at launch are The Coca Trap, which follows rural Colombians whose livelihoods rest upon growing coca leaf, under constant threat from drug traffickers; Dying Alone, an exploration of the Japanese phenomenon of kodokushi; When an Elephant Smiles, the story of a woman who turned her family farm in the heart of Zimbabwe into a wildlife sanctuary; Syrian Tango, about an art collective that was formed in the midst of the Syrian War; To be a Cosmonaut, an account following three candidates on the selection process to become cosmonauts; and Baikal Babushka: Songs of Life, which introduces audiences to a 78-year-old a woman living alone on the remote shoreline of Lake Baikal.

Matt Tabaccos, chief commercial officer at Ruptly, said: “We are proud to have gathered such an array of award-winning content to launch our own dedicated documentary division. And we look forward to expanding our catalog further, as we increasingly represent new content and bring it to clients across OTT, broadcast network media, production houses and online publishers.”

He added: “We realize we are launching Ruptly Documentary Collection at a difficult time, where new content is set to become increasingly hard to come by—and it’s critical that we support one another as an industry. With this in mind, Ruptly will be granting one free documentary license to every client, to help keep our peers afloat amidst an ever-stronger demand for high-quality long-format content that can engage viewers and retain audiences across platforms.”

Dinara Toktosunova, CEO of Ruptly, commented: “This is an exciting new adventure for Ruptly as we embark on our next stage of growth. We aim to keep expanding the exceptional set of services that we offer to our clients, moving into new areas that match our unique capabilities to their operational and commercial needs—this is another example of our continued drive to explore new ways to deliver for those who work with us.”