Pennant - Season 2 Idea Jam 3
- Matt Pacyga
- Apr 30
- 8 min read
Updated: May 5
Season 2 Idea Jam 3
Season 2 Recaps brought to you by our partners Hypercolor Digital and the University of St. Thomas - Schulze School of Entrepreneurship
Spotlight Business for April 2025 - Season 2 - Idea Jam 3
What Does Pennant.tv Do?
Pennant.tv is a technology platform that enables musicians, artists, and organizations to quickly launch their own custom-branded subscription TV channels. The service allows creators to manage, share, and monetize video content directly with fans, bypassing third-party platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. The platform is designed to give creators complete control over their content, audience relationships, and revenue streams.
Core Offerings
Custom-Branded Subscription Channels: Users can create personalized, white-labeled digital subscription channels, similar to traditional TV channels, but wholly owned and operated by the creator.
Content Management: The platform supports various content types, including documentaries, podcasts, behind-the-scenes footage, music videos, live performances, and more.
Monetization Tools: Pennant provides robust features for generating revenue, such as:
Subscription pricing (set by the creator)
Pay-per-view access for premium content
Integrated merchandise sales
Recurring revenue models for passive income
Fan Engagement: The direct-to-fan ecosystem allows creators to engage deeply with their audience, understand their superfans, and deliver exclusive experiences.
Easy Setup and Use: The platform is designed to be user-friendly, enabling creators to launch and manage their channels with minimal technical expertise.
Pennant
Founder Profile
Connect with Jeff Linn on LinkedIn
Founding Story
Pennant was co-founded by Jeff Lin, who serves as CEO. The company is based in Minneapolis and was launched in 2023. Lin has a background in building digital platforms and is also the founder of Bust Out, a digital agency. The inspiration behind Pennant was to empower performing artists and organizations to control their content and audience relationships, especially as traditional platforms often dilute the connection between creators and their fans. The company gained early traction and investment from organizations like the Glen Nelson Center’s Horizon Fund and Groove Capital. It was a finalist in the 2022 Next Challenge for video streaming innovation.
Company Vision
Pennant’s vision is to revolutionize the video streaming industry by putting creators, especially performing artists, at the center. The platform aims to support artists in building sustainable careers by leveraging new technologies and direct-to-fan engagement models. According to CEO Jeff Lin, Pennant is about more than just streaming; it’s about enabling creators to build lasting, meaningful relationships with their audiences, own their data, and unlock new revenue streams without relying on third-party gatekeepers.
“It’s not just the platform, it’s about building a relationship and engaging with your audience through video.” - Liwanag Ojala, APMG’s Chief Digital Transformation Officer.
Pennant.tv is a creator-first OTT platform designed to give artists and organizations the tools to own, distribute, and monetize their video content while building direct, lasting relationships with their fans.
Clickable Chapters:
Event Pictures
Event Deck
Problem Statement
Pennant is facing challenges in converting interested creators to active platform users. Despite video being a strategic priority for many content creators (with significant video archives already available and audience demand for such content), organizations struggle to break free from inertia and implement Pennant's solution. The platform aims to serve as a custom-branded subscription video ecosystem that enables performing arts organizations, educational institutions, and content creators to monetize their content and connect deeply with superfans. However, it needs strategies to overcome adoption barriers and expand its ecosystem of features to provide maximum value.
Idea Jam Summary
During the Innovate MN Idea Jam, participants brainstormed ideas to help Pennant address two key challenges: 1) helping creators move from interest to implementation of the platform, and 2) expanding Pennant's ecosystem with additional features and services to increase value for both creators and their fans.
The discussion focused on identifying barriers preventing creators from taking action after showing initial interest and exploring ways to enhance the platform's appeal through additional features, services, and ecosystem integrations. Participants generated a wide range of ideas covering onboarding processes, platform differentiation, content strategies, monetization models, and fan engagement opportunities.
For the "From Interest to Action" topic, solutions addressed administrative barriers, technical concerns, and psychological hesitations that prevent creators from fully adopting the platform. For the "Beyond the Channel: Expanding the Ecosystem" topic, participants suggested various additional features and services that could make Pennant more valuable and position it as a "must-have" in a creator's content ecosystem.
Total Sticky Notes Used: Over 100+ sticky notes!
Come and be part of our upcoming jam!
Idea Jam Analysis
Topic 1: From Interest to Action
Key Themes:
Administrative and Resource Barriers:
"Administrative hill to climb?"
"Internal change management - new platform transition requires loss of current content"
"Mind set is perfection"
"There's so much work to do!"
"It's Not The Right Time"
Implementation Support Needs:
"Fractional media/admin support"
"External consulting to bring new eyes"
"Integrating content strategy with corporate strategy"
"Implementation partner for Pennant - org they can recommend to biz partners"
"Small team to cut up and write copy of content"
Value Proposition Clarity:
"Value proposition is the raw demos, BTS, etc. as authentic"
"Communicate value"
"Help prospects understand your value prop and to the biz"
"Customer success story to shape what's needed to succeed partner/w existing"
Creator Mindset Concerns:
"Needing to be Artist + Marketing + Customer Service + Brand Identity & CEO/CFO/STRATEGY"
"Creators want to focus on the new rather than the archives"
"Mind set is perfection"
"Burnout, Digital Influence, movement w/ Engagement"
Technical Obstacles:
"Integrations w/all platforms to make Pennant the escape hatch"
"Pennant's own escape hatch, export to standard format"
"Build software Moat: AI Editor for bulk uploads"
"Allow users to choose how much they want to pay"
Topic 2: Beyond the Channel: Expanding the Ecosystem
Key Themes:
Content Management and Discovery:
"Be the core that ports to other platforms as substrate"
"Be THE ARCHIVE instead of ARCHIVES, PUBLISH"
"Upload tour robot for AI to create drafts, customer approves, edits, publishes"
"Creator community (ecosystem)"
"When Zoom is idle, cam Solving Doodles, Mute offroad Recovery"
"Science Videos"
Fan Engagement Features:
"Super Fan: Breathtaking (Architecture) Designs, Screenshot Monday, Gallery Exhibition"
"Super Fan Portal for Fans to Nerd out"
"Creator/Super Fan Librarian - Curator - mediator?"
"Reward people from stealing your content & posting somewhere else for free"
"Benefits Concerts are Applied to Creators Events & Exhibitions"
Monetization Strategies:
"Find a way to highlight Pennant's Differences from other services"
"Netflix-Fix-Patreon"
"More subscription options - less $ ad-supported plans - upgrade w/o ads"
"Offer a turnkey way of offering monetization & gamification w/in the platform"
"What's convincing people to consume short-form content on TV vs. Phone?"
Personalization and Technology:
"MySpace-style customization (personalization enablement)"
"Mobile App! - widgets for subscriber alerts"
"Clips & notification of hidden gems found in raw cuts"
"AI blocking, scrubbing tech especially w/ content, use it properly"
"AI Analytics Fan Finding Tracking"
Content Creator Support:
"Coaching for new Artists"
"Training change mgmt Implementation supporting support"
"Is there a 'cable model' with pick & choose of channels?"
"Drive growth"
"B2b network w/ mentor organizations & knowledge sharing"
Innovative Ideas, What Stands Out, Insights
Innovative Ideas:
Automated Content Processing: "AI tool to define demographics & audience wants & feed company strategy" and "Build software Moat: AI Editor for bulk uploads"
Tiered Implementation Support: "Fractional media/admin support" to help organizations with limited resources
Exclusive Access Model: "Private access to live event" for superfans
Creator-Fan Ecosystem: "Creator community (ecosystem)" linking creators and superfans
Content Curation Role: "Creator/Super Fan Librarian - Curator - mediator?" creating a new position in content ecosystems
Cross-platform Integration: "Be the core that ports to other platforms as substrate" positioning Pennant as a central hub
Monetization Flexibility: "Allow users to choose how much they want to pay" creating value-based pricing
What Stands Out (Patterns):
Administrative Barriers: Organizations lack the resources, time, and expertise to implement new platforms
Content Strategy Integration: Need to align Pennant with the broader organizational strategy
Platform vs. Archive Mindset: Shifting perception from "archive storage" to "active publishing platform"
Value Communication: Difficulty articulating the value proposition to decision-makers
Creation vs. Management Balance: Creators want to focus on creating new content rather than managing archives
Superfan Engagement: Opportunities to deepen connections with the most dedicated followers
Multi-Format Content Delivery: Need for various content types beyond basic video
Implementation Ideas:
White-Glove Onboarding Service:
Offer comprehensive implementation support, including content migration and strategy development
Provide "fractional media admin" services for organizations without dedicated staff
Create templates for various content types and industries
Value Demonstration Program:
Develop clear success stories and ROI metrics for different organizational types
Create visualization tools showing potential audience growth and monetization
Offer limited free trial periods with guided implementation
Ecosystem Expansion Strategy:
Develop integrations with other platforms for cross-posting and content management
Create API for fan engagement extensions and customizations
Build AI-powered tools for content tagging, recommendation, and moderation
Fan Engagement Framework:
Implement tiered access levels for different fan commitment levels
Create community features for superfans to connect with each other
Develop exclusive behind-the-scenes content formats and templates
Key Challenges and Considerations:
Inertia and Time Constraints: "There's so much work to do!" and "It's Not The Right Time" indicate psychological barriers
Creator Overwhelm: "Needing to be Artist + Marketing + Customer Service + Brand Identity & CEO/CFO/STRATEGY" shows the burden on creators
Technical Complexity: Balancing feature richness with ease of implementation
Subscription Fatigue: "Barrier: Subscription Fatigue?" highlights consumer resistance to more subscriptions
Value Communication: Making the benefits tangible to decision-makers
Content Management vs. Creation: Helping creators focus on new work while leveraging archives
Platform Differentiation: "Find a way to highlight Pennant's Differences from other services" emphasizes competition concerns
The Idea Jam revealed that Pennant needs to address both tactical implementation barriers and strategic ecosystem expansion to accelerate adoption and maximize value for creators and fans. The path forward requires simplifying onboarding, proving value more clearly, expanding platform functionality, and creating deeper engagement between creators and their most dedicated fans.
Optional Question 1: "What might be blocking creators from taking the next steps with Pennant?"
Results from the stickies:
Administrative barriers ("Administrative hill to climb?")
Technical concerns ("Integrations w/all platforms to make Pennant the escape hatch")
Resource limitations ("Small team to cut up and write copy of content")
Timing issues ("It's Not The Right Time")
Mindset challenges ("Mind set is perfection")
Overwhelm ("There's so much work to do!")
Role complexity ("Needing to be Artist + Marketing + Customer Service + Brand Identity & CEO/CFO/STRATEGY")
Focus on new content vs. archives ("Creators want to focus on the new rather than the archives")
Optional Question 2: "What would make Pennant a 'must-have' in a creator's content ecosystem?"
Results from the stickies:
Cross-platform integration ("Be the core that ports to other platforms as substrate")
Unique differentiation ("Find a way to highlight Pennant's Differences from other services")
AI-powered capabilities ("AI Analytics Fan Finding Tracking")
Superior content management ("Be THE ARCHIVE instead of ARCHIVES, PUBLISH")
Value-based pricing models ("Allow users to choose how much they want to pay")
Community features ("Creator community (ecosystem)")
Implementation support ("Implementation partner for Pennant")
Flexible subscription options ("More subscription options")
Optional Question 3: "If you could have exclusive behind-the-scenes access to a creator's work, who would it be?"
Results from the stickies: Several creator names appear across various sticky notes, including:
"Rick Larsen" (noted as superfan)
"Dr. Stacy Diras" (noted as superfan)
"David Lynch" (noted as content creator)
"Taylor Swift" (noted for "tours, song-writing, & music videos")
"Malcolm Gladwell" (Author)
"Ned Lecky"
"Great Scott" content creator
"OKee DoKee Brothers"
Made it! Back to watching more content from my favorite creator.
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