Portal A Interactive

Portal A
Company typeIndependent
IndustryMedia Development and Production
Founded2009
HeadquartersSan Francisco, Los Angeles
Key people
Zach Blume - Managing Partner
Nate Houghteling - Executive Producer
Kai Hasson - Creative Director
Number of employees
53
Websitehttp://portal-a.com/

Portal A is a brand and original content company [1][2] founded in 2009 by three childhood friends, Nate Houghteling, Kai Hasson, and Zach Blume.[3] As of 2024, Portal A is independently owned and based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

In 2019, Portal A entered into a strategic partnership with Brent Montgomery and Jimmy Kimmel's Wheelhouse Entertainment,[4] with Wheelhouse taking a minority stake in the company.[5]

Original Content

One of the company's first projects was White Collar Brawler, an original digital series that later ran for multiple seasons on TV with the Esquire Network.[6]

Portal A released Song Voyage, a comedy series shot in Asia following YouTube musical group The Gregory Brothers.[7] The show was distributed by Disney's Maker Studios, and reached over 30 million views, including the viral "Chicken Attack".[8]

The studio released One Shot with YouTube Originals in February 2018, an unscripted special with WilldaBeast Adams on a journey to find the next underground dance star.[9] Portal A produced State of Pride for YouTube Originals, a documentary feature film directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.[10] The film premiered at the opening night of South by Southwest[11] and was named Best Documentary at the GLAAD Awards.[12] In 2020, Portal A released the 60-minute special Ultimate Home Championship with YouTube Originals.[13]

Portal A produced the scripted original series Action Royale with Snapchat Originals,[14] and released Level Up with Stephen Curry,[15] an episodic series with Snapchat Originals and The Best Snaps Show[16], a daily talk show for Snapchat Originals.

Portal A developed and produced 5 Minutes From Home,[17] a series starring Stephen Curry. The series received 6 million views[18] over its first three episodes. Lyft sponsored the second season[19] of 5 Minutes From Home. The company produced Year Five with Anthony Edwards[20] and Ben Shelton's The Long Game.[21]

In 2023, Portal A announced Moonshots,[22] a content fund for investing in independent projects with creators. In 2024, Portal A reported that they had allocated $1m in production and staff resources[23] to over 20 Moonshots projects, including Five Star.[24]

Branded Content

Portal A works with YouTube and Google on social video series and campaigns, and with brands like Lenovo, Target, Lego, GM, Clorox, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and others.[25]

Portal A is known for producing the annual YouTube Rewind, which has accrued over 1 billion views in aggregate[26][27] since 2011.[28] The company also produced YouTube Rewind 2018, noted as the most disliked video on YouTube.[29][30][31]

The company has worked with Clorox for various projects, including "Best Roommate Ever" with Stephen Curry and King Bach.[32] Portal A won the Streamy Award for Best Branded Content and Best Influencer Campaign for its work with Clorox.[33]

Portal A's work on the "#MotoMods + YouTube Heroes" campaign for Lenovo won a One Show Pencil.[34] Portal A's work with Lenovo includes Quest for the Impossible for Lenovo Legion and #CreatorOdyssey,[35] a global creator campaign featuring artists from around the world. The project was named an Official Selection of BrandStorytelling at Sundance.[36]

Portal A released Let's Target with Target featuring Laverne Cox, Tabitha Brown, Emma Chamberlain and others and works with Target on several YouTube series like Teammates of Target.

Portal A has worked on a variety of political initiatives,[37] partnering with the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign to reach young voters in swing states.[38] In 2020, Portal A worked with the Joe Biden presidential campaign for the social media initiative #ImVotingFor[39].

Recognition

Portal A was named Agency of the Year by the Streamy Awards,[40] Brand Entertainment Agency of the Year by Campaign US,[41] Content Agency of the Year by Digiday,[42] Video Agency of the Year by Digiday,[43] and Digital Studio of the Year by Cynopsis.[44]

Portal A was profiled by Adweek as "creating branded and original content for next generation of digital" [45], Campaign Magazine wrote that "Portal A's goal has been to help brands evolve from advertisers to content creators"[46], and Business Insider wrote that Portal A is "a go-to for social video work for marketers" and "Portal A has found success bypassing the traditional agency model."[47]

References

  1. ^ "We make videos for the Internet. And you". Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  2. ^ Tate, Ryan. "Constructing This Summer's Viral Video Hit". Wired.
  3. ^ "Portal A videos appeal to young voters". SFGate. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Brent Montgomery's Wheelhouse Invests in Digital Studio Portal A (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  5. ^ Coffee, Patrick (10 January 2019). "Wheelhouse Entertainment and Partner Jimmy Kimmel Buy a Minority Stake in Content Agency Portal A". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. ^ "How Esquire Network Was Sold on White Collar Brawler". 8 November 2013.
  7. ^ Hamedy, Saba (30 November 2016). "YouTube musical comedy group The Gregory Brothers launch new series". Mashable. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. ^ schmoyoho (25 January 2017), Chicken Attack // SONG VOYAGE // Japan //, retrieved 21 February 2017
  9. ^ "Miami's Underground Dancers Get 'One Shot' on YouTube Red". Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  10. ^ Spangler, Todd (13 September 2018). "YouTube Orders LGBTQ Documentary About Pride Movement". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  11. ^ "YouTube And Portal A's 'State of Pride' Chosen As Opening Night Feature For SXSW 2019". Tubefilter. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. ^ "UPDATING: Award Recipients at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Stephen Curry Is Hosting a Stay-at-Home 'Sports' Competition Fundraiser on YouTube". Variety. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  14. ^ Spangler, Todd (11 June 2020). "Snapchat Renews Content Deals With Disney, ESPN, NBCU and More; Unveils Original Shows From Kevin Hart, Catherine Hardwicke". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  15. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  16. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (11 March 2021). "Snapchat Plans Show to Spotlight Top Creator Posts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  17. ^ Spangler, Todd (25 April 2018). "Stephen Curry to Relaunch YouTube Channel With Show Featuring His Postgame Chats With Guests". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  18. ^ Stephen Curry (26 June 2018), Rudy Mancuso & Stephen Curry Drop a New Track | 5 Minutes from Home, retrieved 30 July 2018
  19. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (14 March 2019). "Stephen Curry's '5 Minutes From Home' Sets Joel Embiid, Daveed Diggs And Others As Guests For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  20. ^ Schneider, Michael (7 February 2025). "NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards Launches Sports Docuseries 'Year Five' With Wheelhouse (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  21. ^ White, Peter (11 December 2025). "Tennis Star Ben Shelton Strikes Deal With Wheelhouse, Serves Up Docuseries". Deadline. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  22. ^ Hale, James (22 February 2023). "Portal A is dedicating a "Moonshots" fund to finance creators' indie projects". Tubefilter. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  23. ^ Hale, James (22 November 2024). "Portal A has spent $1 million trying to make premium short-form work. Is it?". Tubefilter. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  24. ^ Monllos, ByKristina. "Why one agency made an indie short film". Marketing Brew. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Portal A Work". Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  26. ^ Watercutter, Angela. "How YouTube Crammed an Entire Year Into Its Epic Rewind Video". Wired.
  27. ^ "The Folks Behind YouTube Rewind Video Are Portal A". AdAge. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Close To 300 Creators Recreate 2017's Top Online Video Trends In Latest Edition Of YouTube Rewind - Tubefilter". Tubefilter. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  29. ^ "YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind". YouTube. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  30. ^ "Inside the Making of YouTube's End-of-Year Video and the Company Behind It". adage.com. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  31. ^ Spangler, Todd (13 December 2018). "YouTube Rewind 2018 Officially Becomes Most-Disliked Video Ever". Variety. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Brita uses social influencers to target millennials - Think with Google". Think with Google. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  33. ^ "Portal A, Kevin Hart, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Honored At First 'Streamys Brand Awards'". Tubefilter. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  34. ^ "Lenovo / Moto Mods + YouTube Heroes". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  35. ^ "Lenovo collaborated with seven creators on a huge global art project—using a single laptop". Ad Age. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  36. ^ "BrandStorytelling Announces 2026 Official Selections – BST". brandstorytelling.tv. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  37. ^ "Portal A videos appeal to young voters". SFGate. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  38. ^ Spangler, Todd (27 October 2016). "Hillary Clinton Campaign Enlists YouTube Stars for Fan-Surprise Videos (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  39. ^ Weiss, Geoff (9 October 2020). "Joe Biden Taps Portal A For #ImVotingFor Influencer Campaign On Instagram, Twitter". Tubefilter. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  40. ^ @streamys (12 December 2021). "Register" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 January 2022 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ "Brand Entertainment Awards 2023: Brand entertainment agency of the year". PRWeek. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  42. ^ "Digiday Awards on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  43. ^ Hayes, Melissa (8 March 2019). "Complex, NBCU and Group Nine win at the Digiday Video Awards". Digiday. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  44. ^ "Winners - Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards 2016". Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  45. ^ "Portal A Creates Branded and Original Content for the Next Generation of Digital". Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  46. ^ "Brand Entertainment Awards 2023: Brand entertainment agency of the year". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  47. ^ "A new breed of social-video specialists is stealing business from old-school, TV-obsessed ad agencies". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
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