It’s easy for filmmakers to get caught up in the allure of lens choices, lighting, camera movements, and countless creative decisions that arise during production. But at the end of the day, clients invest in production companies to solve problems. Plain and simple. When we center on solving a problem, the content we create becomes purpose-driven rather than arbitrary. Every element is designed to serve a function—whether that’s to inspire, inform, or drive action—ensuring we don’t produce generic content that just "fills space." Instead, each frame and word contributes meaningfully toward a clear, defined goal.
At Port Side, we believe content should have a purpose. Purpose may take many forms: sometimes it’s about building brand awareness; other times, it’s highlighting key product features. But creating content merely for the sake of it isn’t what we stand for. Here’s why, and how we approach our work:
The outdoor industry—and really, the world—is saturated with content. It’s everywhere, filling our every waking moment. So whether our videos are positioned at the top or bottom of the marketing funnel, focusing on function over form is paramount. The content that stands out aligns seamlessly with a brand's strategy, creative vision, execution, and distribution to create impact and extend a message out into the wild.
Brands that stand up are the brands that stand out. This philosophy applies equally to creative work. For creative concepts or stories to work for a brand, it has to stem from purpose. Even a simple objective—like “bringing joy through a lighthearted Instagram reel”—adds clarity to the work and is a reflection of the brand's ethos. Purpose is the anchor.
Because we believe that purpose is the anchor, our approach is problem-first. We rarely pitch generic project ideas to unsuspecting clients for two reasons 1. The chances that the blind pitch will align with a client's internal challenge are unlikely and 2. It devalues our work as creatives; ideas may be cheap, but they aren’t free. Most marketers are bombarded with requests from (mostly) well-meaning photographers, videographers, and agencies pitching everything from media trips to expeditions, to film projects and influencer content.
Apart from feeling unethical in my own opinion, this type of work devalues the creative industry because it creates the illusion that creatives are desperate for work and it also gives brands the impression that creatives only want to get their projects funded without consideration as to how projects fit into their larger initiatives.
Instead of us just shooting in the dark, most clients come to us with a specific challenge, and video just happens to be the best medium for the solution. In our view, deliverables are the outcome of strategy and creativity, not the primary focus. While deliverables often need to fit into specific formats—whether 6-second, 15-second, or 30-second cuts—the quality of each cut depends on the upfront work done in strategy and creative planning.
So, what does this all mean? It’s not that form isn’t important, it just needs to support the function. At its core, effective creative work is layered, and work that solves problems requires the following:
- A clear brand identity
- A thorough understanding of the audience
- A comprehensive marketing strategy
- A distribution plan
- Consideration of budget and timeline
- A compelling creative concept or story
- And finally, the expertise to pull all these elements together through development and production.
Creating videos and telling stories that have a purpose is what we’re all about here at Port Side. You can read more about how this approach informs how we crew our projects and the steps we take with each project to ensure we're hitting the nail on the head.
