Istorias Media is a creative storytelling studio with a mission to amplify underrepresented voices and bring forward stories that foster connection in an increasingly polarised world. With a special emphasis on the Global South, Istorias Media bridges journalism, culture, and strategic communications to tell stories that resonate across borders. The outlet blends formats—podcasts, stand-up comedy, art, hackathons, and storytelling.
In the Incubator, they will focus on the podcast “Les sages parlent” (Let the Wise Speak), targeting older generations in France and originally piloted in the Ivory Coast in January 2025. The podcast focuses on combating hate speech and misinformation in the electoral period through humour.
On a Trojan horse towards journalism that builds bridges
Istorias Media uses solution journalism to fight polarisation and get to underrepresented or hard-to-reach audiences. Their first major project was a video podcast in Côte d’Ivoire, “Laissons Parler les Gens” (Let People Speak). To meet their audiences where they are, the team created a new format using what they call the “Trojan horse” methodology.
The Trojan horse in question comes in the format of comedy —specifically, a stand-up comedy show hosted by a well-known local comedian that tackles the topic of hate speech. Celebrities appeared as guests, drawing viewers in with personal stories, but the conversations subtly delivered information on mental health and critical thinking.
Impact of listening to your audience
This approach became a replicable model. Seeing its potential, the team realised it could also work for older audiences vulnerable to fake news and conspiracy theories. That led to the idea for “Les sages parlent” (Let the Wise Speak), a French-language adaptation designed to let trusted voices share wisdom in an engaging, non-confrontational way.
Source: Istorias Media
Istorias Media initially targeted seniors as its core audience. The Incubator training revealed something new about their real audience—older adults who value slow journalism, expert voices, and longer formats. The team dug deeper and through ideathons with both seniors and younger people, they discovered a strong desire for intergenerational dialog and deep concern about fake news and AI.
To test their approach, they have produced a pilot episode in public at Le Théâtre des Clochers Célestes in Lyon’s Croix-Rousse district. The show, hosted by French comedian Damien Lackey—known for his theatre work and as the voice of Les Lapins Crétins—unfolding in four acts, each testing a different content style.
The live recording took place on May 22 with the senior audience members, stakeholders, and potential partners. The episode will soon be published and kick off a membership campaign to gauge audience interest.
Source: Damien Laquet
Istorias Media gained valuable skills during the incubator, particularly in audience-centric design—a principle they knew was essential, but that was not a common practice. The programme gave them the space to apply these methods, which has since benefited other projects.
For example, after attending the Incubator Bootcamp in Vienna, the team realised they needed to build their own technology, as existing tools weren’t sufficient for their goals. They are now developing a custom app—an impact measurement platform.
They also adopted the OKR methodology introduced in the programme, testing it on their Côte d’Ivoire project. Together with their mentor Fabienne Meijer, they set and reached an ambitious goal: grow their YouTube subscribers from 5,000 to 10,000. Today, they’ve surpassed that—reaching 23,000 followers.
In the future, they plan to continue to iterate, question, and explore—embracing the open-ended process as part of their evolution as a creative media lab.
“Incubator brought us more than just what we came for.”, says the team.
The New Media Incubator is part of the Media Innovation Europe programme (MIE), made possible with the support of the European Union.
