20th Anniversary

15 Jun

Posted at 19:18h in 20th Anniversary, Get to Know Us

Twenty years is a long time. Long enough to fill a lot of shelves, queue up a lot of podcasts, and dog-ear a lot of pages. As we mark Fluent Research’s 20th anniversary, we wanted to share something more personal than a milestone — the 20 books, magazines, and podcasts our team can’t stop talking about right now.

Think of this as our staff-curated summer list. Twenty recommendations. One for each year. Organized by genre, so you can find your way to whatever you’re in the mood for — a gripping thriller, a quiet literary novel, a podcast that makes a long walk fly by.

Here’s what we’re reading and listening to.

Fiction: Literary

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

This one stayed with me long after the last page. As I read, I kept thinking about two things: how others see us isn’t always how we see ourselves, shown through the recipients of Theo’s paintings — and how a person’s greatest legacy may be the quiet, lasting impact they leave on the hearts around them. I didn’t want it to end. The characters felt like part of my life while I was reading. Recommended by Allison Caplovitz

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I started this after seeing it everywhere — best-of lists, bestseller charts, bookstore windows. It’s a family saga, a sub-genre I’m drawn to, centered on twin sisters from a fictional Louisiana town known for its light-skinned Black community. Themes of racial identity sit at the forefront, so I’m settling in for a serious read with a lot to think through. And I can already feel the two sisters drifting toward very different lives. Recommended by Farrah Brensinger

Fiction: Historical

Katherine by Anya Seton

A fictionalized account of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, set in 14th-century England. Katherine isn’t widely known today, yet the modern English monarchy descends from her, and she’s an ancestral grandmother to four U.S. presidents. So little of her life is documented that the author researched what she could and filled in the gaps — though many of the major events really happened. I love learning about these figures and doing my own digging as I read. Recommended by Paige Frankovich

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

This novel follows Cyrus Shams, a young, newly sober poet and the son of Iranian immigrants. His mother died in a plane crash when he was very young, and the story moves between Cyrus’s present and his parents’ pasts. Obsessed with martyrs, art, and family history, he travels to Brooklyn to meet a dying artist. Because both author and protagonist are poets, many chapters open with a poem. I love that variation — the poems let you reflect on the story from a new angle. Recommended by Lia Abrams

We Don’t Talk about Carol by Kristen L. Berry

Sydney Singleton, a former investigative journalist, discovers she had an aunt — one of six Black teenage girls who vanished in Raleigh, NC, in the 1960s. The cases were never solved, mostly forgotten, until Sydney begins a deep dive. The author blends historical fiction, mystery, and journalism, three of my favorite genres. She also brings to light the ongoing crisis of missing Black girls, and the systemic disparities in how their cases are treated, underreported, and unsolved. Recommended by Stefanie Cousins

Fiction: Mystery/Thriller

Verity by Colleen Hoover

I’m only a few chapters into this one (reading for a book club with friends) and I’m already completely gripped. The movie is coming out later this year, so we wanted to read it before seeing the film. Recommended by Mona El-Hout

A Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear

I’ve been working my way through the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series. I love the protagonist — her approach, her process, the careful way she solves a mystery. Recommended by Sylvia Rusnak

Fiction: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I just started this one. I’ve heard wonderful things about both the book and the upcoming movie, and I can’t wait to keep reading. Recommended by Kelly Sheehan

Non-Fiction: History/Biography

Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas by Jesse Cole & Don Yaeger

Anyone who’s seen the Savannah Bananas play knows they are pure fun. As I listen to this audiobook, I’m enjoying how the Bananas think creatively — keeping the true essence of baseball while making it more exciting, engaging, and entertaining. Their bold ideas and willingness to take risks have led to remarkable success, and it’s a joy to be along for the ride. Recommended by Mary Meyn

The Intelligence Explosion: When AI Beats Humans at Everything by James Barrat

I’m learning more about Artificial General Intelligence and superintelligence here than I ever did in a formal AI course. Barrat warns about the existential risks of advanced AI, making a compelling case that a recursive self-improvement loop could spiral into something uncontrollable. Despite some technical moments, it’s a genuine page-turner — fascinating, and occasionally a bit ominous. Recommended by Nellie Gregorian

Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu by Tom Freston

Written by MTV’s co-founder, this memoir chronicles a wild, wonderfully unconventional life — hitchhiking across the globe, selling clothing in India and Afghanistan, then helping launch one of the most iconic cable networks of all time. What a life. It also brought back great memories of my early research career, working on projects for MTV, Nickelodeon, and other Viacom networks. Recommended by Nellie Gregorian

I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir by Keith McNally

“The Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown.” A candid, bestselling look at his legendary New York restaurants — Balthazar, Pastis, The Odeon — his health struggles, and his late-career reinvention as a viral Instagram personality. I probably spent a small fortune at McNally’s tables over the years. Zero regrets. Recommended by Nellie Gregorian

Non-Fiction: Self-Help/Wellness

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

I love hosting friends and family, and I’ve been on the library waitlist for this one for a month. The author writes about how to bring real intention and purpose to the way we gather. I can’t wait to dive in. Recommended by Aeliya Ahmed

The Natural Superwoman by Uzi Reiss, M.D. and Yfat Reiss Gendell

This is an accessible, science-backed guide to an often overlooked part of women’s health: the role of hormones in wellness and longevity. Women’s health — particularly in midlife and beyond — has long been understudied and underrepresented in research and clinical practice. I was drawn to it as a woman and as a researcher-practitioner focused on supporting women’s positive development across the lifecycle. Recommended by Amy Warren

Article/Periodical

The New Yorker — Multiple authors

I look forward to The New Yorker every week. There’s always a new topic to learn about and a short story to satisfy a fiction craving. And I can always count on the cartoons to put a smile on my face. Recommended by Dana Markow

Traces of Consciousness — Donald Hoffman, Chetan Prakash, and Manish Chattopadhyay

This paper presents a mathematical framework describing how an observer (a conscious agent) can perceive a larger, more complex system by focusing on only a limited subset of its states, effectively acting as an informational “window.”

It’s the latest development in Donald Hoffman’s groundbreaking work advancing the “case against reality”—the idea that the physical world is not fundamental, but rather a mental construct. At first glance it’s mind-blowingly far-out stuff, but its ambition is matched by its rigor and, in my admittedly limited understanding, the argument is remarkably convincing.

I give thanks every day for tools like NotebookLM, which help me make sense of dense material like this at my own pace. Recommended by Heath Cozens

Podcasts

Desert Island Discs — BBC

I love how the music choices create an anchor for a biographical conversation. There’s something revealing in what people choose to bring with them. And I’m always curious whether the people I admire would pick the same songs I would. Recommended by Dan Warren

Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon — Dan Carlin

A deep, immersive dive into history that rewards your full attention. Dan Carlin has a way of making the past feel urgent and alive. Recommended by Sofia Polo

Blowback — Noah Kulwin & Brendan James

This podcast breaks down US interventionism — specific events, campaigns, battles, and their legacy. As the name suggests, there’s some anti-war perspective woven throughout. It’s a thoughtful way to understand how the past still shapes the present. Recommended by Sofia Polo

Prestige TV Podcast: “Widows Bay” Deep Dive — The Ringer

A recap series following Widows Bay, the new Apple TV drama. Perfect for anyone who wants to keep talking about a show long after the episode ends. Recommended by Sofia Polo

Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud — Bella Freud

Bella Freud interviews artists, musicians, and designers about their relationship to clothes, fashion, and art across their lives. I love hearing everyone’s different experiences — to me, nothing is more central to self-understanding and identity than how we choose to present ourselves. My favorite episodes are her conversations with Jonathan Anderson, Rosalía, FKA Twigs, and Lorde. Recommended by Charlotte Beatty

A list built by people, for people

What strikes me about this list isn’t its range, though the range is wide. It’s how much of each person shows up in their pick. A historical mystery solved by a beloved protagonist. A podcast that turns music into memory. A memoir that brings back an entire era of someone’s career.

That’s the work we do, really. We pay attention to what people choose, and why it matters to them.

So here’s our invitation as we celebrate twenty years: pick one. Start it this week. And if it stays with you — if it becomes the book you didn’t want to end, or the podcast you recommend to everyone you know — come tell us about it.

What would make your list?

By Stefanie Cousins, Vice President, Marketing and Communications

10 Jun

Posted at 21:24h in 20th Anniversary, Children's Media

This year Fluent Research is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It is a major milestone for the company, which has spent two decades conducting research across a wide variety of industries, sectors, and audiences. While I haven’t been at Fluent for that entire two-decade run, hitting this benchmark naturally got me thinking about my own career in children’s media research, and how much the landscape has shifted since I first started.

When my career in kids’ media began, things looked very different. One of my earliest projects was working on Blue’s Clues. Back then, research wasn’t a checkbox you ticked at the very end of production; it was baked into the show’s DNA.

We tested every episode with kids three separate times as it moved through development. We’d watch how they engaged, gather their feedback, and use those insights to tweak the story structure, the pacing, and the animation. It was a given that children’s voices would shape the final product. We used to joke: We’re cheating because we’re asking the kids to tell us what they think even before it’s produced. But of course it wasn’t cheating at all. It was an effective way to let the audience guide the show before it was even finished.

I also remember the early days of evaluating interactive CD-ROMs, trying to figure out what meaningful digital engagement even looked like for a young audience. At the time, it felt like we were exploring uncharted territory. Looking back, what strikes me most about that era was the level of intentionality. Content was crafted with patience, and there was a true commitment to truly understanding your audience before making big decisions.

The Shift to Hyperspeed in the Children’s Media Landscape

The media environment today is a different world entirely.

Audiences don’t just watch TV; they move fluidly between streaming, social platforms, gaming, and digital spaces like TikTok and YouTube. The challenge for creators is no longer getting content into people’s hands. It’s about standing out in a world where there are a million other distractions and choices at your fingertips.

On one hand, the growth of streaming and digital platforms have brought real gains. There are more diverse stories being told and more ways to reach audiences than ever before. But it has also changed the pace of the industry. Production cycles have compressed. The pressure to constantly feed platforms means content is dropped at a rapid pace. In the rush to keep up, the deep, iterative research that used to be standard practice often gets sidelined.

Why the Children in the Audience Matter More Than Ever

The acceleration of the industry doesn’t make research less important. It makes it more important.

When audiences have infinite choices, understanding what actually resonates with them (what builds emotional connections and keeps them genuinely engaged) is everything. Research is what stops us from guessing and keeps us grounded in the reality of people’s actual lives.

That’s why the work we still get to do with partners like PBS KIDS means so much to me. When productions are able to secure the necessary funding, we collaborate on the kind of rigorous, formative testing that allows us to help shape shows while they are still in active development. Seeing the direct impact of that research reminds me just how important this process remains. It proves that taking the time to listen to children is still the most effective way to build media that truly serves them.

Children: The Heart of Children’s Media

As we celebrate 20 years of Fluent and look to the future, my hope is that we see a renewed commitment to putting research at the center of production, not as an afterthought. At Fluent, that’s the work we are dedicated to continuing and expanding. I look forward to partnering with more creators who believe that rigorous, child-first research isn’t a luxury, but a foundation. 

The platforms will keep shifting and the technology will keep evolving. That’s not going away. But after 20 years, here’s what we know for certain: truly great content will always start by putting children, their voices, and their needs at the heart of development.

By Allison Caplovitz, PhD, Director, Content Research and Evaluation