We’re in San Francisco meeting the diverse agency talent in this creative mecca. To make things interesting, we’re asking 3 questions, sharing 2 photos, and discussing a recent milestone.
Get To Know Portal A in 3, 2, 1…
Core Service: Motion / Video
Additional Services: Media
3 Questions
What makes Portal A unique?
We’re a creative company that’s laser-focused on producing video built for the web, especially for YouTube. We call ourselves a “studio” because we take on all aspects of a YouTube campaign: from concepting to development to the production all the way through to distribution. We’ve been working in online video since the platform’s very early days in 2006 – with only-on-YouTube hits like “Ghostride the Volvo” and “Bankers vs. Consultants” and web video series like “Huge in Asia” and “White Collar Brawler”.
We caught the bug early and have dedicated the last five years to studying how and why people consume video online. Our current work – whether it’s for national brands, start-up companies, or causes we support – reflects that understanding. Since we’ve started, branded entertainment on the web has taken off — and there’s no larger online audience than the one you find on YouTube.
What role does branded entertainment play in marketing strategy?
Twenty years ago, consumers watched ads because they had to. There were a dozen channels, so you needed to wait for the ads to finish before your program started again. Today’s entertainment landscape couldn’t be more different – there are 500 TV channels, billions of hours of content on YouTube, not to mention everything on your phone – and, as a result, people have zero tolerance for interruptive ads.
Branded entertainment is a new approach to creating awareness. GoPro and Redbull are two great examples of the brands as creators idea. They’ve become media players in their own right, producing content that engages their audience and inspires them to share. Instead of running content that gets in the way of what you’re actually trying to watch, it is the content.
If Portal A invented a new Olympic sport, what would it be and why?
Mini-hoop HORSE. Every spare moment we have is spent playing on our office hoop. We’re a young team — everyone is in their 20s and early 30s. So we have one installed in our SF and LA offices to let loose, have some fun and get off the desk for a bit. HORSE is a game of precision, intimidation, and, on three occasions that we can remember, tears.
2 Photos
1 Milestone
We created a web series called “White Collar Brawler” in 2010. The storyline is centered around Portal A’s current partners who quit their white-collar office jobs to become amateur boxers, all to create (and star in) the web video series. We partnered with Esquire Network to use our web series as inspiration for the TV series “White Collar Brawlers”, and it was just greenlit for a second season. It proves that the right story can have success across multiple platforms.
Also – a recent project which we wrote, directed, produced, and edited for YouTube, “Rewind 2013”, just went over 92 million views.
Check out Portal A’s portfolio on Agency Spotter to learn more and see how you’re connected…
…if you’ve worked with them, give them a rating
…if you like what you see, share their portfolio
…if you’re interested in seeing how they could help you, contact them
Stay tuned as we continue to bring you fun profiles of great creative agencies in San Francisco!
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