Future of StoryTelling

What Future of StoryTelling does

Future of StoryTelling (FoST) is a privately held, founder-owned multidisciplinary story studio headquartered in New York, operating since 1993 first as Melcher Media (a book packaging agency) and rebranded under the FoST name with its 2012 inaugural FoST Summit. The company produces bespoke creative work across books, interactive apps, websites, videos, VR/AR/XR experiences, live events, and exhibits for an enterprise roster that includes Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Meta, Nike, PepsiCo, Amazon, Adobe, Google, NBCUniversal, HBO, NASA, and ESPN; through its Melcher Media imprint, FoST has published 33 New York Times bestsellers and more than 15 million books in print. Revenue is generated through quote-based, project-priced creative engagements with multi-year contracts, supplemented by a growing corporate training arm (Living Stories Curriculum, Custom Innovation Programming) and the FoST Explorers Club membership program for senior creative and media executives.

Distribution is purely direct: FoST runs an enterprise field-sales motion, with a Head of New Business reporting to CEO Charlie Melcher cultivating Fortune 500 and institutional clients. The studio's flagship institutional engagements include the Executive Storyteller role on the $450 million Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (opening July 4, 2026, with Snohetta, JLG Architects, and Dimensional Innovations), the Sphere Entertainment Atrium Experience in Las Vegas, and the Peacock Olympic Cube installation for the 2024 Paris Olympics coverage. A second product pillar, FoST Originals, produces ongoing thought-leadership content (monthly newsletter, podcast, videos earning 8 Vimeo Staff Picks) and the annual FoST Summit, which scaled from 300 to 600+ attendees.

The company operates without disclosed external funding, acquisition activity, or parent organization, and runs a relatively flat team of 11-50 employees. FoST holds no patents and discloses no proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities beyond conventional creative and immersive production tooling, including partner-led VR capture with Felix & Paul Studios.

Name

Future of StoryTelling

Legal name

Future of Storytelling, Corp

Website

https://futureofstorytelling.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Future of StoryTelling is a privately held, founder-owned New York story studio producing bespoke books, VR/AR experiences, live events, and corporate storytelling programs for Fortune 500 brands, celebrities, and cultural institutions, anchored by its Melcher Media publishing imprint and proprietary FoST Originals content platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Storytelling Services

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Publishing & Membership Platforms (Writer-Centric) (MPACAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content & Messaging Strategy (Positioning, Narrative) (MPAAAFAK), Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Memoir) (EDAAAGAI)

Keywords

• Creative storytelling studio
• Immersive experience design
• Book publishing services
• VR/AR experience production
• Corporate storytelling training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Project Work: FoST generates primary revenue through custom creative project engagements including apps, books, events, exhibits, videos, VR/AR/XR experiences, and websites for enterprise clients. Projects are typically bespoke and quote-based.
2. Educational Services and Memberships: Revenue from corporate training programs (Living Stories Curriculum, Custom Innovation Programming, Thought Leadership Curation) and the FoST Explorers Club membership program for senior creative and media executives.
3. FoST Original Content: Content programming including newsletters, podcasts, and videos that provide ongoing engagement with the creative community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Future of StoryTelling (FoST) is a multidisciplinary story studio that helps the world's biggest brands, artists, and marketers tell stories across illustrated books (via its Melcher Media imprint), interactive apps, websites, videos, VR/AR/XR experiences, and complex live events, supplemented by original content programming (podcast, newsletter, videos), the annual FoST Summit, corporate storytelling curriculum, and the FoST Explorers Club membership.

Product overview

Future of StoryTelling (FoST) is an award-winning multidisciplinary story studio comprising multiple integrated offerings. At its core is Melcher Media, its book publishing division that has produced over 15 million books including 30+ New York Times bestsellers. FoST operates as the parent creative studio offering Creative Services (Apps, Books, Consulting, Curation, Events, Exhibits, Videos, VR/AR/XR Experiences, Websites) and Educational Services (Living Stories Curriculum, Custom Innovation Programming, Thought Leadership Curation). Its content programming arm, FoST Originals, produces the FoST Podcast, FoST In Thought Newsletter, FoST Videos, and FoST Summit. The FoST Explorers Club provides exclusive membership access for creative and media executives. Together, these products span book publishing, immersive experience production, digital content creation, corporate training, and community programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FoST Explorers Club: An intimate community of the world's top creative and media executives who share, get inspired, and experience cutting-edge storytelling and technology.
• FoST Originals
• Living Stories Curriculum

Products and services

• Melcher Media (Book Publishing Division) The book publishing imprint of FoST, specializing in crafting beautiful, bestselling illustrated books in unique formats and beyond traditional layouts for companies, media properties, and high-profile authors. Has produced over 15 million books in print, including more than 30 New York Times bestsellers.
• Creative Services Bespoke creative service offering for the world's biggest companies, brands, and celebrities spanning Apps, Books, Consulting, Curation, Events, Exhibits, Videos, VR/AR/XR Experiences, and Websites, delivered via direct enterprise sales relationships.
• FoST Explorers Club Membership An annual membership community of the world's top creative and media executives, providing exclusive events, content, and access to cutting-edge storytelling and immersive technology experiences.
• Educational Services (Living Stories Curriculum, Custom Innovation Programming, Thought Leadership Curation) Bespoke corporate training and education programs including the Living Stories Curriculum (Fundamentals of Storytelling, Knowing Your Audience, Story Strategy), workshops with cutting-edge thinkers, and Corporate Explorers Club Memberships to help teams become better storytellers and improve customer engagement.
• FoST Summit An annual two-day summit gathering top thinkers and practitioners from diverse fields — storytelling, gaming, neuroscience, immersive technology — to share ideas on communication, storytelling, and collaborative storytelling.
• FoST Originals (Thought Leadership Content Programming) FoST's original thought leadership programming spanning films, podcasts, summits, and other original content recognized as best-in-class by The New York Times, Apple, Forbes, VICE, and Vimeo.
• FoST Podcast A series of conversations between FoST founder and CEO Charlie Melcher and world-class storytellers across disciplines, focusing on how stories provoke positive and lasting change; Webby-nominated and Webby-recognized content.
• FoST In Thought Newsletter A monthly newsletter providing updates on breakthroughs in immersive technology, shifting media trends, and innovation in the storytelling space, distributed to subscribers via email.
• Immersive Experiences (VR/AR/XR and Live) Custom VR/AR/XR and live immersive experience production including the Meta Spacewalk from the ISS (two 2022 Webby Awards), Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library exhibits (opening July 4, 2026 in Medora, ND), the Sphere Atrium Experience (Las Vegas), and Apple Carnegie Library activations.
• Web and App Development Custom interactive websites and mobile applications for enterprise clients, including Al Gore's Our Choice App (which led to the co-launch of Push Pop Press, later acquired by Facebook), Facebook Paper, and Kore Infrastructure Website.
• Curation Services Curating inspiring speakers, performers, and artists for corporate events, the FoST Festival, and innovation programs, including engagements such as the EY Innovation Realized event.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 New York Times bestsellers published
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SnohettacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnohetta is the architectural firm collaborating on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library project in Medora, North Dakota. FoST serves as Executive Storytellers for this $450 million project, working with Snohetta on the design of the physical museum.
• JLG ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLG Architects is collaborating with Snohetta and FoST on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library exhibit design. The project is scheduled to open July 4, 2026.
• Felix & Paul StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFelix & Paul Studios partnered with FoST and Meta for the groundbreaking Spacewalk VR experience from the International Space Station. The studios had been working with NASA on the largest VR production ever filmed in space.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA collaborated with Felix & Paul Studios on the Spacewalk VR production filmed aboard the International Space Station. FoST coordinated the Meta Connect 2021 closing event featuring this historic VR experience.
• Push Pop PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPush Pop Press was co-launched by Melcher Media (FoST) along with developers to create the Our Choice app for Al Gore. The company was later purchased by Facebook.
• Dimensional InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDimensional Innovations (DI) is the design and fabrication firm working on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library exhibits. FoST serves as Executive Storytellers overseeing creative, editorial, and experiential direction for the project.
• Sphere EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSphere Entertainment commissioned FoST to craft the narrative for the Sphere Atrium experience in Las Vegas, featuring humanoid robots, holographic displays, and interactive sound demos.
• Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRPLF engaged FoST as the first hire and Executive Storytellers for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. FoST helps establish vision and storytelling foundation, oversee interpretive design, and develop the Content Studio.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Independent multidisciplinary design and creative studio serving major global brands across identity, editorial, digital, and immersive work. Directly comparable to FoST as a partner-led creative studio serving Fortune 500 clients with bespoke storytelling.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio specializing in immersive experiences, projection mapping, and interactive environments for cultural institutions and global brands. Directly comparable to FoST's immersive experience arm and VR/AR/XR practice.
• Huge: Digital agency and creative studio producing brand experiences, products, and marketing for global enterprises. Comparable to FoST in multidisciplinary storytelling across digital, brand, and immersive for similar enterprise clients.
• Imagination: Independent creative agency producing brand experiences, live events, and immersive environments for global enterprises. Comparable to FoST's event/exhibit and immersive experience offerings for similar blue-chip clients.
• Dimensional Innovations: Design and fabrication firm specializing in immersive brand experiences, exhibits, and environments for sports, cultural, and enterprise clients. Comparable to FoST's immersive exhibit practice and an actual collaborator on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library project.
• R/GA: Global creative agency producing brand storytelling, digital products, and immersive experiences for enterprise clients including Nike, Google, and Meta. Comparable to FoST in serving the same Fortune 500 roster with integrated digital and experiential storytelling.

Emerging players

• Meow Wolf: Immersive art and experiential entertainment company creating large-scale interactive installations. Comparable to FoST's immersive experience practice (e.g., TR Library, Sphere Atrium) though focused on consumer-facing destinations rather than enterprise storytelling.
• teamLab: International art collective producing large-scale digital immersive installations and museums. Comparable to FoST's immersive exhibit work for cultural institutions and brand environments.

Broad incumbents

• WPP: Global advertising and communications holding company with agencies spanning creative, media, digital, and brand storytelling. Represents the broad incumbent alternative that competes with FoST for enterprise storytelling mandates at greater scale.
• Omnicom Group: Global marketing and corporate communications holding company providing advertising, media planning, branding, and experiential services. Competes with FoST for enterprise storytelling and event/activation mandates from Fortune 500 clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj5hJ9wD2mNq6CNs4E7aKvw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/future-of-storytelling
• Xx.com/fostorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/futureofstorytelling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Future of StoryTelling