Frame

Problem:

We are in the middle of a news crisis. More than 40% of American adults are actively avoiding the news, and nearly 70% are overwhelmed by it. This is not only a major concern for our democracy, but a big opportunity to create a new kind of media company that reengages news consumers.

Solution:

Frame rethinks the voice, format, and distribution of news in order to deliver an experience that both solves news avoidance and fundamentally expands the market for digital journalism.

Frame stories are 10-15 minute short documentaries in the style of narrative non-fiction (think Netflix’s Wild Wild Country or the podcast, Serial). Every Frame story takes a major issue in the news, from the opioid crisis to the rise of immigration enforcement, and tells a plot-driven, human story at the heart of it.

In addition to our unique editorial voice, we have developed a new kind of story format for mobile. Frame stories are published in a vertical video, tap-through format, that includes interactive features throughout (from maps to timelines) that allow viewers to dive deeper into the piece.

We then deliver our mobile-first, interactive documentaries primarily through SMS, where subscribers can receive news updates on stories they’re interested in following and ask our journalists questions directly via text.

Combining these 3 pillars, Frame creates a differentiated experience that makes the news feel deeply enjoyable, substantive, and participatory.

Traction:

Frame stories have an average watch time of more than 5:00 minutes, which is 18x+ the average watch time for a video on the Facebook newsfeed (:17). In addition, our subscriber count has recently been growing at 15%+ MoM. In Q4 2019 we landed a branded content deal with a major U.S. nonprofit and plan to launch paid memberships in Q1 2021. In June, Frame won Best New Brand at the Digiday Media Awards.