We The People fosters compassion, empathy and understanding through a modern storytelling approach utilizing films and interactive experiences. The project is modeled after the Depression-era Farm Security Administration program that sought to “introduce America to Americans” through the power of documentary photography.

We The People is a long-term documentary project that allows Americans from all walks of life to tell the stories of their lives through powerful films and interactive experiences.

These ambitious, multi-platform stories will serve to remind Americans that we are more the same than we are different. Our hope is to create bridges of understanding at a time when traditional and social media have focused on our differences.

History tells us that the most powerful antidote to anger, fear, and division is compassion. Compassion is most firmly built on a foundation of understanding. And storytelling has always been a powerful vehicle for understanding – it is how we communicate our sense of shared humanity to one another. 

We The People aspires to show what binds us by employing the time-tested power of storytelling.

By adopting the successful documentary approach employed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in the 1930s and 1940s, We The People will empower the nation’s best storytellers at a moment when their industries are struggling to support their important work.

Just as the New Deal documentarians held up a photographic mirror for the country with the goal of “introducing America to Americans,” we must now leverage the power of modern-day documentary storytelling techniques to allow people of all races, economic classes, ages, political ideologies, and geographic regions to share the details of their lives – their hopes, dreams, loves, concerns, and struggles in their own voices.

By showing America to itself, FSA’s work changed our ideas of who we are, allowed us to understand each other better, and fostered a sense of compassion for one another.

Now We The People calls upon our nation’s best storytellers to give voice to Americans who, through their stories, will remind us that despite our differences, we are one people.

Our country is currently facing multiple factors that forge a uniquely modern crisis. Economic disparity, social inequality, a crumbling media ecosystem, and the rise of toxic social media have led to increased distrust and anger. 

In recent years, newsrooms have been gutted, and legacy journalism organizations are struggling to find a viable business model in a new digital reality.

Most media report on issues and crises in a way that consistently presents a world in conflict. 

Opinion content, designed to look like news, has become lucrative and more prevalent, and harsh rhetoric, often based on political or social identities, has become ubiquitous and divisive. Social media use has skyrocketed, and decentralization of information has come at the expense of our previously shared cultural experiences. 

Previously, entertainment and journalism served to bind us together and provide a broad understanding of our social values and helped expand our views of one another.

Rather than bringing us closer together, social platforms have flourished by pandering to outrage and reinforcing echo chambers that deepen our ideological differences.

We seem to have forgotten that it is the melting pot of cultures, ideas, and life experiences that is America’s beautiful and unique strength.

With We The People, we believe we have it in our power to inspire compassion, empathy and understanding by producing in-depth stories that highlight what binds us together.

MediaStorm has produced more than 350 films and interactive experiences over the past 20 years.

Our stories aim to challenge stereotypes, give voice to people of all walks of life, humanize policies by showing who is impacted, shine a light on often overlooked or ignored segments of society, and promote social cohesion.

Compassion for one another is the bedrock of an equitable, civil, and stable society. 

We The People aims to challenge and inspire the media ecosystem by bringing back the best of centrist journalism and truly delving into people’s lives to show that our differences are also our strengths.

The time has come to embark on a new documentary project, We The People.

It is a critical step towards building a more just and harmonious world.

The time has come to show America to itself, once again.

We have produced several projects that serve as examples of stories we aim to create for We The People.

MediaStorm employs an intimate, documentary approach to storytelling that is deeply influenced by traditional photojournalism.

We start by focusing on a single, lead character, and our goal is to tell their story in the deepest and most authentic way possible.

Central to our ethos is spending quality time with our subjects in an effort to earn their trust and get as close to their honest lived experience as possible. We don’t set up situations or have a preconceived idea of the story. Instead we spend time, we listen, and we document what is authentic.

Our goal is for people to open their hearts and lives to us in an effort to co-create a story that will educate and inspire those who watch it.

MediaStorm’s approach to storytelling has been honored with top industry awards, including Emmy, Webby, DuPont, and Murrow awards, and has inspired a generation of storytellers.

Our packaging and distribution approach plays to the unique storytelling canvas of the web and leverages the diverse distribution possibilities now available for the greatest reach and impact.

We maximize the cinematic and emotional core of a subject’s story with linear films. We move informational elements out of the films and more effectively feature them through interactive experiences like slideshows, timelines, and maps.

When people share their intimate and personal stories, we feel a deep responsibility to honor their lived experiences in our work.

We The People aims to document the lives of people from all walks of life in order to further our collective understanding of what it means to live in America – its diversity of demographics, economic realities, ideologies, personal identities, geographic locations, and other lived experiences.

Subjects will be selected in a variety of ways: 

• We The People staff will research and source new subjects
• Reporting teams will meet potential subjects in the field
• Our audience can submit story suggestions via our website

You can read more about how we select subjects to document in the post Elements of a successful documentary story.

In this age of algorithmic distribution, trusted curation is increasingly relevant.

We The People aims to be a premier destination for intimate, human-focused storytelling.

In addition to our original reporting, We The People will provide a home for like minded stories from around the web.

We will curate and share films, photography, podcasts, and projects created by other storytellers with the We The People audience via our website, newsletters, and social media channels.

This will serve to further our larger mission – to foster understanding through powerful storytelling – and support others who are doing the same.

Providing the best resources in one place simplifies audience engagement and has the opportunity to spotlight underrepresented and emerging talent.

If you have an existing story you think we should be highlighting please share via this form.

We are planning a phased rollout as we work to secure funding and build the team.

Stories will be edited and packaged into a variety of products ready for distribution in multiple formats.

Further details of our approach can be found at We The People - Phased Product Launch

In this moment, we must do what we do, tell stories to change hearts and minds.

Those of us who are passionate about making the world a better place must be at the forefront of any change we hope takes hold. 

Doing so not only serves us as we navigate our current crisis, but the products we build and the methods we discover in the process will become a model for our future. This project can serve as an example of how to reinvigorate journalism with purpose, sustainability, and impact.

In order to execute a project of this scale and importance, we will need multiple funding sources. 

We are starting our fundraising efforts with organizations that we have worked with in some capacity before and that we believe would be great partners in this project.

We will also develop membership programs that allow for donations to support this important work through Kickstarter and Patreon. Finally, we plan to develop a series of in kind partnerships to help reduce costs for computers, gear, travel, etc.

If you are interested in helping with funding, distribution, or in-kind partnerships, please contact Brian Storm via brian@mediastorm.com.

As we work to secure funding we are also searching for those who can contribute to this project. 

If you are interested in collaborating on this ambitious project in the future we’d love to hear from you. 

Please share your details via this form.

MediaStorm is a film and interactive design studio whose work gives voice and meaning to the most pressing issues of our time.

Our stories demystify complex problems, humanize statistics, and inspire audiences to take action.

Since 2005, MediaStorm has led a paradigm shift in digital storytelling, collaborating with some of the world’s top storytellers to create more than 350 stories that help us better understand the human condition.

Our clients, contributors, and MediaStorm have been honored with numerous accolades including two duPont Awards, four Emmys, and five Webby Awards.