We tell women’s stories. 

Women are half of this world’s population but we’re just 29% of the world’s senior managers and only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs. From 2018-2019 in the US film industry, women represented only 15% of directors, 17% of writers, and 18% of studio heads. Fewer than 9% of Members of the US Congress are women of color. The statistics on LGBTQ+ representation are even more alarming.

From limited reproductive freedoms, gender bias in the workplace, and lacking paid family leave, there are countless forces that perpetuate these statistics. This pandemic will only make the challenges harder to overcome.  We need to work to overcome these obstacles, together. 

the problem: 

In summer 2019, I began hiring a crew for an original video series sharing birth stories. After years of making late night television (woof, what a man’s world), then big box office films and viral video for TED, I know how to make compelling content. It was important to me to foster a safe space for sharing our incredibly intimate birth experiences in interviews. Finding birthing people to tell their stories was fairly easy, but my goal of hiring female and non-binary crew was much, much harder. And so the idea for Cosyne was born. 

our mission: 

We believe telling our stories, honestly and openly, is the greatest catalyst for change. Cosyne is a creative content collective for women, by women. Utilizing compelling film, video, photography, graphic design, and much more, we are the creatives to help amplify your ideas. 

phase one - membership directory

We’re raising money to launch a membership directory for all types of creators - designers, copywriters, editors, photographers, audio engineers, cinematographers, etc - to showcase our work and passions. Together, we’ll share jobs and other resources, events, inspiration and more. 

Need great content? Cosyne will help you make it with the best and brightest talent around. By mid-2020 we’ll launch our reimagined creative agency model. Nimble, without the traditional agency bullshit, designed to support all of our endeavors, creators and clients alike. 

phase two: original content 

Cosyne's first original series is coming this summer - short-form video and social content where we speak openly and honestly about women's experiences throughout this pandemic. We initially planned to launch a series of birth stories, though it's clear that this crisis affects all of us, not just those birthing in this transformative moment. After this first wave of initial wave of illness passes, we will create the space to process the traumas and the triumphs.

We are already sharing stories from women on the front lines of health care, pregnant women facing the anxiety of a birth experience in an overcrowded hospital, and families that have faced the loss of a loved one from COVID-19. 

We are raising money to complete post-production on the original pilot interviews, featuring a full range of experiences and themes. Full episodes will be found on our website and shorter, easily digestible snippets will be featured on our social destinations. These are hopeful, honest, and captivating stories that we can’t wait to share with you. 

Please join us in supporting a future where a greater range of stories are told by women and non-binary people.  There's incredible value in sharing our experiences and encouraging others to speak up too.

our team: 

Gwen Schroeder - documentary filmmaker / birth and postpartum doula / founder 

Janeen Ritson - art director / partner in crime 

Allison Yarrow - journalist / partner in birth story video series

Sara Cohen - design / messaging & positioning 

Jamie Farnsworth Finn - strategy /  messaging & positioning 

our partners: 

Ampersand - branding agency 

Ancient Song Doula Services - education and community 

Baby Caravan - birth and postpartum doula collective 

Afterthird - guides for new parents