Innovation

The core innovation behind Pacific Lens Studios is its purpose-driven equity model. Instead of charging upfront fees like a traditional marketing agency, PAC Lens takes an ownership stake in the small business or nonprofit it supports, becoming a true partner rather than a vendor. This model makes high-quality marketing accessible to organizations that usually cannot afford it, while creating a shared-success structure where PAC Lens only succeeds when its partners do. Alalouf described this approach as a “mini Shark Tank”, built on trust, collaboration, and supporting purpose-driven organizations in a way that is rare for small businesses.

Because of this model, PAC Lens can work with community-focused partners such as End the Violence, a program based in Columbus, Ohio, that provides intervention, support, and job training for people transitioning away from crime. By handling their marketing, PAC Lens gives End the Violence a stronger platform to tell their story, amplify resources, and reach their target audience. The same is true for Farmhouse Friends, a nonprofit in Orange County, California, that brings comfort to children in hospitals through animal-themed packages and rescues animals to build a healing sanctuary. PAC Len’s approach enables them to support organizations that create social and environmental impact but lack large marketing budgets.

The idea for Pacific Lens Studios came together in the bleachers of a water polo game. Co-founders Neil Harrington and Gershon Alalouf are both fathers of female water polo players, and wanted a way to discuss the problems of water polo coaches and the impact this has had on young athletes. Alalouf spent years in veterinary medicine and leadership, but eventually wanted a career that felt more meaningful. He has always been business-minded and was ready to use that side of himself in a new space. Harrington brought his background in media production and entrepreneurship, which helped shape the studio's creative, multidisciplinary approach. This enabled them to build a model that comes from constantly pivoting, staying curious, and being open to learning and trying new things.

This innovation is rooted in a strong sense of purpose. For Alalouf, the model is meaningful because it allows him to “always root for the underdog” and to use his business background to uplift small, family-owned companies that often struggle with visibility and brand-building. For Harrington, PAC Lens allows him to bring together all his experience and talent to serve his community, as he is deeply rooted in faith and service. By investing in clients rather than billing them, PAC Lens creates a purpose-driven ecosystem built on integrity, trust, and mutual growth. Their model gives the founders the chance to build a legacy that blends creativity, community impact, and business, while giving small businesses a real opportunity to flourish.

Inspiration

The inspiration to create Pacific Lens Studios came from a mix of timing, purpose, and the desire to do something meaningful after working in corporate fields. After retiring from veterinary medicine, Alalouf wanted to continue learning and challenging his mind, so he went back to school for his MBA at Pepperdine and is now completing his doctorate. Alalouf firmly believes that “you can’t call yourself innovative if you’re not a student”, and this mindset pushed him toward a career pivot that had more purpose behind it. The spark for PAC Lens came during conversations with fellow water polo dads, when he realized there was a real opportunity to combine storytelling, service, and entrepreneurship to help small businesses and nonprofits.

A major piece of the inspiration came from the kinds of people and organizations he felt called to support. Alalouf talked about how small businesses and nonprofits are the backbone of communities. He saw how powerful storytelling could be in helping founders gain visibility and connect with their target audiences. This is what inspired PAC Lens to partner with organizations like End the Violence and Farmhouse Friends. Seeing the impact these organizations create motivated the founders to build a business model that could amplify the voices of people doing good in their communities but lacking the resources to grow.

What ultimately brought the idea to life was the natural synergy between the founders and the shared belief that their combined strengths could create something bigger than them. Their conversations in the water polo bleachers turned into a vision of a studio built on purpose, creativity, and genuine partnership with businesses. The mix of Alalouf’s leadership and continuous desire to learn with Harrington’s creative and entrepreneurial mind created a direction that felt both exciting and meaningful. They saw an opportunity to build a company that supports the community, tells stories that matter, and gives small businesses access to more resources. The alignment of values, timing, and passion inspired Pacific Lens Studios and shaped how it operates.

Overall impact

PAC Lens supports community-rooted small businesses and nonprofits that offer environmentally friendly or environmentally neutral products, helping them gain visibility and compete in digital markets. They use an innovative equity-based model to support growth while aligning with environmental and social values. Their work has directly benefited groups like End the Violence, where PAC Lens helped launch a podcast that united community leaders to address gang violence and community safety. The podcast reached over 34,000 listeners, generating such a strong response that End the Violence had to hire two additional employees solely to handle the influx of donations, volunteer inquiries, and requests for ways to contribute through fundraisers and community action. PAC Lens demonstrated how strategic storytelling can drive rapid business growth. When working with a veterinarian mentor program, Ready Vet Go, PAC Lens shifted the founder’s marketing focus to TikTok. Within 30 days, Ready Vet Go went from only four people enrolled in an upcoming cohort to a three-month waiting list. As a result of this growth, pharmaceutical companies began reaching out to offer sponsorships and scholarships for continuing education and student placements.

Additionally, Ready Vet Go went from having no TikTok presence at all to 5,500 followers with a 38% engagement rate in just 5 months. This shows how storytelling can create real community impact. PAC Lens works only with companies that offer environmentally friendly or environmentally neutral products, weaving sustainability into their overall business development strategy rather than treating it as a separate initiative. In the short term, clients gain quick increases in visibility and engagement. Long-term, the equity model builds lasting partnerships and steady growth for both PAC Lens and its clients. This creates ongoing shared success rather than one-time results. Client results include the veterinarian whose courses filled up after PAC Lens shifted her marketing strategy. Their work with End the Violence also demonstrated real community impact. Gershon’s belief in “rooting for the underdog” reinforces the mission behind these outcomes.

Business benefit

Among the many functions of PAC Lens, one of its main initiatives is helping small businesses. Gershon and the entire team believe small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and function as such when conducting their team. They work with mom-and-pop businesses to help them scale their products or sell their businesses. Rather than charging an exorbitant fee like most agencies that offer digital marketing assistance, they take equity in the product or business. This fosters a relationship of trust between PAC Lens and its clients and ensures that what is best for the client is best for PAC Lens. Gershon emphasized that “if they win, we win” and that fostering mutual trust is key to this strategy. This new method is being recognized and adopted across the marketing world, showing how their innovative strategy is fostering change in the industry as a whole; not only making their company a better place, but making the entire digital marketing space a more collaborative and client-aligned ecosystem.

Social and environmental benefit

PAC lens enables small companies and non-profits to grow in the early stages of development. This has societal benefits because much of their work goes to grow what Gershon referred to as “Mom and Pop businesses” or businesses run by people, for people. Developing companies that have a personal feel and a mission to sustainable efforts make the world a better place for everyone. It also allows consumers more options to support local businesses rather than large corporations. Through the specific companies, PAC lens is trying to develop, consumers can source sustainable products and services from small companies being scaled.

In terms of environmental benefits, Gershon guaranteed us that PAC lens works with companies that provide environmentally friendly products or services. This not only allows the development of companies focused on sustainability, but also grows the market for these companies. Design is a topic of interest in discussions of sustainable development, and if more companies are designed with sustainability in mind, it will change the landscape of business itself. If more sustainability-oriented companies see the success of PAC lens' partners, they will be motivated to design for sustainability as well.

Interview

Gershon Alalouf, Founder/CEO