ATTN:

ATTN: is a media company based in Los Angeles, California. As of January 2018, the company receives more than 2 billion monthly impressions and over 500 million monthly video views, primarily on social media platforms like Facebook[1] and Instagram

ATTN:
Founded2014 (2014) in Los Angeles, California, United States
FoundersMatthew Segal and Jarrett Moreno
Headquarters
Los Angeles
,
United States
Number of employees
120
Websitewww.attn.com

ATTN: was founded in 2014 by Matthew Segal and Jarrett Moreno. According to the company, they "break down important societal topics and conversations into digestible, entertaining videos and series across all platforms and are leaders when it comes to reaching people who want context on the issues and conversations that matter to them". The New York Times called ATTN:, “particularly skilled at translating complicated issues into short, cogent content.”[2]

History

Prior to founding ATTN:, Matthew Segal and Jarrett Moreno started Ourtime.org, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting voter registration among young people.

Funding

In November 2014, Segal and Moreno founded ATTN: in Los Angeles and raised $4.1 million from several investors including Marc Rowan, RTS Ventures, Ross Levinsohn, Hope Taitz, The Seacrest Global Group and Troy Carter.[3]

In February 2016, ATTN: raised $18 million in a Series B led by Evolution Media Partners that also included Main Street Advisors.[4]

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher is also an investor and has stated that, “in 90-second videos, ATTN:’s getting young people to care about things that actually matter,” and has also called ATTN: the next HuffPost.[2][1]

In November 2016, ATTN: and Tribune Media announced a strategic distribution partnership that also included an investment by Tribune in ATTN:.[5]

ATTN: videos focus primarily on subjects like social justice, the environment, politics, health, criminal justice reform, immigration and drug policy.[6] The company consists of an editorial team of writers and journalists that contribute articles and opinion to the website as well as an in-house production and animation studio that produces original video content primarily for social distribution, but more recently also for streaming services such as Apple Music, HBO Go and Spotify.[7][8][9] The company’s Co-Founders and investors have also expressed an interest in creating original content for linear TV.[10]

Formats

ATTN:’s most popular videos are custom made for consumption on social media: short, viral videos with subtitles for viewing without sound. Within this format, they have found particular success with a series they call "America Versus." "Between January and October [2016], the show, which compares various U.S. policies to those in other nations, averaged four-and-a-half times as many views as the median Facebook video," according to Digiday.[11] In January 2018, the company announced that, together with Paramount Television, they would be taking the hit series to television.[12]

They also do original live-action videos, such as a particularly viral one on parental leave that stars Nev Schulman, the host of MTV’s Catfish, and his wife Laura Perlongo.[13] Co-founder Matthew Segal also interviews celebrities, politicians and activists for two formats the company have dubbed ATTN: Exclusives and ATTN: Talk.

The company has also developed several original series for Facebook Watch, including a modern dating hit entitled "We Need to Talk".[14]

Animation has also been a successful format for the company. From the beginning ATTN: have had an in-house team of animators in their Los Angeles offices. They use animation for videos that break down complex political issues such as gerrymandering, comprehensive immigration reform and the Electoral College.[1]

According to Business Insider ATTN: was receiving the highest average views per video of any media property including BuzzFeed, UNILAD and Jukin Media as of November 2016.[10]

References
  1. Moraes, Lisa de (13 October 2016). "Bill Maher Gets Animated About Donald Trump As "Grown Up Pain-In-The-Ass Kid" For ATTN:". Deadline Hollywood.
  2. "Matthew Segal Wants Your Attn:". The New York Times. 20 October 2016.
  3. Swisher, Kara (4 December 2014). "Attn: Gets $4.1 Million From Ryan Seacrest and Others to Get Attention of Millennials". Recode.
  4. "Political Media Startup Attn: Inc. Raises More Than $18 Million". Los Angeles Business Journal.
  5. "Tribune Media Inks Investment, Distribution Deal with Digital Site Attn:". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. "How this West Hollywood company is helping citizens understand what they're voting on". Builtinla.com.
  7. "Black Eyed Peas Remixed 'Where Is the Love' With A-Listers and You Have to Watch!". Entertainment Tonight.
  8. Editor, Lee Moran Trends; Post, The Huffington (14 October 2016). "Bill Maher Gets Animated In His Latest Shutdown Of Donald Trump". HuffPost.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  9. "Spotify Unveils New Animated Video Series on Politics Behind Musical Movements". Billboard.
  10. "Here's how startup Attn: averages a whopping 3.8 million views per video on Facebook". Business Insider.
  11. Patel, Sahil (6 December 2016). "Video publishers seek to extend Facebook content beyond Facebook - Digiday". Digiday.
  12. Petski, Denise. "'America Versus' Web Series Being Developed For TV By Paramount Television & ATTN:". Deadline Hollywood.
  13. Konecky, Perri. "This Eye-Opening Video About Paternity Leave Is Guaranteed to Leave You Scratching Your Head". PopSugar.
  14. Seetharaman, Deepa. "Facebook Hits Play on Watch, Its Video Tab". Wall Street Journal.
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