What Freeman+Leonard does

Freeman+Leonard is a U.S.-based, woman-owned marketing and advertising talent solutions firm headquartered in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 2008 by Valerie Freeman and Kathy Leonard, the company specializes in placing marketing, advertising, and creative professionals across experience levels — from executive marketing leadership (CMOs, Marketing Directors, Creative Directors) to mid-level practitioners and entry-level talent. The firm serves companies, brands, and advertising/marketing agencies across the United States, with deep operational roots in the Dallas-Fort Worth market while positioning itself as a national recruiter.

The firm's service portfolio is organized into core offerings — Executive Search, Direct Hire, Contract Talent, On-Demand Resources, Consulting Solutions, and AI Training — and differentiated sub-brands including Game Changers (executive marketing consultants drawn from major consumer brands), Imagine Nation™ (creative ideation services), and Recurring CMO (fractional CMO engagements). The company publishes an annual Marketing & Advertising Trends and Salary Guide as both a market-intelligence product and a lead-generation asset. The technology footprint is minimal: Freeman+Leonard is fundamentally a relationship-driven staffing firm with no proprietary software platform; its primary digital assets are a content blog, a LinkedIn presence, and a job portal at jobs.freemanleonard.com.

Revenue is generated through contingency-based direct hire placement fees, contract staffing billings (mark-up on contractor pay), on-demand and fractional resource engagements, and professional-services fees for consulting and AI training. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates on a quote-based, consultative sales motion led by talent advisors and recruiters. The company is bootstrapped with no institutional funding rounds disclosed and is founder-led; co-founder Valerie Freeman previously built Imprimis Group, one of the largest independently owned staffing companies in Texas, serving over 1,000 customers per year. Distribution is direct-to-client and direct-to-candidate with no third-party channels, marketplaces, or resellers identified.

Name

Freeman+Leonard

Legal name

Freeman+Leonard

Website

https://freemanleonard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freeman+Leonard is a woman-owned, Dallas-based marketing and advertising staffing firm founded in 2008. It places marketing, creative, and advertising professionals via direct hire, contract, executive search, and fractional CMO engagements for U.S. companies and agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Advertising Staffing Services

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & B2B PR (BPAFADAI), B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA), B2B / Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Marketing staffing services
• Advertising talent placement
• Executive search marketing
• Contract creative staffing
• Fractional CMO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Hire Placements: Contingency-based placement fees for permanent hiring of marketing, advertising, and creative professionals. The company earns a fee upon successful placement of a candidate in a full-time role.
2. Contract Staffing: Providing temporary or contract workers to companies and agencies, with Freeman+Leonard managing payroll and often placing contractors for variable-duration engagements.
3. On-Demand Resources: Flexible, scalable talent solutions for project-based or fluctuating needs, including fractional CMO services and consulting engagements.
4. AI Training Services: AI consulting and training services offered to organizations looking to integrate AI into their marketing and advertising operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freeman+Leonard is a B2B staffing and talent solutions firm that places marketing, advertising, and creative professionals into companies and agencies. Its core offerings include executive search, direct hire, contract staffing, on-demand resources, consulting solutions, and AI training, delivered alongside branded services such as Game Changers (executive consultants), Imagine Nation (creative ideation), and Recurring CMO (fractional CMO engagements).

Product overview

Freeman+Leonard is a marketing and advertising staffing solutions company offering a portfolio of talent placement services. The core offerings include Executive Search (senior-level permanent placements), Direct Hire (full-time recruitment), Contract Talent (temporary staffing), On-Demand Resources (flexible talent access), Consulting Solutions (strategic advisory), and AI Training (AI consulting). The company also operates branded service lines including Game Changers (executive consultants from major brands), Imagine Nation™ (creative ideation services), and Recurring CMO (fractional CMO engagement). They publish an annual Salary Guide as market intelligence. These services are delivered through a flexible, scalable model that combines freelance, contract, and permanent placement options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Senior-level talent placement service for finding executive marketing and advertising leaders for permanent positions, including CMOs, Marketing Directors, Account Directors, and Creative Directors.
• Direct Hire Permanent placement recruitment for marketing, advertising, and creative roles at mid- and junior-level experience.
• Contract Talent Temporary staffing solutions for marketing and creative professionals to fill short-term or variable-duration needs.
• On-Demand Resources Flexible access to marketing and creative talent on an as-needed basis, including assembled freelance teams for specific projects.
• Consulting Solutions Strategic marketing consulting engagements and expert advisory services addressing complex marketing and talent challenges.
• AI Training AI consulting and training services to help organizations understand and implement AI solutions in their marketing and advertising operations.
• Game Changers Executive-level marketing consultants, including former CMOs from major brands such as P&G, PepsiCo, Disney, and Microsoft, engaged on consulting and advisory projects.
• Imagine Nation™ Creative ideation group providing brand positioning, advertising campaign concepts, and promotional ideas from award-winning creative thinkers.
• Recurring CMO Fractional CMO engagement model providing ongoing marketing leadership through annual planning and monthly or quarterly meetings with senior marketing executives.
• 2026 Marketing & Advertising Trends and Salary Guide Annual market intelligence report featuring salary ranges and trends for marketing, advertising, and creative roles based on Freeman+Leonard client orders, used as a lead generation asset.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dallas market offers starting salaries 12% above national average - reflecting the competitive nature of the market Freeman+Leonard operates in
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aquent: Aquent is a global marketing, creative, and digital talent staffing firm offering contract, permanent, and managed services. Directly comparable to Freeman+Leonard's marketing/creative talent placement model, with deeper geographic scale and additional employer-of-record (Talent Finder) infrastructure.
• The Creative Group: The Creative Group is a Robert Half company specializing in placing creative, marketing, and interactive professionals. Closely comparable in niche focus (marketing/creative talent), with the backing of a larger staffing parent giving it more scale and brand recognition.
• 24 Seven: 24 Seven is a specialty staffing and talent consulting firm focused on creative, marketing, and digital professionals. Highly comparable to Freeman+Leonard's contract and direct-hire placement model, with additional talent consulting offerings.
• Mondo: Mondo is a staffing agency specializing in digital, creative, marketing, and technology talent. Directly comparable to Freeman+Leonard's specialized recruitment model, with a stronger emphasis on digital and technology roles.
• Paladin: Paladin is a staffing firm specializing in marketing, creative, and communications professionals for both contract and direct-hire engagements. Closely aligned with Freeman+Leonard's service portfolio and target client base of brands and agencies.
• Creative Circle: Creative Circle is a staffing agency focused on placing creative, marketing, digital, and communications professionals on contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire bases. Highly comparable to Freeman+Leonard's specialized placement services, now part of the Aquent family.
• Vitamin T: Vitamin T is an Aquent company specializing in creative, marketing, and digital talent placement. Directly comparable to Freeman+Leonard's niche specialization, with a focus on mid-level creative talent.
• Onward Search: Onward Search is a staffing firm placing creative, digital, marketing, and communications professionals nationwide. Comparable to Freeman+Leonard's direct-hire and contract model, with additional capabilities in paid search/social and content strategy consulting.
• Imprimis Group: Imprimis Group is a Texas-based staffing firm previously led by Freeman+Leonard co-founder Valerie Freeman. Directly comparable business model (general professional staffing) with overlapping Texas geography and shared founder DNA; however, F+L's specialization in marketing/creative talent differentiates it.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Robert Half is one of the largest global staffing firms with dedicated marketing and creative practices (including The Creative Group). A broad incumbent whose marketing/creative segment overlaps with Freeman+Leonard's niche, but operates at materially greater scale across multiple professional disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freeman-leonard
• Xx.com/freemanleonard
• Facebookfacebook.com/freemanleonardtalent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Freeman+Leonard