A one-stop-shop for documentary-style visual storytelling

Lede Films is a production company started by filmmaker Robert Gourley with the sole purpose of supporting all aspects of the documentary filmmaking process. From preproduction to postproduction, indies to commercials, Lede Films has experience contributing to a broad range of documentary-style projects across the U.S. and around the world. It is based in New York City, but is travel-ready with the ability to scale to meet the needs of any documentary project.

In 2024, Lede Films is releasing its first original feature-length documentary, A Harvest, which sheds light on the hidden lives of Trappist Cistercian monks at an abbey in California’s Central Valley.

The founder, Robert Gourley, is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who strives to tell immersive stories that build understanding and connection. He specializes in documentary video storytelling in intimate settings with small crews, and his work is inspired by cinema verité.

He honed his skills in visual storytelling while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar and won national recognition from College Photographer of the Year. He was a Hearst Journalism Awards national champion multimedia storyteller.

After working as a staff video journalist at the Los Angeles Times early in his career, he now freelances projects for film and television. His work has most recently been featured on Hulu, HBO Max, PBS NewsHour, NOVA, and CuriosityStream.