Jonah Sachs

Early life

Sachs was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nancy Kantor and Allan Sachs. He has two siblings, Emily and Zoe. Sachs attended Wesleyan University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper for two semesters. In that role, he wrote about campus politics and social justice issues. He graduated from Wesleyan in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in American Studies.

Career

After graduation, Sachs moved to Washington, D.C. and worked at Ampersand Graphic Design doing layout and design work. He also did freelance design work. In 1999 he reconnected with his childhood friend Louis Fox, and the two decided to form Free Range Studios together with the goal of offering social causes the same kind of communication tools and advantages that corporate brands have in the media space. Since its inception, their agency has worked with such organizations as Amnesty International, the ACLU, SEIU, Earthjustice, Greenpeace International, Autodesk, the Sierra Club, and the Harvard Civil Rights Project. Their agency also offers e-workshops to teach corporations how to create and tell compelling stories that unify their brand positioning and messaging, and change the way they communicate about their brand or cause.

Works

Sachs has received acclaim for several online videos that have brought social issues to the attention of the public. The Meatrix (released November 2003), a spoof on the blockbuster movie The Matrix, reveals the truth about factory meat farming. It quickly became the most watched advocacy ad in Internet history.

Sachs also helped produce the video The Story of Stuff, a 20-minute video that has reached over 10 million viewers in over 200 countries. The video is an animated documentary about the lifecycle of material goods.

Additionally, Sachs’ interactive work has been honored with “Best Of” awards three times at the standard-setting South By Southwest interactive festival.

Sachs’ book, Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell—and Live—the Best Stories Will Rule the Future, traces the quiet supremacy of Empowerment Marketing from the early days of Volkswagen, Apple, and Nike to the viral breakthroughs of Yes We Can, the Tea Party movement, The Story of Stuff, and Patagonia. It offers three simple tools brands can use to break through, earn fans, and become an icon. The book has gained acclaim from such outlets as Forbes, Publishers Weekly, and 800 CEO READ.

Additionally, Sachs and his work have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX News, Sundance Film Festival, NPR, The Colbert Report, and in FastCompany Magazine, which named him one of the 50 most influential social innovators.