When we got our ’sample’ bottle of 42 Below here in the office, we thought it’d be a good idea to put some of this whopping tons of snow to good use! What are you gonna do with yours?
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Poptent is our new community site where brands and independent video creators connect.
Archive for the ‘our news’ Category
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42 Below on Ice
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Poptent-made Ads on National TV!
We are so excited to see our first nationally televised commercials on the air! We ran a couple programs for Budweiser’s Designated Driver program earlier this year. They bought two videos from Poptent creators - Rick Griffin and Bryan Law - and they’ve aired on the Conan O’brien Show on NBC this week!
You can watch both videos on their Facebook Page that goes along with the project (and become a fan while you’re there!).
I dropped Rick a line to see if he could let us in on how it’s going.
How do you feel seeing your commercial on national TV?
I’ve never had any of my stuff hit national TV, so when I heard it was going to be on the Conan Show, I got the word out via email and Twitter so my friends could watch it. Heck, I’d have bought a DVR just for the occasion if I didn’t already have one
Has this changed your career as a video producer yet?
Being able to add Budweiser to my resume is more valuable than the money I got for the commercial. Without poptent, a small-time producer like me would never have been able to gain access to a national giant like Budweiser. I feel like this will open a lot of doors for me. I can’t thank Poptent enough for the opportunity.What’s next on le voyage?
I’ve been busy collaborating with some producers in Tampa on a humorous, reality based food and travel show. It’s getting a lot of interest from a variety of sponsors. We plan on shooting a package of of 8 episodes in 2010 and pitching to the likes of the Travel Channel, Food Network etc. -
We’re Featured in Bob Garfield’s New Book
The Chaos Scenario is renown AdAge and NPR ad critic Bob Garfield’s new book about the changing nature of the media and advertising business. He features us extensively in Chapter 9, so turn there first! But do read the whole thing, Mr. Garfield has many astute observations on the state of the industry. We’re glad he’s on to our pulse.
Here’s the trailer for the book:
Pick up a copy today!
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A Poptent Team Lunch
We had the whole team in the office today and went out to lunch. I snapped this photo while we were happily chatting and since we all look so handsome in it, I thought it’d be fun to go ahead and post it to the blog.
From left to right around the table that’s Jason, Drew, Neil, Ryan, Megan, Tony, Liza, Chris and Tim. Me, I took the photo, but you’ve seen my face all over the site already…
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New Assignment: Capella University
Just added another great commercial video assignment on Poptent. This one is for Capella University, a national leader in online education. Come join up and get all the details for this excellent assignment.
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Billy Mays, RIP
Back in 2007 we did an assignment for Zorbeez, the super absorbant cloth. Their pitchman, Billy Mays, was one of the most famous infomercial talent in the business and we enjoyed seeing all the great videos our community produced, using Billy’s style as expert inspiration.
We’re sad to see his tragic passing and wish his family and friends well.
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Callaway Makes a Poptent Purchase
We’re excited to announce that Callaway has selected to purchase a video from the Poptent creative community and the commercial video assignment they ran earlier this year. They really loved the work of Volition Studios’ Justin Spence and not only paid him $5000 for his effort, but also commissioned him to create additional work!
Remarkably, Justin made his excellent first draft of the video without having one of the Diablo drivers to use as a prop. For the reshoot, Callaway sent him an entire bag of clubs (lucky guy!) and had him redo the scenes at the driving range. Here’s the video, recut:
Congratulations, Justin! Thanks for making such great work at Poptent.
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XLNTads Featured in The Advertiser Magazine
XLNTads was featured this month in the Association of National Advertisers’ The Advertiser Magazine. Here’s a short excerpt:
There’s an untapped space between ads produced by agencies with
high-end production houses and those created in someone’s basement. It’s
this gap that a startup company called XLNTads hopes to fill by connecting
independent or semiprofessional filmmakers with advertisers looking for
low-cost quality video content.The company was launched in February 2007, initially to create a platform
for consumer-generated advertising. “We thought by reaching out to consumers,
we could supply brand marketers with quality video along with the extra insight
of passionate consumers,” says Tony Romeo, XLNTads’ senior vice president.
“But the realization, as we got to know the videographer community better, was
that there are a lot of independents out there who have a significant degree of
filmmaking talent.”The XLNTads model has evolved accordingly. The company launched a
community site, called Poptent (www.poptent.net), where content creators can
showcase their wares, collaborate on projects, and connect with brands. The
company claims to have signed up more than 7,500 community members.
Companies, such as Anheuser-Busch and Nestlé, have used Poptent to post
campaign assignments for which Poptent members can submit creative. The
brands pay only for the spots they choose to use in a campaign.Download the piece as a PDF here.