About
What Now? Productions
What Now? Productions was founded in Los Angeles in 2012 by producer and journalist Amanda Kari McHugh.
At the time, Amanda was building a career as an actor in Los Angeles while becoming increasingly drawn to documentary work. While learning producing through research and development with producing mentor Todd Grodnick at Merrill Entertainment, she began developing an original documentary project of her own and formed What Now? Productions as a home for it.
What began with documentary film expanded as different stories demanded different tools. Amanda kept learning how to make nonfiction work herself — across producing, documentary filmmaking, photography, video, journalism, audience engagement and narrative audio. That engagement instinct was there from the beginning, long before Amanda had a name for it. She has always believed nonfiction should do more than simply tell people what is wrong and leave them feeling helpless. The best work gives audiences a way in — something to question, discuss, act on or see differently — and, when possible, helps move something in the real world. What Now? Productions later relocated to New York City, while maintaining strong ties to Los Angeles, and takes on projects wherever the story leads.
The Name
In college, Amanda had an assignment to write 100 three-line poems. One image that came to her was a baby bird standing on a tree branch, about to fly for the first time — unable to know whether its wings would work or whether it would fall.
Freedom!
Standing on a tree branch.
Now what?
The poem stayed with her. Years later, when she knew she wanted to move toward documentary production, the practical question was: “Okay. Now that I know I want this, what do I do now?” The poem’s final line came back to her. That is how What Now? Productions got its name.
The hawk came afterward, while Amanda was developing the visual identity. She knew the young bird preparing to fly should become the mark, then asked what kind of bird it should be. She chose a hawk because adult hawks commit: they dive and simply go for it. They’re also known for exceptionally sharp eyesight — an apt symbol for work rooted in looking closely, noticing what others miss, and finding the story hiding in plain sight. A baby hawk making its first leap became a symbol of self-trust — committing before you have proof, and trusting that your wings will hold you.
Editorial Approach
WNP is drawn to stories where one person’s experience reveals something bigger — where a personal story opens into a system, institution, industry, law, technology or cultural assumption.
The obvious version of the story is rarely the whole story.
We like stories that get more complicated the closer you look.
Today, What Now? Productions develops original nonfiction projects and builds production teams around the needs of individual assignments.
Amanda Kari McHugh
Founder · Producer · Journalist
Amanda Kari McHugh works across narrative audio, documentary, reporting, multimedia and audience engagement — developing original nonfiction projects and producing commissioned work for editorial and mission-driven organizations.
Her reporting and producing work includes Texas Standard / KUT, StoryCorps, Everfest/Fest300, Highlark Magazine, and the Mott Haven Herald. She was also a 2024 UnionDocs Pod Pod Fellow. She holds two master’s degrees from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY: Journalism, with an arts & culture concentration, and Engagement Journalism, with a multimedia specialization.
How We Work
WNP scales around the work.
What Now? Productions develops original projects and assembles collaborators and freelance production teams based on what each project requires.
Depending on the assignment, Amanda brings together editors, shooters, sound professionals, designers and other collaborators suited to the project.
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