About
About Host Outside
Host Outside is a performance creative and video ad agency for DTC brands, specializing in street interview ads built from real consumer reactions.
How we work
Every shoot starts with a written brief: the concept, the questions, the points the host has to cover and a list of anything you want kept out. Nothing is filmed until you sign off on it.
On the street it is a small crew: a host who talks to people and a camera operator who keeps them framed, lit and heard. Both work from field guides we wrote for this format. We set up to the side of the walkway, keep the sun behind the camera, frame people full body in vertical 9:16, and put a separate microphone on the host and on the person answering.
In the edit, a rough-cut system assembles each interview and an editor finishes it by hand. Every video opens on the hook, keeps the conversation real and ends on a clear call to action.
Filmed in Los Angeles and San Diego
We film on busy streets, plazas and shopping strips in Los Angeles and San Diego, where there are plenty of people and a good backdrop. You never need to be there: for physical products, you ship product to us and we handle the rest.
How we deal with brands
One fixed price per pack
Packs of 5, 10, 20 or 40 videos, paid upfront. The price is the price.
Deadlines in writing
A brief within 4 days and finished ads within 14 days of your sign-off and product arriving, set out in our terms.
You own the ads
Once they are paid for, the finished videos are yours to run anywhere, for as long as you like.
Real people, filmed openly
Everyone in our ads is a member of the public, filmed with visible cameras, who agrees on camera to appear. We never present actors as strangers. Read more about consent and disclosure on our street interview ads page.
If you appeared in one of our videos and have a question about it, email hello@hostoutside.com.
What we don’t do
We make the ads and, if you want, test the ones we made. So you know up front, here is what we leave to you or to other partners:
- Account management or media buying for your whole ad account
- Full-funnel growth strategy
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
- Email or SMS marketing
- Creator UGC
Put your product in front of real people
Tell us what you sell and what you run today. We come back with concepts and interview questions for your first shoot.