SoulPancake

SoulPancake
Type of site
 Subsidiary
Owner Participant Media
Created by
Slogan(s) We make stuff that matters.
Website http://soulpancake.com
Launched March 2009
Current status Active

SoulPancake is American actor Rainn Wilson's media and production company. The tagline of the brand is: "We make stuff that matters." They were named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Video for 2015.[1] More recently, SoulPancake was ranked #114 on the 2015 Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America List.[2] On October 13, 2016, it became a subsidiary of Participant Media.[3]

Website

SoulPancake was founded by actor Rainn Wilson, Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry in 2008. The original concept was based on a video series called "Metaphysical Milkshake," but the founders deemed that the idea was too narrow and expanded it into a multiplatform media company.[4] The company is currently privately held and owned by a handful of investors and partners, which include current CEO Shabnam Mogharabi and Chief Creative Officer, Golriz Lucina, both of whom have been with SoulPancake since its launch.

The SoulPancake website beta launched in March 2009 with an official launch in January 2010. By November 2010, the community had 50,000 active registered members and 1 million page views per month. It offered a space for community members to participates in activities and conversations that allow them to explore what it is to be human, issues of philosophy, spirituality, and creativity. It was founded out of a need to do something positive on the internet that everyone could be included in. The first run of SoulPancake.com offered discussions, blog posts, questions, creative activities, writing exercises, polls, interviews, columns, videos, and original art by up-and-coming artists. In March 2015, it was announced that the "conversations" section of soulpancake.com would be removed at the end of the month due to a lack of moderation resources.

Mr. Wilson and some of the other founders of the company are members of the Baha'i Faith, and thus, some of the themes and topics of the content produced on the website and subsequent books, videos, and other content are inspired by the teachings of the Faith. Wilson describes SoulPancake as "never a Baha'i thing, but it is a Baha'i inspired thing."[5] The company is not affiliated with or sponsored by any Baha'i institutions.

Book

Out of that, they were approached to write a book based off the site, "SoulPancake: Chewing Life's Big Questions," which was around the time Wilson was being interviewed for Oprah’s Soul Series podcast. This led to the team creating digital content for the Oprah Winfrey Network. In the summer of 2009, SoulPancake was approached by several book publishers about developing a book. The result, SoulPancake: Chew On Life's Big Questions, was published by Hyperion in November 2010 and became a New York Times Best Seller within weeks of release.[6] The book challenges readers to take a creative, action-oriented approach to self exploration.[7][8]

Creative Agency

In March 2015 SoulPancake was named one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Video Companies of 2015.[9] And more recently, SoulPancake made #114 on the 2015 Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America List.[10]

SoulPancake has established itself as a recognizable creative agency creating uplifting and inspiring content that has aligned with brands such as Coca-Cola,[11] the United Nations,[12] Visa,[13] and Purina. Perhaps the most recognizable piece of branded content is "Kitten Therapy," a street stunt sponsored by Purina Tidy Cats.[14]

Digital Content

In October 2010, SoulPancake signed with the newly developed OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network to develop a series of SoulPancake themed short interstitials. The series was included as a segment of the series Super Soul Sunday.[15]

YouTube Channel

On July 23, 2012, SoulPancake launched a YouTube channel to complement the content on the website and book.[16] The SoulPancake YouTube channel programming ranges from unscripted, docu-style shorts to hosted talk shows to narrative films such as:

In December 2014, the SoulPancake YouTube Channel was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #58.[17]

As of November 2016 the channel has over 1.7 million subscribers, and over 200 million video views.

Television

SoulPancake’s Television was established in August 2013.[18] Programming has included:

Virality

SoulPancake has been responsible for several viral hits. Including several videos in the Kid President series, My Last Days wiith Zach Sobiech, Kitten Therapy,[20] How to Connect With Anyone, and The Science of Happiness.

Social Impact

Collectively, SoulPancake’s social cause integrations and campaigns have helped to raise more than $2 million for charities supporting cancer research,[21] has provided more than 3 million meals to the Conagra Food Foundation,[22] and has activated more than 1 million people to help the homeless for their Socktober campaign.[23]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fastcompany.com/3041667/mostinnovativecompanies2015/theworldstop10mostinnomativecompaniesof2015invideo
  2. ↑ http://www.inc.com/magazine/201509/noah-davis/2015-inc5000-making-the-metaphysical-cool-again.html
  3. ↑ http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/soulpancake-participant-media-rainn-wilson-1201887151/
  4. ↑ "Rainn Wilson Talks The End Of 'The Office' & What's Next". Huffington Post. 2012-12-16.
  5. ↑ http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/01/alittlebirdhouseinyoursoulpancake/
  6. ↑ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. 2011-01-09.
  7. ↑ "Rainn Wilson: Destroy my book". CNN. 2010-11-05.
  8. ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20100927/44575-seeking-and-finding.html
  9. ↑ http://www.fastcompany.com/3041667/mostinnovativecompanies2015/theworldstop10mostinnomativecompaniesof2015invideo
  10. ↑ http://www.inc.com/magazine/201509/noah-davis/2015-inc5000-making-the-metaphysical-cool-again.html
  11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9VnTZrSNvU
  12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JhwaRYOgxo
  13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZRw91uNMq0
  14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35T8wtmTbVg
  15. ↑ http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/How-Rainn-Wilson-Co-Created-SoulPancake-Video
  16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/user/soulpancake
  17. ↑ "The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 75-51!". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  18. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/company/co0383346/?ref_=fn_al_co_1
  19. ↑ http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/rainnwilsonssoulpancakeyoutubeserieswillpivottocabletv1201288554/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ↑ http://mashable.com/2014/11/12/kittentherapy/
  21. ↑ http://highfivesfoundation.org/nonprofitspotlightzachsobiechosteosarcomafund/
  22. ↑ http://www.conagrafoods.com/newsroom/newsConAgraFoodsAndKidPresidentJumpStartHungerFreeSummerOnMay1933551
  23. ↑ "Kid President And Grover Remind Us We're All Good People Who Have Something To Give". Huffington Post. 2014-10-12.
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