Great Big Story

Great Big Story is a digital media brand and production studio created by CNN in 2015. It was designed for audiences consuming video primarily through digital platforms rather than through conventional television news. The studio developed short-form documentary films that generally focused on a single distinctive subject: an unusual occupation, an eccentric craft, an endangered species, a remote location, an unconventional sport, a food tradition, or the origin of a familiar object. Its editorial approach emphasized visual discovery and human curiosity rather than breaking news, partisan debate, or conventional magazine reporting. The company was co-founded by Chris Berend and Andrew Morse while both were working at CNN. Berend had held senior digital-video and audience-development roles, including work at ESPN and Bloomberg Media Group, while Morse had spent many years at ABC News and later led Bloomberg Television before joining CNN. Their concept was to produce optimistic, highly produced stories that could travel across social and video platforms. Great Big Story distributed its work through services including Facebook and YouTube, allowing individual films to reach audiences outside CNN’s traditional cable and news websites. Great Big Story organized its programming into broad editorial worlds including Human Condition, Frontiers, Planet Earth, Flavors, and Origins. These categories gave the studio a recognizable structure while allowing considerable subject variety. Human Condition featured people whose work, abilities, experiences, or personal histories challenged expectations. Frontiers covered artistic experimentation, adventure, unusual sports, and space-related topics. Planet Earth examined remote environments, outdoor exploration, rare animals, and aquatic discovery. Flavors explored food, drink, culinary technique, and the histories of everyday snacks. Origins investigated how products, cultural practices, foods, and creative forms came into being. The studio reportedly employed 84 people across three locations and produced approximately 2,600 videos during its initial period. Its films included stories about specialist craftspeople, performers, explorers, athletes, musicians, food makers, and communities preserving distinctive traditions. Some series were developed with outside partners, including The Weather Channel, ANA Japan, and space-focused presenter Leland Melvin. These partnerships expanded the studio’s access to specialist subjects while retaining its short-documentary format. On September 23, 2020, Great Big Story announced that it would close. A farewell video uploaded on September 30 marked the end of its original operating period. The shutdown reflected the end of the first version of the studio, although its catalog continued to circulate online. On January 16, 2023, Great Big Story announced that CNN and the United Kingdom-based media company WhyNow had agreed to partner on a relaunch. A video titled “A New Chapter,” uploaded on February 15, 2023, publicly marked the return of the channel. The relaunch makes Great Big Story a revived digital storytelling brand rather than solely a discontinued CNN production unit.

Great Big Story originated inside CNN during a period when media companies were developing dedicated video brands for social and mobile audiences. Chris Berend and Andrew Morse conceived the project in 2015 while working at CNN. Their aim was to build a digital-native studio that could tell visually compelling stories without depending on the daily news cycle. Berend brought experience in digital content, audience development, and video strategy from ESPN and Bloomberg Media Group. Morse had worked at ABC News for approximately 15 years, later led Bloomberg Television, and joined CNN in 2013. Together, they positioned the new operation around what Berend described as optimism without naivety and what Morse characterized as remarkable storytelling. Great Big Story launched in October 2015. Rather than treating the internet as merely a distribution outlet for television material, it created films specifically suited to online viewing. The typical story was a compact documentary focused on a person, place, practice, or object with an unusual visual or cultural dimension. Subjects ranged from craftspeople and musicians to explorers, athletes, food makers, endangered animals, remote communities, and the histories of familiar products. The studio distributed videos through platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, where individual stories could circulate independently of CNN’s main channels. Its editorial catalog was arranged into five principal categories. Human Condition covered remarkable personal stories, including unusual jobs, defiance of social expectations, exceptional physical or personal circumstances, and music-related communities. Frontiers focused on artists, experimental practices, adventure, nontraditional sports, and space. Planet Earth covered remote destinations, outdoor exploration, deep-sea subjects, and species threatened with extinction. Flavors examined alcohol, snacks, Japanese food, culinary craftsmanship, and food presentation. Origins explored the histories of objects, creative forms, and distinctive foods. Subseries included material featuring astronaut and science communicator Leland Melvin, aquatic exploration with Philippe Cousteau Jr., and collaborations with external media and commercial partners. The operation reportedly had 84 employees distributed across three locations and produced approximately 2,600 videos. Its work was notable for a polished visual style and a consistent editorial interest in the overlooked or unexpected. The format allowed Great Big Story to serve both as a standalone media identity and as a way for CNN to participate in the expanding market for short-form digital video. On September 23, 2020, the company announced that it would close. It published a farewell video on September 30, ending its initial operating period. The shutdown did not erase the brand’s catalog, which remained available through online video platforms and continued to represent an influential example of short documentary publishing. More than two years later, Great Big Story announced a new phase. On January 16, 2023, the brand said that CNN and United Kingdom-based media company WhyNow had agreed to partner on a relaunch. On February 15, the channel uploaded “A New Chapter,” formally presenting the return. The relaunch indicates that Great Big Story’s identity and archive retained enough value to support a renewed digital publishing operation, although detailed information about its post-relaunch corporate structure, staffing, headquarters, and output remains limited.

• 2023

  Relaunch partnership announced

  [1]Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org

  CNN and WhyNow agree to partner on relaunching Great Big Story.

• 2023

  The channel returns

  [1]Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The video “A New Chapter” is published on February 15, marking the brand’s return.

• 2020

  Initial operation ends

  [1]Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The company announces its closure on September 23 and publishes a farewell video on September 30.

• 2015

  Great Big Story is founded

  [1]Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org

  CNN creates Great Big Story, co-founded by Chris Berend and Andrew Morse as a digital studio for short documentaries.

• 2015

  Public launch

  [1]Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org

  Great Big Story launches in October and begins publishing documentary videos through digital and social platforms.

High-quality, optimistic digital documentary storytelling centered on curiosity, distinctive human experiences, culture, nature, food, and innovation.

• Documentary category

  Human Condition

  A programming category centered on people and their experiences. Its recurring themes included unusual occupations, personal resilience, challenges to social expectations, distinctive talents, and music communities. Stories could profile craftspeople, performers, athletes, innovators, or families transforming difficult experiences into collective action.

• Adventure and culture documentary category

  Frontiers

  Frontiers explored artistic experimentation, exploration, unconventional sports, and subjects associated with physical or creative boundaries. Its programming included artist profiles, extreme or unusual sporting activities, experimental instruments, and the “Life in Space” material presented with Leland Melvin.

• Nature and exploration documentary category

  Planet Earth

  This category covered remote places, outdoor adventure, aquatic exploration, and animals at risk of extinction. Its stories included isolated landscapes, underwater caves, deep-sea discovery, rare wildlife, and journeys into difficult-to-access environments. The editorial purpose combined visual exploration with attention to conservation and environmental awareness.

• Food and drink documentary category

  Flavors

  Flavors examined the cultural history, preparation, presentation, and innovation surrounding food and drink. Programming covered historic bars, unusual aging techniques, snack origins, Japanese cuisine, specialist culinary craftsmanship, and the design of food-serving objects. The category treated food as a subject of culture, labor, invention, and visual storytelling.

• History and cultural origins documentary category

  Origins

  Origins investigated how familiar objects, foods, artistic practices, and cultural traditions began. Featured subjects included the history of the Rubik’s Cube, violin making, unusual pasta, and distinctive regional food practices. The category gave everyday items and traditions a documentary backstory.

• The Weather Channel partnership

  International digital audience

  Great Big Story partnered with The Weather Channel on outdoor and adventure-oriented stories, including films involving exploration and people testing themselves in demanding natural environments.

  Outcome. The partnership broadened the Planet Earth and exploration-focused programming associated with the brand.

  Source
• ANA Japan food series partnership

  Japan · International digital audience

  Great Big Story worked with ANA Japan on “Ichigo Ichie,” a series exploring notable Japanese foods and culinary culture.

  Outcome. The collaboration connected the brand’s food storytelling with Japanese destinations and culinary traditions.

  Source

• 2023

  Partner on a Great Big Story relaunchStrategy

  Background

  More than two years after the 2020 closure, CNN and WhyNow agreed to bring the brand back as a digital storytelling channel.

  Action taken

  The partnership was announced in January 2023, followed by the return video “A New Chapter” in February.

  Aftermath

  Great Big Story resumed publishing under a revived partnership model, although detailed operating and financial terms were not disclosed.

  Source

• 2020

  Close the original studio operationStrategy

  Background

  After producing a large catalog of short-form digital documentaries, Great Big Story announced that it would close in September 2020.

  Action taken

  The company announced the closure on September 23 and published a farewell video on September 30.

  Aftermath

  The initial operating period ended, while the video catalog remained an important part of the brand’s online legacy.

  Source

1. 1Great Big Storyen.wikipedia.org