We are a proudly independent studio. Even though we’re not there yet, we’d love to be seen in the same set as Merge Records, Stones Throw, Graywolf Press, Oscilloscope Labs, Cinereach — and folks like them. Platforms for doing creative work, with integrity.
The nature of our creative enterprise is one of craft, collaboration, and clients. We work in service of the people and companies that hire us — to make digital things that serve their businesses.
We are always looking for like-minded creative makers — in fine arts, in music, in film, in storytelling, in journalism, in food, in publishing — where we can bring our digital and tech talents to help them create platforms for creativity.
We love working with other truly independent companies, particularly those who aren’t sustaining themselves with secret money. Not that we’re against it. We just know what it takes to build a bootstrapped business without it.
So we dedicate some of our work to try and unlock creative livelihoods. We realize that this can be fraught when it comes to consumer tech, where the act of creation and the act of destruction often go hand in hand.
We’ve had the honor of collaborating with some great companies since 2012, helping both bootstrapped and venture-backed companies try to create sustainable creative businesses.
connecting artists to audiences
Digital platforms create an unprecedented opportunity for artists at any scale to establish their public persona and connect directly with audiences. The trick is to do it in an authentic and sustainable way, without being trapped by the dynamics of search and social media.
- Uprise Art is a women-led team of curators who have helped more than 100 working fine artists connect with collectors across digital and IRL platforms.
- Kittch is a live streaming platform for the food obsessed. Borne out of the pandemic-driven crisis in the restaurant industry, Kittch helps chefs build their personal brands and find audiences online.
- RadioPublic (acquired by Acast) helped independent podcast producers make money from their shows.
making markets for creativity & curation
Ideally, creative people should be able to spend their time being creative. Companies that develop markets for their work can make the creator economy sustainable — and profitable.
- PRX was one of the original innovators in distributing narrative audio content. We’ve helped them bring their approach forward into the digital world.
- Fora helps empower travel curators and advisors with technology and access to clients.
- Artfare built a platform for connecting artists with collectors directly, creating markets within local art scenes.
- Object Limited allowed vintage lovers to sell and buy secondhand fashion items all in one app.
elevating independent storytelling
Telling great stories is hard. We love working with independent storytellers to wrap their stories in the digital covers they deserve.
- This American Life is the benchmark of independent storytelling — and we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating across many years and many projects, including This American Life, Serial (seasons 1, 2, and 3), and S-Town.
- Radiotopia is a network for independent podcasters, successfully executing on all the core creative themes needed to sustain creative livelihoods.
- Kickstarter has been another exemplar for funding and sustaining independent creativity — their multi-city celebration of independent film is a highlight collaboration for our studio. We’ve enjoyed each opportunity to work with storytellers working in different media, from journalistic documentaries (FRONTLINE) to more heartwarming stories (KEDI).
creating for creators?
If you are building a company that empowers creative people, we would love to help. Drop us a line — we’re always happy to chat.