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Poptent's Crowdsourcing Model Spotlights Freelance Creators

December 19th, 2012

“During last year’s Super Bowl, Dannon aired a commercial for its Oikos Greek yogurt featuring John Stamos. It begins with the middle-aged heartthrob seductively accepting a spoonful from an equally attractive actress. The understated 30-second spot was created by Poptent, a video production company with main offices in San Clemente, Calif., and Conshohocken. If you frequent the Internet, you’ve probably seen its work, about 80 percent of which is Web-based. Clients include Dannon, Amazon, American Express, FedEx and GE. Locally, there have been deals with Nutrisystem, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Campbell’s.”

Poptent in the News

Apr 10, 2013

Poptent’s Parkhill, Razorfish’s Lanctot receive ad:tech SF Industry Achievement Award

“Two leaders in digital media – Rick Parkhill and Jeff Lanctot – are being recognized at ad:tech San Francisco with the ad:tech Industry Achievement Award. Parkhill is founder and chairman of Poptent Inc., and Lanctot is global chief media officer at Publicis Razorfish. They’re being honored “for their consistent outstanding service, generation of breakthrough ideas and fostering industry growth through unwavering support,” according to ad:tech. “The award is a testament not only to their vision but to the wide-ranging application of their ideas,” ad:tech said.”
Mar 12, 2013

4 Good Reasons To Crowdsource Your Next Video Project

“With 61,000 filmmakers in their network and over $7 million paid out to creators, Poptent has made huge waves in the field of crowdsourced video content. I had the opportunity to speak with Poptent president Neil Perry to find out more about how the service works and the benefits of crowdsourcing video for brands. How does it work? Poptent provides brands an alternative to producing television advertisements and online video content in house or though an advertising agency. ”
Mar 4, 2013

A New Laundry Worry: Invisible Stains

“In October, Wisk introduced an online-only commercial where actors were handed a jar with a gelatinous yellow glob meant to represent hidden body oil and sweat from 35 loads of laundry. The spot, by Poptent, has attracted more than 2.1 million views on YouTube.”
Mar 4, 2013

Video: Neil Perry, Poptent

“PRWeek consumer reporter Lindsay Stein and Poptent president Neil Perry discuss the importance of video crowdsourcing for PR and marketing.”
Jan 25, 2013

Poptent Bankrolls Creative Video Projects

“Rick Parkhill says he started San Clemente-based Poptent to give unknown filmmakers the opportunity to connect with companies that need videos for their websites and TV commercials. Parkhill, who has a background in marketing and publishing, figured that advertisers would want more videos and that the pool of talented video artists who work outside of traditional creative agencies would continue to expand. He put off retirement and launched Poptent in 2007.”
Dec 19, 2012

Poptent Hires Charles “Sandy” Dondici as Chief Technology Officer, Surpasses $7 million in Creator Cash Payments

“Poptent also announced that it has paid out $7 million in cash to Poptent members for completed brand and agency video assignments. Poptent crossed the $1 million payout threshold in late 2010 and the $5 million mark in mid-2012, providing an additional measure of its continued growth. Poptent’s community of talented independent filmmakers has expanded to more than 55,000 members in 140 countries.”

Dec 19, 2012

Poptent Talks Global Growth And Serving The Fortune 100 With Crowdsourced Video

“Neil Perry, the President of Poptent, a major platform for crowdsourcing video production, talked with Crowdsourcing.org at CrowdConf 2012 about the platform's growth, and how it has come to serve Fortune 100 companies. Poptent has been growing significantly in recent months, including new investments, the opening of a new office in Brazil, adding more big name clients and campaigns, and a more global outlook.”
Dec 19, 2012

Chainsaw Psycho Gets Engine Help From Latest Victim

“Gold Eagle partnered with Poptent, the global leader in crowdsourced video production, connecting brands with a social network of more than 50,000 independent filmmakers worldwide. The ad was created by Poptent community member, Matthew Ninaber , and his team at High-Rise Studio, based in Kitchener, Ontario. In developing the ad's concept, Ninaber and team aimed to "convey the idea of a ticking time-bomb" and the "need to get a motor started ASAP.”
Sep 17, 2012

Volkswagen Launches "Why VW" Brand Campaign and Social Media Storytelling Platform

“To get visitors inspired, Volkswagen collaborated with the Poptent creative community of 50,000 videographers to source five videos featuring Volkswagen owners and their personal stories. "We're excited to partner with Volkswagen to provide video content for whyvw.com," said Poptent Chief Executive Andy Jedynak. "Volkswagen is the ideal company to use video crowdsourcing as a storytelling device because they have such an iconic brand with a passionate following of current and past owners who are eager to share their stories."”
Sep 17, 2012

Forget 'The Force,' Volkswagen Wants Your Stories Now

“So far, such stories include the tale of a triathlete who decides to help a physically challenged woman compete in a race and Alex Flynn, a man who is driving his VW cross-country to raise awareness about Parkinson’s Disease. VW worked with ad agency Deutsch and crowdsourcing firm Poptent on the effort.”
Aug 14, 2012

Breaking News: Edelman with a Poptent on Top, for Crowdsourced Video PR

“News just got in: Edelman PR announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Poptent, in which Edelman will deploy Poptent’s video crowdsourcing network of more than 50,000 talented videographers in 140 countries to create frequent, relevant and authentic video content for Edelman’s clients worldwide. Take that, PR agencies. When Edelman decide to crush competition, they crush it real good.”
Aug 14, 2012

Poptent partners with Edelman on video crowdsourcing

“Public relations firm Edelman is teaming with video crowdsourcing company Poptent to create video content for Edelman’s clients worldwide. The deal lets Edelman tap into Poptent’s network of more than 50,000 videographers in 140 countries to produce videos for social media campaigns, public service announcements and other online and offline uses.”
Aug 14, 2012

Poptent In Deal With Edelman

“Los Angeles-based Poptent, the startup which is using crowdsourcing to help companies create advertising for their brands, has inked a deal with public relations company Edelman, the two said today. The companies said that Edelman will use Poptent's network of videographers to create video content for Edelman's clients worldwide.”
Aug 14, 2012

Edelman and Poptent Announce Pioneering Crowdsourced Video Partnership

“CHICAGO & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm, and Poptent, a global video crowdsourcing and strategy company, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership in which Edelman will deploy Poptent’s network of more than 50,000 talented videographers in 140 countries to create frequent, relevant and authentic video content for Edelman’s clients worldwide. The deal is effective immediately.”
Aug 6, 2012

Poptent, Crowd-Sourcing Television and Web Advertising Creative

“Independent video creators are earning $10,000 in some cases for 30-second commercials crowd-sourced on behalf of major brands, says Neil Perry, President of video production and marketing shop PopTent in an interview with Beet.TV. The cost for production is about 80% less than brands are spending on traditional commercials, Perry tells us in this video.”
Jul 17, 2012

Poptent raises $5.5 million in VC funds

“Video production company Poptent has raised $5.5 million in a funding round led by MK Capital. Founded in 2007, Poptent produces television commercials, Internet video advertisements, and other videos for companies and advertising agencies through the use of crowdsourcing, in which clients can choose from content submitted by contributing videographers. The company’s corporate clients have included Dell, Intel, Eucerin, Jaguar and Walgreens.”
Jul 17, 2012

Poptent's Crowdsourced Video Platform Snags $5 Million

“With a community of over 50,000 filmmakers around the world, Poptent already likes to refer to itself as the globe’s largest video production house, crowdsourcing not just production, but also ideation and other products. Brands including General Mills, GE, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, American Express, LG, Netflix, Frito-Lay and Geico are among those to utilize Poptent’s services, and that roster is likely to expand with the help of $ 5.5 million in new investment. ”
Jul 17, 2012

Will Crowdsourcing Disrupt the Advertising Business?

“Can the “crowd” be just as creative as the advertising geniuses at Mad Men’s Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce? Poptent, a video crowdsourcing platform, announced it has raised $5.5 million to promote its video crowdsourcing approach to the advertising industry. The company says it now has a network of more than 50,000 videographers from 140 different countries at the beck and call of advertising firms that need to produce commercials.”
Jul 16, 2012

Poptent Raises $5.5M For Crowdsourced Video

“Los Angeles-based Poptent, which is harnessing crowdsourcing to help brands and agencies to develop advertisements, said this morning that it has raised $5.5M in a funding round. The round was leds by MK Capital. Poptent, which is led by Andy Jedynak, has a network of filmmakers, video directors, and producers who respond to requests for commercial ideas and videos.”
Jul 12, 2012

With 50,000 Videographers, Poptent Raises $5.5 Million From MK Capital To CrowdSource Ads

“High-quality video ads can be expensive to produce, running in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, depending on the ad format. But rather than hire a production agency to do their dirty work, Poptent proposes a better way for agencies and brands looking to produce video ads and other messaging: Crowdsource them. And it’s raised a $5.5 million round of funding led by MK Capital to get more advertisers and videographers on board.”
Jun 11, 2012

Southern Comfort Takes a Swig of Crowdsourced Video for Latest Ad Campaign

“Southern Comfort has a few ads out right now starring the "Lingo Cops," done in that 70's cop show style. In it, the Cops are "investigating" what it means when people say, "SoCoLa" in bars, and trying to put an end to it, because hey, "You can't just go around making up words." Well, that's exactly what Southern Comfort hopes you do after watching these ads, inviting viewers to log into their Facebook page and firing out their best invented words for "Southern Comfort and Cola." The campaign hopes to work the psychological connections of "bar calls," when patrons call out liquor by its brand name.”
Jun 7, 2012

The Untraditional Origins of a New Southern Comfort Ad

“At first glance, there would seem to be little in common between Southern Comfort liqueur and Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt. But Southern Comfort is joining Dannon Oikos in running commercials created through a crowd-sourcing initiative rather than by a traditional advertising agency.

The Southern Comfort commercial began running this week on television as well as on the brand’s Facebook fan page. The spot was developed through Poptent, a company that specializes in crowd-sourcing ads for major marketers.”
May 15, 2012

Big changes in the ad industry shifts who makes the big bucks

“There are also big changes taking place in the way companies are producing some of those commercials. Filming a typical TV ad can cost $400,000, but a company called Poptent has found an innovative way to ‘crowdsource’ the production of TV ads by tapping the YouTube generation and other amateur filmmakers to put together ads DIY-style for a budget even a college kid can afford. The winning entry for a 2006 Super Bowl amateur ad contest sponsored by Doritos was shot for a meager $12. Poptent charges their clients $40,000 and pays out a minimum of $7,500 to the creator of the ad, some of whom have parlayed their success into lucrative careers in the ad business.”
May 8, 2012

A long way from Madison Avenue

“A 'crowdsourced' video production studio, Poptent has gathered 50,000 writers, directors, cinematographers and animators to make ads for American Airlines, Intel, Jaguar, General Mills and others.

Build-a-Bear Workshop was introducing a line of stuffed animals called smallfrys and wanted to reach moms through Facebook. One video used in the online promotion showed a woman pulling up to a fast-food window. Her young daughter requests "a smallfry." When her mom suggests a fruit cup or celery sticks, the daughter says, "Mom, order me a curly-haired bunny in a purple sequined bathing suit."”
Apr 13, 2012

Poptent's new video offering intros brands to video creators

“A new offering from crowdsourced video production leader Poptent promises to connect brands with talented video production crews - and save them money at the same time. Called Poptent Productions, the platform boasts a network of almost 50,000 videographers in 140 countries.”
Apr 12, 2012

Poptent Launches Premium Global Video Production House for Major Brands

“Poptent is known as a crowdsourced video production and social community platform for video creators, a nifty way for aspiring filmmakers and video producers to get experience shooting videos for a number of major brands, while keeping video production costs low for the client. Today, Poptent announced a new full-service video production unit called Poptent Productions, a business unit that will enable a speedier, smoother process from concept to finished product. Poptent Productions will be headed by Poptent veteran David Mann, and they hired award-winning producer Jon Seidman to be the executive in charge of productions.”
Apr 12, 2012

Poptent Launches Premium Production House For Its Crowdsourced Video Network

“Today, crowdsourced video production company Poptent launched a “premium” video production arm, Poptent Productions, which was created in order to select producers from the Poptent network — about 50,000 videographers in 140 countries, according to the company itself — who’ll create ads and branded video for major brands and agencies, and who the company says will do so on smaller budgets than those brands and agencies are accustomed to.”
Apr 12, 2012

Brands & Video Ads Online with Poptent

“Poptent is announcing today the launch of it’s new ‘Poptent Productions‘ arm, a full service video production unit. In our interview with Neil Perry, President of Poptent, we gain insight into how the company does what it does. With a network of 50,000+ videographers to tap into, this company must be doing something right, and in a big way! Read on to see what Mr. Perry shares about brands and online video ads:”
Apr 12, 2012

Poptent Launches Production Unit To Create Video Ads

“In the last few years, Poptent has emerged as one of the main players in the niche for crowdsourced video advertising.

The company matches its network of 50,000 independent videographers and filmmakers globally with assignments primarily for online video- -- but also traditional TV. They include spots from brands from American Express to Crest to FedEx.”
Apr 12, 2012

Crowdsourced video company Poptent launches a premium video production unit aimed at big brands

“Poptent, a US-based crowdsourced video production and media company, has launched Poptent Productions, a premium video production business unit for big brands and agencies.”
Apr 4, 2012

A brand's guide to video outsourcing

“The daunting cost of producing online video can put a strain on already tapped budgets. Hiring a partner might be the optimum solution. Here's why Poptent has the answers.”
Apr 2, 2012

White Sox select first spot in television crowdsourcing campaign

“After conducting a crowdsourcing assignment to be a part of the Chicago White Sox 2012 advertising campaign, Chicago natives and White Sox fans Matt Dahl and Derek Smith's "Moments" television commercial spot was selected by the White Sox as the first of four chosen submissions. The White Sox received nearly 300 spots for the assignment. Fans submitted their commercials through Poptent (www.poptent.net), an online community of thousands of creative video producers looking to have their ideas and work adopted by major brands and high-profile organizations.”
Mar 12, 2012

Decades After Pepsi, MOM Is 'Choice of a New Generation'

“MOM Brands, a 92-year-old family-owned company, revels in its frugality. It rarely advertises, doesn't have a creative agency and even avoids basic tactics such as focus groups -- all so it can keep prices low on a portfolio that includes cereals sold under the Malt-O-Meal banner, which made Ad Age's list of America's Hottest Brands last year. For the Better Oats campaign, the marketer used crowdsourcing agency Poptent, which fielded some 100 video submissions before MOM Brands settled on Mr. Anderson's entry. MOM Brands plans to place the ad on its YouTube Channel and Facebook page, as well as on choiceofanewgeneration.com. Plans also include ad buys on sites run by Comedy Central, Hulu and MTV, Ms. Fisher said.”
Mar 9, 2012

2 reasons people aren't watching your videos

“Go out and produce four or five pieces of creative. Make a small buy with all five, and evaluate the performance. Then when you figure out which one is resonating with the consumer, that's the one you put the million behind. Not before. -Neil Perry”
Feb 6, 2012

The Young Guns of the Super Bowl

“Thanks to crowd-sourcing competitions from giant brands, a handful of young filmmakers achieved the honor of having their ads air during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Dannon’s slapstick spot, for example, created by brothers Remy Neymarc, 21, and Andrew Neymarc, 23, featured John Stamos getting head-butted by a girlfriend after teasing her with a spoonful of Oikos Greek yogurt.”
Jan 31, 2012

At the Century Mark, It’s Not Just About the Cookies

“People generally associate Girl Scouts with cookies, camping and doing crafts, but the reality of what our brand stands for is we’re the nation’s largest leadership development organization for girls,” said Timothy Higdon, chief of external affairs for Girl Scouts. “What we’re asserting is that the country would be in a much better position if women were represented in leadership all across the country.” The campaign is by Edelman, the public relations firm, with Ruth, a marketing agency within Edelman, producing the print ads. For the commercial, Ruth turned to Poptent, a company that takes a brand’s assignment for a commercial and solicits entries from its community of filmmakers. The winning submission came from the filmmaker Karen Erbach.”
Jan 30, 2012

Dannon Joins PepsiCo in Crowdsourcing for Superbowl Ad

“On this occasion, the crowdsourcing was limited to members of Poptent, who are proven to be talented video makers; this differs from PepsiCo’s contest which was open to anyone. The ad will also be released on the Dannon Oikos Facebook and YouTube pages.”
Jan 23, 2012

Behind Dannon’s Super Bowl XLVI Ad Campaign

“According to Neuwirth, “we sought to expand the field of creative concepts we were looking for, and the member-only crowdsource that Poptent delivers was extremely effective for us to generate a multitude of concepts in a short period of time.” The creative process did not utilize what Perry calls “antiquated storyboards,” but placed more emphasis on focus groups and quantitative study.”
Jan 19, 2012

The Dannon Company Super Bowl Ad to Feature Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt and Actor John Stamos

“Crowdsourced ad directed by possibly the youngest professional in the history of Super Bowl ads
In addition to bringing better-for-you food to the biggest single television event of the year, Dannon chose a unique approach to creating the ad. The commercial was crowdsourced among a select group of top talent in collaboration with Poptent, the crowdsourced video production company. Crowdsourcing is the process of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community (crowd) through an open call or, in the case of Dannon, a member-only call. The member-only crowdsourced campaign was conducted privately in keeping with the tradition of secrecy and surprise of Super Bowl advertising.”
Jan 18, 2012

For Super Bowl XLVI, a Bigger Batch of First-Time Advertisers

“The commercial may also stand out because it was created for Dannon by Poptent, a company that specializes in crowdsourcing ads for major marketers, with the advice of the Dannon creative agency of record, Y&R New York. “About 31 of our best creators” were invited to come up with ideas for the spot, said Neil Perry, president at Poptent in Conshohocken, Pa., and Dannon selected a submission from Remy Neymarc, 21, who runs Neymarc Visuals in Weehawken, N.J., with his brother, Andrew.”
Jan 16, 2012

Even a lion tamer can be found through crowdsourcing

“Hopping onto a crowdsourcing marketplace requires taking a leap of faith, in the same way that buying something for the first time on eBay might have. But Poptent’s CEO, Andy Jedynak argues, crowdsourcing isn’t a brave new experiment any more. “It’s not a strange new concept that they need to be worried about,” he says. “Crowdsourcing has been around since the 1990s. The world’s largest companies do it every day. ”
Jan 12, 2012

Crowdsourced Video Wins Big With Poptent-Created Dell Ad During National Championship Game

“I think what's most impressive to me is how much this feels like a regular Dell ad. I'm not sure how much credit goes to the creator, and how much goes to the Poptent model, but it's incredible that Dell can turn to a crowdsourced video model, save money, and end up with an ad that feels right at home with most of the rest of the Dell branding we've seen the last few years. It speaks quite highly of the potential of this model moving forward.”
Dec 16, 2011

Vacation Rentals for Business Travel

“Poptent's Perry has rented a vacation home and adjoining bungalow (to fit up to eight employees) for a week during the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. According to Poptent, the arrangement provides a great 'home base' for its employees, as well as a place where the company could host prospective clients during the conference. It didn't hurt that the vacation rental that Poptent rented had a nice patio for seating large groups of people.”
Oct 26, 2011

Video Bargain Bin for Brands

“And now, crowdsourcing has infiltrated the top shelf of creative work, the 30-second spot, thanks to the explosion of online video. (In the second quarter of this year, the number of Americans watching video online was up by 2.6 percent over last year, and the time spent watching those videos was up 14 percent, according to Nielsen.)”
Oct 16, 2011

Q&A: Neil Perry, president, Poptent

“Neil Perry, president of video advertising firm Poptent, discusses how marketers are experimenting with online video ads and why mobile remains the format's frontier.”
Aug 19, 2011

Poptent: Rethink Everything You Know About Ads

“I'm simply an agency guy who saw a great service that I can not only use, but also can drive forward our business. I see Poptent as amazing not only in what it can do, but also how it stitches together two very powerful trends in video: creation and distribution. It's because we now can sit at that intersection, with an army of creators at our side, that I think it is time for all of us to reconsider how this world operates.”
Aug 3, 2011

Crowdsourced Video Creation: Poptent to invest $1m in Brazil

“Aware of the many differences in the Brazilian and American markets, Neil Perry, the president of Poptent, wanted local talent to lead the venture. He selected three highly-able individuals, each ideally qualified to leverage both the success and experience gained in the US and to develop Poptent’s local presence in the vibrant Brazilian Market: John deTar, whose wife is Brazilian, Peter Lau, a New Yorker with 12 years experience in the Brazilian Market, and the genuinely Brazilian Diogo Abdalla da Cunha.”
Aug 3, 2011

HomeAway Partners With Poptent to Give the Public a Chance to Create its Next Ad Highlighting Benefits of Vacation Rentals

“Poptent was initially tapped to produce four videos using a script that long-time HomeAway customer and property owner Victor Nawrocki submitted to HomeAway after watching their Super Bowl advertisement. According to Nawrocki, "I wrote this ad as an opportunity to tell a different story about HomeAway and the benefits of vacation rentals. Many families don't realize they have alternatives to hotels, and with vacation rentals they can save money and vacation more comfortably.”
Aug 2, 2011

Hollywood Director's Son Goes Commercial

“The son of Hollywood director Mark Rydell is entering advertising ... Pizza Hut bought Rydell's ad—for $10,000—and ran it, beginning in June. The spot, which promotes a special offer for the chain's "Lover's" pizzas, features men, women and kids shouting "I love you" to the camera.”
Jun 22, 2011

Video Creator Network Expands to Brazil

“Jedynak suggested Poptent's costs are appealing for brands that are looking for online-specific content. "The days of repurposing standard 30- and 60-second ads are pretty well over, so brand marketers are looking for a creative and effective way to get really high quality work done quickly and at a reasonable price," he said. "At the same time, they're generally not willing to pony up $350,000 to create an online ad unit. By coming in at around 10 percent of that cost, Poptent has found a sweet spot.”
Jun 21, 2011

Video Ad Crowdsourcer Poptent Lands In Brazil

“Brazil is home to a growing and dynamic combination of video consumers, content creators, and innovative brands,” said John deTar, Poptent co-managing director for Brazil. “We are now able to more directly engage a growing localized base of brand advertisers and content creators, as well as a Brazilian marketplace that has already proven itself to include one of the world’s fastest-growing and most engaged populations of Internet users.”
Jun 21, 2011

Crowdsourced Video Production Now Available in Brazil

“Only 7 months after reaching the $1 million dollar milestone, Poptent surpassed the $2 million dollar milestone, when Brandon Carter, a NY-based videographer, received $10,000 from Dell’s ‘Mobility Gives Ability’ campaign. Poptent’s growth and success is evident in the fact it took over two years to dish out $1 million, and barely seven months to cash our their second million. This growth is good news for crowdsourcing as it shows that Fortune 500 brands are seeing the value of crowdsourcing.”
Jun 21, 2011

Branded Crowdsourced Video Expands As Poptent Opens Brazil Office

“When you think of crowdsourced video production, you don’t tend to think about large brands. One of the real benefits of crowdsourcing your video is the reduced cost–you’re not having to pay top dollar to the industry’s most-coveted commercial directors. But in today’s economy, even Fortune 500′s could stand to save a buck or two. But it’s more than just dollars and cents. Crowdsourced content often results in creativity and artistry, with the cream rising to the top. Sometimes opening things up to the masses reveals a new approach or voice that would otherwise have gone undiscovered.”
Jun 21, 2011

Poptent Expands In Brazil

“Los Angeles-based Poptent, which operates a crowdsourcing web site for commercials and videos for brands and advertisers, said today that it has expanded into Brazil. The firm said it opened up a new office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to accommodate international demand for its services.”
Jun 20, 2011

Intel Crowdsources Latest Ad Campaign

“The chosen entries were then posted to Intel’s Inside Scoop blog and YouTube channel, as well as their Facebook and Twitter properties, as well as the blog. Through these these platforms Intel undertook an awareness drive of the videos, encouraging computer users and especially “techies” to support their favourite video. After the final showdown which took place December 21-22 votes and comments were collected. The Inside Scoop Intel Blog collected over 500 however nearly 40,000 were collected through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube combined.”
Jun 20, 2011

Online vote to decide Yamaha video contest

“Online now on the Yamaha Boats and Yamaha WaveRunners’ Facebook pages are the two finalists from the Yamaha Escape from the Ordinary contest hosted on Poptent.net. “We wanted to see videos that are entirely different than anything else we’ve done in the past, and the Poptent community responded as hoped,” Yamaha WaterCraft national marketing manager Bryan Seti said in a statement.”
May 2, 2011

Seven ideas to make your online video marketing stand out

“Marketers, realizing the power of the Internet, are letting customers and prospects create video elements and new content. For instance, Lumber Liquidators, which sells building materials to contractors, recently produced a number of videos using crowdsourcing (asking people to create videos) on Poptent.net to promote its various offerings.”
Mar 22, 2011

Crowdsourcing: You Create, Brand Capitalizes—Both Happy

“Choice implies limits since you have to choose from a list, which already includes certain items selected by someone else. To give consumers a real freedom is to empower them to create things they really want to purchase, use or see. At the same time, this is the ultimate goal of any manufacturer—to produce something, which is 100 per cent demanded. That is where crowdsourcing comes from.”
Mar 15, 2011

Crowdsourcing: The New Comparative Advantage?

“It's easy to see why companies would be drawn to use these models, but the participants – designers and developers who may be independent workers, full time employees moonlighting at night for extra money or to develop new skills, retrained workers trying to break into new fields, and even just those looking for the glow of being recognized – all have something to gain from participation in addition to the financial compensation. Skills development, work choice, transparency of outcomes to effort, social connections and recognition, gamification of work, etc. – all make crowdsourced markets highly attractive to participants.”
Feb 9, 2011

So Shoot Me – Crowdsourcing Video

“Poptent.net is a service that aims to inexpensively connect video producers with client companies and brands wanting video content. It’s user generated video coordinated to make it big. Poptent plays matchmaker and provides the platform, expertise, and legal agreements protecting both producers and clients.”
Feb 6, 2011

Social media: Adding video to your digital marketing plan

“There are many different types of video content you can produce and add to your website, or push out on the social web to garner attention. One site, albeit for bigger brands, is PopTent.net, a crowd-sourced video site where a large community of semi-professional videographers compete for your project. Speaking from experience, the results are impressive.”
Jan 27, 2011

Who says your best ideas have to come from the inside?

“Crowdsourcing has come into its own in the advertising space, and not just for the reasons you might think. To be sure, E*Trade and Doritos are looking beyond their traditional ad agencies for the best ideas. But they’re also tapping into a phenomenon that is evolving how people think about brands – customer engagement.”
Jan 24, 2011

11 Crowdsourcing Predictions for 2011. Straight from the Leaders.

“We will start to see some consolidation in the crowdsourced video space. Some players will fold, and others will flourish as they have successfully nourished and supported their creative community, providing educational resources and clear direction to their members.”
Jan 21, 2011

How to crowdsource creative advertising

“According to Perry, a strong creative brief will produce strong submissions. But there are some differences to working with the crowd. Perry explains that if you treat crowdsourcing like UGC, you're going to get a lot of junk. In other words, if you run it like a contest, you're going to get amateurish results. On the other hand, if you approach the community as if they are professionals, you're going to get a number of strong submissions, so the brand should be prepared to buy multiple ideas.”
Jan 12, 2011

Myths about the future of crowdsourcing

“Myth #1: Crowdsourcing is going to displace or replace the role of agencies. False. Many of the largest brands, from Procter & Gamble to Anheuser-Busch InBev, have been experimenting with crowdsourced video creation over the past 12-18 months, primarily in commercial form. These brands have uncovered an interesting fact -- you can obtain some pretty useful and even groundbreaking videos through crowdsourced networks of videographers.”
Dec 20, 2010

Poptent Delivers $1 Million in Payouts to Video Artists

“This is decade-old problem with TV advertising — limited ad inventory, because making good television commercials tends to be expensive. The dilemma transfers and potentially worsens with online video advertising — Internet clips tend to be short, which makes for lots of ads in between. While there’s lots of premium video content, there’s a dearth of ad inventory — and much of that is repurposed from TV. Consumers whine about pre-roll because they see the same ads over and over and over — ones they’ve already seen a million times on television.”
Dec 20, 2010

$1 million in award payments

“Brands such as Amazon, AARP, Intel and Frito Lay are among the brands taking advantage of the creative available outside of big New York or California ad agencies.”
Dec 20, 2010

Poptent Hits $1 Million in Video Ad Payouts

“But Poptent isn't always leaving agencies out of the loop — about 20% of its work comes from agencies rather than directly from brands. Chicago-based marketing firm Robinson Maites, for example, which works with FedEx, handled the ad buys via Poptent for the shipping giant.”
Dec 20, 2010

Crowdsource video network surpasses $1 million in payouts

“Poptent, a crowdsource platform for freelance videographers and filmmakers, today announce d that it has awarded more than $1 million in assignment payouts.”
Nov 30, 2010

How Marketers Are Stroking Our Egos to Death

“These open-sourcing initiatives work for marketers on a bunch of levels, including economic efficiency, but what really motivates them is the grand flattery that lies at their essence. Any brand that invites us into the “creation” process – whether it’s to name a product, choose a flavor, or tell the company what’s wrong with their espresso maker – is bonding with consumers over the fundamental “democratic” precept that the best ideas and genuine innovation reside outside the corporate walls. Indeed there are entire websites, like www.poptent.net, that have systematized this ideology.”
Nov 10, 2010

HoodieBuddies Video Effort Leverages Ad Nets, Betty White Tie-In

“In an effort to introduce HoodieBuddies, hooded sweatshirts with headphones integrated into the drawstrings, California apparel manufacturer Jerry Leigh undertook a unique online video campaign. The effort began with a video ad placement on three ad networks, which was followed by social media efforts and another video starring 88-year-old actress Betty White.”
Oct 25, 2010

E-Trade, Preparing For Super Bowl, Seeks Fresh 'Baby' Concepts

“E-Trade Financial Corp. will advertise in the Super Bowl again early next year. The spot will certainly feature a talking baby. The idea for its commercial, however, may not be one cooked up by ETrade ad agency Grey Group. The storyline for the spot could come from a pool of videographers who submitted 250 submissions for E-Trade and Grey through Poptent, a social network dedicated to crowdsourcing video content. Grey will produce any of the work chosen from the pool, says E-Trade Chief Marketing Officer Nick Utton.”
Oct 24, 2010

Accounts, People and Miscellany

“Andy Jedynak joined Poptent, San Clemente, Calif., as chief executive, assuming duties from Neil Perry, who had been acting chief executive; Mr. Perry continues as president, based in the Philadelphia office. Mr. Jedynak had most recently been based in San Diego, serving as a senior adviser to and board member of companies that included Poptent.”
Oct 22, 2010

Crowdsourced Video Site Poptent Raises $3 Million, Hires New CEO

“Poptent, a social network focusing on crowdsourcing video, has raised $3 million in a first round funding. The Los Angeles-based company also has a new CEO: Andy Jedynak, the former president of KidZui, a portal aimed at children and their parents.”
Oct 21, 2010

Poptent Lands $3 Million for Crowdsourced Video

“Los Angeles - Poptent, a social network focused on crowdsourcing video, has raised $3 million in its first round of financing, led by MK Capital.”
Oct 21, 2010

Poptent brings crowdsourcing to online video

“In the online space, no time has been more content crazy than this. From video clips to unique news items to personal blogs, everyone is adding to content. One problem for brands is being able to provide quality, unique content that is also creative, brand safe and engaging. Enter Poptent, a social network created to put brands and advertisers in touch with video creators who can help with the engaging and unique aspects of online video.”
Oct 21, 2010

Poptent raises $3M for crowdsourced video

“Poptent, a social network for video creators formerly known as XLNTads, has raised a $3 million Series A round of funding, led by by MK Capital partner Yair Landau. The company also hired Andy Jedynak, a Poptent board member, as its new CEO.”
Oct 21, 2010

Poptent raises $3M for new social network for crowdsourced video

“Poptent has raised $3 million to keep building its social network around crowdsourced video. It also hired Andy Jedynak as its new chief executive.”
Oct 21, 2010

Crowdsourcing - An Efficient and Disruptive Force in Digital Marketing

“[Poptent’s model] appears to be a win-win. Brands get new ideas and multiple, custom executions from a wide talent pool. Marketers pay a single fee and have unlimited rights with no talent residuals and no pesky re-negotiations. In fact, after interactive marketing staff, the procurement team is often the biggest proponent of this efficient approach. About 25 percent of clients are repeat, but that number is increasing as the business continues to grow quickly.”
Oct 21, 2010

MK Capital Invests in Crowdsourced Video Leader Poptent

“MK Capital, a next generation venture capital firm emerging as one of Southern California's premier digital media investors, today announced a $3 million Series A investment in Poptent, a social network dedicated to crowdsourcing video.”
Oct 21, 2010

2 O.C. firms raise total of $7.7 million

“Poptent, a San Clemente social network for crowdsourcing videos, received $3 million in its first round of outside equity funding.”
Oct 20, 2010

Poptent Raises $3.0M

“San Clemente-based Poptent, a firm which operates an online site which allows brands to source crowd-generated commercials, web videos, and other video content from users, has raised at least $3.0M in a recent funding, according to a regulatory filing by the firm Wednesday. According to the filing, the firm has raised $3.0M in an equity funding, and added two directors to its board from MK Capital.”
Aug 31, 2010

Video: Nokia Nuron's Twilight Parody Selected from Poptent

“Back in June, Nokia asked the Poptent community to create a commercial about the Nuron. If you are unfamiliar with Poptent, it is a portal that connects brands with independent commercial videomakers. Out of 44 submissions, Nokia purchased 3 videos for $5K each, one for $1K, and 2 at $500 each. One of the finalists’ video was just upload to the NokiaUS Youtube channel. Twilight fans might like it.”
Aug 24, 2010

Amazon Finding Success With Crowdsourced Ads

“We’ve been fans of XLNT Ads for a while, and their Poptent platform has been matching increasingly larger brands with independent commercial producers to great success. And we love featuring good work, like this one which was just bought by Amazon for $10,000. In addition to giving big dollar agencies a run for their money, XLNT Ads has built a social network with a small number of staff that rewards independent producers way outside the traditional media box, a win win for advertisers, producers and viewers.”
May 11, 2010

Neil Perry on "Pro-Crowd Sourcing" Your Next Viral Video

“It is a fascinating business. What makes it unique is we are surrounded by an incredibly talented group of videographers from around the country. We’ve assembled 15,000 to date and all of them take part in different assignments that we run for major brands. The process is pretty simple. We actually post a creative brief that the brand gives us – and these are brands like Anheuser Busch or Kraft, Unilever, Nestle, a lot of the major players. We post that creative brief and this network of creatives, all of these 15,000 videographers, take a look at it and they decide whether or not they want to take a stab at doing a commercial for one of the Fortune 100 companies.”
Mar 31, 2010

'Crowdsourcing' gets companies cheap help online

“The concept, called "crowdsourcing," is gaining momentum among businesses, non-profits and individuals who are getting work done at a fraction of the normal cost. And with more people online with ultrafast Internet connections, companies have a vast database of experts to choose from.”
Mar 10, 2010

Poptent’s user-generated commercials undercut expensive ad agencies

“Back in 2007, Chief Marketing Officer Neil Perry, who’s worked in marketing as a senior leader at McDonald’s and as Vice President of Marketing at Monster.com, realized that creating high-cost video advertising campaigns in a universe of user-generated content just didn’t make sense. '[We] produced a bundle of commercials and I got famaliar with how expensive commercials could be. I knew there could be a better way,' he says.”
Mar 10, 2010

Sea Change

“The rise of technology, empowerment of consumers and explosion of social networking are conspiring to make the advertising world more complicated—and ad campaigns more clever—than ever before.”
Oct 9, 2008

Poptent Brings Filmmakers and Brands Together Online

“It’s important to note that while the service is geared towards filmmakers, it is also open to other types of talent in the filmmaking industry, such as actors, comedians, grips, animators and more. The focus is to provide a platform where people with varying skills and experience can find one another and collaborate on projects. You can search for other things like members that you might want to work with on an assignment. Also, you can search a listing of all the brands that might be interested in working with you.”
Oct 8, 2008

Poptent Lets Brands Crowdsource Advertising On The Cheap

“Poptent CEO Neil Perry says that while Poptent is designed to encourage submissions from its thousands of members, it isn’t going for the “YouTube crowd”. Instead, it’s focused on catering to small but professional teams capable of producing TV-quality ads.”
Aug 28, 2007

(Selected, Rarified)-Consumer Generated Ads

“XLNT has hired community coordinators to beat the bushes of the amateur video world in search of the 500 premium contributors so that brands using the site to host contests will not have a Heinz-like inundation of crap from the clueless, but rather a ready supply of dependably watchable material. ”