Newsreel, a new app founded by CEO Jack Brewster, aims to transform how today’s youth interacts with news in an era of fast-paced information and news fatigue. Colgate University alumnus Jake Gómez ’21 was a part of the first college intern class at Newsreel and has since become a central part of their team as Audience Director. Rooted in insights from the Newsreel team’s time at the University as part of Colgate’s 2024 TIA Summer Accelerator and their professional experiences, the app’s launch as part of a pilot with Colgate on Oct. 24 brought a unique approach to educating oneself about news, designed specifically for the younger generation.
Newsreel was born from a desire to address growing disengagement with traditional news formats. Brewster, who wrote for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time Magazine, Vice, Fortune, Newsweek, and The New York Daily News before founding Newsreel, noticed that young audiences often skim headlines, rarely diving deeper into stories.
“I created Newsreel out of a deep concern for the growing news fatigue […]. My goal with Newsreel is to help users stay informed in a way that fits naturally into their daily lives, making the news experience both enjoyable and impactful,” Brewster said.
In an email sent by Brewster on Saturday Nov. 9, he expands on the reasoning behind the app’s development.
“Two weeks ago at Colgate, we launched Newsreel — a new kind of news app for anyone burned out by TikTok, Instagram, or even tradition news,” Brewer wrote. “Now that the election’s behind us, we think it’s more relevant than ever.”
The app seeks to make staying informed an accessible part of the daily routine, moving beyond traditional formats that may feel overwhelming. One of the standout features of Newsreel is its interactive timelines, which offer users a way to view ongoing stories as interconnected narratives. Chief Growth Officer Justin Cruz shared his thoughts on this feature.
“Our timelines make it easy to see the bigger picture […], understanding not just what happened today, but also how events are connected and why they matter,” Cruz said.
Additionally, the app’s design aligns with young people’s lifestyles, presenting news in quick, interactive bites that feel relevant and digestible. Unlike traditional news apps that may feel daunting, Newsreel offers a format that fosters curiosity without overwhelming its audience.
For Gómez and the team, launching Newsreel at Colgate was deeply meaningful. Gómez credited Colgate’s Thought Into Action (TIA) program for giving the project its foundation.
“Being part of TIA connected us with the Colgate entrepreneurial community and really gave us the foundation we needed to create something genuinely useful for young people,” Gómez said.
With its debut at Colgate, Newsreel aims to deepen its relationship with Colgate and the University’s students, understanding and adapting to students’ busy schedules. The team envisioned Newsreel as a go-to resource for Colgate students that integrates easily into their routines.
Looking ahead, Brewster sees Newsreel as more than an app; he sees it as a reimagined approach to news for younger generations.
“We see Newsreel leading the way in making news simple, interactive and designed for modern attention spans,” Brewster said. “We’re focused on creating a platform that feels personalized, sparks curiosity and fosters a lifelong habit of staying informed.”
The Newsreel team, including Brewster and Gómez, will return to Colgate Nov. 21-22 for another event and are currently looking for three Colgate students to join as campus ambassadors. As Newsreel continues to grow, it stands to change how young people engage with the world, one interactive story at a time.
