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Federated Media, a company best known for pairing bloggers with brands, has struck a partnership with Santa Monica media company Whalerock Industries to produce and distribute video across the Web.
The collaboration brings together Federated Media’s network of bloggers and other online figures, who have built followings in topics as varied as men’s lifestyle, parenting and design, with Whalerock’s expertise in creating programming and managing online sites, such as celebrity-focused Wonderwall and men’s lifestyle destination Mandatory.
“We have programming and production capabilities, they have influencers with organic reach,” said Whalerock President Jeff Berman. “It’s an obvious marriage.”
Through the partnership, Federated would identify promising talent, such as Neil Miller, creator of the entertainment news blog Film School Rejects, with whom Whalerock would work to create original content.
The resulting video content holds the potential of attracting new advertisers and gaining distribution on new outlets — such as entertainment-focused Wonderwall, in addition to Federated Media’s existing network of digital publishers.
The goal is to create programming that will stand out in a digital media universe awash with video.
“Digital content has become like real estate in Arizona — it goes on forever, and most of it is undifferentiated,” said Berman. “So how do you create content and experiences that stand out? That are meaningful to an audience — ideally an established audience?”
Federated Media Chief Executive Jordan Hoffner has said the two companies will work together to create entertainment tailored to reach specific audiences (and the brands looking to connect with these consumers). It’s an extension of what Federated now does with its talent roster to organically promote a brand like Target by showcasing its products in images posted on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
The content may even see distribution through parent company LIN Media’s 43 local television stations.
“We’re focused on creating great properties for advertisers,” said Hoffner. “You need [content] that is unique, distinguished and high quality. I believe this combination accomplishes all of that.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
