S2 E1: The Power of a Blank Page with The Strangers Project

The Negative Space

S2 E1: The Power of a Blank Page with The Strangers Project

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What happens when we put down our phones and share our stories with strangers?

In the Season 2 premiere of The Negative Space, host Patricia McLoughlin sits down with Brandon Doman, founder of The Strangers Project, and designer and community strategist Exa Kutler to explore the power of human connection in an increasingly disconnected world.

What began as a notebook and a simple invitation to write has grown into a traveling community engagement project featuring more than 100,000 anonymous handwritten stories. By creating spaces where people can share their experiences without judgment, prompts, or digital distractions, The Strangers Project offers a rare opportunity for reflection, vulnerability, and belonging.

Together, Patricia, Brandon, and Exa discuss the role of anonymity in building trust, the surprising themes that emerge across thousands of stories, and what it means to create meaningful community during a loneliness epidemic. They also explore the challenges of sustaining mission-driven creative work, lessons from bringing the project to Webby Awards Creator Weekend, and the future of preserving these powerful stories for new audiences.

In a culture that often rewards speed and performance, this conversation is a reminder that sometimes the most impactful thing we can offer is a blank page—and the space to be seen.

In this episode:

How The Strangers Project grew from a spontaneous idea into a global community initiative
Why anonymity can foster honesty, empathy, and connection
What 100,000+ stories reveal about our shared human experiences
The role of in-person engagement in an increasingly digital world
The challenges and opportunities of sustaining long-term social impact work
What’s next for The Strangers Project

Learn more about The Strangers Project at strangersproject.com and on Instagram @strangersproj

If you’re in New York City, you can visit The Strangers Project at the World Trade Center Oculus (Thursday–Sunday, 2:00–6:30 PM)

Learn more about the Anthem Awards and The Negative Space at anthemawards.com and on Instagram @anthemawards.

Set the new standard for good and enter your impact work into the Anthem Awards before July 31st!

Transcript

Patagonia – Don’t Buy This Jacket

Patagonia has put social impact at the core of their brand mission and values from the start, and their iconic Don’t Buy This Jacket campaign demonstrates how brands can use their platform to make an impact — or better yet, to help reduce our impact. This 2011 ad ran in the New York Times on Black Friday, making a lasting impression for its bold message addressing the issue of consumerism head on and asking readers to take the Common Threads Initiative pledge to reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, and reimagine a world where we take only what nature can replace.

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NEWS & ANNONCEMENTS

Ad Council’s Love Has No Labels Movement

Love Has No Labels is a movement by The Ad Council to promote diversity, equity and inclusion of all people across race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability.

Read our Q&A with Heidi Arthur, the Ad Council’s Chief Campaign Development Officer on the team behind LHNL collaborates with partners to combat implicit bias—from crafting PSAs to driving viewers to take action, to how brands and companies should approach corporate social responsibility with authenticity.

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