This is a film that takes that small, two-letter word you see on every piece of journalism in The New York Times–by–and gives it dimension. It celebrates the 1,700 unique people behind the reporting, bringing us closer to them and showing how their humanity gives The New York Times's journalism greater depth, richness and color.

Each scene is a glimpse into the life behind the by, using archival footage shot by journalists and woven with sound bites to depict the complex, hopeful, turbulent and rewarding relationship each journalist has with their work.

Our audience values the societal role The Times plays, but that appreciation doesn’t translate into a personal investment in the brand because, in part, they see Times journalism as coming from a large institution, rather than from the individual reporters who create the work.

To solve this, we turned the camera on the diverse spectrum of New York Times journalists, showing their worlds and humanity, ultimately helping readers see more of themselves in The Times.

We wanted to take that small, two-letter word you see on every piece of journalism in The New York Times–by–and fill it with dimension. Each scene became a glimpse into the life behind the “by”, using archival footage shot by journalists. The craft of the edit and the music were essential in showing viewers the journalist's perspective and creating an immersive experience viewers could empathize with.

The pace is set by human voices and by the word by. As the word changes typographically, we wanted to throw the viewer into a new world, creating a compositional narrative that keeps viewers’ eyes fixed on the word and the space beside the word ‘By’. The scenes come together into a winding emotional journey, showing the complex, turbulent and rewarding relationship journalists have with their journalism.