Seeking Connection in Divided Times
Hello from a Stranger.
AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY
FOR FEATURE OR SERIES DEVELOPMENT
Here is the 13-minute short, showcasing our format of unscripted travel encounters and intimate human life portraits. Think Parts Unknown meets Secrets of the Blue Zones.
Our approach blends thoughtful storytelling with behind-the-scenes adventure to capture its spontaneous essence. It explores unexpected aspects of new places and cultures, ultimately moving beyond Adam’s lens into the life of a stranger he meets along the way, offering a deeper look into the human experience.
The journey culminates in a shared dinner, where Adam brings together the strangers he’s met, fostering connections between people who might otherwise never have crossed paths.
The Film.
Hello From A Stranger began as a photography project, inspired by Adam’s encounters with life, love, loss—and the ultimate stranger we all face: ourselves.
"The response to my TEDx Talk made me realize this little project could have a real-world impact. From that moment, I knew I’d never stop."
After a serious mental health challenge, Adam embraced the idea that the obstacle is the way. Now, he travels the world, connecting with strangers whose stories celebrate community, connection and mental health awareness.
By following his journey, we’re invited to rediscover these everday treasures of humanity for ourselves—if we dare to lower our guard (and our phones!) to truly listen to each other.
“I’ve been doing this for 8yrs, 21 countries, thousands of strangers, all to learn and remember the most basic thing in the world. How to be human with one another, and to share in each other’s lives”.
Backstory.
Why Now?
Hello From A Stranger is a life-affirming documentary that explores the paradox of our times: in an age of digital connection, why are loneliness, mental health struggles, and division so rampant?
In a world where we have audiences of many but communities of none we present an unashamedly sincere global search for insight through unscripted conversations and intimate portraits of the lives of strangers.
At its heart, Hello From A Stranger is a Bourdainian adventure into the overlooked beauty of everyday life. Through rejections, connections and unexpected encounters, we seek to uncover universal values that transcend cultures—reminding us of the deep, common threads that unite us. Ultimately, we are asking one powerful question:
Why does it feel like, now more than ever, we all need to relearn how to be human with each other?
The World Health Organization has declared loneliness a "global public health concern" and established the Commission on Social Connection to address this pressing issue.
71% of heavy social media users report feelings of loneliness.
(Cigna's U.S. Loneliness Index)
THE
STRANGER
THE
JOURNEY
THE
LESSON
THE
COMMUNITY
THE
CONNECTION
Each episode opens in an intimate, behind-the-scenes interview where Adam and the interviewer explore a question. This sets up the key themes but doesn’t answer anything directly. The journey ahead and life portrait of a new stranger will come to provide this. Some core themes include; connection, authenticity, trust, mental health, vulnerability, community and life offline.
We offer a teaser intro to our stranger, hear their voice and get a sense of their headspace and lens on the world. We have no idea who this person is yet but will slowly learn through their ways of thinking, seeing and interacting with the world.
Through beautiful visuals of their everyday life and connections we start to feel their world and hear more fragments of wisdom in voice over.
We zoom out and rewind to follow Adam’s journey to meeting the stranger. Amidst sensory bursts of cultural textures, faces and local life we build an immersive portrait of our new location. We see BTS moments of failed approaches to strangers, reminding viewers that this is all real. Adam’s spontaneous process itself is an ongoing mystery to the viewer that we return to. Who is this guy and why do people open up to him so quickly and deeply?
We join the dots as Adam meets our stranger. They share in a deep, natural conversation that starts to collectively address some of the themes set out in the intro. We transcend back into the lens of our stranger's life. Through an intimate portrait of their daily life we get to walk a mile in their shoes. We benefit from that first-person realness and cultural exchange so absent in our dopamine drenched and curated digital lives.
Our stranger's story will embody a life lesson which in turn challenges and evolves Adam’s own lens on life. Ultimately our documentary advocates for the radical simplicity of listening to each other fully instead of fast and extreme judgement. Audiences will come to rediscover and appreciate that what is most human and important in life really is these simple passing opportunities for meaningful connection. Chances that we all too often ignore in daily life.
In the finale, we see Adam pull together a community dinner to which he invites everyone he's met. This legacy of his Mom's famous Monday Night Dinner tradition captures the importance of leaving each place he visits a little more connected than before. We hear final reflections from people on the positive impact such simple acts like this can have on the wider community and society at large.
THE
QUESTION
THE
STRANGER
THE
JOURNEY
THE
CONNECTION
THE
LESSON
THE
COMMUNITY
Story Arc.
Each episode opens in an intimate, behind-the-scenes interview where Adam and the interviewer explore a new question. This sets up the episode themes but doesn’t answer anything directly. The journey ahead and life portrait of a new stranger will come to provide this. Some core themes include; connection, authenticity, trust, mental health, vulnerability, community and life offline.
We offer a teaser intro to our stranger, hear their voice and get a sense of their headspace and lens on the world. We have no idea who this person is yet but will slowly learn through their ways of thinking, seeing and interacting with the world.
Through beautiful visuals of their everyday life and connections we start to feel their world and hear more fragments of wisdom in voice over.
We zoom out and rewind to follow Adam’s journey to meeting the stranger. Amidst sensory bursts of cultural textures, faces and local life we build an immersive sense of our new location. We see BTS moments of failed approaches to strangers, reminding viewers that this is all real. Adam’s spontaneous process itself is an ongoing mystery in the show that we return to. Who is this guy and why do people open up to him so quickly and deeply?
We join the dots as Adam meets our stranger. They share in a deep, natural conversation that starts to collectively address some of the themes set out in the intro. We transcend back into the lens of our stranger's life. Through an intimate portrait of their daily life we get to walk a mile in their shoes. We benefit from that first-person realness and cultural exchange so absent in our dopamine drenched and curated digital lives.
Our stranger's story will embody a life lesson which in turn challenges and evolves Adam’s own lens on life. Ultimately our series advocates for the radical simplicity of listening to each other fully instead of fast and extreme judgement. Audiences will come to rediscover and appreciate that what is most human and important in life really is these simple passing opportunities for meaningful connection. Chances we shouldn't let pass us by.
Each episode will deep dive on the life of one stranger but Adam meets many more along the way. In the finale, we see Adam pull together a community dinner to which he invites everyone he's met. This legacy of his Mom's famous Monday Night Dinner tradition captures the importance of leaving each place he visits a little more connected than before. We hear final reflections from people on the positive impact such simple acts like this can have on a community.
Hello From A Stranger is in a good place to be developed as either a feature or series. Below is the broad story arc that could apply to either. Both a series or feature would follow this arc but in the series the global journey would delineate in to location, culture and community specific episodes.
Why Adam?
Adam Schluter has spent over eight years independently exploring the dying art of genuine human connection – unfunded. It’s not a trick or special skill—he’s an artist, not a psychologist—driven by the intrinsic value of something he believes the world is losing.
He’s been published multiple times in National Geographic and given a TEDx talk on it (below) so his spontaneous and intuitive approach belies the emotional intelligence required to actually do what he does so naturally.
Adam’s lens on life is both curious and compelling. However, it’s his ability to hold space for others in a way that enables people to candidly share their own perspectives with us that is so powerful. In listening radically to each other in a respectful and undivided space people are able to share their beautiful, humanising vulnerability and wisdom with us.
In capturing this seemingly dying art of genuine connection, we aim to celebrate something we all need as humans – real, face-to-face community.
Core Team.
EP / CO-DIR / HOST:
ADAM SCHLUTER
Adam Schluter is an award-winning photojournalist and writer. He is the founder of Hello From A Stranger, a photography project where he has gone all over the world to try and bring the world closer together. It has been published three times by National Geographic, was a TED talk, a published book and now in development as an original feature or series. To raise awareness for the mental health crisis and inspire the world to put their phones down to talk to one another again. Adam will EP, co-direct and host the show.
RELEVANT WORK
National Geographic: Hello From A Stranger articles
TED Talk: Hello From A Stranger
EP / CO-DIR / PRODUCER:
MATTHEW FARMAN
Matt is an award-winning director/DP and producer who has developed and co-created the show Hello From A Stranger. Matt is known for considered, human storytelling and producing complex international productions. He thrives in the field unearthing purposeful stories that resonate with global audiences. Matt is also founder and head of production at Unearth Studio Ltd and will EP, produce and co-direct.
RELEVANT WORK
NBA Hoop Cities (Sky) (Dir/Cam; Paris, Lithuania, Istanbul) v/awards
NatGeo: Connecting Cultures (DP) various awards
Mama Shamsa (Co-director/DP) Cannes Dolphin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:
JACK WADE
Jack Wade has been the lead cinematographer on Hello From A Stranger since its inception. His ability to connect with contributors and develop connections is also critical to the developed and tested approach of the team. Moving into production, Jack will lead the camera department as DP and work closely on music and post production.
RELEVANT WORK
Hello From A Stranger. All shoots to date.
Best Defense Foundation: D-Day 80th Anniversary
Our unobtrusive production approach on Hello From A Stranger has been developed over 8yrs to reflect the unscripted essence of the show and also to respect the space people need to share their lives in such candid ways.
Hello From A Stranger is an original documentary following photojournalist, Adam Schluter as he unearths deep life lessons through unscripted conversations with strangers. Break bread with unsung heroes of the everyday and walk a mile in their shoes on this global hunt for modern life's most endangered “species” – genuine human connection.
Logline.
“Adam Schluter’s photographs capture a world of possibility in a single moment. His subjects gazes – intimate, direct, trusting – belie the fact that each individual is someone Adam only just met”
– Boston Globe
Audience.
Based on the diverse themes and subjects we believe Hello From A Stranger can have broad audience appeal. Below are some of the key demographics and our reasoning for their interest.
FAMILIES
16+
HEALTH / WELLBEING
16-35
ADVENTURE / TRAVEL
25-50
GEN Z / SOCIAL
16-24
MILLENNIALS
25-40
GEN X
41-56
INTERESTS: Multi-generational values/lessons, emotional support, identity, inclusivity and community connection.
APPEAL: Family-friendly but thought provoking content that broaches issues families struggle to discuss directly.
INTERESTS: Emotional well-being, therapy, human connection, mental health, mindfulness.
APPEAL: Educational and inspiring insights into how travel supports mental health, acceptance and empowerment.
INTERESTS: Experiential travel, personal transformation, new cultures, human connection.
APPEAL: Meaningful travel experiences that foster personal connection and self-discovery.
INTERESTS: Identity, inclusivity, mental health, social connection.
APPEAL: Visually appealing content that addresses mental health, inclusivity and marginalised voices and sub-cultures.
INTERESTS: Wellness, mental health, travel, personal growth.
APPEAL: Authentic stories about self-discovery and emotional healing through travel and connection.
INTERESTS: Midlife transitions, reflection, mental health, community.
APPEAL: Generational wisdom, mental well-being and connection during life changes through travel.
Q&A.
Hello From A Stranger is an agile concept with scope to pivot and pursue a diversity of subject matter. The heart of the show lies in protecting its focus on unscripted, cultural exploration and helping tell genuine stories that carry positive life lessons around connection and community.
CONCEPT: Exploring culture, community, connection and life lessons through conversations with unsung heroes of the everyday. Parts Unknown meets Secrets of The Blue Zones.
THEMES: Loneliness, connection, community, emotional well-being, belonging, offline life.
TONE: Real, honest, vulnerable, provocative, curious.
STYLE: Spontaneous, unscripted, adventurous, behind-the-scenes.
FORMAT: Observational meets participatory documentary. Unscripted meets travelogue.
STRUCTURE: Episodic series or single feature, thematically organised with serialised arc.
EPISODES: 6part S1. Potential to pivot to single feature documentary.
POTENTIAL: Multi series potential, inexhaustible adaptability in themes, subjects and locations.
MARKET: See AUDIENCE section.
HOOK: Real, unscripted, spontaneous and provocative stories that break down social taboos, stereotypes and divisions.
RELEVANCE: Turning of tide against social media and its side effects. Demand for honest, apolitical stories that celebrate importance of community. Celebrating humanness against the backdrop of the rise of AI.
AUDIENCE & APPEAL: See AUDIENCE section; travel/adventure, health&wellbeing, mental health, families 16+, gen-z/social, millennials, gen-x.
PLATFORMS: All major streaming and broadcast platforms.
SUITABILITY: High demand for original documentary content across platforms.
CONCEPT
TONE & STYLE
FORMAT
STRUCTURE
MARKET
HOOK
AUDIENCE
PLATFORM
COMPARISON
DIFFERENTIATION
ACCESS
TALENT & LOCATIONS
RISKS
STRATEGY
BUDGET
PROGRESS
COMPARRABLES: Parts Unknown, The Long Way Round, Louis Theroux, The Me You Can't See, Humans of New York, The Social Dilemma, Street Food, Rennervations.
DIFFERENTIATION: Proudly less "produced" whilst still being raw, human and unscripted. Thematically adaptable concept. Provides real and relatable sense of social vulnerability and empowerment.
HFAS IS NOT: Rick Steves' Europe, The Me You Can't See, Humans of New York, Yes Theory, Fearless and Far, Michael Palin, Rennervations.
ACCESS: Full access to existing footage from past 8yrs. Key initial talent clearances, subject to onward usage, platforms etc.
TALENT: Key talent onboard. Additional talent brought on in journalist/fixer dynamic.
LOCATIONS: Journalist/fixer production workflow for locations and talent due to spontaneous, unscripted format.
CHALLENGES: Maintaining anonymity/discretion to protect authentic approach.
RISKS: Unknown, caucasian male host, unscripted/spontaneous format. Minimal pre-existing social following.
MITIGATION: Viewers POV transcends the hosts. 8yrs testing of production workflow. Proven success. Relatively low budget concept and approach ie. lower financial risk. Social media anonymity is a positive ie. proof of authentic intention.
PROGRESS: We have enough for 30-40mins. There is considerable archive but the majority needs to be shot in the new/current style.
WHAT'S NEXT: Pitch to Networks/Streamers for series or bridge financing for completion of episode 1/pilot. Discuss pivot to single feature doc.
BUDGET: Get in touch to find out more.
TIMELINES: Get in touch to find out more.
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Narrative Arc.
DRIVE: Who is Adam, where is he, what is he doing and why? Backstory, purpose, process.
THEMES: Mental health, family, role models, vulnerability, connection and community.
STRANGERS: Hanshi and Dinal.
LOCATION/CULTURE: Worldwide, NY/East Brooklyn.
LESSON: Community empowerment through vulnerability & importance of role models.
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In a world overwhelmed by digital “connection,” why are loneliness, mental health struggles, and division more rampant than ever? Hello From A Stranger explores this paradox, asking: What can we learn from the lives of others that might guide us toward a more genuinely connected future?
The film is a global journey in search of human wisdom, revealing the universal values we share despite our differences. By meeting people where they are, in the world as it is, we’re reminded of the deep, common threads that unite us. At its heart, the documentary poses one powerful question:
Why does it feel like we all need to relearn how to be human with each other again?
Our core team has a background in working on award-winning travel, sport and humanitarian documentaries. Below are some key examples of relevant work.
Relevant work.
Hello From A Stranger LLC and Unearth Studio Ltd have collaborated to develop, co-create and co-produce Hello From A Stranger as an original docuseries or feature. Unearth Studio is an independent production house working on award-winning human stories that resonate with global audiences. Everything is produced to broadcast/cinema standards on Netflix approved cameras. Specialising in human-centred storytelling, Unearth's approach is to listen well, capture honestly and seek the positive. This tried and tested approach, along with high production values in agile crew footprints has been key to cultivating the spontaneous, unscripted essence of the show.
Production.
HELLO FROM A STRANGER | AN ORGINAL DOCUMENTARY
© HFAS LLC & UNEARTH STUDIO LTD 2025 (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
Each episode will deep dive on the life of one stranger but Adam meets many more along the way. In the finale, we see Adam pull together a community dinner to which he invites everyone he's met. This legacy of his Mom's famous Monday Night Dinner tradition captures the importance of leaving each place he visits a little more connected than before. We hear final reflections from people on how this simple tradition connects a community in important and positive ways.