FROM PIVOT TO PURPOSE.
Vanessa Lawson
I started PMA in 2018 in Minnesota as a traditional talent management agency. At the time, the vision was simple. Build something real. Connect talented people with meaningful opportunities the old fashioned way through relationships, persistence, and belief in the people we represented.
We were doing exactly that. Opening doors, building networks, and helping talent navigate an industry that often felt inaccessible unless you already knew the right people.
Then COVID-19 hit.
Almost overnight the industry froze. Events were canceled. Productions shut down. Brand partnerships disappeared. Deals that once looked certain collapsed without warning. The infrastructure that talent relied on simply stopped working.
For the first time, I was forced to confront a question that would change everything.
What happens when the system itself no longer works?
The answer was simple, even if the reality was not.
You pivot.
In the military, you learn that command early. Right face. Left face. About face. When the environment changes, you adjust your position immediately. You do not freeze. You move with intention.
Entrepreneurship requires the same discipline.
I learned how to pivot because I had no other choice.
Shortly after, I was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait for thirteen months. While serving overseas, I spent much of my time studying emerging technologies. That was when I discovered the world of artificial intelligence and the early developments around Web3.
What I saw was impossible to ignore.
Another wave of disruption was coming for the talent economy. Technology was about to reshape how talent, brands, and agencies interact with one another. Data, automation, and digital identity would redefine the industry.
Yet the infrastructure needed to support this transformation simply did not exist.
The industry was heading toward a technological future, but no one was building the systems that would protect talent within it.
So I did what I had learned to do best: pivot.
When I returned home, I rebuilt PMA from the ground up. Not as a traditional agency, but as a technology platform designed for the future of the talent economy. I taught myself how to build. I architected our website, began developing our AI frameworks, and started designing the compliance infrastructure that will power the next generation of talent management.
Today, what started as a small agency in Minnesota is evolving into something much bigger.
PMA is becoming a platform built to bring transparency, structure, and opportunity to an industry that has historically operated without clear rules.
That is the story of Porte.
Born from adversity. Built through resilience. Designed for the next era of talent.
Because when the system breaks, the only real choice is to build a better one.
THE TEAM BEHIND PORTE.
Mihir Pathak
Strategic finance leader guiding capital allocation, investment strategy, and growth planning.
Omahre Gratton
Licensed NBA agent leading sports talent acquisition, athlete relations, and deal negotiation.
Dehkontee Cuppah
Leading cybersecurity strategy, platform security architecture, and infrastructure protection.