Over the past 17 years, Bust Out has worked with hundreds of clients to launch hundreds of digital products. In 2020, we seized an opportunity to be our own client and built Pennant, a custom-branded streaming video platform for the performing arts that lets artists launch their own channel on web, mobile, and TV. In much the same way that Disney+ is a platform that delivers only Disney content, Pennant enables artists to launch their own digital entertainment experience that delivers their exclusive content.
Pennant was born out of the COVID-19 global pandemic. As the world shut down in 2020 and performance venues closed their doors, many of our existing performing arts clients came to us asking for help with streaming video. We addressed some very specific needs for Minnesota Opera and in one week built a private video hosting solution that enabled the Opera to sell tickets to a video on demand that was embedded behind a paywall on their website. It was a simple, elegant solution that became the seed for a new digital platform.
But we didn’t exactly start from nothing. With over a decade of experience working with established performing arts organizations, record labels, and bands, combined with several years of experience building streaming video products such as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Concert Library, Pennant is the culmination of many years of designing, strategizing, and building digital products in this space.
What makes our work on Pennant significant is the fact that it’s not for a specific Bust Out client. It’s a new SasS startup that can scale well beyond our existing client base. Pennant now operates as a standalone company, supported by the talent of the Bust Out team and uplifted by our motivation to help performing artists connect to their fans in new ways, generate new revenue streams, and retain control of their content.