Our Story

Port Side was born on a mountain bike trail with a 480p camera and a couple of friends riding hardtails in Bellingham, Washington. Editing away on a 2009 MacBook Pro with iMovie, I realized that filmmaking provided an outlet to craft feeling through the video medium. Inspired by our proximity to the ocean and fueled by this novel idea that filmmaking could induce feeling, Port Side was born.

Knowing what we didn’t know, we started The Backcountry Marketing Podcast to interview industry leaders to better understand the landscape, upstream and downstream, of production. Our goal was to try and answer the question: "what makes video content work?"

Five years and more than 200 episodes later, that pursuit fundamentally changed our company.

Today, Port Side operates as a creative studio that helps outdoor brands do two things.

1. Define a clear, differentiated point of view and translate it into relevant, ownable, value-driven content that people actually care about.

2. Strategically design, produce, distribute, and maximize content across channels so it not only looks good, but performs, resonates, and drives business outcomes.

We believe the brands winning today aren’t just making content. They’re building media ecosystems rooted in a strong point of view, emotional relevance, and a deep understanding of their audience.

- Cole Heilborn
Creative Director

Services
Deliverables

Our Services

Content Strategy, Production, Distribution

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Content Point-of-View Architecture

We help outdoor brands uncover their unique point of view and translate it into content people actually want to watch. The result is a content system that earn attention, build trust, and grow an audience.

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Consulting Strategy

Most outdoor brands don’t have an execution problem. They have a clarity problem. This ongoing consulting engagement is built to sharpen your brand positioning, content strategy, and creative direction.

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Full Service

Our fully integrated service brings strategy, creative, production, and distribution under one roof. We work across branded entertainment, campaigns, and social.

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360° Branded Entertainment Campaign Development

We help brands turn films and stories into full-scale campaigns that extend far beyond the final edit. From strategy and distribution to social content, activations, partnerships, and cutdowns, we help maximize the value and lifespan of every story.

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Deliverables

What We Deliver

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Media Deliverables

Brand Films

Branded Serial Content

Campaign Videos

Social Content

Photography

Strategy Assets

Content Mapping

Audience Research Analysis

White Space Audits

Creative Development

Briefs

Treatments

Scriptwriting

Our Vision

We envision a future where outdoor brands are creating emotionally resonant media that drives business outcomes. Their content is distinct, creative, creates fans, plays in culture, touches the depths of humanity, and builds an authentic connection between brand and audience that is unshakeable.

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Team

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all production. Every project gets a handpicked crew of seasoned experts who know your world, many of whom have shared their insights on our podcast. You’ll get exactly what you need to bring your story to life. Nothing more. Nothing less. Already have internal video team? We can work with them too.

Cole Heilborn

Founder | Creative Director

Spencer Astra

Cinematographer

Liz Astra

Editor

Joseph Cunningham

Podcast Editor & Producer

Emily Holland

Producer

Riley Seebeck

Photographer

Be quick to listen, slow to speak

Give the audience a reason to care

Lead with empathy

Goal first, story second

Ask harder questions

Bellingham, WA
360.383.7721
cole@portsidepro.com
Proud member of The Conservation Alliance