OUR TEAM AND CULTURE

Be #Extraordinary.

A calling? Or the challenge we give ourselves?  Either way, each one of us is here because we have something to prove to ourselves and the doubters who don't think it's possible.

We're here to be a part of something bigger than any one of us could do alone.

And we're here to build something that represents who we are and what we stand for; something we're proud to put our name on.

 
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Our Backstory

We started in the trenches.

It was 2006: Facebook was a cool new thing, Myspace was still hot, and Google hadn't bought YouTube yet.

Let me paint a picture of Phanta Media's start.  I was 23, my wife and I had a 3-month-old at home, and I quit my $45k a year job - our only source of income.

And so brimming with excitement and hope I started the company working from a basement office I got off a friend.

For the first bit, Phanta Media only focused on corporate video, it was just me, a guy with a few lights and a camera that shot video on tape.

I had no office furniture so everything was on the floor in piles around the edge of the room.

And as it turned out I didn't even have enough money to live above the poverty line (the first year our house-hold income dipped so low that we were put on government support).

Since 2006 I've learned a lot of hard lessons, first being that while starting things is really, really hard, keeping things going is even harder.

I know what it's like to start, to work, to get impatient and to doubt.

I know the feeling of treading water.  When you pour everything into it and you get a little win, just to have it ripped away from you.

I know what it's like to face setbacks, and the great recession, and to have months where things are falling apart around you.

But I also know what it's like on the other side.  When you eke out little win after little win.  When you string these together and build momentum that helps carry you forward.  When you build a team of people you can count on and trust so you don't have to do it alone.

I know what it's like to work with people who inspire you to hit the next level.  To take on new challenges.  To hit new milestones that you didn't think were possible.

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What started in 2006 as a one-man corporate video company has become so much more than I thought possible. I guess my 23-year-old self didn't dream big enough.  And since then, the work, awards, and money are all great, but what I'm most proud of is that we started as a scrappy company with a BS-free approach to getting results and we never lost that.

Today more than ever we're still in the trenches.  There's no ego here.  And that's because that original drive to produce extraordinary work, work with meaning, work that actually works - is something we've not lost along the way.

"All leads are not created equal. As a B2B business, Phanta Media has helped us focus on performance-based lead generation to find more of the customers we want, making better use of our resources, and a stronger ROI on our spend."
Carm McCormick

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KEY COMPANY INFO

A bit more about us.

  • Phanta Media was founded in 2006 as a corporate video production company focused on internal communications, training, and marketing videos.
  • Having worked for two years within the world's largest internet marketing franchise, Phanta Media's founder Mark Drager was obsessed with understanding how objectives, target audience motivations, video placement, and messages impacted efficacy.
  • Over time as the company grew from 1 person to a team of almost two-dozen, and from less than a $100k revenue to a multi-million dollar agency, the role our agency played for our clients also changed.
  • We've produced well over 1,400 videos and have won 28 Telly Awards, a Cine Golden Eagle award, and have been nominated for the Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award.
  • With the timely growth in online video, between 2010 and 2016 our work shifted from communications to marketing, from marketing to advertising, from advertising to national campaigns.
  • In the fall of 2015, it became clear that our sustained and accelerated growth through project-based, one-off work was not only unpredictable but very hard to scale. That, along with the fact that our clients frequently asked us to apply our video framework to other areas of their lead generation and advertising, pushed us to develop a second business model.
  • Now entering its 5th year, the second business model has become our full-time focus: find, connect, and move the right people forward for lead gen and recruitment.
  • Today, we're here to help mission-driven, B2B business owners grow sales and their businesses.

"When I put my trust, my brand, and my reputation on the line I want a partner who understands the stakes. What I appreciate more than anything is that Mark and his team at Phanta Media get that."
Tim Ledger

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Hey there, what's up?

Alex-Baldocchi

Alex Baldocchi
Director, Digital Strategy

Jacalyn-Beales

Jacalyn Beales
Director, Creative & Content

Natalia-Singh

Natalia Singh
Project Manager

Roland-Echavarria

Roland Echavarria
Director, Production

"Mark and his team are nothing short of brilliant. Always beginning every project with a critical analysis of the goals, and then a pointed and thoughtful development of an effective strategy that delivers results, it continues to amaze how it's all done with such tact and grace."
Sara Pulins

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Lucas-Sewards

Lucas Sewards
Video Editor & Data Management

Louis-Vazenios

Louis Vazenios
COO

Mark-Drager-Phanta-Media

Mark Drager
Founder & President

 

"The people at Phanta Media are brilliant."
Sandy De Domenico-Carless

"It's obvious to me as a business owner that these guys don't just go through the motions. They're putting their heart and soul into the work."
Adrian Jayne

"It’s a standard that I’ve not seen in any other creative company that we’ve ever worked with."
Ron McArthur

"They listen, they are focused on telling compelling stories and they always find a way to make it happen."
Marianne Arnaudon

"It was a lot of fun to be honest with you. From start to finish, they helped us along the way and we would definitely recommend Phanta Media."
Ed Bernard

"Phanta Media pushes us, not for the sake of their business but for the sake of ours."
Carm McCormick

"This is not a cookie-cutter company. If you’re looking for a cookie-cutter company where it’s inputs in, outputs out, go to someone else."
Andy Olen

"From initial discovery sessions, to strategy, creative, project management, and delivery, Mark knows how to deliver projects that are on-brand, drive results and make his clients look good in the process."
Tim Ledger

"The Phanta approach, for us, was one that made us feel comfortable from day one. Being able to have a real conversation about business with somebody who really understands what you're talking about."
Bud Morris

"Mark challenges existing ideas and is skilled at teasing out the ultimate purpose of any project."
Sara Pulins

"What it really boils down to are the people. The people at Phanta Media are just fantastic."
Muhammad Mamdani

"They push, they challenge and they bring that innovation and creativity to each and every project. The proof is in they pudding and the results havey been superb."
Ron McArthur

"These are guys that are going to get inside your business with an authenticity that is really genuine."
Andy Olen

 

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Build something #extraordinary

Don't worry,
we've got this.

Your purpose is our purpose.
Your budgets are our budgets.
Your team is our team.

We’re very selective by only working with mission-driven owners and once you’re in, you're a part of the family. 

We’re not going to take equity. We’re not going to do your work for you.

But we are going to be there whenever you need us.

And we’re always going to show up and deliver when it counts.

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