Underknown
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital media |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Stephen Hulford Raphael Faeh Peter Schmiedchen |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Key people | Stephen Hulford (CEO) |
| Products | What If, How to Survive, Animalogic, Aperture, Popular Science FAST channel |
| Website | underknown |
Underknown Inc. is a Canadian digital-first media production company based in Toronto that specializes in short-form educational science and factual programming.
History
[edit | edit source]Underknown was founded in 2016 by Steve Hulford, Raphael Faeh, and Peter Schmiedchen.[1][2] It began when Hulford and Faeh produced the science-explainer series What If in Hulford’s living room.[3] In 2019, Underknown received C$2.5 million in equity and debt financing, including support from Ontario Creates.[3]
In May 2020, Underknown staged Live Med Aid, a five-hour global livestream that raised funds for Médecins Sans Frontières' COVID-19 response; the programme combined conversations with scientists such as Jane Goodall, Wade Davis, David Suzuki, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Katharine Hayhoe with performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, Bombino, Barenaked Ladies, Metric, and others.[4][5]
In March 2022, Underknown acquired the speculative science YouTube channel Aperture.[1] In August 2024, Underknown bought the nature channel Animalogic from Blue Ant Media, and that November it merged with the creator services agency GPOP.[6][7]
In March 2025, Underknown, in a joint initiative with the American magazine Popular Science, launched an eponymous free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel distributed on services such as Vizio WatchFree+, Plex and Sling Freestream.[8][9]
Productions
[edit | edit source]Underknown's programming uses hypothetical questions, survival scenarios and natural history storytelling to explain scientific concepts.[10] Core franchises include the science series What If, the how-to strand How to Survive, the nature show Animalogic and the video essay channel Aperture.[1][8]
Awards
[edit | edit source]Underknown’s flagship science series What If won the People’s Voice Award for Science & Education (Series & Channels) at the 24th Webby Awards in 2020, where it was cited alongside BBC Ideas as one of the year's leading educational video channels.[11] The same production was subsequently named the Video category winner and received the Audience Honor for Storytelling at the 13th Shorty Awards, which recognise excellence in social-media video.[12]
In 2021, Underknown's pandemic‐era charity livestream Live Med Aid was honoured by RTDNA Canada with the national Digital Award for News – Live Special Events.[13]
Underknown's survival series How to Survive received the People's Voice Award for Science & Education (Series & Channels) at the 26th Webby Awards in 2022.[14]
References
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