The Most Important Stories Of Our Time Are Quietly Unfolding All Around Us; We Launched Freethink Because Those Stories Deserve To Be Told.
We started Freethink in 2011 as a boutique creative agency. Back then our list of prospective clients was pretty short, but we hoped a commitment to great stories and quality filmmaking was the right foundation for our business. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of helping some remarkable organizations tell their stories and produced a Guinness World Record-breaking original film that has connected with millions of people in ways we never imagined. We are incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished together, but good timing has played a big part in making our journey possible.
Freethink opened its doors at a time when innovation was already democratizing the media landscape. Today, a huge wave of new media brands and content creators are connecting with audiences around the world, providing us with countless new perspectives. But even with so many distinct voices to choose from, we believe some of the most important stories of our time aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
So much of media today is devoted to highlighting big problems, and that’s important. The world faces huge challenges, and those challenges can’t be addressed without being identified and understood. But we believe it’s just as important to introduce audiences to the activists, innovators and entrepreneurs who are meeting those challenges head on. Their stories can offer us a new perspective on the world. They help us reimagine what’s possible. And perhaps most importantly, they remind us that we can all make a difference.
That’s why we’re launching Freethink.
FREETHINK
Over the next twelve months, we’ll be releasing eight new Freethink original series. Each will take audiences to the intersection of technology, science, entrepreneurship, and culture, where we’ll explore the frontiers of our rapidly changing world and meet the people who are changing it.
In August we launched our first series, Superhuman (executive produced by SXSW Innovation Award winner Elliot Kotek and co-distributed with Upworthy). From exoskeleton suits to gene therapy and beyond, Superhuman takes viewers to the forefront of medical innovation and introduces them to the pioneers and patients making the present look like a sci-fi depiction of the future. Pioneers like Karen Aiach, featured in our first episode. When Karen’s daughter was diagnosed with an incurable brain disease, she quit her job in advertising, started a biotech company, and developed a treatment in less than five years. Her story is important, and it’s a perfect example of why we’re calling the series “Superhuman.”
We’re incredibly excited about the response the series has already received, and in the months to come we look forward to introducing audiences to many more amazing stories; stories about everything from startup founders disrupting entire industries, to hackers challenging dictators, to skate-punk revolutionaries.
FREETHINK CREATIVE
The same values inspiring our new original projects at Freethink Media will continue to guide the agency side of our business, Freethink Creative. Over the last five years we’ve worked with companies and nonprofits to help them connect with their audiences and have an impact. Our collaboration with storied watchmaker Breitling helped build an online movement to recognize World War II veterans. We’ve worked with leading human rights advocacy group, the Oslo Freedom Forum to bring greater awareness to political dissidents advancing human rights around the globe. And we’ve supported the efforts of the Charles Koch Institute and other nonprofits to raise awareness around issues like the need for criminal justice reform in the United States.
Like many other media companies that create both editorial and for-client content work, ensuring a clear demarcation between the two is important, so we’ve adopted some industry standard rules to guide us. Bottom line: We’ll never ask our audience to guess whether they’re looking at advertising. Sponsored content will always be clearly labeled as such.
OUR MISSION
In 1903, a pair of unknown bicycle mechanics from Millville, Indiana left their shop one morning with a strange invention and became the first humans in history to take flight. You know their names and their story, but at the time no one else did. Their story wasn’t headline news that day, nor the day after. In fact, it was years before anyone would see the Wright Brothers’ name in print.
At Freethink, our mission is to ensure that you don’t have to wait years to hear about the Wright Brothers of our time — the pioneers who are hard at work all around us, quietly changing the world. We hope their stories will inspire you to make a difference in your own way. Because we want to tell your story too.
Onward,
Kmele, Clay, Dan and Chandler
