ABOUT US | OUR STORY
Documentary Channel® is back!
Offering a range of 32 categories from groundbreaking biographical stories to powerful social justice pieces, historical documentaries, sports and nature conservation and everything in between, Documentary Channel® will be a needed breath of fresh air.
Documentary Channel® will license and air 1000 documentaries every year. It will be available on every mobile and streaming platform and be a one-stop shop for everything documentary.
It is a sad reality that the larger streaming networks pay only lip service to the documentary. The breadth and vision of the documentary genre deserves its own network. Its support must come from within. Documentary Channel® will be that oasis for documentaries.
Tom Neff | Co-Founder, President and COO
“We are revolutionizing the way viewers watch documentaries."
Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning filmmaker and pioneering television entrepreneur with over 35 years in the industry. He is a tenured Professor of Cinema and Television at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Neff’s work has earned numerous accolades, including an Oscar nomination, an Emmy win, and international awards from China, Switzerland, and New Zealand. He is a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Television Academy, with experience in HD, 35mm, and IMAX formats. Neff was honored with the MTSU Distinguished Creative Activity Award in 2019 for a career of “original, imaginative works of artistic merit” and sustained contributions to the arts.”
Tom co-founded the original Documentary Channel®, the first 24/7 network dedicated to independent documentaries. His notable documentaries include the 1995 Emmy-nominated Americas Music: The Roots of Country, Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days, Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada, Chances: The Women of Magdalene, and the award-winning Mr. Temple and the Tigerbelles. Neff has served on many panels on distribution, financing, intellectual property, and production of documentaries.
John Forbess | Co-Founder and CEO
“We’re bringing a fresh new vision, while honoring the depth and variety that set us apart from other streaming platforms."
Co-Founder and CEO of the re-launched Documentary Channel®, having originally conceived the channel alongside Tom Neff. In the early 2000s, Forbess played a crucial role in the brand's creation, co-writing the business plan, raising financing, and securing all licensing and production contracts. The original Documentary Channel® launched in 2006 on DISH Network and later on DirecTV, reaching over 25 million households before being sold to Participant Media in 2012. Forbess continues to oversee all business and legal affairs for the re-launched channel.
A seasoned attorney with a background in entertainment and real estate law, Forbess practiced law at Rudin, Richman & Appel, representing high-profile clients like Frank Sinatra and Cher. He later founded his own firm, Forbess & Roth, and practiced until 2020. From the late 1990s to 2020, Forbess also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Hertz Investment Group, overseeing its growth to 72 commercial office buildings valued at over $3 billion. With extensive experience in both entertainment and real estate, Forbess has negotiated hundreds of legal agreements and partnerships, becoming a key figure in both industries.
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