Objective

Chorus is a creator-led nonprofit organization dedicated to helping content creators expand their reach and educate their audiences about news and public policy issues that impact their lives. 

We do that by offering peer mentorship opportunities, technical and research support, briefings with policy experts and elected leaders, fostering an active and supportive creator community, and more. We’re lucky to have a group of incredible creators who know how to be effective, see serious value in community, and are already producing informative civic content. 

We know that a healthy democracy requires a healthy media ecosystem. As legacy media continue to struggle, it’s obvious we need to be building something new. Creators are on the front lines of the conversation every day, doing the work to deliver critical information in the ways people are currently consuming it. 

Most people don’t understand what a grind content creation really is, especially civic-focused content creation, or how little support is available. Our job at Chorus is to roll up our sleeves, find solutions, and actually build toward the future of media.

Strategy

Founded in late 2024 by a group of leading civic and news-focused content creators and led by Brian Tyler Cohen, Chorus is a creator-led nonprofit working to support pro-democracy creators and strengthen civic discourse.  At the time, trust in legacy media was declining, misinformation was spreading rapidly online, and the creators positioned to fill that void were largely working on their own, without consistent community support or mentorship. 

Our co-founders drew on their own experience to build a program that provides creators with the training and support they need, helping them grow their reach and amplify their impact. Unlike other programs, Chorus is built specifically to address the pain points of covering civic issues. 

Across two 6-month training programs, an alumni network, and a new advanced Accelerator program for returning voices,  Chorus works with a network of nearly 200 creators with a collective following of over 200 million across platforms. 

Participating creators gain access to peer mentorship opportunities, technical and research support, briefings with policy experts and elected leaders, an active and supportive creator community, and more. While Chorus teaches creators skills, tactics, and shares data-driven message insights, creators are not obligated to post any specific content. Creators are the ones who know their audiences best, and they’re most effective when they’re able to be independent, creative, and original.

Chorus is working to improve civic discourse now, to strengthen democracy for the long term, and participants clearly see the value. Here are a few things creators say about the program: 

• “I would recommend Chorus to any creator who wants to use their platform to make a meaningful impact. The program doesn't ask you to change who you are; it helps you become a stronger, more informed version of the creator you already are.”
• “Through mentorship, daily briefings, and a supportive community, I learned how to research more effectively, communicate complex issues in an accessible way, and create content that inspires action instead of just engagement.”
• “Whether you're new to civic content or have been doing this work for years, Chorus equips you with the tools, confidence, and network to grow your impact. It has opened doors I never imagined.”

Results

In just over a year, Chorus has trained a cohort of civic creators to cover issues accurately and help push forward a more inclusive, participatory democracy. We track our impact based on a combination of social analytics and civic actions. 

Just looking at the creators’ followings and content performance, it’s clear that participation in Chorus effectively amplifies their reach and impact. Since joining the program, participating creators have added 50 million new followers (a 32% increase), shared 500 thousand total posts (increasing monthly volume by 64%), reached 20.2 billion total views (a 19% increase in monthly views), and garnered 2.1 billion engagements (a 22% increase in monthly engagements). 

We also look at creators’ ability to encourage civic participation. Over the summer, Chorus creators inspired 4,889 people to register as poll workers. This fall, participating creators will work together to support voter registration and share voter education resources, early voting options, and more. 

Brian has always said that the signal he pays the most attention to is whether alumni come back to mentor the next group of participants, because when that happens we know we gave them something that stuck. Right now, we have over 150 creators who have returned as peer mentors through our Accelerator or Alumni programs, participating daily. Others have continued to engage with the larger Chorus network.

Media