History

THRU Media was developed as a Portland Oregon-based online magazine. We published hundreds of articles, original video documentaries, creative writing, art works, and a podcast. The project discontinued after three years in 2018. Most of the content is archived and available at magazine.thru.media.

Among the two dozen contributors to the magazine, there were several core creators: Sean Ongley and Kathleen Dolan drove the project, while Estevan Munoz, Ingrid Horton, Jen Scholten, and Forrest Brennan provided substantial content contributions in supportive roles early in rollout of the publication.

Nobody had the heart to turn this into a clickbait site, or spend hours upon hours seeking business sponsors, and with only one commissioned video project beyond one Indiegogo campaign, the operation ran out of steam. And our lives changed until it became untenable to continue the magazine.

In 2022, when all were asked if they would be open to seeing Thru Media relaunched with a different vision, Forrest, Estevan, and Ingrid were open to it.

Estevan has relocated to Brooklyn where he is working with Bad Taste Video as an actor, and on his own as a writer, music producer and performer.

Forrest remains in Portland where he launched a production company called Hungry Mantis, specializing in 360 video.

Ingrid continues to work as a graphic designer in Melbourne, Australia.

Sean is again leading the effort to build a media brand called THRU. This time without the kind of pressure that is involved with a magazine. Original content on the front end and media services on the back end were always the vision for it, and here a magazine can always be put back together, if it makes sense.

If people can be brought together with newfound connections, a decentralized agency can be formed, and dynamic content can be produced.

Decentralization

Digital publishing is typically financed by a variety of exclusive content delivery methods, and advertising. Audiences get stuck behind paywalls, or submitted to (often excessive) advertising.

Creative agencies are typically top down companies that employ highly talented creators to produce whatever content they are asked to as determined by the employer.

Is it possible for a small media company to provide services like an agency from a network of freelancers specialized in various fields, to work with small business and independent producers?

It’s not enough anymore to replicate the models for business and organization that built mass media. We live in the era of decentralized media and finance, and this is good. Thru Media wants to evolve into this new landscape.

V4V Model

Without corporate sponsors or paywalls, pop-up ads, and data harvesting, is it possible for content to be delivered publicly without barriers, in a profitable way? Can everyday people be executive producers?

On the services side, it means being flexible to meet the value a client can offer, as well as sharing alike your resources so that the community of creators behind Thru can achieve their goals across the entirety of their professional endeavours, rather than compete against one another.

A V4V producer sees the value in that work and wants to help support it without control over outcomes. A Thru creator sees the value and strength in community and is willing to apply their talents toward mutual success.

This is an experiment in decentralized media.

Mission

We are working on this.