When PETROL Advertising opened its doors in 2003, it wasn’t just another creative agency entering the scene—it was a bold leap of faith. Founded by Alan Hunter and a small team of entertainment marketing veterans willing to trade security for possibility, the agency began with nothing more than vision, grit, and a line of credit. Almost two decades later, PETROL has launched over 2,500 video game titles, hundreds of films, and partnered with some of the world’s most recognized brands. Specializing in entertainment advertising for the gaming industry, PETROL has carved out a unique niche, blending cinematic artistry with deep audience insight to craft campaigns that resonate on a global scale. But behind the high-profile launches and award-winning work lies a culture built on mentorship, creative passion, and an unshakable belief in growing talent from within.

Introduction by Simon Bollier, Senior Art Director, AV Squad

I worked at PETROL from its inception in 2003 and remained there for over a decade. During that time, I was part of what grew into a fully integrated, 360-degree marketing and creative force, driven to deliver results through the development of top-tier campaigns. What Alan and Ben pioneered in video game marketing with PETROL, and what it has since evolved into, is nothing short of remarkable, as evidenced by the numerous awards and industry recognition. I’m proud of what we accomplished together, and I continue to be in awe of the unmatched work PETROL produces today.

What’s the story behind PETROL? How was it founded?
Alan Hunter, President & Chief Creative Officer: We founded PETROL in 2003. There were seven of us, including two partners, and we all left very high-paying entertainment marketing jobs because we wanted to pursue both games and movies. A $500,000 line of credit on my house and my $100,000 life savings were gone in six months, and when we were down to just a few thousand dollars in the bank, our first check from Sony came in. Ever since then, we have never looked back! Soon, we were at 30 people, then 50, and, eventually, our sweet spot of around 75, with support teams of 25 globally. We have been fortunate enough to have launched over 2,500 video game titles and a few hundred movies. Most importantly, we were able to create a business where we can grow from within: the average length of stay at PETROL is over seven years.

I can’t underestimate the value of loving what you do, which is a gift, and that is at the core of what our success has been based on. We were acquired by a global development group in 2019 and continue to grow our company into our twenty-second year.

PETROL focuses on entertainment advertising for video games. Why that specific focus?
A.H.: In the late 1990s and early 2000s, we knew that interactive entertainment was going to grow beyond traditional theatrical entertainment. We all love movies, but there is a different strategic challenge to get someone to spend $10 on a ticket that will occupy two hours of their life, compared to $50–$100 on something that they’re going to spend potentially hundreds of hours on. It’s campaign building that gets people to invest in the lifestyle of the game and what it represents, and that is an incredible creative opportunity for us at PETROL.

That audience knowledge has brought clients who wanted PETROL to help them reach gamers for their brands and consumer products. Companies like Western Digital, Seagate, NVIDIA, JBL, and even the UFC have partnered with PETROL. We also feel very strongly that games are the international entertainment language that unites people around the world inside a platform of fun and not negativity, even with the most mature content.

When compared to other advertising firms, what makes PETROL unique?
A.H.: Being specialists at speaking with, marketing to, and converting a massive audience like gamers as both marketers and consumers makes us very unique. PETROL was created to service the video game industry with design, and our staff reflects that. We do all of our 3D, Unreal Engine, and game capture in-house and are able to work in the game developers’ engines. That allows us to be intimately connected to the product we are branding and marketing, and we have built an incredible knowledge base throughout the agency.

Our agency philosophy is to train and promote from within and develop talent that has an inherent love of the product, so our Petrolians feel less like they’re working and more like they’re creating iconic moments in and for an industry they love.

Who is or was your greatest mentor?
Ben Nessan, Account Executive: Professionally, my greatest mentor has been Sam Clarke, the VP of strategic partnerships and development here at PETROL. I originally joined Sam’s “account team” in 2016, and we’ve been working closely together ever since. Sam is a great leader, and the traits I love most about him are his focus on family and relationships, his leadership and ability/desire to teach other young professionals, and his ability to talk to and relate to anyone from any walk of life or part of the world.

What has inspired or motivated you in your career?
Gilbert Moran, Director of Strategy: I was initially inspired to take my first steps into advertising via a Mad Men ad circa 2007. The vibe of that whole show was incredibly motivating because it showed me—at a pivotal time in my life—that there is power in advertising to convince people of a story and to take an action that they might not have realized they needed to take.

Once I was on the path, inspiration came from all directions: colleagues, competitors in our vertical, advertising across the industry, discussions with fans, unexpected activations, and stunts. Advertising and marketing are such living, breathing entities that you can find inspiration just by bringing up your socials for the day, seeing something a coworker puts in Slack, or going on YouTube and seeing a new recommendation.

What is it about advertising that you are most passionate about?
A.H.: We are very passionate about the content we create, which reaches tens of millions of people and brings them happiness in countless ways. When a movie or a game director is interviewed to promote their release, they usually sit in front of our posters, and we see that as such a unique privilege. That work represents thousands of people’s craft, and we don’t take that for granted.

We also love that great creativity transcends all things like language, borders, and cultural backgrounds. We love that the content we create may sit on a kid’s shelf for years as a shining light of happiness, and we hope that the work we do helps unite people inside of an experience. It’s an amazing feeling when it works and when you see it happen.

What makes someone a Petrolian?
Neel Kar, VP of Innovation: Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many incredibly talented Petrolians. One observation has stood out in every interaction: everyone here is solution-first. In an industry that thrives on tight deadlines and high expectations, this shared approach turns even the toughest challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. It’s not just a skill—it’s a way of life that creates an environment of mutual trust, collaboration, and unwavering solidarity.

This shared ethos defines PETROL as a creative tribe where even a small team can dream big. Our president, Alan Hunter, exemplifies this spirit with initiative, versatility, a relentless pursuit of business intelligence, and an unwavering compassion for teamwork. These core values fuel the multi-talented Petrolians.

Every member contributes not only their expertise but also their support, creating a culture where no challenge feels insurmountable and no success is achieved alone. This collective mentality is what allows PETROL to transform ambitious dreams into reality, project after project. As individuals, Petrolians excel; as a team, they achieve the extraordinary.

What’s your favorite brand you have worked with?
A.H.: I think we’d have to say that we’ve been fortunate enough to do 17 Call of Duty branding campaign launches and all of the Soulsborne games, as well as over 2,500 game launches. However, one of our favorite brands that we have been lucky enough to work with for 21 years is the UFC! They are an incredibly smart and ambitious client, and they love pushing boundaries and promoting their events. It has enabled us to travel all over the world, meet all different kinds of fighters, and go to well over a hundred live events. They have experienced such iconic milestones, and we’ve been on that journey with them, from their beginnings as a small pay-per-view event getting 20,000 views to a billion-dollar organization that is a global phenomenon. Our favorite thing about it is the storytelling of competition and martial arts, which is built around the backstories of the fighters and the platform that UFC creates for them to change their lives. It’s incredibly rewarding to have had Graphis recognize some of that work in previous years!

Who among your contemporaries today do you most admire?
N.K.: Jama Jurabaev, as a contemporary conceptual storyteller, has been a beacon of inspiration throughout my career! I started following his journey as a conceptual artist, and since then, he has transcended into a flourishing entrepreneur with a startup that provides the art community with incredibly refined 3D assets that empower storytelling.

At PETROL, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with Jama on several fortunate occasions. Each time, we were struck by his humility, collaborative spirit, and unparalleled ability to innovate visual storytelling with unexpected tools like VR. I have personally been deeply influenced by his art and, even more so, by his relentless appetite to keep evolving in the creative space by embracing technology.

What would be your dream assignment?
Andrea Voskanian, Creative Director: I truly love the type of work I do now, but if I were to mix it up, it would probably be a rebranding project for a high-profile fashion or lifestyle company. The idea of refreshing a brand’s image while staying true to its heritage and style excites me. It would be incredibly rewarding to create something that resonates with today’s audience in a fresh way and leaves a lasting impact.

Who have been some of your favorite colleagues or clients?
B.N.: PETROL houses such a unique collection of talent and team members across departments—it’s fun to come to work each day and work toward a common goal. As an account team member, some of my favorite colleagues are the creative team (art directors, illustrators, 3D, audio/visual), as they are so integral to what PETROL does and so different from what I do that I appreciate their skills, expertise, and creativity.

We’re fortunate to have so many great clients and partners, so it is hard to narrow down the list. However, some of my favorite clients include those who truly value partnership and collaboration and view PETROL as an extension of their team. We’ve had the pleasure of building continued partnerships over the years of work and supporting many games or events with Ubisoft, UFC, and the EmptyVessel team—all are great partners, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve done together!

What do you consider your greatest achievement so far?
A.H.: This is an easy question for me and a lot of our leaders to answer. Our greatest personal achievements are helping our creatives (who may not have the best education or financial support) become incredibly successful in our business and in the advertising world. It has always been in my and our company’s DNA to share every piece of knowledge you have because it only makes you stronger, and the person you’re helping will never forget that they got help along the way. When it really comes full circle is when you see them doing it with new young creatives, and that knowledge and passion get passed on.

While the entertainment business is based a lot on personal success and ambitions, nothing is more rewarding than helping others succeed.

What about your work gives you the greatest satisfaction?
B.N.: The greatest satisfaction in my work is participating in day-to-day conversations, meetings, calls, running into challenges, and then working with the team to find solutions—adding value and ultimately being helpful to the greater team and collective is what motivates me and gives me the most satisfaction in my work.

We have the privilege that our work is seen and consumed by the world, so seeing our work go live to the public and be well-received is the cherry on top. However, the greater satisfaction comes from the journey to get to the end result.

What part of your work do you find the most demanding?
G.M.: Advertising and marketing in gaming is a particularly difficult beast to manage because it moves so fast. For example, sneakers change, sure, but they are essentially the same product with tweaks. Video gaming in 2025 is wildly different from video gaming in 2015 or 2005. Hardware updates, shifts in genre popularity, shifts in monetization, the emergence of the creator economy, changes in social usage for gaming, and new entrants from emerging markets all meaningfully affect how we are able to approach any particular campaign.

The most demanding thing is staying on top of the latest within the industry while also staying abreast of trends affecting the broader sector. Thankfully, that’s not something I have to tackle alone. I’m fortunate to have allies at PETROL who continually push themselves to learn and adapt just like I do, and it makes tackling any particular challenge that much more manageable when I know I have talented people to lean on.

What professional goals do you still have for yourself?
G.M.: I want to continue to be a key part of building teams that give people the same opportunities that I have had in my career. I was fortunate to find an environment that allowed me to succeed, fail, learn, and see what potential ambitions I could have in my career while at PETROL, and I want to keep that a key part of the DNA for any department I’m fortunate enough to lead.

It’s especially important for me as someone who has always prided themselves on leveling up despite their circumstances. As much as I may credit my own ability or skill, I know that so much of the career I have today is due to people more senior than me giving me a shot. I want to give that opportunity to future generations of people who enter this business.

What advice would you give to students starting out today?
B.N.: Students today have many opportunities ahead of them, and speaking from my experience, it was a challenge to enter the workforce with various passions or things I wanted to pursue that sounded interesting.

When you enter the workforce and you’re early in your career, try to identify what you’re passionate about or good at and pursue related opportunities. However, I found that part is best learned and experienced while actually working. Being patient, flexible, and gaining experience throughout the journey will help you realize what you ultimately want to pursue and where you can add value. Don’t expect to have it all figured out at the beginning. From my experience, the type of role and industry you work in, from just starting to where you find yourself in five to ten years, will likely be different.

Find and work with good people—the people you work with and the relationships you have are equally as important as the work you do.

Be a team player and easy to work with—this will get you further than you know!

What interests do you have outside of work?
A.V.: I really enjoy baking and cooking, especially experimenting with new recipes. It’s a creative outlet for me—playing with different flavors, trying out new techniques, and sometimes even inventing my own dishes. It’s rewarding to see how ingredients come together to create something delicious, and I love sharing the results with friends and family.

What do you value most in life?
A.V.: Growth—both personally and professionally. I’m always looking to learn new things and challenge myself, which keeps me adaptable and motivated. I also love being part of an environment where everyone can grow together.

What would you change if you had to do it all over again?
G.M.: I might have started on the path to the ad world earlier, specialized in skills and classes in college that would ultimately be the foundation for my work, taken more internships, and been more conscious of how I spent my time.

But with that said, I think the rollercoaster ride that many of us go through to get where we are today is part of the growing process. I wouldn’t be the thinker, leader, or man I am today without the things I went through and the ways I went through them. We’re all the summation of the things we’ve done, and who’s to say I would be a better version of myself if I did it differently?

Where do you find inspiration?
A.H.: For me, my team, and my students, it’s about what’s around you when you are the happiest.

There’s so much incredible creativity and art on every digital outlet you can imagine, and that’s very valuable. However, being retrospective and looking at what’s around you where and when you’re the happiest, whether it’s the clothing you’re wearing, the product you’re interacting with, or the experience you’re having—for us, that’s the biggest inspiration. If you can partake in creating work like that—work that makes people happy and helps change their day-to-day lives—you’re doing something great with your talents.

How do you define success?
A.H.: Helping others while doing what you love. So few people get to say that they actually do that in their day-to-day lives, and we have been lucky enough to be in an industry where we get paid to do what we love. Building off of that and helping others by training and providing opportunities is really the way that success is defined for me and what I have tried to teach my team. It’s great to be successful, and making money is awesome (especially after not having any in the beginning), but it really comes down to success being about the way you feel about what you’re doing. That is priceless.

Where do you see yourself in the future?
A.H.: Creating, helping, teaching, and believing that great creativity is the thing that keeps you vital. When you stop expressing it, you really stop existing as a creative force, whether it’s in your sketchbook or on a billboard. As long as I’m building PETROL and providing opportunities to young creative people to be on this journey to have the future I’ve had, the future is limitless!

How do you balance work with your personal life if there is a distinction between the two for you?
G.M.: You absolutely have to find time to enrich yourself by investing in your personal life. For me, that comes primarily in making the best use of our extended breaks (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and also actually taking meaningful vacations where I’m signed off. Both of those scenarios help me recharge my battery.

Beyond that, it’s about maintaining those “I’m definitely available and working” hours and “I’m not technically working now, but I can answer questions or be helpful” hours, even at 11 at night or on the weekend. Rare is the time past our normal business hours that I’m completely off the clock, but I also recognize that expectation is something I must hold for myself and not necessarily expect of my coworkers or direct reports.

In what ways do you see your field changing over the years?
N.K.: We are on the cusp of a quantum leap, where artificial intelligence and technological leaps are reshaping the creative world. Change is inevitable, but creativity remains profoundly human. Ben Affleck recently articulated this beautifully: “Craftsman is knowing how to work. Art is knowing when to stop. And I think knowing when to stop is going to be a very difficult thing for AI to learn because [of its] taste.” It’s that intangible sense of taste—our ability to discern, refine, and create with soul—that will define the next generation of creative storytellers.

At PETROL, we champion human ingenuity over machine efficiency. The future belongs to those who blend innovation with human intuition.

Fueled by creativity, informed by intelligence, and driven by results, PETROL offers industry-leading, integrated marketing capabilities that connect exceptional brands to the communities they inspire. For more than twenty-two years, PETROL has been creating rocket fuel for brands on a global scale, pioneering iconic creative and marketing strategies that leave target audiences wanting more. PETROL continues to develop global marketing campaigns for over fifty major brands across a range of genres and industries. Whether growing a brand, promoting a new title, or launching a new product, PETROL strategically brings to life ideas that may not yet exist in the real world, transforming them into irresistible realities in the digital space.

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