Executive Producer International Co-productions
Strategic Alliances for Documentaries and Series
EPIC docs offers creative, strategic and financial advice to filmmakers, producers, broadcasters and funds.
EPIC docs is an independent consultancy firm founded by Barbara Truyen, an experienced freelance Executive Producer and documentary industry veteran with a career spanning over 35 years. Her extensive work in production and commissioning has resulted in a distinguished portfolio of films selected for prestigious festivals that have gone on to earn nominations and major awards, including Academy Awards and Emmys.
Executive Producer
With a career spanning over three decades — as a producer, festival and forum organizer, sales agent, financier, and 18 years as commissioning editor — Barbara has experience in the documentary industry from every angle. This provides her with both a deep understanding of the sector and an extensive network.
| Track Record | ~300 documentaries guided in development, financing, editing and distribution, including multiple Academy Award and Emmy-nominated productions. Her extensive portfolio includes work on award-winning films by directors such as Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee), Steve McQueen (Occupied City), DA Pennebaker & Chris Hedgedus (Kings of Pastry), Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles), Maasja Ooms (Alicia, Jason), Misha Wessel and Thomas Blom (Free at Last, untold stories of Apartheid), and Renzo Martens (Enjoy Poverty). |
| Board Positions | Chair of the EBU Documentary Group, which consists of commissioning editors of 27 European Public Broadcasters. Board member of Doc Society. |
| Network | Unique network with direct access to top directors, producers, European public broadcasters, national and international funds and private investors. |
| Trans-Atlantic Expertise | Founding member of The United States of Documentary — connects the European and American documentary worlds for trans-Atlantic collaboration. |
Barbara began her career as a producer with Heddy Honigmann's Metal & Melancholy and Peter Delpeut's The Forbidden Quest with Ariel Filmprodukties. Through Films Transit she sold classic films such as Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, The Corporation, and Salesmen. At her company BT Agency, she worked with Johan Van der Keuken on Amsterdam Global Village and with Jonathan Stack on The Farm: Angola, USA.
For 18 years she served as commissioning editor of documentaries at Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, guiding approximately 300 productions through development, financing, editing and distribution.
As an Executive Producer she defines her role as a Creator's Creator: a shaper of shapers.
Barbara wants to work on documentaries that combine cinematic quality with the rhythm of television and revolve around strong storytelling. Journalistic, geopolitical, or character-driven films with narrative urgency, plot points, and Shakespearean elements. And idea-driven films that push boundaries in subject, form, tone, and authorship.
Strong, epic, unforgettable stories that directly link emotional impact to social relevance.
Barbara has worked on documentaries that were selected for prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, TIFF, IDFA and CPH:DOX. Many of these films won awards or were nominated for the Academy Award, Emmy, Peabody, BAFTA, Grierson, Grimme, EFA, Prix Italia, Prix Europa. The list below is a selection and gives an idea of the scope. Check out IMDB for a more complete list of films.
EPIC docs addresses the challenges of an ever evolving financing landscape: declining public funding, platform fragmentation, and the urgent need for innovative collaboration models. EPIC docs sees this not as a crisis, but as an opportunity to rewrite the rules of the game.
By filling a crucial gap in the international documentary market, the company bridges European public financing with European and American private investment while advocating for a new model of shared ownership.
Focusing exclusively on consultancy and strategic architecture, EPIC docs not only provides expert Executive Producing services on individual films, but is helping to design the very infrastructure that allows great stories to flourish.
By bringing together producers, public broadcasters, streamers and private investors, EPIC docs gives filmmakers the support they need and helps nurture a healthier ecosystem.
A new model of shared ownership where rights are distributed based on reciprocity rather than competition.
Bridging European public financing with European and American private investment to expand both reach and resources.
EPIC docs clients are positioned to capitalise on a set of structural shifts currently reshaping the international documentary landscape.
As an Executive Producer, EPIC docs offers creative, strategic and financial consultancy to filmmakers, producers, broadcasters and funds.
Services cover the entire lifecycle of a project.
| Development | Concept development, artistic vision, script advice, development of pitch decks, and teasers and advice on strategic positioning. |
| Financing | Advice on financing plans, co-production strategy, fundraising and contract negotiation. |
| Production | Guidance and advice during production and editing. Editing analyses for films. |
| Distribution | Strategy for festival and distribution strategy, market introduction. |
| Filmmakers | Seeking substantive guidance for complex, high-value international projects to navigate the full arc from initial idea to world premiere. |
| Production Houses | Seeking strategic and financial co-production partners, substantive guidance and access to international financing and distribution. |
| Public Broadcasters | Seeking ways to collaborate more, share costs and expand international reach. Or individual editing consultancy. |
| Funds & Private Equity | Seeking high quality projects that create impact with audiences and make change in society. Or individual editing consultancy. |
| Streaming Platforms | Seeking authentic European content with international potential. |
EPIC docs works alongside filmmakers, production houses, broadcasters and funds as a partner and catalyst, never as a competitor. Its purpose; to elevate the work of others and drive a revitalized ecosystem for the next generation of international documentary filmmakers.
EPIC docs offers flexible consulting. Each engagement is tailored to the specific needs and stage of the project.
| Hourly Rate | For targeted advisory conversations, assessments, and short sessions. |
| Daily Rate | For intensive workshops, development days and editing analyses. |
| Project Rate | For full guidance from development to distribution, with percentage finder's fees and backend fees. |
| Retainer | For long-term strategic advice to production houses, broadcasters and funds. |
EPIC docs works with leading institutions across the documentary ecosystem, including:
Further client references available upon request.
