Pocstock officially planted roots in Newark. The company recently celebrated its fifth anniversary along with the debut of a state-of-the-art space at 550 Broad St. 

The global media platform opened its doors Nov. 19 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. Offering diverse stock photos, videos, illustrations and more, pocstock “unapologetically focuses on people of color.” 

The new 4,800-square-foot space at the Fidelco Realty Group-owned and -managed building debuts as the company and others continue to grow in a budding, communal corridor around Harriet Tubman Square.

Marie “FREE” Wright, the host of BET’s 106 & Park, emceed the celebration. The event also featured complimentary headshots. Additionally, Prudential Financial Vice President, Head of Creative Bridget Esposito, moderated a panel discussion featuring advertising industry creative leaders Walter Geer III, chief creative officer at VML, and Patrick Bennett, global chief creative officer at Jack Morton.

“Before I talk about pocstock, I want to talk about everyone in this room,” co-founder and CEO Steve Jones began his remarks. “We would not have gotten here without a loyal, dedicated, hardworking support group of people who pushed when we didn’t deserve it early on. … People don’t usually show up when you’re not ‘the thing’ yet. It’s usually later on, when you become something, that people start showing up for you.” 

Pocstock has raised $1.6 million, including a $500,000 round last October. The feat sets the company apart statistically in a challenging environment. At the start of 2024, TechCrunch reported venture dollars to Black founders fell to 0.48% of total investments in the prior year. The lowest it’s been in recent history, according to the publication, the drop continues a downward trend dating to 2020. 

Beyond bringing visibility and equity in its front-facing work, the company also wants to drive change for others. 

Building something

Jones credited the attendees who showed up, without fail, to that point; committing to paying it forward. 

“We [are] going to open up doors for other people that come behind us by making sure that investors have confidence in black-owned companies,” Jones said. 

Co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer DeSean Brown described the opening as a lifetime in the making.  

“We always talked about building something, and we always talked about not building something for us, [but] building something for ‘us,’” he reflected. 

“We talk about how we came up, often being one of two or three Black people in creative rooms, at sales conferences, at marketing conferences. And it was always, ‘How can we help change this? How can we help be more,’” Brown explained. “How can we keep those doors wide open for other people to be in there with us?

“So, I think pocstock has kind of been that dream come true of creating that space and platform for people to be represented, seen, heard and valued.” 

Working together

The sentiment fits in with pocstock’s ongoing “Year of the Partnership.”

Among the company’s collaborators, it entered a global content partnership with creative giant Canva. Meanwhile, pocstock also introduced a 10-member advisory board this spring.

That was around the time when Audible announced pocstock as a participant in its Business Attraction Program. According to Audible Global Head of Urban Innovation Aisha Glover, pocstock is “exactly” the kind of company the initiative aims to support. 

“At the intersection of technology and diversity, pocstock is leading the way in transforming digital media’s portrayal of the dynamic spectrum of faces and cultures in our world. Their presence in Newark will be a catalyst for innovation and job creation, and we’re proud to support their journey,” she said. 

The company is not the first Business Attraction Program participant to open at 550 Broad St. The building is one of several where Audible is helping facilitate leasing opportunities.

“Fidelco is proud to welcome pocstock to our groundbreaking roster of tenants at the historic 550 Broad Street building,” commented Fidelco principal Kerri Levine. “pocstock’s tenancy exemplifies our continued commitment to transforming the neighborhood where established nonprofits and businesses can thrive and startups can grow.”

Other recent additions to the tenant roster at 550 Broad St. Include the Dodge Foundation and the Victoria Foundation.  

Homework

From its new headquarters, pocstock is better poised to help reshape businesses’ approaches to cultural representation. Beyond office and meeting spaces, the outpost also offers areas for creatives as well as the community to engage and work. 

“Our mission has always included changing the narratives – ensuring that the images, stories and cultures of people of color are authentically represented in all forms of media,” said Jones. “This move to Newark is more than just opening a new office. It’s a strategic decision to fuel our growth and expand our impact. We’re excited to be at the heart of an ecosystem that shares our values of community, inclusivity and economic impact.”

Speaking during the celebration ceremony, Newark Alliance President and CEO Evan Weiss also touched on those goals. Looking ahead, he said the aim is to grow pocstock to become an institution in the city. “As you’ve heard, that’s not easy,” he said. “And part of the reason it’s not easy is breaking in. Breaking into something that is hard to break into.” 

Weiss credited the pocstock team’s accomplishments, adding, “They’ve shown the incredible speed, the incredible capacity to grow.” 

Now, his job – and that of his peers – is to aid that growth, he said.

“And particularly … by embedding pocstock within the fabric of Newark—they already have done that, but we can do more. So, I think that’s what I view as my homework is. And what I hope everyone else can contribute to — is helping an incredible homegrown business like this grow.”