Building Ungraded, a new kind of trading card marketplace
Words byRich StephensCo-founder and filmmaker at PixelRain
6 min readUpdated 9 August 2026
How we built the launch films, founder story, photography and weekly drop content for a trading card marketplace based around 3D imaging.
Section 01
A better view of every card.
Ungraded is a trading card marketplace built around a genuinely clever idea: 3D imaging that lets buyers inspect every surface of a card before they bid. Founded by Josh and John, two collectors who were tired of buying cards based on a handful of blurry photos, they set out to build something better.
They came to us before launch with no visual content at all and needed films that could introduce the platform, explain the technology, and tell their story.
A brilliant product, a clear mission and a launch date approaching. The brand needed to arrive on screen fully formed.
Section 02
Building a brand on screen.
This was a ground-up job. Ungraded had a brilliant product and a clear mission, but no video, no photography, and a launch date approaching. We needed to create a full suite of content that could carry them through the pre-launch build-up and into their first weeks live.
We spent time at their office understanding the technology, watching the imaging process in action, and getting to know Josh and John’s story. The 3D viewer is impressive when you see it, but explaining it on screen is a different challenge. We needed to show what makes it special without turning the films into a tech demo.
Section 03
The founders behind the platform.
Beyond the product, there’s a founder story worth telling. We captured Josh and John talking honestly about why they built Ungraded and what they were trying to fix: the frustration of buying cards from a few low-quality photos, cancelled orders, fakes, and descriptions that didn’t match what arrived. That personal angle matters when you’re asking a community of collectors to trust a brand new platform.
Section 04
Faces, cards and the energy of launch day.
The film work needed a photographic world around it. The launch shoot gave Ungraded a bank of founder portraits, product moments and lively behind-the-scenes images to carry the same identity across the website, press and social channels.
The Ungraded launch shoot
10 photographs · Open the albumSection 05
One new reason to return every week.
In the weeks before launch, Ungraded ran a series of weekly auction events, each featuring cards from a different category: Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, football, and more. We created short, punchy films for each drop that showcased the 3D viewer in action with real cards, building anticipation and giving collectors a reason to come back week after week.
Pre-launch drops
4 films · Choose one to watchSection 06
Making the advantage tangible.
To round out the launch content, we produced a film highlighting the key advantages of the platform: the 3D imaging, the authenticity guarantee, and the hassle-free consignment process for sellers. This was the explainer piece, designed to convert curious visitors into users by making the benefits clear and tangible.
Written by
Rich Stephens
Co-founder and filmmaker at PixelRain. Notes from the people planning, filming and editing the work.
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