Great Big Story,

CNN

I was one of the first hires at Great Big Story, a CNN-owned media company dedicated to social-first, cinematic documentary storytelling. Over a period of five years, our team produced nearly 3,000 films across more than 100 countries. We established the brand as a global force in short-form video, dominating the YouTube landscape and setting a new standard for digital video storytelling.

Highlights:

Four years post-launch:

  • Accounted for 15% of CNN International’s digital revenue

  • Secured 26 international commercial partnerships

  • Experienced a 32% year-over-year increase in overall watch time

  • Averaged 52.9 million monthly YouTube views (a 25% increase)

  • Earned a News & Documentary Emmy Award

  • Expanded content formats to include 60-second vertical videos for social and half-hour programs for YouTube

  • Viewers on OTT platforms engaged in binge-watching sessions averaging 25 minutes, indicating strong content engagement

Two years post-launch:

  • Great Big Story quintupled its YouTube subscriber base

  • Average monthly YouTube views increased by 190%

  • Average time spent per video rose 40%, with viewers watching for more than two minutes on average.

  • YouTube became the platform's primary driver of engagement, accounting for:

    • 40% of overall views (up from 22% the previous year)

    • 70% of total minutes watched (up from 43%)

  • Surpassed 1 billion minutes watched on YouTube

Logo with a red circle containing a white rocket and the words "GREAT BIG STORY" in bold white letters on a black background.