ACID MEDIA

Corrosive
by design.

01
THE STORY

The name said everything: corrosive, mind-altering, not for everyone.

Acid Media didn't start as a strategy. It started as a name that felt right — and names that feel right usually do so for a reason. The first version had the instinct. This version knows what to do with it.

02
POSITIONING

Production for people who'd be embarrassed by the safe version.

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SAFE

If you want comfortable, you already have a vendor. We're not the backup plan.

INDIE INSTINCT

We have opinions. Vendors don't.

PROFESSIONAL RIGOR

Legit crew. Real budgets. Proper post.

03
THE WEDGE

TOO POLISHED

Glossy. Agency-dependent. Interchangeable. Your concept executed by anyone.

TOO PRECIOUS

Lo-fi by accident, not choice. No budgets. No infrastructure. Vibes without delivery.

CRAFT WITH CONVICTION

Commercial standard delivery. Genuine creative point of view. Both, always.

04
WHO WE WORK WITH

The Acid Media client is not a brand. It's a person.

BRAND-SIDE

VP / Head of Creative at a challenger brand. $5M–$50M marketing spend.

Came up in creative, not business school. Has strong opinions about what their brand isn't. Wants a partner who pushes back.

LABEL-SIDE

A&R or artist manager at an indie or mid-major label.

Working with an act that has cultural heat but hasn't cracked the video side. Needs someone who understands music culturally.

DIRECT ARTIST

Established artist managing their own creative output.

Has budget ($20K–$80K), has taste, needs execution. Independent entirely or tired of label interference.

05
BRAND PERSONALITY

UNVARNISHED

We say what we think. Our pitches don't hide the hard part.

TECHNICALLY CREDIBLE

We know what we're doing. We choose our imperfections deliberately.

STREET-SMART

Hip-hop, punk, commercial, art — not tourists in any of them.

LOW-EGO, HIGH-STANDARDS

Not here to win awards. Here to make the work right.

IRREVERENT BUT EARNED

Funny, weird, provocative — but it comes from somewhere.

SOUNDS LIKE

A director who's done 200 shoots explaining why they'd do this one differently. Confident. Specific.

NEVER SOUNDS LIKE

Agency-speak. "Storytelling" used as a noun. "Passion." "Elevate your brand." Corporate enthusiasm. Performed humility.

06
VISUAL DIRECTION

Analog warmth.
Urban tension.

The texture of Super 8 on a 4K budget. The color palette of a 1977 parking garage. The framing of someone who studied photography before they studied film.

FILM

Eddie Coyle. Kids. City of God. Uncut Gems.

PHOTO

Larry Clark. Nan Goldin. Gordon Parks. Boogie.

MUSIC VIDEO

Hiro Murai. Director X. Kendrick as short film.

BRANDS

Liquid Death. New Balance. Carhartt WIP. Patagonia.

ERA FEEL: 1992–2002 — as a reference, not a recreation.

07
WHAT WE DO
01

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION

The foundation. Full-service from concept to post. $40K–$300K sweet spot.

02

COMMERCIAL + BRANDED CONTENT

The revenue engine. Direct-to-brand. Lean infrastructure, lower overhead.

03

DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Emerging directors under our banner. Right aesthetic. Willing to grow.

04

SHORT-FORM + SOCIAL

Volume without sacrifice. Social content as a smaller version of the real thing.

08
BRAND LANGUAGE

THIS IS ACID MEDIA

"The brief was wrong, so we fixed it."
"We don't make safe work for safe brands."
"Corrosive by design."
"Built by people who've been on set, not just in decks."

THIS IS NOT ACID MEDIA

"Bringing your vision to life"
"Your creative partner"
"We love what we do"
"No project is too big or too small"
"We're excited to collaborate"
09
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

SERIAL PICTURES

Mid-to-high-end commercial. Professional machine.
Acid Media is a perspective, not a pipeline.
ACID WINS

CAVIAR

International boutique. Stylized, upmarket, European.
Acid Media is grittier, more accessible for mid-budget.
ACID WINS

PULSE FILMS

Music-forward, documentary DNA. Closest spiritual comp.
LA-native. Direct US market access. Small enough to mean it.
ACID WINS

SMUGGLER

Legacy shop. Serious creative pedigree.
Clients come for the company's point of view, not the roster.
ACID WINS
10
THE MOAT

The moat is not the reel. Reels can be replicated.

1
THE NAME
A brand asset with memory, ambiguity, and edge. You can't rebrand into that.
2
OPERATOR ADVANTAGE
Operator-grade infrastructure. Lower overhead = ability to take creative risks others can't afford.
3
DIRECT-TO-BRAND
Positioned for the post-agency era now, not reacting later.
4
EARNED CREDIBILITY
Hardest to build, easiest to lose. One right client leads to three.
5
THE PARTNERSHIP
Nick's relationships + Brendan's operations. Rare combination.
ACID MEDIA

We work with brands and artists who have something to say — and need it to land. We're not for everyone. We don't try to be.