Industry

Digital Innovation & Media

Objective

Connect Through Innovation

From Legacy to Innovation: Connecting Media with Emerging Tech

RFE/RL’s Georgian team aimed to engage younger, tech-savvy audiences in fresh, relevant ways. While respected for its editorial strength, the brand lacked a visible innovation presence to attract the next generation of media consumers. To tackle this, I co-led a two-day hackathon focused on chatbot creation. Partnering with a local AI startup, participants turned real newsroom content into interactive chatbot experiences. This introduced new ways to use technology in storytelling and created a creative bridge between the newsroom and the tech community. At the same time, I worked with a local AI startup to build Freeda, a branded chatbot that was successfully launched and actively used by customers. Hackathon winners joined a three-month paid mentorship program to further develop Freeda’s features and improve its real-world performance.

RFE/RL’s Georgian team aimed to engage younger, tech-savvy audiences in fresh, relevant ways. While respected for its editorial strength, the brand lacked a visible innovation presence to attract the next generation of media consumers. To tackle this, I co-led a two-day hackathon focused on chatbot creation. Partnering with a local AI startup, participants turned real newsroom content into interactive chatbot experiences. This introduced new ways to use technology in storytelling and created a creative bridge between the newsroom and the tech community. At the same time, I worked with a local AI startup to build Freeda, a branded chatbot that was successfully launched and actively used by customers. Hackathon winners joined a three-month paid mentorship program to further develop Freeda’s features and improve its real-world performance.

RFE/RL’s Georgian team aimed to engage younger, tech-savvy audiences in fresh, relevant ways. While respected for its editorial strength, the brand lacked a visible innovation presence to attract the next generation of media consumers. To tackle this, I co-led a two-day hackathon focused on chatbot creation. Partnering with a local AI startup, participants turned real newsroom content into interactive chatbot experiences. This introduced new ways to use technology in storytelling and created a creative bridge between the newsroom and the tech community. At the same time, I worked with a local AI startup to build Freeda, a branded chatbot that was successfully launched and actively used by customers. Hackathon winners joined a three-month paid mentorship program to further develop Freeda’s features and improve its real-world performance.

Results That Changed Perception and Strategy

Results That Changed Perception and Strategy

Results That Changed Perception and Strategy

The hackathon positioned the brand as digitally forward and innovative. The chatbot became part of a content campaign lasting several months and gained wide visibility: • Featured on national TV • Gained social media traction • Strengthened connections with local tech communities • Sparked further experiments in content delivery This project brought editorial and tech teams closer, building skills and making the brand more relevant to its audience.

The hackathon positioned the brand as digitally forward and innovative. The chatbot became part of a content campaign lasting several months and gained wide visibility: • Featured on national TV • Gained social media traction • Strengthened connections with local tech communities • Sparked further experiments in content delivery This project brought editorial and tech teams closer, building skills and making the brand more relevant to its audience.

The hackathon positioned the brand as digitally forward and innovative. The chatbot became part of a content campaign lasting several months and gained wide visibility: • Featured on national TV • Gained social media traction • Strengthened connections with local tech communities • Sparked further experiments in content delivery This project brought editorial and tech teams closer, building skills and making the brand more relevant to its audience.