Stringr

It’s a familiar story these days: News outlets of all sizes are struggling to maintain quality reporting as they grapple with declining ad revenue and ongoing staff cuts. Now, they don’t have to sacrifice critical coverage, even on a shoestring budget. Video-sharing platform Stringr is connecting news sources with freelance videographers for on-the-ground footage, enabling anyone with a smartphone to respond to requests for coverage and film broadcast-quality recordings. The company is the brainchild of former news producer Lindsay Stewart WG14 and consultant/product manager Brian McNeill WG14, who met at Wharton as Executive MBAs. Since its founding in 2014, the company has grown its network to more than 100,000 videographers and has attracted investment from big-name brands such as Thomson Reuters and the Associated Press.