AUSTIN, Texas — March 30, 2021WP Engine, the world’s most trusted WordPress technology company, today announced the release of its feature-length, award-winning documentary make|SHIFT, which explores the history of modern advertising and the role that creative technology played in its evolution. 

The documentary is widely available for purchase or rent today via most video-on-demand platforms, such as Apple TV, Google Play, iTunes, Vimeo, Vudu and YouTube. The film highlights the makers, agencies and brands who had the courage to adopt new technologies, test new business models, and in so doing drive the Internet forward. WP Engine worked with September Club, HeyLet’sGo! and Gravitas to create and distribute this feature-length film, directed by Casey Suchan

“This film, about adaptability in the face of an ever-shifting digital landscape, celebrates the agency leaders who dared to say ‘yes’ to new technologies, and stretched our idea of what’s possible,” said Lisa Box, Senior Vice President and General Manager – Enterprise Business Unit at WP Engine. “We realized there was a need to tell this story given these pioneers led the change from an advertising world where you could pay for attention to one where you had to earn it. This need for digital creativity is even more relevant today as we look to exit the pandemic.”

make|SHIFT

From the heyday of TV advertising to the dawn of the Internet to the rise of the headless digital experience, make|SHIFT is a story about the agencies and makers behind some of the world’s most successful brands. WP Engine interviewed a range of agency founders and executives who helped advertising evolve from the “Mad Men” era of one-to-many advertising to a new age centered around the Internet where consumers have the power to determine how, when and where they connect with a brand.

As the advertising industry finds itself in a period of evolution, adaptation and, ultimately, rebirth, advertisers must again learn to harness technology to find new ways of earning the attention of audiences. The film’s portrayal of the scrappy determination that led agencies to revolutionary successes five, 10 and 20+ years ago we hope will inspire a new generation of leaders. 

Agencies featured include 10up, 72andSunny, Active Theory, Barbarian, Crispin Porter Bogusky, Crowd Favorite, Digital Kitchen, Droga5, Elephant, Havas, Hello Monday, HUGE, Humanaut, Instrument, Johannes Leonardo, MediaMonks, Organic, Pereira O’Dell, Sid Lee USA, Unit9, The Venturous, The Webby Awards and Wieden+Kennedy. Agency founders in the documentary include Alex Bogusky (Crispin Porter Bogusky), John Boiler (72andSunny), David Droga (Droga5), Piero Frescobaldi (Unit9), Jake Goldman (10up), Justin Lewis (Instrument), David Littlejohn (Humanaut), Karim Marucci (Crowd Favorite), Nick Mountford (Active Theory), PJ Pereira (Pereira O’Dell), Nick Strada (The Venturous), Wesley ter Haar (MediaMonks) and many other industry leaders. 

Please visit make|SHIFT, a film by WP Engine, for more information on where to rent or buy the documentary. 

About WP Engine

WP Engine, the world’s most trusted WordPress technology company, powers the freedom to create on WordPress. We provide the most relied upon and trusted brands and developer-centric WordPress products for companies and agencies of all sizes, including Atlas, Flywheel, Local and Genesis. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, WP Engine has offices in Brisbane, Australia; Kraków, Poland; Limerick, Ireland; London, England; Omaha, Nebraska and San Antonio, Texas. Read more at www.wpengine.com.

Contact

Eric Jones

[email protected] 

About Gravitas

Gravitas Ventures is an all rights independent film distributor – bringing you the movies you want in theaters and On Demand. As consumer habits evolve, Gravitas is a cutting edge 21st century independent film distributor with the ability to release a film in over a billion homes worldwide. Gravitas Ventures is a Red Arrow Studios company. http://gravitasventures.com/

About September Club

September Club is a collective of editors, producers and directors who specialize in documentaries — from feature films to digital shorts & shows. Their work has regularly been featured at film festivals such as Sundance, Toronto, Venice and SXSW and has been produced in collaboration with clients such as Hulu, Live Nation, A&E Films, AppleTV+, BBC Films, CNN Films, Innerscope, ESPN Films and Netflix. http://september.club/