Jonah Sachs

Jonah Sachs is an author, speaker, and viral marketing trailblazer whose work helped spur the 21st-century values revolution, bringing social change ideals—such as equity, empowerment, responsibility, transparency, and advocacy—to the forefront of business and popular culture.

Sachs’ most recent book, Unsafe Thinking: How to Be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Most, has won praise from luminaries including Daniel Pink, who says the book “will propel you…onto a path of better, sharper thinking”; Adam Grant, who calls it “enchanting”; and Mary Karr, who lauds the book for being “blazingly original.” 

A master storyteller, Sachs speaks to corporate, institutional, and conference audiences around the world, guiding them on how to break patterns and make new connections to create powerful, meaningful, and radical change. Channeling the wisdom of thinkers from across disciplines and drawing on cutting-edge research and spellbinding anecdotes to tell a story of profound change, Sachs is known for creating a unique and intimate connection with his audiences.

Sachs rose to prominence in the early 2000s by creating some of the world’s first, and still most heralded, viral digital marketing videos. As founder and CEO of Free Range Studios, Sachs created watershed viral campaigns, like Amnesty International’s awareness-raising video on blood diamonds which was seen by millions and delivered directly to every member of congress, helping drive the passage of the Clean Diamond Trade Act.

Sachs later produced “The Story of Stuff,” which, viewed by over 60 million people, marked a turning point in the fight to educate people about the environmental and social impact of overconsumption. Sachs went on to create groundbreaking campaigns for Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaigns, the ACLU, and consumer brands, including Microsoft, Asana, The North Face, and Patagonia.

In 2012, Sachs released Winning the Story Wars, a deep dive into the stories that have the power to break through the noise, open minds, move hearts, and change behaviors. Published by Harvard Business Review Press, Winning the Stories Wars was hailed as “a storytelling call to arms” by Dan Heath, as “important and thought-provoking” by Deepak Chopra, and as “wise and enlightening” by Bath & Body Works CEO Nick Coe.

Sachs’ work and opinions have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX News, Sundance Film Festival, and NPR. Sachs also penned a column for Fast Company, which named him one of today’s 50 most influential social innovators.