»Freunde von Freunden« was founded as an international online magazine in 2009. The title is indicative of its programme. Frederik Frede and his team tell stories about their friends. They focus on creative people, and present their views and attitudes in interviews. Meanwhile the online magazine has expanded with a network of freelancers working in more than fifty cities, and supplies the magazine, an app and the print version with stories.

»FvF« is funded via co-operations with agencies and brands. The magazine represents a creative agency that produces videos, content for websites, marketing projects and corporate publishing. »We are long-distance runners, not sprinters«, says Frederic Frede. More than 500 interviews, 15,000 photographs, 50 videos and over 100 supporters have helped »Freunde von Freunden« reach an audience of 3 million readers - monthly. However, »FvF« does not rely on short-term trends and hypes, but promotes timeless individualism. Adequate media partners add up to the respective content. Content and the story are key – beyond any »hipness« or the »latest fashion«.

»We do it, so that we can do what we want to do«, Frederik Frede admits. He smiles and tells us of a real luxury problem in an industry in a deep crisis: »Within a very short time we had more ads than we could place«. The designer, who loves roaming the web, is a fan of traditional values: »It is easier to understand things you can touch. And what you can touch, you want to have, too«. Authenticity matters, Frede explains: »We used to use Photoshop a lot, but we are not interested in it any more. We want to know what the people really look like«. These are, all in all, interesting facets of a success story written by »Freunde von Freunden« and connected to form a smart grid via collaborations with interesting partners, including vitra and others.

Frederik Frede online: frederikfrede.com