Words + Pictures

Words + Pictures is a production studio founded by Connor Schell and Chernin Entertainment in 2021.

Connor Schell, former ESPN content chief, is the CEO of Words + Pictures. Libby Geist was promoted to President of the company in 2024 from her former role as EVP and head of documentaries. Aaron Cohen, promoted from his previous position of EVP of Development at the same time as Geist, serves as Chief Creative Officer (CCO). In 2021, Words + Pictures launched Full Day, a new production branch under the leadership of President and Executive Producer Dave Chamberlin, to focus on live entertainment, specials, and unscripted series.

In July 2022, it was announced that Chernin Entertainment's president & founder Peter Chernin announced that he established a global independent and production content studio named The North Road Company that would bring Words + Pictures together with fellow scripted film & television production studio Chernin Entertainment becoming part of his new company while the new studio The North Road Company had brought the remaining 50% stake in unscripted documentary production company Words + Pictures and also acquired the U.S. assets of German entertainment & international distribution company Red Arrow Studios from ProSiebenSat.1 Media (which were Kinetic Content, Left/Right and 44 Blue Productions) with Peter Chernin became CEO & chairman of the new company with Chernin Entertainment veteran Jenno Topping retained his role president of The North Road Company's division Chernin Entertainment and started overseeing The North Road Company's scripted film and television operations alongside Words + Pictures founder Connor Schell who had continued running the unscripted production company under North Road and would assume The North Road Company's unscripted operations as head of unscripted while Providence Equity Partners, Apollo, and QIA continued holding investment in Words + Pictures via North Road. The new global content studio had also established its international division named North Road International as Jan Frouman (who joined Words + Pictures' fellow subsidiary Chernin Entertainment three months prior back in April of that year) became The North Road Company's president as former AMC Networks executive Kirstin Jones joined The North Road Company and became the global studio's president of international film & television and the two would run North Road's new international division with their international office being based in London, England.

Words + Pictures acquired Hock Films, founded by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director and producer Jonathan Hock, in 2022, as well as Little Room Films, founded by Jason Hehir (director of The Last Dance), in 2023.

Words + Pictures is currently partnered with NASCAR's Full Speed Entertainment, Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions, and Questlove and Black Thought's Two One Five.

Words + Pictures is based in SoHo in New York City.

In January 2026, French media entertainment company Mediawan had entered advanced talks to acquire Words + Pictures including its subsidiary Little Room Films alongside its American global entertainment & production content studio and parent The North Road Company alongside its international division North Road International their scripted & unscripted entertainment production subsidiary Chernin Entertainment, minorty investment stakes in Omaha Productions and Two One Five Entertainment, Turkish/American drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, Mexican scripted television studio Perro Azul and its unscripted production operations which were Left/Right, Kinetic Content and 44 Blue Productions from its founder Peter Chernin that would expand Mediawan's American production operations and the planned acquisition of North Road would lead Mediawan's entry into the Turkish and Latin American production operations.