Masterminds

What Masterminds does

Masterminds is a full-service advertising agency founded in 1986 and headquartered in Northfield, New Jersey, with a second office in Center City Philadelphia. The firm operates as a private corporation under founders Nancy Smith (CEO) and Joe McIntire (President), with three additional partners — Ryan Leeds, George Cortesini, and Joseph McDonough — added in 2013 as the first phase of a succession plan. The agency employs 11-50 staff across creative, account management, and digital functions.

The agency's service offering spans branding, traditional advertising, social media strategy and execution, website development (including immersive parallax scrolling and image sequencing builds), and integrated campaign creative. Client work is concentrated in tourism boards, gaming and hospitality (including accounts with MGM MIRAGE and Pinnacle Entertainment), government and nonprofit organizations, and food/beverage brands. Notable engagements include rebrands for Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism and Boomtown Casino, the TreePhilly urban tree adoption campaign that placed over 3,000 trees, the Fallen Oak Golf Course launch, and agency-of-record work for Yards Brewing Company.

Masterminds generates revenue on a project-based, quote-driven professional services model. Go-to-market is direct enterprise and mid-market field sales led by Managing Partner Ryan Leeds, with new business sourced through relationships, creative presentations, and industry reputation rather than formal outbound channels. The agency has no external institutional investors, no API or software products, and no disclosed recurring-revenue contracts — earnings are tied to campaign cycles. The firm has accumulated one notable industry credential, a 2013 National Silver ADDY Award from the American Advertising Federation for its own self-promotion website.

Name

Masterminds

Legal name

Masterminds

Website

https://mastermindsagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Masterminds is a full-service advertising agency founded in 1986, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across tourism, gaming/hospitality, government, and food/beverage with branding, social media, web development, and integrated campaign creative from offices in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Management & Talent Representation (BPAFAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Advertising services
• Brand development
• Social media marketing
• Creative campaigns
• Web development

Headquarters

HQ city

Egg Harbor Township

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising Services: Full-service advertising agency providing traditional advertising, social media, web development, branding, and campaign creative services to enterprise and mid-market clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Masterminds is a full-service advertising agency that creates branding, rebranding, social media campaigns, traditional advertising creative, and immersive website experiences for enterprise and mid-market clients. The agency serves tourism boards, gaming and hospitality operators, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and consumer brands across the United States, delivering strategic creative work from concept through execution.

Product overview

Masterminds is a full-service advertising agency, not a software product company. The company creates marketing campaigns, branding, social media, web design, and advertising creative for clients across various industries including tourism, hospitality, gaming, nonprofit, and retail sectors. Notable campaigns include Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism rebranding, TreePhilly urban tree adoption initiative, Boomtown Casino rebranding, Philadelphia Zoo campaigns, Pocono Mountains seasonal campaigns, and various hospitality/branding projects. The agency has been in operation since 1985 with offices in Philadelphia, PA and Northfield, NJ. Services are delivered as professional creative services rather than as standalone software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding and Rebranding Campaigns Strategic branding and rebranding services that reposition challenged brands with provocative visual identities and strategic positioning, serving clients such as Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism, Boomtown Casino, and Battleship New Jersey.
• Social Media Strategy and Campaigns End-to-end social media strategy, campaign execution, and content development including hashtag activations, viral campaigns, and social platform management for clients across tourism, nonprofit, gaming, and consumer sectors.
• Traditional Advertising and Campaign Creative Full-service traditional advertising creative including print, outdoor, radio spots (12+ per campaign), transit signage, and non-traditional media placements such as airport baggage claim takeovers for clients like Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and Yards Brewing Company.
• Website Development with Immersive Experiences Custom website development featuring immersive parallax scrolling and image sequencing technologies to create virtual walk-through experiences, demonstrated for clients such as Bru Craft & Wurst and TreePhilly's TreeHarmony matching website.
• Agency of Record Services Comprehensive ongoing agency of record engagements spanning packaging design, social media, traditional advertising, and website development for retained clients across the beverage, hospitality, and consumer sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 trees adopted through TreePhilly campaign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yards Brewing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency of record for Yards Brewing Company providing packaging design, social media, traditional advertising, and website development services. Client relationship involves ongoing creative work across multiple channels.
• U-Bahn PhillycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive creative partnership including interior design, menu design, uniforms, website, and all advertising for the underground rock and roll beer and food venue.
• Generosity DayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono partnership to build the 'Share the Love' app for Generosity Day, helping spread awareness about the kindness-based holiday alternative to commercialized Valentine's Day.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MMGY Global: Integrated marketing agency specializing in travel, tourism, and hospitality — directly overlapping with Masterminds' primary Government/Tourism and Gaming & Hospitality segments. Operates at slightly larger scale but in the same verticals with comparable service offerings.
• Brownstein Group: Philadelphia-headquartered independent advertising and marketing agency of similar scale. Offers branding, advertising, PR, social, and digital services to a comparable mid-market/enterprise client mix — directly comparable to Masterminds on geography, size, and service breadth.
• R&R Partners: Full-service independent agency with significant tourism, gaming, and hospitality portfolio (including Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority work). Strongly comparable in vertical mix and full-service creative model, with similar enterprise client focus.
• LRXD: Independently held, mid-sized full-service advertising agency. Comparable in scale, service mix (branding, digital, social, media), and mid-market positioning to Masterminds.
• The Tombras Group: Independently owned, full-service advertising agency of similar size serving enterprise clients across tourism, hospitality, and consumer verticals. Operates with comparable multi-office, full-service model.
• Allen & Gerritsen: Philadelphia-based, independent full-service advertising agency of comparable size serving mid-market and enterprise clients across branding, digital, social, and media. Operates in the same Northeast regional market with overlapping verticals.
• Tier10: Mid-sized independent full-service advertising agency with similar enterprise/mid-market client profile and full-service creative, digital, and media offerings. Comparable in scale and business model to Masterminds.
• EP+Co (formerly Eric Mower + Associates): Mid-sized independent full-service agency with offices in the eastern US, serving consumer, tourism, and B2B clients with branding, advertising, and digital capabilities. Similar size band and full-service positioning as Masterminds.

Broad incumbents

• 160over90: Philadelphia-headquartered creative agency, part of the Endeavor network. Operates in the same regional market with a similar full-service model but at greater scale and with holding-company backing — represents the scaled-up trajectory of a firm like Masterminds.
• Barkley: Larger independently held full-service agency with similar mid-market/enterprise client focus and full-service creative, media, and digital capabilities. Demonstrates the growth path available to agencies of Masterminds' profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/masterminds
• Facebookfacebook.com/mastermindsadvertising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/339767

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Masterminds