Freed's people research is not a job that ends with a query in a search engine. Not in books, not in databases - the work is to find a person who breathes and talks back, in centenarian interviews and supervisor digs, by visiting again and again and earning the relationship.
To meet a centenarian couple we drove three times to a hamlet north of Tokyo. To verify the CV of a former astronaut candidate we cross-checked NASA public files with his university lab archives. We asked the fourth-generation owner of a kaiseki house which brand of soy sauce his grandfather used in 1953 - and he laughed and answered.
"People research is not search. It is conversation. After 30 years, we know that."
Even in the AI era, Japan TV research on people only moves forward through repeat visits in person. AI in fact makes the 30-year backlog more valuable, not less - 12,000 pages of field notes, 3,847+ people cards, findings from 2,400+ programmes. That backlog is the last credential a research company can offer.
TV producers, agency planners and brand-anniversary leads come back to Freed for the same reasons.
People cards (profession, expertise, contact route, on-site impressions) accumulated by hand since 1995. Half of new briefs return a candidate from the archive within 24 hours.
Municipal welfare councils, obituary cross-checking, temple registers, local merchant lists - access paths the rest of the industry does not have. 150+ centenarian interviews completed.
Physicians, researchers, artisans, artists - supervisors willing to appear on TV under defined terms, with NG conditions and scheduling handled.
NDAs are signed before any approach. We do not disclose identities to third parties without consent. The face-wall on this page is entirely placeholder images.
From two-Michelin-star chefs in France to London researchers and Mexican ritual guardians, our local coordinators handle end-to-end discovery and booking abroad.
Within the limits of confidentiality, here are representative Japan production research cases.
For a major manufacturer's centennial commercial we needed "a real couple born the same year as the company". Three field trips north of Tokyo and 11 weeks later we were sitting with a still-active couple born in 1924, with their original engagement letter. The CM aired nationally and made an international advertising-award shortlist.
Read the case ->For a recurring medical TV special we maintain 612 supervising physicians with up-to-date paper trails. From theme-fixing to booking, the typical turnaround is five business days.
Read the case ->We located the last fluent speaker of a near-extinct minority language via field investigation and academic networks, then handled consent, interpretation and on-site coordination.
Read the case ->All deliverables are available as Excel, Google Sheets or PDF.
Eight researchers on the people-research desk. Each owns a specialism. All have 7+ years of field work.
Yes. Discovering centenarian artisans, artists and storytellers is one of Freed's signature areas, with more than 150 centenarian interviews completed in 30 years. Through municipal welfare offices, obituary cross-checking, temple registers and local merchant networks we typically locate someone matching your brief in 8 to 12 weeks.
Yes. Freed has run supervisor booking for medical TV for years. We maintain a list of 612 supervising physicians and propose experts who match programme theme, NG conditions and budget.
Two to sixteen weeks, depending on difficulty. Public figures with clear contact paths can take as little as 2 weeks; centenarians and last-speakers typically take 8 to 16 weeks.
Yes. Non-agency casting for info shows, documentaries and CMs is a core part of the desk. We combine field outreach, social-media scouting and open calls.
We work in 53+ countries via local coordinators, end-to-end. See world research.
ISO 27001-aligned. NDA before approach. No third-party disclosure without consent. The face-wall on this page is placeholder images only.
"Find me this kind of person" is enough to start. Use the 30-second international form.
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