America is bitterly divided. We’re divided over COVID, climate, and seemingly every important issue we face as a nation. This division is a problem because — echoing Abraham Lincoln — a house divided against itself cannot stand. We can't address our most important issues if we’re so staunchly on one side or the other that we fail to integrate the kernels of insight we all hold. We can't address COVID, for example, without integrating the perspectives of public health and the economy. How might we redraw the lines so that public health and the economy are on the same side?

How might we transcend polarization through integration?

Synthesis Media is an independent production studio devoted to integrating different perspectives into a bigger picture of reality. We produce media, tools, and ideas that speak not just to one tribe, but instead integrate their insights. In Hegelian terms, we move culture from thesis versus anti-thesis to synthesis. In this way, Synthesis Media strives to accelerate the next enlightenment.

Here are 3 current projects:

Faces of X — a series of short videos that integrate different perspectives on divisive social issues, like abortion, gender, and race. Launched in August of 2024.

The Anti-Debate — a new debate format designed to incentivize “steel-manning” and integration of different perspectives. Launching in late 2024.

Polycrisis Explainer Video — it’s time for a clear, concise, and compelling video that explains what the polycrisis is, and how to think about adequate interventions. Fundraising in 2024.

Synthesis Media is led by award-winning producer and storyteller, Stephanie Lepp. Our advisors and partners include creatives, philosophers, and experts, like viral storyteller Jonah Sachs, filmmaker & reporter Michelle Pollino, and cultural entrepreneur Greg Thomas.

If you or anyone in your network might be interested in supporting Synthesis Media, please be in touch: stephanie@infinitelunchbox.com

Project Director Bio:

Stephanie Lepp is a producer and storyteller.

Stephanie is the former Executive Director at the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a non-profit think tank devoted to transcending the polarization that threatens American democracy. Before that, she was the Executive Producer at the Center for Humane Technology, the organization featured at the heart of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. Stephanie now leads Synthesis Media, an independent production studio devoted to accelerating the next enlightenment.

Stephanie’s work has been supported by institutions like Sundance and the Mozilla Foundation, and exhibited worldwide. Her latest work is Faces of X — a series of short videos that integrate different perspectives on culture war issues, which has been lauded by Chris Anderson (1.5M followers), Tim Urban (825K), and Glenn Loury (200K). She won two Webbys for Deep Reckonings — a series of explicitly-marked deepfake videos that imagine morally courageous versions of our public figures.

You can follow Stephanie at @stephlepp