Frame

Frame is a media company made for the mobile era.

It publishes documentaries in an immersive, interactive format made for smartphones — helping new generations forge a deeper connection with the news.

Frame stories have an average watch time of more than 5 minutes. That’s 18x longer than the average watch time for a video on Facebook’s newsfeed.

Frame’s investors include Biz Stone, a co-founder of Twitter, as well as Snapchat’s Yellow Accelerator. SnapChat (NYSE: SNAP), a social media app where users send short video messages, has a market cap of $37 billion, and could potentially acquire a company like Frame to incorporate news content into its platform.

Frame launched in March 2019 after its founders noticed a growing problem. Simply put, people don’t like the news.

More than 40% of Americans actively avoid watching the news. And nearly 70% are overwhelmed by it. This is concerning. However, there's a silver lining: it presented Frame with an opportunity to create a new kind of media company.

Frame rethinks the voice, format, and distribution of news in order to deliver a unique experience. This experience solves news avoidance and expands the market for digital journalism.

Frame stories are 10- to 15-minute documentaries presented in a non-fiction narrative style. Every Frame story takes a major issue in the news — say, the opioid crisis or the rise of immigration enforcement — and tells a plot-driven, human story.

Each story is published in a vertical video, tap-through format that includes interactive features throughout (such as maps and timelines). These allow viewers to dive deeper into each piece.

Stories are delivered primarily as a text message, enabling subscribers to receive news updates on stories they’re interested in following. They can also ask journalists questions directly via text.

Frame was awarded Best New Brand at the 2020 Digiday Media Awards. That was right after it landed a branded content deal with a major U.S. non-profit company.

Frame plans to introduce paid memberships in Q1 2021 to begin generating revenue.

Team Background

Tom Barnes - Chief Product Officer

Tom began his career in the music industry, working for Columbia Records and Miracle Music. He then switched to journalism, becoming Associate Director for Write for the Future, a writing and editing company.

After that, he joined Mic, the New York media company, where he became the music editor. From there, he was a media planner for Byte, a marketing agency. While there, he managed digital marketing campaigns for Spotify, a popular music streaming service.

Tom earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from NYU.

Ben Moe - Founder & CEO

Prior to starting Frame, Ben was a segment producer with Mic, a New York City-based media company.

He was named a 2019 Folio Rising Star Honoree, an award given to emerging talent in the media industry. And he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University.

Co-Investors

Christopher "Biz" Stone

Entrepreneur who co-founded Twitter.