Pretend is building a platform designed to help teams keep up with the demands of content creation without relying on the slow, complex structure of traditional creative work.
Michael Potter, a filmmaker and creative entrepreneur, brings years of experience in film production and client work to Pretend. Potter joined the University of Utah’s Master of Business Creation (MBC) program to pressure-test his ideas before launch.
“There are a lot more eyes on Pretend,” Potter said. “A lot more scrutiny, which is healthy, because we need to test it before we release it.”
Potter observed that there was a high demand for content at a lower budget and scope than traditional agencies could offer. Going through the traditional agency route requires managing lengthy briefs, multiple stakeholders, and several rounds of revision before content is finalized. This process can slow down production and make it difficult for teams trying to keep up with fast-moving digital platforms.
“What I’ve seen in the last eight years or so is the evolution from clients needing handmade work to more automated work, specifically for short-form content for social media,” Potter said. “As a result, I’ve started to put ideas together over the last few years on how to improve the process.”
His ideas turned into Pretend — a creative production platform that helps brands outsource graphic design and video production for social media. It is built for teams that need consistent content that may not have the time or internal resources to produce it at scale.
Pretend streamlines the process by allowing teams to submit existing assets, describe what they need, and get back the finished content with fewer steps in between. Instead of navigating a complex workflow, marketing teams can move more directly from idea to execution.
The platform supports a range of content formats, including motion graphics, carousels, reels, and more. Pretend allows brands to create different types of content for social media without relying on multiple vendors or expanding their internal teams.
“I think that it is attractive to anyone that is looking to grow without, essentially, the budget to hire a bunch of people,” Potter said.
Rather than only running on a flat monthly fee, Pretend uses a unique credit-based model so teams only pay for the work they receive. Clients can test the waters by purchasing individual $10 payment credits to redeem for any service. If they want to have a consistent number of credits per month, Pretend provides options at different budget ranges for full flexibility.
As he prepares to launch Pretend, Potter is dedicated to refining the platform based on the feedback he receives. He is eager to help businesses with smaller budgets grow their media presence.
“You’re immediately scaling up your capabilities and your bandwidth just by engaging with Pretend,” he said.
Learn more about Pretend at gopretend.com.
