Mirage Digital builds an AI-powered product-content infrastructure that helps brands automatically generate, manage, and optimize high-quality product descriptions, images, and metadata across e-commerce platforms. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Mirage Digital COO Robin Bigge and Chief Content Officer John Littell to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Robin Bigge
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Could you tell me more about your background?
Mirage Digital (Robin): I come from a background of content and marketing, working directly with brands and partners, both from in-house and agency settings, with companies like Everyday California and VRTCL. It’s those experiences and understanding both sides of the conversation that led to my role here today!
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): How did the idea for the company come together?
Mirage Digital (Robin): We previously worked in the influencer marketing space, and one of the biggest questions we received from our partners was “can my content or myself be doing more to make more?” as often they were living and dying by brand deals. From there, we really looked at the entire landscape of content and where it can live and earn. That led us down the path of partnering with platforms like Snapchat, Roku, and Taboola with an emphasis on bridging the gap from the creator economy to traditional media.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far?
Mirage Digital (Robin): It’s really hard to point to one specific win we’ve had, but I’d say it’s seeing our consistent growth in success as a company, as well as our team’s continued ability to become better and better, and what we do.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What are the company’s core products and features?
Mirage Digital (Robin): At our core, we help our partners maximize the reach and earning potential of their content. We give back our partners’ most precious resource: time. With our ability to repackage, reformat, and redistribute content to overlooked and barrier-bound entry held platforms, we leave our partners an incredibly valuable tool in the toolbelt.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently (and how did you overcome those challenges)?
Mirage Digital (Robin): I think it was once we’ve identified new market opportunities, it was entering them. Through consistent outreach and relationship building, we’ve turned it into a streamlined methodology of business development.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): How has the company’s technology evolved since launching?
Mirage Digital (Robin): We’ve really looked at just how we can properly utilize AI in our day-to-day. We try not to rely on it by any means, but have found workflows in our business where it saves time and even helps the performance of content by analyzing trends and successfully optimizing processes.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones?
Mirage Digital (Robin): I think one big milestone was the successful launch of our FAST Channel with Team Liquid! From that, we’ve helped increase their brand’s watch time and entered new markets, and we have been able to expand their OTT partnerships with even larger brands.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Can you share any specific customer success stories?
Mirage Digital (Robin): One really proud partnership we have is with Devour Power! Greg and Rebecca are simply fantastic people to work with, and we’ve been able to add over 100,000 followers to their brand as well as become a significant contributor to their annual revenues. We’ve been able to syndicate their content across multiple monetized platforms like Snapchat and Roku!
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing?
Mirage Digital (Robin): Honestly, anyone with a TV or Phone! The potential reach is simply massive, and we view every screen as our possible maximum market.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What differentiates the company from its competition?
Mirage Digital (Robin): We are hyper-efficient with our team and pride ourselves in having team members who are adaptable and quick to act on possible new opportunities. To our partners, we value being a resource and really take our time to decide who we partner with.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What are some of the company’s future goals?
Mirage Digital (Robin): We really want to continue and become THE bride that connects the creator economy with traditional media, and stay ahead of the curve with the rapid evolution of technology.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Could you tell me more about your background?
Mirage Digital (John): I grew up in a small town in Ohio and graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Media in the School of Media Arts & Studies. In 2017, I moved to California to dive headfirst into the industry and began my career with Vin Di Bona Productions, the company that produces America’s Funniest Home Videos, as an editor. I worked my way up towards Development Producer and Lead Editor for the VDBP Digital Studios, establishing show pilots, formats, and structure from paper to edit and delivering 400+ hours of original content across FAST and OTT platforms. After 4 years at Vin Di Bona, I chose to walk away to start something new with Griffin Haddrill.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): How did the idea for the company come together? (Alternative question: What are your primary responsibilities)
Mirage Digital (John): Griffin, Mirage Founder, saw influencers living and dying by brand deals. He felt there was a gap in the marketplace, where these creators weren’t monetizing on CPM based platforms like Snapchat, Facebook and streaming services. As Co-CEO, I lead and manage our electric team and campaigns across all distribution platforms. I also spearhead all things content, where I work in tandem with our business development team, bringing ideas to life.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far?
Mirage Digital (John): My favorite memory working with Mirage has been signing Team Liquid, the highest-grossing esports team on the planet. I had a personal connection to someone who worked at Team Liquid on the social media team, and I immediately knew they would be successful in the FAST space, where premium esports was being underrepresented. Now, their 24/7 running FAST channel gives them an additional revenue stream and brings in a new audience, ultimately growing the brand.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What are the company’s core products and features?
Mirage Digital (John): One of the greatest features of Mirage is that we offer a service that is completely hands-off for the creators. We facilitate the entire process from editing and account management to reporting and distribution. This allows us to act as an extension to the creator’s team without interfering with their day-to-day routine and vision.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently (and how did you overcome those challenges)?
Mirage Digital (John): I think it was once we’ve identified new market opportunities, it was entering them. Through consistent outreach and relationship building, we’ve turned it into a streamlined methodology of business development.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): How has the company’s technology evolved since launching?
Mirage Digital (John): In a constantly evolving digital world, we are forced to evolve with the times. Fortunately, we have been in front of many of the changes with AI. We’ve been able to implement AI use cases across all sectors of our business. We’re able to dive deeper into analytics and seek content partnerships that are needed across multiple distribution outlets.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones?
Mirage Digital (John): One of our biggest milestones has been working with Devour Power. Mirage has not only built them a Snapchat Discover show, but launched a show featuring them on The Roku Channel. It’s been very exciting to watch their success transfer across multiple platforms.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Can you share any specific customer success stories?
Mirage Digital (John): Devour Power: We have not only been able to add revenue to their content engine, but we have added value with brand awareness and other content opportunities not otherwise available to people in the creator economy. Devour Power has been able to secure more brand deals across new locations in the US.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing?
Mirage Digital (John): Everyone who has a phone or computer. As the digital landscape and creator economy continue to evolve, we see the opportunity to continue to penetrate a growing marketplace.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What differentiates the company from its competition?
Mirage Digital (John): We are a small, tight-knit team; everyone knows each other, collaborates week over week on projects, and has worked at previous companies. Since we were a smaller team, we have the ability to create one-on-one, personal relationships with the creators and brands we work with. This authentic connection from Mirage to the content itself has helped solidify our success in the marketplace.
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What are some of the company’s future goals?
Mirage Digital (John): Mirage has big goals, and in this fast-moving digital space, the sky’s the limit. We want to be the leading creator network for FAST and Web Publishing and plan to lead the charge in merging the traditional Television Industry with the Creator Economy.
