Clerc Studio is a Deaf and disability-led film and television studio founded by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and director Nyle DiMarco.
Clerc Studio is a Deaf and disability-led film and television production company founded by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and director Nyle DiMarco. We develop and produce premium documentary, drama, thriller, horror, and adventure projects for the world's leading studios and streaming platforms, with Deaf and disabled storytellers behind the camera at every stage.
Projects
DIRECTOR
Deaf President Now! is the directorial debut of filmmaker Nyle DiMarco — co-directed with Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim and produced for Apple TV+.
The documentary chronicles the historic eight-day student protest at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. — the world's only university designed for Deaf and hard of hearing students — in which students refused to accept the appointment of a hearing president and demanded Deaf leadership for the first time in the institution's 124-year history. The 1988 Deaf President Now protest is widely recognized as one of the most significant moments in Deaf civil rights history and disability rights history in the United States.
Behind the camera, the production made history: more than 40% of the crew were Deaf — the largest percentage of Deaf crew members ever hired on a major film or television production at the time of release.
The film earned Nyle DiMarco two Emmy Award nominations: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary or Nonfiction Program. DiMarco became the first Deaf person in Emmy history to receive nominations in both categories.
Deaf President Now! is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Audible is a Netflix original documentary short executive produced by Nyle DiMarco.
The film follows Amaree McKenstry-Hall, a Deaf teenager and football player at the Maryland School for the Deaf, as he and his teammates navigate grief, identity, and the transition out of the only community they have ever known — while driving toward a state championship.
Audible received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Film.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Deaf U is an eight-episode Netflix original documentary series executive produced by Nyle DiMarco — offering an unprecedented, unfiltered look inside Deaf culture in America as lived by students at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the world's most renowned institution for Deaf and hard of hearing students.
The series follows a tight-knit group of Deaf and hard of hearing students as they navigate love, identity, grief, and the central question of their community: what does it mean to be Deaf enough? It is one of the most intimate and expansive portraits of Deaf life ever produced for mainstream television.
DiMarco brought his commitment to Deaf-led production to Deaf U: 50% of the production crew were Deaf — a historic milestone at the time of filming.
Deaf U won the Critics Choice Real TV Award.
Nyle DiMarco is a Deaf American filmmaker, actor, director, and producer — and one of the most prominent Deaf voices in the global entertainment industry.
Born Deaf into a multigenerational Deaf family, DiMarco has spent his career at the intersection of culture, language, and cinematic storytelling. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the founder of Clerc Studio, a Deaf and disability-led production company based in Washington, D.C.
As a director, DiMarco made his feature directorial debut with Deaf President Now! — a documentary co-directed with Davis Guggenheim and produced for Apple TV+. The film chronicles the landmark 1988 student protest at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., that transformed the course of Deaf civil rights in America. Deaf President Now! earned DiMarco two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary or Nonfiction Program — making him the first Deaf person in Emmy history to receive nominations in both categories.
As an executive producer, DiMarco's credits include Audible (Netflix), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Film, and Deaf U (Netflix), an eight-episode documentary series that won the Critics Choice Real TV Award and holds an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
As an actor, DiMarco has appeared in Switched at Birth (ABC/Freeform), Difficult People (Hulu), Station 19 (ABC), This Close (SundanceTV), and Queer As Folk (Peacock).
DiMarco is also the New York Times bestselling author of Deaf Utopia (2022) and a United Nations advocate for Deaf and disability rights.
In every project, DiMarco prioritizes authentic Deaf-led production — including crew hiring pipelines that have set historic records for Deaf employment on major productions.
Our Production Services
Production
Clerc Studio is a Deaf and disability-led production company developing and producing premium film and television for major studios, networks, and streaming platforms — including Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon, and Peacock.
We specialize in Deaf-led film production, disability-led television development, and authentic Deaf and disabled storytelling across documentary, drama, thriller, horror, romance, and adventure. We enter every project as architects, protecting the Deaf and disabled point of view from development through post-production, and building Deaf crew pipelines that set new industry standards with every production.
Clerc Studio works with production partners across Los Angeles and globally.
ASL Master
Clerc Studio provides professional ASL Coach and sign language dialect supervision services for film, television, and streaming productions, ensuring authentic American Sign Language performance and accurate English-to-ASL translation for Deaf characters across any genre.
Our credits include Netflix's YOU, one of the most-watched series on the planet, where Nyle DiMarco served as ASL Coach, working directly with cast to deliver culturally accurate and linguistically precise ASL performance in a major global production.
ASL is not translated English. It is a complete, living cinematic language with its own spatial grammar, regional variation, generational nuance, and cultural depth. Getting it wrong is immediately apparent to the millions of ASL users watching your production. Getting it right signals respect — and earns audience trust.
Our ASL consulting services include sign language performance direction and coaching for hearing and Deaf cast, English-to-ASL script translation with grammar integrity review, subtitle and closed caption authenticity review, regional and generational ASL dialect continuity across episodes, and full on-set ASL language oversight throughout production.
Consultant
Clerc Studio advises studios, streamers, production companies, and writers' rooms on Deaf and disabled narratives across film, television, and documentary — scripted, unscripted, and reality.
Our consulting credits include Netflix's Feel the Beat, where Clerc Studio advised Netflix on Deaf and disability community outreach and marketing strategy following the film's global launch.
We work with productions from development through post-production — consulting on scripts, advising in the writers' room, guiding Deaf and disabled crew hiring, and ensuring that Deaf and disabled characters and storylines are developed with accuracy, cultural authority, and genuine community input.
Productions seeking a Deaf consultant, disability consultant, or cultural consultant for film and television are in the right place.
Talent & Casting
Clerc Studio connects productions with qualified Deaf and disabled performers across film, television, streaming, theater, and commercial work.
We work with casting directors, producers, and studios to identify the right Deaf and disabled talent for specific roles, advise on audition accessibility, and ensure the casting process is structured to give Deaf and disabled performers a genuine, equitable opportunity to compete.
Authentic casting is not a checkbox. It is a craft decision — and it begins long before the audition. We help productions get there.