Brut is a French-founded digital media company specializing in short-form video news tailored for social platforms. Created in 2016 by former television executives Guillaume Lacroix, Renaud Le Van Kim, and Laurent Lucas, the network built a global footprint by producing subtitled vertical videos that circulate quickly on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

Global Expansion and Editions

Brut scaled beyond its initial European audience by opening regional newsrooms that localize its mobile-first format for specific political contexts.

2016–2017: European Launch: Established production hubs in Paris producing daily explainers on politics, culture, and environmental issues using bold captions suited to mobile viewing.

2017–2019: United States Expansion: Built Brut America operations in New York and Los Angeles to deliver English-language explainers on U.S. elections, social movements, and civic participation while collaborating with on-the-ground filmmakers.

2020 Onward: South Asian Growth: Launched Brut India through a joint venture in Mumbai and New Delhi, producing Hindi- and English-language coverage of Indian elections, public health campaigns, and climate policy with localized visual storytelling.

Political Media Approach

Brut’s editorial strategy emphasizes visual storytelling and concise explanations that reach younger audiences who primarily consume news through mobile feeds.

Format: Relies on vertical video, bold typography, and on-screen captions so stories remain accessible without audio and optimized for autoplay environments.

Topics: Covers elections, civic participation, climate policy, human rights, and cultural moments, adapting scripts and subtitles for each edition’s linguistic needs.

Distribution: Publishes simultaneously across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat Discover, TikTok, and YouTube, tailoring cuts of the same story to platform-specific length and engagement norms.

Regional Political Coverage

Brut’s international bureaus apply the network’s template to local civic issues while sharing footage across the global newsroom.

United States: Brut America produces short-form interviews, protest coverage, and policy explainers on federal and state debates, using live streams, Q&As, and partnerships with universities and nonprofits during election cycles.

India: Brut India delivers multilingual videos on national and state elections, civic initiatives, and environmental challenges, adapting to platform regulations such as the 2020 TikTok ban while maintaining distribution on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Political Influence

Brut helped mainstream social-first video explainers in global political media.

Elections Coverage: Produces interviews with candidates and voters, on-the-ground reporting from protests, and explainers on voting procedures aimed at first-time voters.

Youth Engagement: Demonstrates that short-form video can mobilize awareness of climate marches, police accountability debates, and civic participation campaigns among Gen Z audiences.

Partnerships: Collaborates with international organizations, universities, and streaming services to produce documentaries and informational series on topics such as climate diplomacy and misinformation.

Brut’s model illustrates how a mobile-native newsroom can scale internationally by adapting political news storytelling to algorithm-driven distribution channels while maintaining localized reporting.