A small studio that takes long-form seriously.
We are seventeen people in a converted warehouse on Wythe Avenue. We shoot on film when the budget allows and on the best digital we can rent when it doesn't. We grade in the same room we cut in. We answer our own emails.
The studio was started in 2014 around a single idea: that brand work and editorial work deserve the same craft. Twelve years later we still believe it, and the body of work behind us is the proof.
247
Films delivered
19
Festival selections
4,200
Sq ft of stage
12
Years on set
The stage · Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
What we believe
Craft is a verb.
Every film earns its logo.
If the audience hasn't met you halfway by the end, the film hasn't worked yet.
Restraint isn't a style.
It's the discipline of choosing one loud thing and letting everything else stay quiet.
Senior people on set.
We staff small and experienced. No film survives a second AC running creative.
Timeline
Twelve years,
told briefly.
- 2014
Maren and a 16mm Bolex shoot a short in a Bushwick loft. Hip City Media is registered three weeks later.
- 2017
First brand film for an indie coffee roaster wins a regional ADDY. We hire our first full-time editor.
- 2019
We move into the Wythe Avenue stage. 4,200 sq ft, two cyc walls, and a leaky skylight we keep on purpose.
- 2021
First documentary series with a streaming partner. We learn what 9 months on a single project actually feels like.
- 2024
Sundance Official Selection for 'Midnight Shift.' We celebrate quietly. Then we go back to set.
- 2026
Twelve years in. Same crew, sharper instincts, still allergic to bad voiceover.
The bench
The people who actually show up.
Plus a deep bench of DPs, gaffers, sound, and producers we trust by name.
Maren Okafor
Founder · Director
Idris Vance
Head of Post · Colorist
Suri Whitfield
Field Producer
Caleb Ng
Director of Photography
Iris Halberg
Executive Producer
Theo Marsh
Sound & Mix
We're hiring producers and a senior editor. Roll the credits forward.
Get in touch