Who are we?

Sparknews is a creative social start-up. Its most notable project to date is the world’s first website for media content about real-world solutions, for journalists, field workers and the general public. 

Sparknews values the media’s ability to create and inspire action by reporting on solutions.
Sparknews seeks to develop a concept we call “Impact Journalism” or even “Double Impact Journalism.”

• The first impact occurs when the media denounces injustice and its derivatives – by alerting us.
• The second impact occurs when the media shows an existing solution to these problems – it gives us the means to react.

We are a community of journalists, social entrepreneurs and individuals driven by common values and a shared desire to shed light on these initiatives.

Vision

Although they play an indispensible role in society by alerting us to important issues, journalists are often criticized for focusing only on problems. However, many journalists actively relay information about initiatives, solutions, victories over misfortune, and modern-day heroes…but these reports often receive less attention.

Still, these reports have a colossal impact. They are often the sparks that allow initiatives to be known and, more importantly, reproduced around the world. These reports spark action, giving people the desire to create change. Unfortunately, these reports are often difficult to find after their initial television broadcast. They are hard-to-find gems that should be valued and shared.

At the same time, the journalists behind them deserve to be honored for the quality of their work and their impact on the world.

Mission

Sparknews is a new participative project – innovative, modern and positive, with the goal of sharing these reports and promoting the work of these journalists. More concretely, it comprises:

• a website with videos and articles about innovative solutions (mostly reports compiled from the television news). This tool is offered to the public in the spirit of participation and “open source,” such that all the participants (individuals, businesses, public institutions, politicians, non-profit organizations, journalists…) can appropriate it. This source of best practices will be verified by a network of experts that we are currently putting together.

• an international prize, awarded to these journalists in order to encourage them and give them the energy and the means to carry out their work (grant of 10,000€).

• A network of professions who share this vision of journalism: enlightened editors-in-chief or enthusiastic freelancers in search of initiatives to feature in their work. These journalists exist—we will unite them.

Values

• Exchange of “best practices”
• Enthusiasm without naïveté
• Objectivity and goodwill
• Independence

Sparknews offers 

• For the public and fieldworkers
  •  A site for accessing video and written reports (embedding and links that respect the rights of the author)
  • a pool of initiatives and ideas to undertake and reproduce
  • a network of social entrepreneurs and journalists with common values

• For journalists
  • A web platform of written reports and video (especially television news reports). The content is embedded and the links respect authors’ rights.
  • Innovative public discussions between social entrepreneurs and journalists
  • A network of editors and journalists who share our vision
  • Ideas for subjects to report on
  • An international celebration for journalists ​
  • The possibility of participating in a competition: as a candidate (prize value of 10,000€) or as part of the jury 

• For experts
  • ​A pool of initiatives to complement their knowledge base
  • Recognition of their competences (possibility, for example, of being contacted by journalists about their areas of expertise)
  • A network of social entrepreneurs, journalists and institutions, teachers, etc, who share the same values
  • The possibility of participating in the competition jury

The Spark-Team

The Spark-Team is composed of people who contribute their energy and enthusiasm to help the project see the light of day. By sharing their desires and passions, they create sparks…

The Spark-Founder

Christian de Boisredon

At 24, Christian completed the first-ever trip around the world in search of grassroots initiatives. The result was a bestseller (L'Espérance autour du Monde, Pocket) and a wave of civic engagement from his readers. Then, he initiated and cofounded Reporters d’Espoirs, piloting the project for 4 years. Along with Sparknews, Christian is currently producing a feature film inspired by the life of M. Yunus, to be directed by P. Lloyd (Mamma Mia!, The Iron Lady both starring Meryl Streep)

Christian was also an educator of disadvantaged youth as part of his civil service and a project leader for Engineers without Borders.

Impact Journalism Day Editors & Journalists

Catherine Galloway

Editor-in-chief Impact Journalism Day (IJD)

           Celestine Bohlen

Editor-in-chief Impact Journalism Day (IJD)

           Culture : Franco-american

Celestine Bohlen is a bimonthly columnist at The International Tribune in Paris, and teaches journalism at Sciences-Po since 2010. She was a foreign correspondent for The New York Times based in Moscow, Budapest and Rome, and was also a culture reporter based in New York. She has worked for Bloomberg, The Washington Post, The Trenton Times and the Lowell Sun.

Christopher Hutton-Williams

Culture : British

Based in London, Christopher has 30 years of experience in content syndication notably for The Economist. He worked with leading press edtiors such as The Financial Times, Courrier International, La Stampa and Axel Springer. Christopher coordinates Sparknews partnerships with foreign newspapers.

Marcelle Balt

Culture : South-African

After completing her Masters degree in Community Development., Marcelle’s passion for Africa has taken her from Mozambique to Benin and Sudan, and back to her home country South Africa,  spanning work in public health, governance, and humanitarian intervention. A transition to radio and television news at SABC followed, and now she is combining these two streams with a double Masters degree in Journalism and International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris.

Jake Cigainero

Culture: American

Jake Cigainero is a freelance journalist. He grew up in Texas where he was a communications consultant in the visual and performing arts, community and social initiatives, and entrepreneurial startups. After extensive travels, Jake returned to school at Sciences Po in Paris for a double master's degree in international affairs and journalism. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism, English and Spanish from the University of North Texas.

Saskia de Rothchild

Culture : Italo-franco-american

Coming from a French, American and italian background, Saskia completed her Journalism degree at Columbia and HEC, she currently writes for the Herald Tribune, and in the past collaborated alongside The Washington Post, La Nacion (Argentina)...

The Spark-workers

Odile Tequi

Culture : Française

Odile Tequi is in charge of SparkNews commercial development.

A former marketing manager and RP in editorial and event domains during 10 years, Odile puts to use her experience and skills in the service of SparkNews commercial aspects. Odile holds a degree in Law from Assas and a degree in Art History from La Sorbonne.

Véronique Olivier-Martin

Culture : Française

After 10 years of consulting for CapGemini Consulting, Véronique offers her services as an illustrator to the press as well as to the corporate.

For companies, her frescos illustrate and capture in real-time with humor the issues adressed throughout the seminars or workshops being held. She intervened in numerous companies and administrations as  international conferences such as TED, Le Women’s Forum, etc.

Adèle Galey        

Culture : French

@SPARKTOUR Backpacker  : a round-the-world trip who acts as the matchmaker between social entrepreneurs and journalists -> www.sparktour.org

Adèle first disovered social entrepreneurship as a student at the ESSEC business school. After completing internships in event communication and at a sustainable development consulting agency, she realized that the start-up world was her true calling. Issued from a family of journalists, it’s only natural that she should turn towards Sparknews. She joined the team in September 2011 and will take part in the first-ever Spark Tour, a world tour dedicated to the promotion of initiative media around the world.

      Marie Poupinel

     Culture : Franco-english

After having spent most of her childhood in the heart of London following a british education, Marie integrated the International Sections of Sèvres to pursue her studies amidst a bilingual and international environment. Her multicultural background led her to become an active member of the European Youth Parliament, assuming various positions within the organization, more specifically as a board member and volunteer journalist. Determined to take a meaningful gap year to acquire a professional experience and learn outside the classroom before resuming her studies in fall 2013 at York University, she aligned her aspirations with SparkNews. Between parliamentary sessions spanning from Istanbul to Oslo, Marie is in charge of the start-up’s Community Management alongside taking part of SparkNews numerous projects.

Pierre Chevelle

Culture : French

After 2 years of preparatory class in Toulouse, Pierre Chevelle integrated the ESCP Europe business school in 2010. After spending a year in Paris followed by another in Berlin, he joined theSparknews project as Project Manager. The SparkNews's "Sharing solution" motto corresponds well with this student who published a book of advices for preparatory class students ("Secrets d'Admis : How to succeed in prepa HEC").

Naïk Guezel

Culture : French

Naïk Guezel, a network systems engineer, has actively supported humanitarian causes for children for the past fifteen years  (Aide-et-action, Unicef, Main dans la main...), as well as forward-thinking initiatives such as Reporters d’Espoir, where she met co-founder Christian de Boisredon. Her dedication led to a career change in 2009 towards the field of sustainable development, with a particular interest in ecology (Coopératrice Ecologiste, Les Colibris) and social economy and solidarity (Compos Sui). Naïk Guezel now brings together all these skills through her work at Sparknews, which she joined in January 2012.

SparkNews Ambassadors

John Burke.

Culture : Franco-american

Former Business Development Director of the Global Editors Network - an association that brings together more than 600 editors-in-chief and senior news executives from all platforms to break down the barriers between traditional and new media – John Burke joined the Spark team in May 2012.
John specializes in new media strategies and how to integrate them into traditional media frameworks.
He worked for five years at the World Editors Forum (within WAN, World Association of Newspapers) as Deputy Director before earning an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid where he specialized in entrepreneurship and marketing.
John has gained experience in the e-commerce industry (while working for a start up, Daily deal) and used the combination of his new media and e-commerce knowledge when consulting for GEN.
John is now contributing to Sparknew’s launch. He works full time for Sparknews since June 2012.

Victoire Reneaume

Culture : French

Impressed by the Sparknews project, Victoire wished to participate to this social start-up adventure. The four years she lived in Madrid allowed her to have a good practice of Spanish, and her year abroad in Norway made her discover a new culture, full of good sense. After completing an internship in "La Médiation de l'Eau", she realizes that each problem has its solution and that dialogue is essential for their solving. She has just finnished her scolarship in Sciences Po Bordeaux, where she earned a dregree in European Affairs, and she joined the Sparkteam in order to share solutions at the European level but also at the international level.

Daria Karaulova

Culture : Franco-russian

At the age of 15 she has spent a year as an exchange student in USA where she encountered a very different from her home country, Russia, social work culture. During her university education as a political science student in New York University Abu Dhabi she has completed a semester in Buenos Aires, and is currently spending a semester in NYU Paris. Having lived and studied in such a variety of countries she has become alert to the social issues in the world and understood the importance of international collaboration in the process of finding solutions. Inspired by the idea of Sparknews, Daria has eagerly joined the team in July 2012 and has been mainly working on establishing connection with Russia and the Middle East.

Alexis Lefebvre

Culture : French

Alexis Lefebvre is a graduate of AgroParisTech, where he earned a degree in Management, Innovation and Business Performance. During his studies, he worked at the French Embassy in Singapore before joining a start-up in the health field, developing products derived from algae. He was captivated by the world of entrepreneurship, and immediately recognized the value and importance of the Sparknews endeavor. He worked on projects as a student before joining the team in March 2012.

Volunteer Advisor

Hervé Deguine, Journalist/ content syndication/ sustainable development.

Hervé worked as a journalist at Libération, in the Development/ World Media Network section, and he was in charge of the content syndication. Then he became “Reporters sans frontière’s” researcher and Deputy director, before owning the leadership of a Prisma Press Group’s magazine. Today, he is in charge of strategic issues at Michelin’s sustainable development department. He published around ten books. He is a member of “Couleur de Chines’s” association, that patrons the scholarship for children from ethnic minorities, and he is a volunteer for a Medecin du Monde’s social program.

The contributors (Sparkers)

During the test phase of the Sparknews site, many people have work together to bring the site to life, contributing content as well as valuable advice and comments. Find everyone who has followed our development over the past months, and helped us by bringing their special “spark touch” to our efforts in the section all our contributors. 

Become a contributor! Write to Marie :  mpoupinel[at]sparknews.com