StoryFirst Media

What StoryFirst Media does

StoryFirst Media Group, LLC, founded in 2009 by co-founders Dave and Michael Neelsen, is a Wisconsin-based brand consultancy and video production firm that operates from a Middleton, Wisconsin headquarters with offices in Madison and Milwaukee and additional creative talent in Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, New York, and Barcelona. The company's core methodology combines a proprietary Story Discovery Process with the Controlling Idea framework popularized by author Robert McKee, both grounded in scientific research on narrative influence that includes DARPA-funded studies. StoryFirst emphasizes that 80% of effective storytelling happens in the discovery phase rather than in production, and uses this consulting-led approach to help clients identify the decisive dramatic actions that define their business and matter most to customers. The firm serves clients ranging from solopreneurs and mom-and-pop businesses to nonprofits and Fortune 500 enterprises, with named logos spanning American Family, Kraft, Kellogg's, ADM, UW Health, Baird, Park Bank, JP Cullen, Herzing University, Quad Graphics, and others across banking, insurance, manufacturing, healthcare, education, agriculture, construction, and food/beverage.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional services delivered on a custom project-based pricing model, with no publicly disclosed rate card and a multi-year contract structure noted for some engagements. Service lines include full-service video production (documentary style, scripted narrative, commercials, animated video, and branded film across pre-production, production, and post-production), brand consulting (Controlling Idea development and brand personality alignment), Character Animation and 2D/3D Abstract Animation, speaking and workshops, and extended marketing services covering messaging, written content, photography, graphic design, and web design. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven; StoryFirst does not typically respond to RFPs, preferring direct consultations via Zoom or in-person meetings to design customized solutions. Beyond client services, the firm produces original film projects including the documentary Last Day at Lambeau (which screened at film festivals in 2012 and was broadcast on PBS) and Beyond Human Nature (in sales negotiation with Blackfin, an eOne company), operates two podcasts (The Nature of Story and Reel Fanatics), and teaches classes through the University of Wisconsin Business Development Center. The company is founder-owned, bootstrapped, and privately held with no institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

StoryFirst Media

Legal name

StoryFirst Media Group, LLC

Website

https://storyfirstmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StoryFirst Media is a Wisconsin-based brand consultancy and video production firm serving Fortune 500s through solopreneurs with a proprietary Story Discovery Process and Controlling Idea framework grounded in narrative science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting & Video Production Services

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Teleproduction and Other Postproduction Services (512191)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO)

Keywords

• Brand storytelling services
• Video production services
• Brand consulting
• Corporate video production
• Animation production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Video Production Services: Full-service video production including documentary style, scripted narrative, commercials, animated video, and branded film. Services span pre-production (workshops, project management, script writing, location scouting, talent casting), production, and post-production (graphics, editing, audio, color grading, music scoring).
2. Brand Consulting Services: Strategic consulting focused on brand personality, controlling idea development, and ensuring behavior matches character. Includes training for organizations to understand brand voice and behavior across all team levels.
3. Speaking and Workshops: Keynote presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on storytelling, branding, content marketing, and video storytelling. Topics include Knowing Your Why, Story in Branding, Video Storytelling, and customized presentations for specific needs.
4. Animation Services: Character animation and abstract animation services for businesses needing to tell stories about characters or communicate abstract ideas.
5. Extended Marketing Services: Additional content creation beyond video including messaging, written content, photography, graphic design, web design and support, video marketing strategy, budgeting, audience research, and staff training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

StoryFirst Media is a brand consultancy and video production company that helps businesses identify and communicate their differentiation through purpose-driven storytelling grounded in scientific research on narrative influence. The core offering begins with a Story Discovery Process consulting engagement, followed by full-service video production (pre-production, production, and post-production), plus character and abstract animation. All work is custom-built around each client's decisive dramatic actions and brand character.

Product overview

StoryFirst Media is a brand consultancy and video production company founded in 2009 that uses the science of storytelling to help businesses differentiate themselves. Their core offering consists of the Story Discovery Process (foundational consulting), Video Production Services (pre-production workshops, documentary/scripted/animated production, post-production), Animation Services (character and abstract), and Consulting Services. Additional offerings include Speaking and Workshops, Video Marketing Services, and Extended Marketing Services. They also produce original film projects (Last Day at Lambeau, Beyond Human Nature, Hitch) and host two podcasts (The Nature of Story, Reel Fanatics). The company operates from Wisconsin with presence in Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, New York, and Barcelona.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Story Discovery Process The foundational consulting methodology that opens every client engagement; applies the science of storytelling to identify a business's decisive dramatic actions and align them with audience motives.
• Video Production Services Full-service video production including pre-production (workshops, project management, script writing, location scouting, talent casting), production (documentary style, scripted narrative, commercials, animated video, branded film), and post-production (graphics, editing, audio sweetening, color grading, music scoring).
• Animation Services Animation production covering Character Animation for stories about characters pursuing goals and Abstract Animation (2-D and 3-D) for articulating complex or abstract ideas that cannot be photographed in the real world.
• Consulting Services Brand consulting that helps organizations discover their Controlling Idea, align brand behavior with character, and execute brand personality across all communications, with training to ensure team-level alignment.
• Speaking and Workshops Keynote presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on purpose-driven storytelling for business, branding, content marketing, and video storytelling, delivered to business organizations, trade associations, conferences, universities, and film festivals.
• Video Marketing Services Strategic video marketing support including video budgeting, video marketing strategy, content planning, audience research, staff training, and distribution strategy.
• Extended Marketing Services Extended content creation beyond video including messaging, written content, photography, graphic design, and web design and support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Video directly contributed to JP Cullen winning the Stoughton Hospital job
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Droga5: Accenture-owned creative advertising agency known for narrative-driven brand campaigns across film, digital, and experiential. Represents the upper-bound incumbent competing for the same Fortune 500 storytelling budgets.
• 72andSunny: Global creative advertising agency producing brand campaigns, commercials, and branded content for major consumer and B2B brands. Overlaps with StoryFirst's brand storytelling offering but operates at significantly larger scale and broader channel scope.
• Barkley: Independent creative agency offering brand strategy, advertising, content production, and video services for mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable hybrid consulting-plus-content model with similar Midwest American roots.

Direct peers

• Wyzowl: Specialist explainer video and animated content agency serving B2B brands with custom-built video. Comparable in storytelling-led brand content production for marketing teams.
• Demo Duck: Specialized explainer and brand video production agency serving SMB through enterprise clients with custom storytelling. Highly comparable service model (consultative discovery plus custom production) and customer overlap with StoryFirst's corporate brand video work.
• Lemonlight: End-to-end video production agency producing brand, explainer, and animated content for businesses of all sizes. Closely comparable in service mix (production + animation) and project-based professional services model.
• Toolhouse: Brand storytelling and content strategy agency producing film, animation, and narrative-driven marketing for purpose-led brands. Comparable methodology-forward brand storytelling approach.
• Column Five Media: Brand storytelling and visual content agency producing branded videos, infographics, and reports for enterprise marketers. Closely aligned on 'brand storytelling as differentiation' positioning and B2B enterprise client base.
• 90 Seconds: Global video production platform and agency connecting brands with vetted filmmakers for branded content at scale. Comparable in custom brand video delivery and broad geographic talent sourcing (analogous to StoryFirst's multi-city talent model).
• Blue Ox Films: Brand video production studio producing documentary-style brand stories, testimonials, and corporate films for B2B and nonprofit clients. Comparable craft (documentary narrative) and consultative engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/storyfirstmedia
• YouTubevimeo.com/storyfirstmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/storyfirstmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/storyfirst-media-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/storyfirstmedia
• TikToktiktok.com/@storyfirstmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 StoryFirst Media