New Models
New Models is a Berlin-based media organization founded in 2018 that produces podcasts, video, and editorial content on internet culture, contemporary art, and networked media. It serves cultural critics through subscriptions and enterprise clients including Prada, Nike, and MoMA via its NM Studio consulting arm.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What New Models does
New Models is a Berlin-based media organization and audio magazine founded in 2018 that operates at the intersection of contemporary art, internet culture, and critical theory. The company produces a multi-format content ecosystem anchored by the NM Podcast (93+ episodes of long-form interviews with artists, scholars, and critics) and supported by NM TV (video), NM Reads (audio readings), NM Live (event recordings), NM Lectures, and a series of short-form and dispatch series. Its consumer audience consists of cultural critics, artists, and scholars who engage with commentary on networked media, algorithmic culture, and the contemporary art world; this audience is served through free podcast distribution (Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube) and paid subscriptions (Patreon and Substack) with optional Discord community access at €5 and €8 per month. Community-coded products include the NM WebDex, a collectively curated digital glossary of New Models vernacular, and the NM Codex Y2K20, a 368-page book distilling the community's reading of 2020.
The underlying technology layer is intentionally lightweight: podcast and video distribution across mainstream platforms, subscription billing via Patreon and Substack, Discord for community, and a Big Cartel storefront for merchandise. The content archive spans more than 200 episodes across multiple series, supplemented by physical products including the NM Codex Y2K20 book, a Y2K20 Compression Map poster, and limited apparel collaborations. No proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, SDKs, or developer-facing platforms are offered; the technology stack is commodity distribution and community tooling rather than differentiated infrastructure.
New Models operates a three-stream revenue model. First, subscription membership at €5/month (basic) and €8/month (Patreon + Discord) provides recurring revenue from a niche but engaged subscriber base. Second, merchandise sales via Big Cartel (apparel priced €40–€82, books €19.99, posters €8) generate lumpy one-time revenue, with most catalog SKUs listed as sold out. Third, NM Studio — the creative consulting arm led by co-founders Caroline Busta and Lil Internet — delivers narrative strategy, copywriting, and editorial services to an international enterprise client list that includes Prada, Nike, Adidas, Balenciaga, Ottolinger, Art Basel, MoMA, Serpentine Galleries, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Universal Music Group, Vogue, Interview Magazine, and Yuga Labs. The business is bootstrapped, operates with approximately six employees, and has no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, suggesting that the consulting engagement stream is likely the highest-value revenue line despite limited public disclosure of project-level economics.
New Models firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Models
- Legal name
- New Models
- Website
- https://newmodels.io
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- New Models is a Berlin-based media organization founded in 2018 that produces podcasts, video, and editorial content on internet culture, contemporary art, and networked media. It serves cultural critics through subscriptions and enterprise clients including Prada, Nike, and MoMA via its NM Studio consulting arm.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Models industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Media & Creative Consulting
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms (MPAIADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE), Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins) (MPACADAJ), Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
Keywords
Where New Models is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
New Models business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Subscription Membership: Patreon and Substack subscriptions at €5/month for basic membership (200+ episodes + Discord access) and €8/month for Patreon + Discord tier. Provides recurring revenue from community members.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise through Big Cartel storefront (shop.newmodels.io). Products include apparel (shirts €40-60, collaboration pieces €82), the NM Codex Y2K20 book (€19.99), and the NM Y2K20 Compression Map poster (€8). One-time purchase model.
- Creative Consulting Services: New Models Studio, led by Caroline Busta and Lil Internet, provides creative consulting, narrative strategy, and copywriting for artists, institutions, and brands. Revenue from professional services engagements with an international client list.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic Subscription - Substack or Patreon |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium Subscription - Patreon + Discord |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NM x T. Spichtig Collaboration Shirt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NM Original Logo T-Shirt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | New Models Long Sleeve - Guardian |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NM Codex Y2K20 Book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NM Y2K20 Compression Map Poster |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
New Models product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Models is an independent audio magazine and media community that produces long-form podcasts, video essays, lectures, and editorial content analyzing networked media, contemporary art, and internet culture. It monetizes through subscription tiers on Patreon and Substack (€5 and €8/month), sells branded merchandise (apparel, books, posters) via its Big Cartel shop, and offers creative consulting, narrative strategy, and copywriting services to brands and institutions through NM Studio.
Product overview
New Models is a media organization and audio magazine that produces a multi-format content ecosystem centered on critical analysis of networked media, technology, contemporary art, and culture. The core offering comprises the NM Podcast (90+ episodes of long-form interviews with artists and scholars), NM TV (video content), NM Reads (texts read aloud), NM Live (event recordings), NM Lectures (selected talks), and ancillary series (NM Greenroom, NM Talkcore, NM Content Today, NM Dispatch, NM Shorts). The community-driven NM WebDex provides a digital glossary of NM vernacular, while the physical NM Codex Y2K20 compiles the collective distillation of 2020 in a 368-page book. Merchandise includes apparel collaborations and prints via the NM Shop (Big Cartel), with the NM Studio providing creative consulting services to institutional and brand clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NM Studio: The creative consulting, narrative strategy, and copywriting arm of New Models, led by Caroline Busta and Lil Internet.
- NM WebDex
- NM Codex Y2K20
- NM TV
- NM Reads
- NM Live
- NM Lectures
- NM TopSoil
Products and services
- NM Podcast Subscription Premium subscription tier unlocking 200+ episodes across the New Models audio magazine series, with an optional Discord community access for higher-tier subscribers. For cultural critics, artists, and scholars seeking long-form analysis of internet culture, contemporary art, and networked media.
- NM Studio Creative Consulting Creative consulting, narrative strategy, and copywriting services delivered by the New Models co-founders to artists, cultural institutions, luxury brands, and publishers. Past clients include Art Basel, Prada, Nike, Adidas, Balenciaga, Ottolinger, MoMA, Serpentine, KW Institute, Universal Music Group, Artforum, Document, Vogue, and Interview Magazine.
- NM WebDex Free online digital glossary recording collectively curated definitions of New Models' vernacular terms, with associated podcast audio excerpts and contributed readings. Open to the public as a free reference resource for understanding New Models' critical vocabulary.
- NM Codex Y2K20 Book 368-page softcover book offering a collective distillation of 2020 as produced by the New Models community, sold for €19.99. Includes digital glossary access via NM WebDex.
- NM Y2K20 Compression Map Poster Limited-edition poster (84.1 x 59.4 cm on 170 gsm semi-gloss paper) visualizing narrative arcs of 2020 as filtered by the NM Codex Team, sold for €8.
- NM x T. Spichtig Some Beautiful Mess Shirt Limited-edition (series of 100) box-fit cotton t-shirt featuring Tobias Spichtig's painting 'Some Beautiful Mess' (2022), produced via 7-color screen-print. Sold for €82 in sizes S through XXL.
- New Models Original Logo T-Shirt Classic organic cotton t-shirt (150 gsm) with the New Models logo, Fair Wear produced in Belgium/Bangladesh. Sold for €40 (currently sold out).
- New Models Long Sleeve Guardian Hand-bleached black long-sleeve t-shirt with a silkscreen white logo arm hit and Lucas Cranach the Elder's 'Donkey Pope of Rome' (1523) motif. 190 gsm 100% organic cotton, CO2 neutral, Fair Wear produced. Sold for €60 (currently sold out).
Companies that use New Models
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Models technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature2 records
New Models partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SerpentinecoreCollaboration on publication project 'All Media Is Training Data' co-edited by Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, published by Serpentine Galleries and König. New Models Studio co-edited this book examining the intersection of AI training data and media.
- Berggruen Arts & CulturecoreExhibition collaboration 'The Online Marketplace of Ideas, Strange Rules' at Palazzo Diedo, Venice (2026). New Models contributes content expertise for this cultural exhibition exploring ideas and marketplaces.
- Yuga LabsminorContribution to publication 'CryptoPunks: Free to Claim' by Yuga Labs/Phaidon (2024). New Models Studio contributed essay on futures and NFT culture.
- KW Institute for Contemporary ArtcorePartial sponsorship of NM Codex Y2K20 project. KW Institute for Contemporary Art supported this publication documenting collective understanding of 2020 events and New Models vernacular.
- Swiss InstituteminorCollaboration on Tobias Spichtig exhibition 'Good Ok Great Fantastic Perfect Grand Thank You' at Swiss Institute New York. Tobias Spichtig is also partner on NM x Spichtig merchandise collaboration.
- DLD Munich ConferenceminorPanel collaboration 'Will AI Slop Kill Culture' with Simon Denny and Marc Spiegler at DLD Munich Conference (2026).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
New Models competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Substack: Subscription newsletter and podcast platform that powers New Models' subscription distribution. Directly comparable as a tool for creator-led subscription publishing, though Substack is a platform rather than a publisher itself.
- Patreon: Creator subscription platform used by New Models for its premium content tiers. Comparable as a parallel monetization infrastructure for independent creators building community-based recurring revenue.
- Document Journal: Independent art and culture publication covering contemporary art, fashion, and digital culture. Comparable as a niche editorial platform with similar aesthetics and target audience, and is also a New Models client/collaborator.
- It's Nice That: Independent creative industry publication covering art, design, and creative culture. Comparable as a creator-led niche media platform targeting the creative industries with editorial, events, and commercial partnerships.
- Defector Media: Independent, writer-owned subscription media publication. Comparable as a bootstrapped, niche-focused, subscription-driven publication that sells premium editorial content with a strong community identity.
- Crack Magazine: Independent print and digital publication covering music, fashion, and contemporary culture. Comparable as a boutique culture publication with multi-format content (print, podcast, editorial) and a similar target audience of creative and cultural professionals.
Broad incumbents
- The Ringer: Podcast-network-and-publication hybrid built around distinctive editorial voices. Comparable in the multi-show podcast strategy and integration of niche editorial content with subscription and advertising revenue.
- i-D Magazine: Established fashion/culture magazine owned by Vice Media. Comparable coverage of fashion, art, and youth culture, though at significantly larger scale and broader reach than New Models.
Emerging players
- Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst Studio: Collaborative studio of artist Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst focused on AI, digital culture, and art. Directly comparable in their discourse leadership at the intersection of art and technology, with co-edited publication 'All Media Is Training Data' co-produced with New Models.
- Do Not Research: Internet culture research and writing collective. Comparable as a small research-driven platform examining online subcultures, and explicitly listed as an adjacent channel on New Models' website.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
New Models social profiles
Digital presenceNew Models financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Models leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
New Models funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Models M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Models
What does New Models do?
New Models is an independent audio magazine and media community that produces long-form podcasts, video essays, lectures, and editorial content analyzing networked media, contemporary art, and internet culture. It monetizes through subscription tiers on Patreon and Substack (€5 and €8/month), sells branded merchandise (apparel, books, posters) via its Big Cartel shop, and offers creative consulting, narrative strategy, and copywriting services to brands and institutions through NM Studio.
Is New Models a public or private company?
New Models is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was New Models founded?
New Models was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is New Models based?
New Models is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does New Models make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Membership is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and creative Consulting Services.
Who are New Models's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Substack, Patreon, Document Journal, It's Nice That, Defector Media and Crack Magazine. Broad incumbents are The Ringer and i-D Magazine. Emerging players are Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst Studio and Do Not Research.
Does New Models have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Models.
What industry is New Models in?
New Models's product category is Independent Media & Creative Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIADAC, Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAFAIAE, Audio Production & Podcasting. Its NAICS code is 71151 and its SIC code is 7310.