From Indie Media to a Marketplace: A Coffee with the Co-Founder

While scrolling through the magazine archive of Are We Europe, a Pan-European media organization focused on telling diverse, cross-border stories from across Europe, my eyes caught the Down to Earth edition. Two hands holding colorful flowers with roots still attached. “What will we reap from Earth in a generation or two? A beautiful bouquet of bright blooms or a sad bowl of dried-up potpourri?” I don’t think I need to overexplain the meaning after these questions, which opened up the edition.

Then I kept going through all the magazines, enriching myself in these powerful stories and eye-soothing visuals and drawings—pages you can’t help but want to cut out and hang across your room. While Are We Europe focuses on pure journalism, there is more to it. As part of this organization, Awe Studio combines its design and storytelling skills to focus on media production for other organizations. In an in-depth interview with co-founder Stijn Frankoorder, he explained, “Different organizations kept reaching out to us if we could do similar designs for them as well. There was no ‘wow’ moment where we decided to transition to Awe Studio, other than collaborating on media productions with other organizations that share our values.”

While there is a lot to tell about these two platforms and a lot to dive into, the launch of the Awe Marketplace, connecting advertisers and European Niche Media, was the decision to reach out to the co-founder and have an interview on how the marketplace finds its place in the creative community and how the marketplace will change the perception of advertisers connecting with niche media.

“Instead, we are aiming to move away from the empty, soulless advertising you see on social media, and build something with real meaning for independent media and journalism.”

Stijn: The idea of the marketplace has been around for about two years. Different people might tell the story a bit differently, but this is how I tell it because it comes from personal experience. Back when we were still just Are We Europe, I was always working to create as many meaningful partnerships as possible with organizations and institutes that shared our values. We cover a range of topics—from European identity to sports, nature, land use, and even colonial history. These organizations were interested because we had a unique, engaged audience, one that many media outlets don’t have.

But then they’d often ask for our numbers, and when we’d tell them we had a print run of only three or four thousand magazines—and our website traffic was somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000 monthly visitors—they’d often say, “We love your audience, but it’s just too small.” So, we started thinking about how influencer marketplaces exist for individual creators on TikTok and other platforms, but there’s nothing similar for independent media. There’s no marketplace for niche media that cover serious topics—not just individuals focused on products like mascara, but media outlets exploring important cultural and political themes.

So we tested the idea by going back to the advertisers who had turned us down. We asked, “What if we could run your campaign not just with Are We Europe, but with other similar media, all reaching a combined audience?” If we had five, ten, or even fifteen media outlets like ours, suddenly we’re not talking about 40,000 people, but hundreds of thousands or even a million. That was the moment it clicked for me.

This vision was always about more than just running a production studio. We wanted to build a media company that could think about both strategy and execution—from defining the media challenge to producing podcasts, branding, or other content. And then, of course, comes distribution: how do we get these stories to the right audience? But it’s not about reaching the biggest audience possible. If you’re looking for pure scale, giants like Google and Facebook have already optimized that space. That’s not what we’re offering, and it’s not what we want to do. Instead, we’re aiming to move away from the empty, soulless advertising you see on social media, and build something with real meaning for independent media and journalism.

While listening to how the marketplace was born, the phrase “shared values” caught my attention. I’m aware of the significant impact this organization has had to date, especially after being chosen as one of Moleskine Foundation’s Creativity Pioneers this year. I wanted to gain a more in-depth understanding of the values that advertisers should keep in mind when approaching Awe in general.

“For us, it boils down to the themes that can genuinely help make the world a better place. Think climate change, migration, and building inclusive societies—those are the big ones.”

Stijn: We’ve had this conversation many times, and we even put together this nice list of ten values that reflect what Europe should focus on. For us, it boils down to the themes that can genuinely help make the world a better place. Think climate change, migration, and building inclusive societies—those are the big ones.

When we look at potential partners, it’s crucial that they’re also working towards these goals. If there’s any doubt about whether their work aligns with our mission, we’re probably not the right fit for each other. I want to emphasize that this isn’t just about editorial independence; it’s about partnering with organizations that genuinely want to make a positive impact.

Honestly, if someone’s primary aim is to sell products—be it shoes or hoodies—we’re not the right organization for them. It’s a two-way street: we want to work with organizations that share our vision. While we do have an ideal client profile with a few criteria to keep in mind, it’s more of a starting point for conversation than a checklist we strictly adhere to. Ultimately, it helps us find common ground and ensure that we’re aligned in our values and objectives.

As I listened and sipped my coffee, I found myself reflecting on the challenges we face as editors regarding which articles to promote and accept. It’s also been tough for us at Europe&Me to gain recognition from advertisers. So, as cheesy as it may sound, I sought advice from Stijn, asking him what advertisers might be overlooking in niche media.

“In reality, I think we’re missing a big opportunity here. There’s an audience that’s genuinely interested in the topics and ideas these organizations want to share.”

Stijn: To address your question, I see a significant disconnect between NGOs and the advertising and partnership opportunities they pursue and the audiences they aim to reach. Sometimes, it seems like organizations believe that simply pushing content on their Instagram will be enough to make an impact. Even when they run ads, the approach often feels limited to just promoting their message without deeper engagement.

In reality, I think we’re missing a big opportunity here. There’s an audience that’s genuinely interested in the topics and ideas these organizations want to share. At the same time, advertisers—those paying customers—are missing out on this connection. We can bridge this gap by linking niche, sometimes independent, media with advertisers. That’s definitely an area we can work on together. I believe this is the main thing we’re currently overlooking.

As our coffees cooled, we delved into a conversation about the team and celebrated some of the marketplace success stories, like ARTE TV, along with the valuable “learning on the go” experiences that come from their work. I even got a glimpse of what a “usual day” looks like at Awe Studio. When he’s in the Amsterdam office, his day starts early—around 8 AM. He makes it a point to check in with the team members present to ensure everyone is aligned on the day’s goals and any necessary adjustments. While the atmosphere can get a bit chaotic, he assured me it’s the kind of chaos that sparks creativity. Just last week, part of the team was in Brussels, and they’re already gearing up for another trip next week.

This snapshot of daily life at Awe Studio showcases a culture driven by collaboration and creativity, unfolding new challenges and opportunities to create meaningful stories that make a real impact.

All pictures provided from Awe Studio.