What TRYOUT does

TRYOUT is a private Japanese integrated creative and media company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Osaka. The company operates four co-equal business functions under one corporate roof: advertising agency services, editorial production, creative production (graphic/web/video/photography), and media operations. It sells advertising agency services across print, web, radio, newspaper, TV, transit, and outdoor channels; produces editorial content; and publishes three owned magazine brands—Ollie (street culture, in continuous publication since 1996), GRIND (fashion media), and PERK (women's fashion/lifestyle). Its technology and production stack combines in-house creative tooling with media-agnostic content production, certified drone photography services, and a digital Showa-era retro photo archive cataloging thousands of Kansai-region historical images.

TRYOUT's revenue comes from four streams: commission-based advertising placements across multiple media channels (advertising agency); subscription and ad sales from its owned Ollie, GRIND, and PERK publications (publishing/media); project-based fees for editorial design, catalog production, copywriting, photography, video, event planning, and in-store promotions (creative production); and hospitality revenue from Hotel Cabana Miyakojima, which opened in March 2024. Customer concentration skews toward Japanese fashion, beauty, and apparel brands—including Levi's, Barbour, Timberland, New Balance, TATRAS, Brooks Sports, Casio (G-SHOCK), Goldwin, Columbia Sports Japan, and TAKEO KIKUCHI—with supplementary work for government entities (Osaka Prefecture), education (ECC Computer College), and consumer brands. Pricing is custom-quoted per project; rate cards are not publicly disclosed.

The company maintains a sales-led go-to-market model with a dedicated 営業部 (sales department) and Fashion Lifestyle Section, complemented by event-driven marketing via exhibitions and industry job fairs. Operations span four offices: Osaka headquarters (with attached TRYOUT Osaka Building), Tokyo (Hatsudai), Naha/Okinawa, and Miyakojima. The company is wholly founder-led by representative director Kuruma Hiroaki (車田宏章) and reports no external venture capital, private equity, or strategic parent ownership. Related entities include Tryout Project, Sun Moon Co., Ltd. (manufacturer of Kyoto Red Sake Bakudan liqueur), and FAS.

Name

TRYOUT

Legal name

株式会社トライアウト

Website

https://tryout.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TRYOUT is a private Osaka-based integrated creative agency offering advertising, editorial, design/web/video production, and owned-media publishing (Ollie, GRIND, PERK magazines), plus Hotel Cabana Miyakojima, serving Japanese fashion, beauty, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Advertising Agency Services: Commission-based advertising services across multiple media channels including magazines, web, radio, newspapers, TV, transit, and outdoor advertising. Revenue generated through client advertising budgets and project fees.
2. Publishing and Media Operations: Revenue from publishing street culture magazine Ollie, fashion magazine GRIND, and women's fashion magazine PERK, including print sales, digital subscriptions, and advertising sales within publications.
3. Creative Production Services: Project-based fees for editorial design, catalog production, copywriting, photography, video production, event planning and management, decorative installations, and in-store promotions.
4. Hotel Operations: Hotel Cabana Miyakojima (ホテルカバナ宮古島) hotel operations under the company's hospitality business unit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TRYOUT is an integrated creative services company providing advertising agency, editorial production, design/web/video production, and media publishing services under one roof. It sells comprehensive branding, promotion, creative production, and event management solutions to enterprise clients, leveraging an in-house team of 120+ specialists across planning, editorial, design, photography, video, web development, and event operations. The company also publishes three flagship magazines—Ollie (street culture), GRIND (fashion), and PERK (women's fashion)—as owned media platforms for integrated client advertising.

Product overview

TRYOUT operates as a comprehensive creative and media company with four core business functions: advertising agency, editorial production, design/production companies (covering design, web, and video), and media operations (web and publication). The company publishes three flagship magazine brands—Ollie (street culture), GRIND (fashion media), and PERK (women's fashion culture)—alongside digital media including the Showa Retro Photo archive. Supplementary products include the hairdresser communication app AM-YU, the Yukifilm YouTube channel, VR education services, and hotel operations at Hotel Cabana Miyakojima. Service offerings encompass advertising, branding, promotion, creative production, web promotion, and event management, delivered by in-house teams of planners, directors, editors, writers, designers, photographers, and video professionals across offices in Osaka, Tokyo, and Okinawa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ollie: Street culture magazine covering fashion, music, skateboarding. Japan's prominent street culture magazine established in 1996.
• GRIND
• PERK
• Hotel Cabana Miyako

Products and services

• Advertising Agency Services Comprehensive advertising services spanning planning, strategy, branding, promotion, and creative production across multiple media channels including print, web, video, and events, for enterprise clients in fashion, beauty, public sector, and education.
• Editorial Production Services Magazine and publication editing services covering concept development, writing, design, and production, with over 30 years of expertise in editorial production for clients.
• Creative Production Services Design and creative services including graphic design, web design, video production, photography, illustration, and event production, delivered by in-house specialists.
• Web Promotion Services Web-based marketing and promotion services including website planning, social media advertising, influencer marketing, and digital marketing, including CMS development using WordPress.
• Event Planning and Management Event planning and execution services covering concept to day-of operations, including PR events, branding events, workshops, entertainment events, and tournament operations.
• Drone Photography Services Aerial drone photography services using certified unmanned aircraft operators for promotional videos, corporate PR, advertising, and inspection photography.
• Ollie Magazine Street culture magazine covering fashion, music, and skateboarding, published continuously since 1996 as one of Japan's leading underground street culture publications.
• GRIND Magazine Fashion media focused on street culture, positioning itself as a fashion media to create the future without being consumed, covering fashion and surrounding cultures centered on the street.
• PERK Magazine Fashion and culture magazine targeting independent women who embrace both High and Low lifestyle choices while valuing personal uniqueness and independent mindset.
• Showa Retro Photo Archive Digital archive of Showa-era retro photographs, primarily featuring Osaka and Kansai region, with thousands of vintage photos available for public viewing and licensing use.
• AM-YU Hairdresser App Hairdresser communication mobile app serving as a hub media for the beauty industry, connecting hairdressers and promoting the industry's value and possibilities.
• VR de Open Campus Video distribution system allowing students to experience school open campuses from home via virtual campus tours.
• Hotel Cabana Miyakojima Hotel operation in Miyako Island, Okinawa, managed by TRYOUT and located within the TRYOUT Miyako Building.
• Kyoto Red Sake Bakudan B-class local Kansai cocktail manufactured and sold by subsidiary company Sun Moon Co., Ltd., registered as an Osaka City hometown tax return gift.

Named customers17 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yahoo! JapancoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Yahoo! Japan authorized advertising agency partner, enabling client access to Yahoo! advertising platforms and promotional channels.
• Kitahama Law Office (北浜律师事务所)minorOthersLegal advisory services provider as company advisor.
• Eimura Accounting Office (榮村会計事務所)minorOthersAccounting advisory services as company advisor.
• Minami Osaka General Labor Consultant (社会保険労務士法人 南大阪総合労務事務所)minorOthersSocial insurance and labor consulting services.
• Tryout Project (トライアウトプロジェクト)coreOthersRelated company handling project operations.
• Sun Moon (株式会社サンムーン)minorOthersGroup company manufacturing and selling Kyoto Red Sake Bakudan cocktail, registered as Osaka city hometown tax donation product.
• FAS (有限会社エフエーエス)minorOthersRelated company established 2003.
• Hotel Cabana Miyakojima (ホテルカバナ宮古島)coreOthersCo-located hotel operation at Miyakojima branch, representing company's hospitality business expansion.
• Various Government CertificationsminorOthersHolder of multiple government procurement qualifications: Osaka Prefecture bidding eligibility, Osaka City bidding eligibility, all ministry unified qualifications, Osaka Metro bidding participants, Urban Renaissance Agency competitive bidding qualifications, Japan Racing Association contract participation, IT introduction support operator.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Inc. Japan's largest advertising agency holding company with full-service capabilities across creative, media, and digital. Comparable as the dominant incumbent against which TRYOUT competes for enterprise advertising budgets in Japan, though at vastly larger scale.
• ADK Holdings: Major Japanese advertising holding company offering creative, media, and content solutions. Competes with TRYOUT for integrated advertising mandates and offers similar full-service capabilities at larger scale with broader content/IP holdings.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Second-largest Japanese advertising agency known for integrated creative and 'sei-katsu-sha' consumer insight-driven marketing. Direct competitor for the same fashion, beauty, and consumer brand clients TRYOUT serves, but with national scale and global network.
• Ogilvy Japan: Japan operations of Ogilvy, the global creative network. Comparable in offering integrated creative, advertising, and brand strategy services, but with the advantage of international network access that TRYOUT lacks.

Direct peers

• Garage Inc. Tokyo-based independent creative agency with integrated digital, content, and experiential capabilities. Closely comparable boutique positioning, similar target verticals, and similar project-based creative production model serving enterprise clients.
• PARTY: Tokyo-based creative agency specializing in interactive and integrated campaigns. Comparable as a Japanese independent creative shop competing for the same type of brand experience and digital campaign work.
• Platinum Inc. Japanese integrated marketing agency with fashion, beauty, and lifestyle specialism. Directly comparable vertical focus and similar service mix of advertising, editorial production, and digital.
• TBWA\Hakuhodo: Joint venture between TBWA Worldwide and Hakuhodo providing full-service creative advertising in Japan. Directly comparable as an integrated creative agency serving major Japanese and global brands with creative-led campaigns.
• Tambourine Inc. Japan-based digital and creative agency with integrated marketing, content production, and SNS advertising capabilities. Comparable in size and service mix, particularly on the digital promotion and SNS campaign execution side.
• Whatever Co. Independent Tokyo creative agency with strong fashion, lifestyle, and culture client roster. Closely comparable target verticals (fashion brands, magazines) and similar boutique creative agency positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tryout1986
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/pmctryout
• Facebookfacebook.com/tryout.pmc
• Instagraminstagram.com/tryout_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TRYOUT