Story Syndicate is the brainchild of Emmy and Oscar-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan, who founded the company in 2019 in the light of a new and fast-evolving media landscape. In a short time, Story Syndicate’s DUMBO-based production staff has grown to over fifty, while our core team consists of roughly ten producers, creatives, and specialists who span many projects.

Co—Founder
Liz Garbus
Two-time Academy Award®-Nominee, two-time Emmy Winner, Peabody Winner, Grammy Nominee, DGA Nominee, and BAFTA-nominated director Liz Garbus is one of America’s most celebrated filmmakers, renowned for her documentary work and also for her breakthrough scripted feature and television debuts.  Her work has been featured in film festivals from Sundance to Telluride to Toronto and the New York Film Festival and has appeared in theaters and across streaming platforms, as well as premium cable television. She is known for her propulsive, socially incisive storytelling across genres.  From THE FARM: ANGOLA USA to WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? to I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, Garbus has created some of the most iconic documentaries of our time.
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BECOMING COUSTEAU, Garbus’ latest feature, explores the life and legacy of adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Garbus takes an inside look at Cousteau and his life, his ground-breaking films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice — and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth. Garbus was nominated for a BAFTA for this film which is currently available to stream on DisneyPlus.  

In 2021, Garbus had her scripted television debut, directing the Season 4 finale of the critically acclaimed Hulu Original series THE HANDMAID’S TALE. Garbus was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for directing the episode.  

Earlier work includes ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY, a prescient rallying cry about the fight for the right to vote, anchored by the story of Stacey Abrams, whose run for governor in Georgia became the subject of national controversy.  The film opened across the country during the pandemic in drive-ins theatres and streams on Amazon Prime. 

Her celebrated seven part series I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (HBO, 2020), based on the best selling book of the same name, explores writer Michelle McNamara’s investigation into the dark world of a violent predator she dubbed the Golden State Killer. Terrorizing California in the 1970s and ‘80s, the Golden State Killer was responsible for 50 home-invasion rapes and 12 murders. Using stylized visuals subverting the conventions of the traditional true crime documetrary, the series gives voice to the survivors and their families, documenting an era when sex crimes were often dismissed or hidden in shame.
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LOST GIRLS (Netflix, 2020) is Garbus’ narrative feature debut, starring Amy Ryan, Gabriel Byrne, and Thomasin McKenzie. When Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers Mari will not let the world forget. LOST GIRLS premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters and on Netflix in 2020.

Garbus’ two-part documentary, WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS? (HBO, 2019), examines the 2011 murder of 12 year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of Oral “Nick” Hillary, a black man in a small rural mostly white community. The series documents Garrett’s grief-stricken family and community relentlessly seeking justice while Hillary fights to prove his innocence. The case illuminates how justice is delivered and delayed in the US criminal justice system. “[Garbus] meticulously and even masterfully brings its viewers to this very place of angry exasperation, laying out the narrative details of a botched murder investigation that some of us might have been vaguely aware of, if at all.” (Washington Post). 
The limited series THE INNOCENCE FILES (Netflix, 2020) details the personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn. Garbus directed and executive produced the series along with Alex Gibney and Roger Ross Williams.

THE FOURTH ESTATE (Showtime, 2018) was nominated for a 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, BAFTA TV Award, a Cinema Eye Honor for Outstanding Achievement in a Nonfiction Series, and a Humanitas Prize. “Engrossing...enthralling” (Washington Post), THE FOURTH ESTATE follows The New York Times reporters covering the first year of the Trump presidency, with unprecedented access and intimacy.

WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?, (Netflix, 2016) was nominated for a 2016 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, received a Peabody Award, and six Emmy nominations including Best Directing. It took home the Emmy Award for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special. The film delves into the life of Nina Simone, drawing from more than 100 hours of never-before-heard audiotapes, rare concert footage, and archival interviews.  

Past work includes: A DANGEROUS SON (HBO), which won a 2018 Peabody Award, NOTHING LEFT UNSAID: GLORIA VANDERBILT & ANDERSON COOPER (HBO), which had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, LOVE, MARILYN (StudioCanal and HBO), which was a Gala Premiere at the 2012 Toronto Film. BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD won the 2011 UK Grierson Award for Best Cinema Documentary and earned an Emmy nomination for Best Documentary Special. Garbus’ first documentary feature film, THE FARM: ANGOLA, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, was awarded ten other festival and critics’ awards including NY and LA film critics awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award® in 1998. Other films as director or producer include: THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH AUNT DIANE (HBO, 2011), GIRLHOOD (Wellspring, 2003), and as producer STREET FIGHT (PBS, Academy Award®- Nominee, 2005), GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB (HBO, Emmy for Best Doc, 2007), and KILLING IN THE NAME (HBO, Academy Award®- Nominee, 2010).
Dan Cogan is one of the most prominent non-fiction producers working today. Both an Academy Award® and Emmy Award® winner, Dan founded Story Syndicate with Liz Garbus in 2019. Previously, Dan was the founding Executive Director of Impact Partners. He has produced more than 100 films and series, including ICARUS, which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, which won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, THE COVE, which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and THE APOLLO, which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary.


Co—Founder
Dan Cogan
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Dan Cogan is one of the most prominent non-fiction producers working today. Both an Academy Award®- and Emmy Award®-winner, Dan founded Story Syndicate with Liz Garbus in 2019. As the founding Executive Director of Impact Partners from 2007 to 2019, Dan oversaw the financing of over 100 films, including: ICARUS, which won the 2018 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature; THE APOLLO, which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary; WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, which won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary; OF FATHERS & SONS, which was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival; DINA, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was named Best Feature by the International Documentary Association; THE EAGLE HUNTRESS, which was nominated for the 2016 BAFTA Award for Best Documentary; HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, which was nominated for the 2013 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature; THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, which won the U.S. Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; HELL AND BACK AGAIN, which was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature and won the Grand Jury Prize and Cinematography Awards at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; and THE COVE, which won the 2010 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature. In 2013, Cogan co-founded Gamechanger Films, the first for-profit film fund dedicated exclusively to financing narrative features directed by women. Its films included THE TALE and LAND HO!
Jon Bardin
Head of Documentary and Nonfiction

Jon is an Emmy-winning producer who oversees the creative development of Story Syndicate projects as well as the creative execution of all projects in production. In this role, he is responsible for developing and creatively overseeing series, feature documentaries, podcasts, and scripted projects. Prior to joining Story Syndicate, Jon served as VP of Documentaries and Specials at Discovery Channel. He loves to run long distances, travel far afield, and, most of all, relax at home with his wife Ali and their two kids.

Robin Schwartz
Head of Scripted

Robin is an award-winning producer whose work focuses on helping singular voices excavate and execute their boldest ideas. Her EP credits include What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon), Central Park (Apple), Vida (Starz), and Sorry for Your Loss (Facebook), as well as the upcoming Funny You Should Ask (Apple) and a limited series based on Joan Didion’s The White Album. Robin’s career began with a hand in building NBC’s slate into Must See TV and has included turns heading up OWN and the TV divisions of Regency, Big Beach, and FilmNation, as well as a producing deal with Tomorrow Studios. The first show Robin ever developed was Will & Grace, which broke barriers in television and convinced her of the power of popular art to open minds.

Tommy Coriale
Head of Production and Operations

A producer and executive with 20 years experience in entertainment, Tommy has overseen hundreds of hours of TV and film, from development through distribution. He's the former Head of DIGA Studios, the company best known for producing hit shows like MTV’s Scream and Teen Wolf. He's Executive Produced a diverse slate of projects including Sam Raimi's 50 States of Fright, Hot Ones: The Game Show, Netflix’s Million Dollar Beach House, and Produced the cult horror film Eat. Brains. Love. Prior to running DIGA, Tommy was a key Production Executive for the Warner Brothers owned unscripted company Shed Media during its meteoric rise, where he oversaw such hits as The Real Housewives of New York and Supernanny.

Brendan Waterhouse
Head of Business and Legal Affairs

Brendan oversees business and legal affairs for Story Syndicate. Before joining Story Syndicate, Brendan's career started on the network side at Viacom and A&E Networks. He later took on the role as the head of legal for Eastern TV. Brendan has also represented NorthSouth Productions, 2 Point 0 Productions, CNBC, as well as individual producers and on-screen talent. Brendan's projects include perennial favorites such as Impractical Jokers (truTV), Lil Jon Wants to do What? (HGTV), 100 Day Dream Home (HGTV), the Love & Hip Hop franchise (VH-1), Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels (History), Unexpected (TLC), and Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta.

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Casey Currier
Head of Post Production

Originally born and raised in Metro Detroit, Casey started her television career in Colorado at High Noon Productions where she quickly fell in love with post production and the finishing process. Over her decades in film and television she has helmed the Post Production departments for 1080 Entertainment, National Geographic Television, Jarrett Creative, DIGA Studios, Zero Point Zero, and Part 2 Pictures before joining Story Syndicate. During these years she has delivered films and series for various film festivals, Netflix, HBO, Apple, Amazon, Showtime, Hulu, NatGeo, PBS, Peacock CNN, MTV, Comedy Central, History Channel, HGTV, Lifetime, and many more. You can find Casey most weeknights at 7 pm shouting answers to the TV during Jeopardy. And most weekends reading a book. She welcomes all book recommendations.

Lianna Schwartzman
VP of Development

As head of development, Lianna oversees the creative inception of films and series across Story Syndicate’s documentary and nonscripted slate. She was previously a development executive at Refinery29, Vice Studios, and Film 45, where she developed projects such as Pride (FX), Victim/Suspect (Netflix), The American Gladiators Documentary (ESPN), Cari & Jemele (won’t) Stick to Sports (Vice TV), and Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence (HBO Max).

Julie Fiasconaro
Executive in Charge (EIC)

Julie is an EIC with nearly two decades of experience producing documentary, unscripted, and premium television content. She began her career in production management and line producing, and is known for her expertise in overseeing complex productions from development through delivery. Julie has served as Executive in Charge, Supervising Producer, and Co-EP on acclaimed projects for Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Apple TV+, and The Roku Channel. She's a competitive amateur pool player who gets her practice in on weekends spent at her lake house home.

Dena Greenbaum
Executive in Charge (EIC)

Dena is an EIC with over a decade of experience producing film, television, documentary, and digital content in New York City. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with an MBA from Columbia Business School, she combines creative vision with production expertise. Before joining Story Syndicate, Dena began her career in independent scripted film and later moved into unscripted television, producing content for networks including Bravo, VH1, MTV, and truTV. Dena has had a pet turtle named Little Dee since she was six years old.

Julianne Mason
Operations Manager

Julianne loves bringing order to creative chaos at Story Syndicate, supporting productions through creative operations, logistics, and problem-solving behind the scenes. Outside of work, she's a theater artist, sound designer, and indie film producer. She is also a classically trained singer who has performed with choirs at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Carolyn Daucher
Creative & Production Executive - Scripted

Carolyn works for Story Syndicate’s scripted division. A seasoned television producer and executive, she has shepherded projects for Apple, FX, HBO, Amazon, Hulu, AMC, and Peacock and helped build expansive series slates at FilmNation, Big Beach and Working Bird. Born in England and raised in Arizona, Carolyn's primary hobby is complaining about LA's unsettlingly temperate weather.

Tiffany Jiang
Creative Development Executive

Based in Brooklyn, Tiffany has closely supported the Development team across initiatives pertaining to IP discovery, research, and pitch materials since 2023. Prior to receiving their MA in Documentary Media Studies from The New School, Tiffany was a Senior Designer at media companies, like Hulu and Vimeo. They check Screen Slate almost every day.

Sarah Faruqui
Development Assistant

Sarah brings a lifelong passion for storytelling and a background in creative writing to Story Syndicate, where she’s helped develop series and features across genres. Previously, she managed communications at Sundance Institute and drove media relations for entertainment clients at a PR firm. She’s happiest hanging out with her dogs and feeding her friends.

Lívia Cheibub
Media Operations Supervisor

Lívia is a Media Operations Supervisor, ensuring our media is handled and archived correctly from start to finish. Beyond her role, she produces films exploring memory and counter-colonial narratives. She produced the award-winning POV-PBS documentary Uýra: The Rising Forest, which launched an impact campaign using cinema as an educational tool for Amazonian riverside communities. She is an amateur investigative journalist in her spare time.

Gabrielle Gatdula
Post Coordinator

Gabrielle works as the staff Post Production Coordinator, overseeing post operations with a speciality in GFX/VFX producing. A producer of 10+ years, she has freelanced at Yahoo, Left/Right, ITV, and others. Credits include Give Me the Ball! (ESPN), Enigma (HBO), Sally (NatGeo). Gabby aspires to have an urban jungle and owns over 30+ plants.

Ben Sparks
IT Manager & Post-Production Support

Ben serves as master of computers and all things technical inside Story Syndicate’s Dumbo offices. Having previously worked for World Stage Inc. as an Engineer Technician, assembling media server racks for live events, Broadway shows, and Media Upfronts, he is no stranger to the unpredictable and high pressure world of production. In his spare time he writes and codes “visual novel” style narrative video games for mobile platforms.

Anna Graziano
Archival Coordinator & Social Media Manager

Anna’s credits include Love Has Won, Little Feat: The Documentary, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Better Nate Than Ever, and Story Syndicate’s Titan: The OceanGate Disaster. She also worked for Holding Liat, Classroom 4, and the Telluride Film Festival's press office for three years. Fun fact: She took most of the headshots on this website!

Grace Coolidge
Executive Assistant

Grace assists the Documentary, Production, and Post-Production departments and serves on the Development team. She joined Story Syndicate in 2025 as an Operations Assistant, contributing to projects including Give Me the Ball! (ESPN). Before starting college, Grace lived in Southeast Asia and South Africa, where she worked on her first documentary.

Sydney Simoncini
Executive Assistant

Sydney is an Executive Assistant at Story Syndicate. Prior to this, she worked as a freelance production coordinator and film teacher. Outside of work, she is an independent film producer and amateur seamstress. Her students once made a biopic about her titled “Sydizen Kane”, where they acted out the mostly true details of her life.