Vertuoso, the entertainment industry’s first creative and production agency focused solely on “Vertical Storytelling,” predicts unprecedented potential new growth opportunities within the mobile entertainment arena. Since its launch in late 2017 by Curt Doty, CEO, and Greg Babiuk, COO, Vertuoso has been pioneering the verticalization of original content on behalf of such top media brands as Nickelodeon, MTV and BET.
Among Vertuoso’s recent projects:
- Basic to Bougie, Seasons 1-3: This MTV production, which appears on Snapchat, asks the question “When it comes to your favorite foods, is Bougie really Better?” That’s what the show’s hosts seek to find out: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Basic_to_Bougie/4236428456
- One Style Fits All, Season 1: For this MTV production, appearing on Snapchat, three fans who share a celebrity fashion icon work with a stylist to translate one of the stars’ trademark looks into an outfit that enhances their vibe and unique, individual bodies: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/One_Style_Fits_All/3984831037
- Serving as the Agency of Record for two kids brands: Wonderama and Happy Camper Live
- And verticalizing a number of BET shows which are currently being finished for IGTV
- For more examples of the company’s work, please visit: https://www.vertuoso.co/video-gallery
In addition to its agency work, Vertuoso has also been developing its own slate of original vertical content by partnering with outside show creators – with over 40 shows now in development, the company has entered a very exciting next phase in its evolution. Vertuoso’s production partners include: Steve Graham and Jodi Binstock, producers of Z Nation and Black Summer; Emmy Award winner and Academy Award-nominated documentarian Glenn Silber; and writer/director/composer Erin Stegeman, creator of Game of Thrones: The Musical. Vertuoso also recently signed a deal with the Emmy Award-winning PBS nature series Born to Explore with Richard Wiese.
Regarding the growing demands for vertical content, Babiuk says, “When we started Vertuoso two years ago, we thought we would primarily be getting hired to create lots of advertising and promotional content. But our legacy connections within the TV space have not only embraced our social strategies – those same clients have even asked us to work with them on populating their vertical video libraries. Delivering to Snapchat and IGTV has created a new expertise for us, as we have created our own bag of tricks in the hand-crafted world of vertical storytelling. There is no software around that can do what needs to be done in this field. Our design-centered approach to vertical media truly sets us apart from any and all competitors.”
Doty and Babiuk note that the recent news about how the new Jeffrey Katzenberg/Meg Whitman-led Quibi enterprise has been asking media companies and production studios to deliver content to them in both horizontal and vertical orientations, allowing viewers to choose between the two, is a game-changer. “This really presents a new twist,” Doty & Babiuk said. “This dual asset demand will create a lot of extra work, but if Quibi users embrace this approach, it may well become the winning solution by which to make vertical content more mainstream.”
(NOTE: Quibi is not the only player in the mobile video space. Ficto has over 50 new shows coming this summer, and the Chinese platform, iQiyi, part of Chinese giant Baidu, recently released the slice-of-life sitcom Ugh! Life! and its sister series Arg Director. Even Spotify is getting into the game by releasing vertical music videos.)
Since Vertuoso’s launch two years ago, Doty and Babiuk have noticed that TV networks have been wading deeper into the creation of original content and content marketing within the vertical media format. Doty adds, “This is a new industry, with new challenges. Vertical content marketing will be the next big marketplace in the advertising ecosystem. There have been many lessons learned, and we are hopeful for the success of platforms like Quibi.”
“We are a great asset to any and all traditional production companies needing to comply with Quibi’s dual format requirements,” Babiuk remarks. “We have the expertise to advise during both the development phase and on-set, while also managing original production, verticalizing existing content, and creating vertical marketing and promotional campaign materials for the shows themselves. Our nationwide network of editors, influencers and production companies gives us scale.”
Doty is proud of Vertuoso’s accomplishments to date. “We have spent a great deal of time evangelizing the ‘coming of vertical’ and by leading workshops to help our clients navigate this new vertical disruption,” he says. “We believe fully in the format, and love watching it continue to near its fruition on such a large scale.”
About VERTUOSO
Founded by branding/marketing executives Curt Doty and Greg Babiuk in 2017, and located in Los Angeles, New York, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, Vertuoso responds to the mobile audience with a robust viewing experience verticalized for maximum impact. Vertuoso produces marketing, promotion and original content repurposed or shot vertically, with graphic and production techniques exclusively designed for mobile viewing.
To date, the company has produced content for Viacom, MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon, and continues to work with producers, writers and showrunners to develop vertical series for all of the emerging vertical channels.
Having verticalized over 10 popular shows across Snapchat and IGTV since 2017, Vertuoso continues to lead the way in vertical storytelling. The company works with brands, agencies, studios, networks, and media companies to collaborate on creating and optimizing their video campaigns – promotional campaigns for movies and TV shows, and advertising campaigns for brands and services – by taking advantage of the latest consumer behaviors in their consumption of social video. The company also creates original vertical mobile content for museums, art galleries, theme parks and themed visitor destinations.
In its role as a production entity, Vertuoso sources the best DP’s and crews from across the country to accept this new challenge of shooting and framing for landscape and portrait. Using Design to drive a story graphically is becoming increasingly more critical to the industry, and has become tantamount to enticing the public’s behavior, since marketers can no longer rely on traditional paradigms of audio, music, and dialogue to propel a story. With the increased use of infographics and explainer videos, Design plays a major role in retaining attention.
Vertuoso incorporates Neuroscience studies into its workflow, to measure the emotions and attention of viewers to the millisecond. Utilizing this approach, Vertuoso has the ability to enhance each of its clients’ campaigns, and can better help educate its diverse, global client base.
Please see: www.vertuoso.co
