White Horse Pictures
White Horse Pictures is an American film, documentary and television production company founded in 2014.
The company is run by four partners and producers, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann.
History
White Horse Pictures was founded in 2014 by Nigel Sinclair alongside longtime business partner Guy East with partners Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann. Sinclair's previous documentaries had included Martin Scorsese’s, George Harrison: Living in the Material World which won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA, the Grammy Award-winning No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, the Academy Award-winning Undefeated and the Grammy Award-winning Foo Fighters: Back and Forth.White Horse Pictures' first documentary, A Faster Horse, directed by David Gelb, was released in 2015.
In 2016, the team produced and sold worldwide The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, directed by Ron Howard and written by Mark Monroe, which won a Grammy for Best Music Film and multiple Emmy Awards. The film was Hulu's first documentary acquisition.
White Horse Pictures subsequently produced The Apollo directed by Roger Ross Williams – which opened the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 to overwhelming critical acclaim – where upon release on HBO the film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The Apollo won [Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special|Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special|Outstanding Documentary] at the 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Also in 2019 was Pavarotti, directed by Ron Howard and written by Mark Monroe, which was sold to CBS Films and grossed $8,083,942, becoming one of the top 20 highest-grossing concert films of all time.
In 2020, White Horse Pictures produced The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart on HBO, directed by Frank Marshall and written by Mark Monroe where it received critical acclaim and nominations for six Emmy Awards including Outstanding Documentary, winning one.
White Horse Pictures produced Lucy and Desi, directed and produced by Amy Poehler in her documentary directorial debut and written by Mark Monroe, on Amazon Prime Video where it received critical acclaim and was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning two. The 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony represented the third year in a row White Horse Pictures produced a documentary nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary.
In 2024, White Horse Pictures produced the authorized documentary The Beach Boys, directed and produced by Frank Marshall, written by Mark Monroe and distributed by Disney. That same year, White Horse Pictures also released the Peabody Award-winning docuseries Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A. directed and produced by Jamila Wignot about the rise and fall of Stax Records. Both received positive reviews and nominations at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, with The Beach Boys winning for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera).
The following year, White Horse Pictures co-produced with Paradine Productions a six-part Sky Studios documentary series David Frost Vs, anchored around interviews with journalist and television host David Frost. David Frost Vs aired in the UK in February 2025 and was acquired by MSNBC Films for the US, where it aired in April 2025. White Horse Pictures produced a documentary about the ventriloquist and children's entertainer Shari Lewis and her famous puppet, Lamb Chop, Shari & Lamb Chop, directed Lisa D'Apolito. The film debuted at Doc NYC and the North American distribution rights were acquired by Kino Lorber, who began releasing the film in limited theatrical release in July 2025. White Horse Pictures was the sales agent on a documentary commissioned by CBC about the Lilith Fair festival, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, directed by Ally Pankiw and produced by Dan Levy. The film was acquired by ABC News Studios, and had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, followed by a release on CBC in Canada on September 17, with Hulu & Disney+ in the US and Disney+ internationally on September 21.
White Horse Pictures recently produced a documentary on keyboardist, singer and songwriter Billy Preston, Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It directed by Paris Barclay. The film is set to open in select North American markets in 2026, with the U.S theatrical premiere beginning February 20 at the Film Forum in New York City.
Recently, it was announced that White Horse Pictures is producing, alongside The Kennedy/Marshall Company, an upcoming authorized Apple TV+ documentary on Fleetwood Mac, directed and produced by Frank Marshall and written by Mark Monroe. White Horse Pictures is producing an upcoming documentary on beloved actor Gene Wilder directed by Chris Smith.
Filmography
Documentary| Year | Film | Director | Distributor |
| 2015 | A Faster Horse | David Gelb | FilmRise |
| 2016 | The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years | Ron Howard | Hulu |
| 2019 | The Apollo | Roger Ross Williams | HBO |
| 2019 | Pavarotti | Ron Howard | CBS Films |
| 2020 | The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart | Frank Marshall | HBO |
| 2022 | Lucy and Desi | Amy Poehler | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2024 | The Beach Boys | Frank Marshall | Disney+ |
| 2025 | Shari & Lamb Chop | Lisa D'Apolito | Kino Lorber |
| 2025 | Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery | Ally Pankiw | ABC News Studios, CBC, Hulu |
Television
| Year | Program | Director | Distributor |
| 2024 | Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. | Jamila Wignot | HBO |
| 2025 | David Frost Vs | Liz Mermin, Francis Longhurst, Marion Milne, Matthew Hill, Tom McCarthy | Sky |
| 2025 | David Frost Vs | Liz Mermin, Francis Longhurst, Marion Milne, Matthew Hill, Tom McCarthy | MSNBC |
Awards
Emmy Awards
Programs produced by White Horse Pictures partners have won eight Emmy Awards from 21 nominations. Below is a list of selected Emmy nominations by White Horse Pictures original programming.'