Everyone knows we’re living in a golden age of film and television. But we’re now in a similar golden age for video journalism—and it is worth your attention.
Quartz today launches a new weekly news program that’s a prime example—you can watch it here on Facebook, or below. And you can follow along over the coming year as we endeavor to reimagine video news, in ways that are smarter, more boldly visual, and genuinely global, and take advantage of the two-way interaction possible on digital platforms. We have the benefit of starting from scratch and leaving behind any sentimentality about today’s standard TV news fare.
Our first episode takes us to Venezuela, where the libertarian crypto-currency dream of an economy unshackled from the state has become reality in the clandestine mining of bitcoin. We go inside an underground bitcoin operation in Caracas, and talk to its operator, who risks being jailed for her mining. But there’s a twist in how the repressive government views crypto–and we’ll let you watch to see how that is unfolding.
Next week we’re in China, taking you to the mind expanding internet culture and innovation flourishing behind the country’s Great Firewall, and beginning to spread beyond. You’ll be able to watch each new episode here starting on Thursdays.
Alongside these weekly videos, you’ll be able to chat with Quartz for Messenger, where you’ll find companion features, quizzes, and new ways to participate in the show.
We’re confident that there’s an opportunity to develop a new kind of video journalism. This pursuit began for Quartz three years ago, when we established a video lab focused on experimenting and understanding what people wanted to watch online. At the time, we said that Quartz fans should look for us to produce video that surprises.
Some of the works we’re proudest of have:
- taken people to places they’d never otherwise go, such as the unexplored depths of the sea and the scientists attempting to make sense of the otherworldly creatures that inhabit it.
- used ingenious, original animation to make complex things understandable, like in this video about Nathan Chen’s Olympic skating moves.
- looked ahead to where tech innovation is taking us, and found the humanity within it.
- channeled a consumer craze—such as sparkling water—to take you thousands of years into the past.
The videos created by the small team in Quartz’s newsroom have been viewed over one billion times. And, in recent months alone, our video journalism won a prestigious Gerald Loeb award and an Edward R. Murrow award.
We’re excited about the changes that remain ahead for video, and are hoping you join us for the journey. Please share any feedback or inspirations—you can email me at kevind@qz.com
Best,
Kevin J. Delaney
Editor in chief
@delaney