The Unlikely Start Of Our Boutique
Video Ad Agency...
Let’s take a trip back to 2013,
my wife is 8 months pregnant.
I ask her if she’s okay with me quitting my job to launch an agency where I help people grow their business with YouTube advertising.
In other words, I’m asking if she’s okay with us trying to have two births at once!
She says,
“Sure under one condition, make sure we have insurance!”
Obviously I need this business to succeed rapidly. I have only 3 months of financial runway.
Fortunately I have two advantages as an entrepreneur.
First, in my now former job, Google had trained me as a YouTube marketing ambassador which gave me specialized knowledge and skills.
Second, I had tremendous motivation from what I call “the baby effect”.
The ” baby effect” is when you’re child is soon
to be born, and, failure is not an option!
I launch my first YouTube ad campaign.
It’s truth time.
My video views go up, traffic to my site goes up and people start signing up for my free course. It’s working!
And then it happens.
I get an email from Ryan Deiss, the CEO of Digital Marketer.
He tells me he saw my youtube ad, purchased my course, and is reaching out to invite me speak at his conference called Traffic & Conversion Summit.
I say yes and nervously prepare my presentation .
My wife goes with me and brings Lola, our daughter who is now 5 months old.
When we get there, we find that I’ll be speaking to 3,000 people. High stakes!
My wife turns to me and says, “Jake, this is a big deal!”
I know how high the stakes are and I don’t want to screw this up.
My presentation seems to go well, but I‘m not sure if it connected with the audience. .
Back home, after the conference, I open my email and there are more than 20 people ready to work with me!
I was so excited because it proved I had a real business and was going to be able to provide for my family.
I was a little overwhelmed because I knew I had to get a full company together, fast!
What followed was amazing growth for my company and my daughter! Today she’s 5 and so is Video Power Marketing.
And we still have insurance!
Meet The Team
Jake
Larsen
Jake Larsen
Founder & Owner
Jake is the Founder of Video Power Marketing, a video advertising agency that helps people grow their influence and business. He enjoys shredding powder on a snowboard, tickling the piano ivories, and eating oreos. When Jake is not working you can find him enjoying time with his wife and two children.
Cooper
Neser
Cooper Neser
Client Strategy Manager
Cooper is our chief client strategist. Since joining Video Power over 7 years ago, he has scaled multiple accounts into 7 figure yearly revenues on YouTube. His specialty is growing accounts while maintaining KPI's. Cooper grew up in Southern California, studied in Utah and since moving to New York has not been able to get back his golden brown tan.
Karolina
Hobson
Karolina Hobson
Director of Sales
Experienced Sales and Marketing. Contributor to Forbes Councils, Fast Company Executive Board and Newsweek Expert Forum. Loves helping brands scale and get to the next level. Wife, mother, and loyal friend. Avid beach go-er, sports enthusiast, and concert attender. Always thinking of how to help scale and grow businesses from a full picture marketing perspective. Favorite things include: Live music, the beach, and working out.
Madeleine
Rasmusen
Maddy Rasmusen
Creative Video Director
Maddy Rasmusen is a producer, director, and creator. She currently heads the video department at VPM and serves as creative director. Maddy is best known for her creation of the sports segment Between the LYnes on BYUtv. Her newest venture is a sports parenting podcast called Blood, Sweat, & Sports Parenting. When she isn't making cool stuff, she can be found on the basketball court, breaking ankles- sometimes even her own. .
Joe
Benlap
Joe Belnap
Videographer / Post Manager
Joe is a videographer for VPM. He has been making YouTube videos since he was 12 years old, so working with our clients has been a dream. He specializes in audience retention and all things thumbnails. When he isn't generating leads for clients, Joe loves watching and playing basketball. If basketball is not on then you can probably find him watching trashy TV with his wife.
Lee
Brooker
Lee Brooker
Account Manager
10+ years experience running Google ads, including YouTube, search, display and shopping. google certified. also has 6+ years experience in copywriting, email marketing, SEO and funnel creation. Lee has also built numerous websites and Shopify stores in his time. A British bloke from Oxford who loves the footy, outdoor things and working out. And oddly, has been a Chicago Bears fan since the 80’s. Incredibly anal about his coffee.
Jonathan
Rodgers
Jon Rodgers
Chief Operating Officer
Jon Rogers is the COO for Video Power Marketing, a google premier partner. Prior to his role at VPM, Jon graduated from Harvard Law and spent time working as an investment banker for Sonenshine Partners in New York and then as a Private Equity and Hedge Fund attorney for Haynes and Boone in Dallas. Jon is passionate about God, his kids, sports, and helping businesses grow through effective marketing.
McKay
Frederickson
McKay Frederickson
Production Assistant
McKay is a graduate of Utah Valley University with a background in video creation and film production, specializing in editing, writing, and on-set production. McKay is a storyteller and creator through and through. His most notable work includes an array of short films and music videos for breakout artists. Outside of producing, he is an avid traveler and humanitarian.
The Evolution Of Video Ad Agencies
Video Power Marketing is a video marketing agency that helps people capture attention, drive traffic and increase sales using YouTube advertising. The Video Power team work with select businesses to transform their video ad campaigns into automated sales machines.
