Capturing amazing stories for over 50 years.

Since our beginnings more than 50 years ago, MacGillivray Freeman has operated as a mini film studio, specializing in everything from production to post-production, from finance to marketing and distribution—something that sets us apart from our competitors. Keeping shop in the historic Villa Bella in the art community of Laguna Beach, we seek out projects and partners in tune with our mission to create media that helps make the world a better place.

Our roots in the world of entertainment and media run deep.

After a decade of making artful surfing documentaries and adventure sports films in the 1960s and 70s, in 1976 we were invited to produce an IMAX film, To Fly!, for the Smithsonian’s new National Air and Space Museum. We fell in love with the IMAX format, and our team went on to pioneer the nascent IMAX industry, recognizing it as a game-changing format and an immersive experience that was unrivaled in the world of cinema.

They wanted a film that had emotion and passion, not just facts and figures. And that was our specialty.
– Greg MacGillivray

Continuing a legacy.

Since then, MacGillivray Freeman has made more than 45 giant-screen films in some of the most exotic, challenging locations on Earth. We remain committed to using the best tools to capture the highest quality images, and continue to make film experiences that go beyond the technology of our time.

Jim and I cared only that a film be beautiful and expressive, not that it make a lot of money. But in the end the films did make a profit because they were unique, which expanded the audience.
– Greg MacGillivray

Throughout our decades of experience in the industry, we’ve built strong partnerships with hundreds of top-tier museums, science centers, and aquariums—cathedrals of knowledge around the world. We go beyond entertainment, stimulating people’s sense of wonder. Our objective to inspire a new generation of life-long learners led us to start the MacGillivray Freeman Educational Foundation and the One World One Ocean campaign.

We produce visual stories that can be experienced and shared across all platforms, creating new ways for our clients to interact with people and share stories that move them. Through partnerships with people and companies doing amazing work and collaborations with top talent like Meryl Streep and Paul McCartney, we’ve brought great brands to the giant screen, and pioneered a new way to tell their stories. MacGillivray Freeman stories and campaigns enrich understanding of the world and transform perceptions. Let us be your storyteller.

Storytelling. It’s what we do.

From giant-screen films to TV series to multimedia campaigns, there are many ways we can work together. So let’s get started.

CONTACT US