We take a documentary approach to telling stories with a purpose.

We believe that brands, foundations, and mission-driven organizations can best differentiate themselves by communicating the impact that they create in the world. By combining proven tactics – including documentary film, animation and experiential consumer campaigns – with innovative engagement strategies, we can inspire your audience and move them to action.

The story of your organization is almost always the first touch an audience has with your brand, and that initial experience is the most powerful tool we have to engage, inspire and motivate action. We connect our clients’ strategic messaging with the impact that they create in the real world, and it is precisely this connection that breathes life into your bullet-points and turns your toolbox of messages into an actionable strategy.

Our leadership team has backgrounds in journalism, documentary film, non-profit advocacy, and advertising, and we bring commercial quality production to all of our campaigns. Ground was founded by David Rochkind, who began his career as an international photojournalist, producing stories for clients including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The entire team at Ground brings robust real-world storytelling experience that informs everything we do, from how we structure our research to how we build out an engagement strategy.

We have produced PR, commercial and marketing campaigns for some of the world’s largest companies and leading non-profit and advocacy organizations. The storytelling campaigns we work on meet our audience where they consume information, and we deliver messages with power and feeling.

Our Leadership

David Rochkind

Partner | Creative Director

David is the Founder of Ground Media and leads all creative direction for the company. He spent a decade working as a photojournalist and filmmaker for outlets including The New York Times and The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. He has led projects for non-profits, development organizations and Fortune 500 companies all around the world.

Carolyn Barnwell

Managing Director

Carolyn oversees all of our mission-driven campaign productions and ensures our creative, communication and strategy are all aligned. She previously worked at National Geographic, where she produced video series, and worked on TV shows and advocacy campaigns for organizations including the World Bank and the TED Prize.

AnnMarie Flamenco

Director of Brand Experience

AnnMarie is the Director of Brand Experience, working to create authentic experiences for our clients, both on and offline. She takes a holistic approach to ensure strategic objectives are reflected in every aspect of our work while maintaining the authenticity, honesty, and real-world impact that our clients create in the world.

Daniel Turner

Program Director, Clean Energy

Daniel specializes in communicating the economic, health and community benefits of clean energy development. As Program Director of the Clean Energy portfolio, he brings years of experience in multimedia storytelling for clients across a range of industries, including Wind, Solar, Energy Efficiency, Power Storage and Zero-Emissions Vehicles.

This is how we build it from the ground up.

Research

Strategically design research with the end-product in mind, and incorporate actionable storytelling strategies for your audience into our findings.

Content

Create content using experiential design, film production, interactive/VR, animation, web design and social media.

DIGITAL PLATFORMS

Build interactive digital platforms that inform and engage all kinds of audiences, from high-school students to policy makers.

Brand Identity

Develop brand identity narratives by combining documentary storytelling with audience research insights to create stories and messages that are proven to inspire action.

Storytelling

Produce storytelling experiences – on-screen and in-person – that immerse consumers, stakeholders, allies and opponents in your purpose and cause.

Impact Campaigns

Create and execute public-facing impact campaigns that are based on content, stories and experiences that engage audiences.

See Our Work

Interested in creating something From The Ground Up?