Gunpowder & Sky
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | January 2016 |
| Founder | Van Toffler, Floris Bauer |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Van Toffler, Floris Bauer |
| Products | Feature films, television series, short-form videos, podcasts |
Gunpowder & Sky is an independent entertainment studio headquartered in Los Angeles, focusing on the development and production of feature films, television series, short-form videos, and podcasts. Established in 2016 by Van Toffler and Floris Bauer, the company manages DUST, a streaming platform dedicated to science fiction short films and series, as well as ALTER, a horror-focused brand available on selected television services.
History
Gunpowder & Sky was founded in January 2016 by Van Toffler, formerly CEO of Viacom Media Networks Music Group, alongside Floris Bauer, who previously served as global head of strategy at both Endemol and Otter Media. The studio’s name is inspired by a lyric from Aimee Mann’s song "4th of July."
Shortly after its inception in early 2016, Gunpowder & Sky invested in digital content companies Cut and Shareability. By September of the same year, it had acquired the independent film distribution company Filmbuff.
In November 2016, the company launched DUST, a streaming service specializing in science fiction short films and exclusive behind-the-scenes material. The following January, Gunpowder & Sky expanded its production capabilities by acquiring Supergravity Pictures.
August 2018 marked the debut of DUSTx, a free science fiction channel available on Roku. In April 2020, Gunpowder & Sky partnered with talent management firm Circle of Confusion to co-develop projects within the sci-fi and horror genres.
In March 2021, the studio secured a two-year first-look agreement with WarnerMedia to provide documentaries and docuseries content for HBO and HBO Max. Later that year, the DUST Channel was introduced on the streaming platform Tubi.
By May 2022, Gunpowder & Sky expanded its horror brand ALTER into a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel accessible on platforms such as Samsung TV Plus, STIRR, and Redbox.
Business
Gunpowder & Sky functions as a production company with expertise in feature-length films, episodic series, short-form content, and podcast creation. Notable projects include feature films like Her Smell (2018), Hearts Beat Loud (2018), and The Little Hours (2017); documentaries including Everybody's Everything (2019), Last Exit: Space (2022), Sometimes When We Touch: The Reign, Ruin and Resurrection of Soft Rock (2023), Sheryl (2022), and Call Me Miss Cleo; the series 50 States of Fright (2020); along with the DUST podcast running from 2019 through 2021.
Brands
The company’s flagship brands consist of DUST, a science fiction streaming channel, and ALTER, which focuses on horror content. Both brands are distributed across various subscription-based and free streaming platforms.