our practice

We help organizations turn expertise into understanding, and understanding into trust.

We do this by practicing the science behind the story, applying both emic and holistic approaches to our research of brand and audience perspectives.

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Emic (noun) an inside-out research perspective that examines a culture, society, or group from the viewpoint of its own members
Holistic (noun) concerned with the whole human condition – biology, psychology, society, and culture in all times & places
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our Process

We seek out the stories that most organizations overlook and make them memorable. The result is enlightened audience confidence, thriving retention, and long-term brand affinity.

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uncover
stories
Consult
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bring stories to life
Create
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keep the stories coming
Cultivate
1

1

Consult

We come in, understand the organization, uncover the stories hidden within it, and leave with a clear Story Roadmap.

  1. We’ll work to understand your brand, business goals, and potential opportunities.
  2. We’ll interview people who know where the interesting stories may be hidden. This could include leadership, employees, customers, partners, community members, subject-matter experts, etc.
  3. We’ll share 5–10 story opportunities and explain why each matters to both your brand goals and your audience. Then, as a team, we’ll decide which stories are worth telling.

This Week-Long Sprint Looks Something Like

Day 1
Kickoff + business/brand immersion
Days 1–3
Research + stakeholder interviews
Days 3–4
Story mining + opportunity development
Day 5
Story Roadmap presentation
2

2

Create

We’ve found the story; now we figure out the best way to tell it. Through filmmaking, animation, design, and sound, we turn it into something people actually care about and remember.

  1. We develop the story, narrative, and creative approach.
  2. We’ll bring the story to life through filming, animation, editing, and sound.
  3. We’ll refine the work together and deliver the finished story.

A Production Looks Something Like This

Story Development
Narrative, scripting, pre-production
Creative Development
Creative direction, storyboards + visual development
Production
Filming, animation, design
Post-Production
Editing, sound, color, finishing
3

3

Cultivate

Together, we maintain a prioritized queue of stories and creative needs, then put our energy toward what matters most.

  1. Prioritize the stories, opportunities, and creative needs that can make the biggest impact.
  2. Create new stories through filmmaking, animation, design, and sound.
  3. Extend your strongest stories across channels, audiences, and business needs.
  4. Discover new stories as your organization grows and changes.
Cultivate partnerships begin with a 3-month minimum commitment.
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An Ongoing Relationship Looks Something Like This

Rather than committing to a fixed list of deliverables or bank of hours, you reserve an ongoing level of creative and production capacity from our team.

Some months might include several smaller projects. Others might be focused on one larger story. As priorities are completed, we move the next most important work forward.

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Content (noun) Disposable, filler coverage lacking emotional resonance and audience connection.

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What we don’t make:

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Traditional Explainers
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Tacky Ads
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Content Farms
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Disposable content
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Simple production
✕
Clickbate
our purpose

For more than a decade, we’ve helped organizations tell stories by harnessing purposeful creative direction and long-term strategy. In our experience, we noticed a shared element.

The most meaningful work was often hiding inside the most overlooked industries.

These organizations impact millions of lives every day, yet struggle to communicate their purpose in a memorable way. Most rely on statistics, features, mission statements, and corporate jargon.

Anyone can make content. The challenge is making people care.

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Anthropology

A research process to keep us curious and attentive to the stories we tell.

People Stories

(What people care about)

Strategy

A calculative process that maintains a sharp awareness of goals.

Craft

A creative process without boundaries that strives for perfection.

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These industries shape millions of lives every day. Their stories can do the same.

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Financial Services
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Healthcare
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Education
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Nonprofits
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Technology
our stories
View the Stories
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Book a project Black check mark symbol on a white background. with us.

A strong partnership between organization and studio is the crux of great creation. We listen. We ask questions. We seek out the story hiding beneath the surface. Then we bring it to life through creative documentation.

The Made By Things cast of illustrated charactersThe Made By Things cast of illustrated characters