“Independent Journalism for an Independent Life” is a campaign that turned the focus onto New York Times readers for the first time, showing that what you read can inspire who you are. For this film, we look to tell the story of iconic subscriber Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, celebrating the point where his curiosity collides with the values of our independent journalism—helping to inspire his rich, unique and interesting life.

To launch the second phase of the campaign, The Times chose to spotlight award-winning director, musician and producer Questlove who is a longtime news reader, contributor, Wordle fan and Times subscriber since 2020. We wanted to capture a side of him that nobody had ever seen before—painting an intimate portrait of who he is, beyond his music, through the stories he reads. Using headlines, journalistic imagery, sound design and shot footage, we fill the screen with life.

Toggling between moving and static imagery—life and journalism—the film weaves together Questlove's interests, reading history and personality to immerse you in his world.

The rhythmic prose of the connected headlines is supported by the voice of Questlove himself, bringing you closer to his world. We use a distinct music track that helps capture who he is, with found audio punctuating the most impactful words and moments of his story. The SFX were thoughtfully designed to be woven into the tapestry of Questlove's life, threading together his voice, sound design, music, and audio bites into a unique soundscape that makes his story richer, while adding more context to every headline and showing how his life collides with our independent journalism.

Questlove's film is dense with layers, meaning and idiosyncrasies. All these dimensions come together to give you a better understanding of how central our journalism is to the identity of its readers.