Celebrating 5 Years of Research and Discovery

As we celebrate the launch of 12 new magic grants, we are excited to toast the alumni and projects that have made the Brown Institute what it is today. At the end of the month, the Institute will host friends and families of the institute, as well as the list of journalists, creatives and engineers that have helped our projects along the way to celebrate all that we’ve created. We will specifically highlight the 2016-17 projects that have spent a year building and programming, writing and documenting.

Established in 2012 with a $30M gift from Helen Gurley Brown, the former editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan magazine for over three decades, the Institute was created to provide a platform and to inspire young people in their pursuit of advancing the media industry. The endowment was created in memory of her late husband David Brown. A graduate of both Stanford and Columbia, Brown is most well known for producing hit films like Jaws, A Few Good Men and Driving Miss Daisy.

Speaking in 2012, Helen Gurley Brown explained: “David and I have long supported and encouraged bright young people to follow their passions and to create original content. Great content needs useable technology. Sharing a language is where the magic happens. It’s time for two great American institutions on the East and West coasts to build a bridge.”  

Since 2012, the Institute has funded over 150 grantees/fellows working on over 40 projects, and has published in major outlets in journals. Here’s to another five years of innovation and impact!