Overview

Company Summary

These are the five words that drive us: Seek and you will shine. We built our agency around curiosity. We hate the status quo – even when it’s really good. We are seekers wo work in teams. We think of them as communities. We surround client problems with curious experts. The word “integrated” doesn’t do our approach justice. Our communities of practice are symbiotic. We spark each other. We finish each other’s sentences. We seek together: analysts, creatives, social media wizards, media savants, CRM fanatics and more. Each of our communities is headed up by an agency partner. And each discipline shines on its own, not just as part of a team. Each boasts its own clients and garners its own top industry awards. We work under one brand and one P&L. This means we can go wherever our seeking takes us, instead of being beholden to preconceived or packaged solutions. We aren’t afraid to seek out the real problem. Because the most beautiful solution to the wrong problem isn’t beautiful at all. We seek so the work will shine. But most importantly, we seek so our clients and their brands will shine.

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Staff

Total Number of Employees

Office Employees: 201-500
Total US: 101-200
Total Worldwide: 201-500

Jamie Venorsky
President, Chief Creative Officer
With a steadfast desire to prove big ideas can’t be bound by geography or holding company, Jamie has been an integral part of shaping Marcus Thomas into an agency that turns ideas into integrated experiences that provide value for brands and customers alike. His work has aired on the Super Bowl, brought a CEO to tears, and been so innovative that he was awarded a patent. Asking his team “what if” has led to them winning One Show Pencils, national ADDYs, the prestigious 4A’s O’Toole Award and numerous others. As much as he loves doing work worthy of recognition, the growth Marcus Thomas clients have enjoyed is his true measure of success. In honor of those who helped him find his path, Jamie always finds time to give to students and is one of the founders of the Marcus Thomas Legacy Education Fund.

Alison Clark
Chief Client & Growth Officer
Alison’s relentless curiosity and drive for thinking outside the lines is what inspires her teams to do their best work. Joining us earlier this year, she’s an alum of CBX, Colle McVoy, MONO, Leo Burnett Worldwide, DraftFCB, Deutsch LA, DDB Worldwide and JWT. She brings vast experience from working on brands like McDonald’s, General Motors, KFC, Miller and Nabisco. Whether she’s crafting the brand idea for the #TargetRun campaign, relaunching the $2B McDonald’s family business or driving the Effie-winning PS3 positioning, Alison is a bold servant-leader who thrives on collaboration and cold brew.

Heidi Modarelli-Frank
APR /Partner/Chief Relationship Officer
As the agency’s 4th PR department hire in 1992, Heidi saw something special in Marcus Thomas. She took the helm of the group in 2015, overseeing its growth and diversification into a team of 27 who have won multiple silver and bronze Anvils, Reggie and Drum awards. A star in her own right, her “Sleep Naked” work for U.S. Cotton was featured in the latest edition of The Dynamics of Persuasion and she is President of the Cleveland chapter of the PRSA. Her care for the people of Marcus Thomas, in addition to her PR leadership, was recognized earlier this year when she was named Chief Relationship Officer and has resulted in the agency being an Ad Age Best Places to Work for the past four years.

Raphael Rivilla
Partner/ Chief Media Officer
Raf believes in taking informed risks, using data to drive action and delivering optimized cross-platform messaging in sync with the human journey. Having a media resume shaped in San Francisco, California, and Atlanta, Georgia, with clients like SEGA and Caesars Properties, he brings over 20 years of experience in all things media and is known for being an emerging media fanatic. Under his leadership, Marcus Thomas has built an award-winning media department that has become the largest media buyer in Ohio. With its own real-time media trading desk, Marcus Thomas is one of only 2% of agencies that are Google Premier Partners. No wonder Raf was recognized by Campaign US as a 40 Over 40 honoree in 2020.

Amber Zent
APR / Partner / SVP, Social Media
Known as an innovator in PR circles, Amber has constantly pushed the industry forward to build her clients’ reputations. Clients like Citi, Conagra, Jim Beam, U.S. Cotton and Nestlé have relied on her leadership using tools like social listening and influencer marketing far before others – and they’ve seen Amber’s efforts reflected in their bottom lines. A frequent speaker, industry thought leader and recipient of more than 50 awards, she became the youngest partner at Marcus Thomas in 2016 leading the social media practice. A proven champion for working mothers, Amber was invited to be an inaugural participant in the 4A’s Mothers@Agencies program.

Patricio Sapir
Partner / SVP, CRM and Marketing Automation
A developer at heart, Pato founded our Devs United group in 2016 to help brands create better connections with people through digital ecosystems. Now leading a team of over 50 people, he has guided the integration of hundreds of pieces of dynamic content for Disney Destinations, built trigger communication solutions based in micromoments for Fanatics and created a consumer marketing portal for book publishers to build their own campaigns. A recognized expert in his field, Pato was invited by Salesforce to be one of their premier Marketing Champions. He has also created the Devs United Academy to teach marketing students how to use Salesforce to build their careers.

Jason Hutchison
Partner / SVP, Website Application and Development
Jason has experienced digital from every angle, which is why he is able to consult, lead and deliver even the most complex projects with ease. He joined Marcus Thomas with the 2011 acquisition of DigiKnow, one of the country’s pioneering digital agencies. Jason built a site and loyalty program for Nestlé that became the largest online community of bakers, created a digital sampling program for Dexcom across seven countries and nine languages, and developed the first livestream ad with the 24/24 program for Sherwin-Williams. Key to his success is his ability to simplify the tasks at hand for each person on the team.

Stephanie Sumner
SVP, Business Development
Stephanie is a masterful agency matchmaker, especially when you consider that the new business process is so often compared to dating and courtship. Honed at McKinney, she employs her keen listening skills, sincere desire for mutual success, and old-fashioned honesty to build and sustain successful relationships. Clients appreciate her devotion to their needs and wants. Colleagues value her calm demeanor and encouragement to deliver their best work. A celebrator of everyone at Marcus Thomas, she also celebrates amazing women through her podcast, “Quiet Women.”

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Clients and Brands

Client & Brands	Start Date
Akron Children''s Hospital Akron Children's Hospital	01-01-2003
Sparc Group Reebok Forever 21 Lucky Brand Aeropostale	03-01-2022
Sherwin-Williams Cabot Thompson's WaterSeal Krylon	N/A
Dexcom Dexcom	04-01-2016
Moen Moen	N/A
TourismOhio TourismOhio	01-01-2015
KeyBank KeyBank	01-01-2014
Vitamix Vitamix	01-01-2020
The Ohio Lottery The Ohio Lottery	01-01-2002
Stanley Black & Decker DeWalt Troy-Bilt	01-01-2007
McCann NY New York Lottery	08-31-2023
Aqua Carpatica Aqua Carpatica	N/A
Ditto Ditto	N/A
Gold Star Chili Gold Star Chili	N/A
Festival Foods Festival Foods	12-01-2022

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Billings & Revenue

Billing / Revenue Ranges	Number of Clients
Billing < $1M and/or Agency Revenue < $200K	50
Billing > $1M and < $3M	7
Billing > $3M and < $5M	6
Billing > $5M and < $10M	3
Billing < $10M and < $25M	3

Total Gross Media Placed by this Office
$51 - 100 Million

Allocation Percent of Media Placed by this Office
Local Broadcast: 13%
National Broadcast: 20%
Digital: 53%
Print: 3%
Out of Home: 7%
Other: 4%

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Types of Services

Service Offering	Revenue
Advertising - General Market/ Traditional	0
Creative Strategy & Development	0
Public Relations	0
Data & Analytics	0
Direct Marketing	0
Media Planning	0
Brand Consulting	0
Content stategy & development	0
Design	0
Digital/Interactive | Search Engine Marketing	0
Digital/Interactive | Search Engine Optimization	0
Digital/Interactive | Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring	0
Social Media	0
Business-to-Business	0
Influencer Marketing	0
Media Buying	0

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Industry Experience

Retail
Cosmetics, perfumes & toiletries
Media | other
Healthcare | medical products
Travel | tourism
Food & Beverage | pet food
Telecommunications
Public Relations
Government | economic development
Gambling | lotteries
Media | publishing
Education
Financial services | insurance
Technology | .com business
Industrial, Manufacturing & chemicals
Home Products | housewares
Technology | communications
Financial services | Banking - Consumer
Consumer Services
Financial services | investments
Real Estate | buildings & construction
Healthcare | Hospitals, Healthcare Facilities, Medical Services
Healthcare | pharmaceutical
Automotive | aftermarket
Healthcare | direct to consumer (DTC)
Food & Beverage | food
Restaurants
Business Services & office products
Food & Beverage | soft drinks
Media | broadcasting
Healthcare | managed care
Apparel & Fashion | apparel
Non-profit, associations & public services
Household Supplies
Home Products | Home Improvements (hardware, paint, plumbing, gardening)
Professional Services (accountants, consultants, lawyers)

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