Matador Content (also known as Matador) is an American production company founded in 2013 by Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin. The company produces feature films (mainly

documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...

), unscripted television, scripted television and digital programming. Some of Matador's television series include the

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

series '' Drag Me to Dinner'',

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

series '' Geeking Out,'' the GSN series ''

Hellevator ''Hellevator ''is an American horror game show produced by Jason Blum for his Blumhouse Productions banner and Todd Lubin in which a team of three contestants rides a haunted elevator through an abandoned slaughterhouse. The show is hosted by ...

'', the A&E series '' Epic Ink'', '' Cement Heads'', and '' Country Bucks'', the Lifetime series '' Project Runway: Fashion Startup'', the

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

series '' Great Minds with Dan Harmon'', the Syfy series ''

Cosplay Melee ''Cosplay Melee'' is a Syfy channel reality television show executive produced by Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin, which was announced in February 2017 and premiered its first season of six episodes on March 21, 2017. The series is hosted by Yvette ...

'', and the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

series ''

The Impossible Row ''The Impossible Row'' is a documentary from the Discovery Channel. It follows explorers as they row across the Drake Passage and become the first in history to do so. The journey took 12 days and ended on December 25, 2019 with the six crew memb ...

''. Matador's scripted programming includes the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series ''

The Who Was? Show ''The Who Was? Show'' is a historical sketch comedy television series which ran for one season on Netflix, in which Andy Daly's character, Ron, interacts with a group of teenagers, interspersed with historical vignettes and narrated by H. Jon ...

'', and

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps; also known as Vice TV in the United States) is a brand used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. The brand launched on February 29, 2016, with two cable channels in North America. The Vice ...

's first scripted series ''

What Would Diplo Do? ''What Would Diplo Do?'' is an American comedy television series created by Brandon Dermer and James Van Der Beek. The series stars James Van Der Beek, Dillon Francis, Dora Madison Burge, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Bobby Lee and H. Michael Croner. ...

'' starring

James Van Der Beek James David Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom '' Don't Trus ...

. Matador also produces the larger than life talent show ''

Go-Big Show ''Go-Big Show'' is an American competition series that aired on TBS from January 7, 2021, to March 10, 2022. In contrast to other talent shows, ''Go-Big Show'' focuses on bigger scale performances featuring monster trucks, horse riding and larg ...

'' for TBS, ''

The Kids Tonight Show ''The Kids Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show for children that premiered on Peacock on October 14, 2021. The series is hosted by Recker Eans, Dylan Gilmer, Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Olivia Perez. On the show, it is referred as ...

'' for

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

, the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

series '' Dear...'', the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

series '' Disney Fam Jam'' hosted by

Ariel Martin Ariel Rebecca Martin (born November 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Ariel, is an American social media personality, actress and singer-songwriter who rose to fame after posting lip-syncing videos on the defunct video sharing app Musica ...

, Trevor Tordjman, and Phil Wright, the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

series ''

Boy Band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

'' hosted by

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...

, the Emmy Award-nominated

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

series ''

Lip Sync Battle ''Lip Sync Battle'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John ...

'' hosted by

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

and

Chrissy Teigen Christine Diane Teigen (born November 30, 1985) is an American model, television personality, and author. She made her professional modeling debut in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, in 2010, ...

, and the kid centric spin-off '' Lip Sync Battle Shorties'' on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

hosted by

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...

and

JoJo Siwa Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa ( ; born May 19, 2003) is an American singer, dancer, actress, and media personality. From 2015 to 2016, she appeared as a dancer on two seasons of the reality television show '' Dance Moms'' alongside her mother, Jess ...

. Matador's feature film credits include the Emmy Award-nominated

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

documentary '' Banksy Does New York'', which premiered at

Doc NYC Doc NYC (stylized as DOC NYC) is an annual documentary film festival in New York City. Co-founded by Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, the festival is the country's largest documentary film festival with over 300 films and events and 250 specia ...

in 2014, the Emmy Award-nominated

two-part documentary '' Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'', ''Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot'' a behind-the-scenes look at the 2001 cult indie film ''

Wet Hot American Summer ''Wet Hot American Summer'' is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter. The film features an ensemble cast, with Janeane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce starring alo ...

'', ''Give Me Future'', which documented

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They were founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was the ...

's groundbreaking 2016 concert in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, ''

Wig A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms. H ...

'', the HBO documentary that explores the history of

Wigstock Wigstock was an annual outdoor Drag (clothing), drag festival that began in 1984 in Manhattan's East Village, Manhattan, East Village that took place on Labor Day. Continuing, with a few gaps, until 2005, the festival would traditionally act as t ...

, '' Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry'', the 2021 documentary centered around singer-songwriter

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...

, and the upcoming feature ''

Nonnas ''Nonnas'' is a 2025 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky, written by Liz Maccie, and starring Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro with Linda Cardellini and Susan Sarandon. The film is based o ...

'' starring

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award ...

Partnerships and acquisition

In 2014, Matador Content formed a joint venture with Untitled Entertainment, the management company behind

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

, and

Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. Known for her work predominantly in independent films with dark or tragic themes, she has received various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, a Primetime ...

. In 2017, Matador Content signed a multi-year production and development deal with Little Creatures, the production company founded by R. J. Cutler and Jane Cha. Later that year, Matador signed a multi-project deal with Bold Soul Studios to develop scripted content. In 2018, Matador Content was acquired by the Canadian company

Boat Rocker Media Boat Rocker Media Inc. is a Canadian multinational entertainment company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2013 by the executives of Temple Street Productions, it holds interests in media production, distribution, brand licensing, ...

; Matador would continue to operate as a subsidiary, with Peterson and Lubin reporting to CEO John Young. In 2020, Peterson was promoted to Boat Rocker Studios' head of unscripted, with Lubin continuing to specifically lead Matador Content. In August 2023, Peterson stepped down from the position, and was succeeded by Lubin.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Television production companies of the United States American companies established in 2013 Mass media companies established in 2013 2018 mergers and acquisitions Film production companies of the United States American subsidiaries of foreign companies