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Proving industry pundits wrong with boutique agency Passion Point | #CompanySpotlight

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In today's crowded media and social landscape, brands continue to search for innovative platforms that can cut through the pop-culture clutter and make an impact, knowing it’s a never-ending race with their competitors.

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According to its Founder and CEO, Marcus Peterzell, boutique agency Passion Point Collective was designed from the offset to be nimble, creating effective and engaging marketing campaigns by tapping into its unparalleled entertainment industry relationships.

I caught up with Marcus this week to discuss how their team has managed to do deals that industry pundits said could not be done and why they are one of the few agencies to offer full transparency and proven results for “ALL the entertainment marketing verticals.

How was your company born and where are you based?

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I had been at Omnicom for 15 years as EVP/Partner of Entertainment Marketing, where I led a specialty in brand-funded films and music marketing. In 2019, I left Omnicom and attended the Brand Storytelling Conference in Park City, Utah, where an executive from HP was hosting a screening of their new docu-series, “History of Memory.” 

The series was so impactful, but they needed big ideas to market and distribute the film. I was “solo” at that time but submitted a plan to HP beginning with a launch at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, where we are based. I knew that without an agency supporting me my chances were slim, but HP loved the plan and awarded us the business, and Passion Point Collective was born!

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

Entertainment marketing is a very competitive field, so a new agency startup must swim upstream to make any headway - and we did this in the midst of the pandemic!

Which was the first huge success that you can remember?

We hosted HP’s film premiere for “History of Memory” at the Tribeca X Film Festival, which was selected as a finalist from over 9,000 submitted films, and ultimately won the award for “Best Episodic Series.” After the premiere, we created an earned and paid distribution strategy targeting premium content platforms which achieved maximum PR exposure with over 93+ million media impressions and features in 18 key publications.

What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?

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As brand storytelling continues to grow as a key marketing platform, Passion Point is uniquely positioned as a market leader in this field, enabling us to continue to gain market share.

Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?

Our creative process ensures that our approach is tailored to each individual project, but one thing remains the same – our dedication to understanding the needs of each brand in order to build the exact content strategy that they’re searching for.

This takes place over numerous meetings between our internal team and the brand leadership, aided by our many case studies to help illustrate what the ROI looks like. I truly believe we have a unique offering as we organically integrate our brands into the fabric of today's pop culture

How does your team remain inspired and motivated?

Passion Point’s culture reflects the majority of our work, which is based on creating impact via compelling and engaging content. Our films advocate for social causes and celebrate inclusion, diversity, and youth working to change the world.

As an agency, we regularly make donations to multiple causes and the winner of our weekly staff trivia game receives a donation in their name to the charity of their choice. We feel strongly that this work and dedication to helping others remains a key pillar of our agency, which also helps us to stay motivated and inspired with our work.

How has COVID-19 affected your company?

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We are lucky enough to work in a segment of the film industry that doesn’t require our work to be screened via movie theater premieres, so COVID-19 didn’t impact our agency as much as others who relied on that outlet to push out their work. Most of our content is released to the world through online streaming, which proved to be extremely effective in the midst of a pandemic.

Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?

Passion Point is a member of The Purpose Collaborative, a 45+ firm-strong global network of the best purpose-centric agencies and issue experts. This collaborative is a part of Carol Cone On Purpose, a company that prioritizes social impact in their work.

Each of these agencies is a wonderful representation of companies that are working to build purpose into the core of their business strategy, not just as a marketing tactic. We often look to other agencies in this network who are devoted to the same purpose driven mission statements as inspiration for our own projects.

What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?

Build your network! As the saying goes, “it’s all about who you know.” Make sure to cultivate and follow up with your contacts. You never know where a new business opportunity will come from.

How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)

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The majority of our business comes from relationships and referrals. Each year, we attend the Brand Storytelling conference in Park City, Utah to chat with brands and other major industry players to help spread news of Passion Point Collective.

What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?

As more businesses lean into the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility, it’s our hope that brands will choose to explore pop culture and entertainment channels instead of traditional advertising to amplify their pro-social messaging.

Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?

Eastern Tennessee State University began a certification class with the Brand Storytelling organization in January of 2022, which I was asked to be an instructor for. If you’re looking to learn more about the world of brand funded films, then taking this course is a must.

You’ll be introduced to all the leading players in the industry and learn best practices for the creation of a brand funded film – from pitching to production, the ins and outs of sharing a creative process with major brands, distribution, and film festival strategy. You can enroll here! There is also a wealth of digital resources on Brandstoryelling.tv.

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