What Underground does

Underground (also operating as Underground Agency) is a privately held, founder-owned creative agency headquartered in San Francisco, founded in 1996 by President and Executive Creative Director Charlie Cardillo. The firm delivers strategy, brand development, graphic design, advertising, animation, video production, and integrated campaign services to nonprofit organizations, private foundations, government agencies, and social enterprises. Its cumulative portfolio spans nearly 100 engagements across education, environment, human rights, arts, healthcare, criminal justice, disability services, and environmental regulation, with marquee work for clients including Earthjustice, James Irvine Foundation, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Unified School District, City College of San Francisco, California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, AbilityPath, StopWaste, and Metastatic Trial Talk. Multilingual campaign capabilities span English, Spanish, and Chinese.

The agency's service model is organized around six integrated sub-services: strategy, graphic design and advertising, digital, naming and taglines, content and storytelling, and animation. Animation is positioned as a distinct practice line with dedicated creative direction. Output is human creative production rather than software-enabled delivery; there is no proprietary technology platform, no API, no SDK, and no data infrastructure described in source material. Marketing channels used in client deliverables span transit and out-of-home, print, broadcast and social video, paid digital, websites, email, and earned local media. Pricing is project-based with custom quotes and is not publicly disclosed.

Distribution is sales-led and direct, with senior leadership engaging foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies primarily across the San Francisco Bay Area and California, with documented delivery capacity to Ohio and Wyoming for a criminal-justice reform campaign. The firm reports an 11-50 employee headcount described as a 'nimble team of artists and strategic thinkers,' with no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue. Senior team credits include Creative & Design Director Rochele Tanabe (California College of the Arts) and Senior Account Supervisor Savannah Kacher (Peter Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University). Underground is a registered DBA in California and operates as a sole entity under founder ownership.

Name

Underground

Legal name

Underground Agency

Website

https://undergroundagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Underground is a San Francisco creative agency founded in 1996 that provides strategy, branding, advertising, animation, and integrated campaign services to nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and social enterprises across California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Campaign Development: Underground generates revenue through project-based creative services including brand development, advertising campaigns, animation, and strategic communications for nonprofit, foundation, and government clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Underground is a San Francisco-based creative agency that delivers strategy, brand development, graphic design, advertising, digital campaigns, animation, and content storytelling for nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and social enterprises. The agency executes integrated campaigns across print, digital, video, social media, and out-of-home channels to advance mission-driven communications.

Product overview

Underground is a creative agency that offers a unified suite of services rather than a modular software product. The agency's offerings center around strategy, graphic design and advertising, digital services, naming and messaging, content creation, and animation. These services are delivered as integrated campaigns and branding solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies committed to positive social change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Agency Services Full-service creative agency offering integrated campaigns spanning strategy, branding, advertising, design, digital, animation, and content storytelling for nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and social enterprises.
• Animation Services Custom animation production bringing stories to life through unique narratives, from strategy and scripting to storyboards, illustration, and sound design, utilizing world-class illustrators for nonprofit and cause-based campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14% water usage reduction (versus 10% goal) for SFPUC Water Saving Heroes campaign
• +5 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Adriana Dakin of ImaginePodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdriana Dakin of ImaginePod collaborated with Underground on the Views & Values Survey component of the Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty campaign. The survey was an innovative addition to the campaign designed to engage viewers and build email lists.
• Graybird FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraybird Foundation, a philanthropic group that teams with nonprofits to make bold marketing moves, partnered with Underground to lead the re-branding of Gatepath (now AbilityPath), a Bay Area organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities for a century.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fenton Communications: Mission-driven PR and creative agency focused on social impact, nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy campaigns. Closely comparable to Underground in vertical specialization and client mix, with broader geographic reach.
• GMMB: Large creative agency serving causes, advocacy, foundations, and public-sector clients. Directly comparable offering set (strategy, advertising, digital, content) for the same mission-driven buyer profile Underground serves.
• Burness: Communications and creative firm purpose-built for nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations. Comparable vertical focus, similar project-based services model, and similar reliance on mission-driven outcomes.
• BerlinRosen: Progressive communications and creative firm serving nonprofits, advocacy groups, and public-sector clients. Comparable in buyer profile (mission-driven organizations) and integrated campaign delivery model.
• Spitfire Strategies: Strategic communications firm focused exclusively on nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations. Closely aligned with Underground's mission-driven positioning and outcomes-oriented approach.
• M+R: Nonprofit marketing and advocacy agency providing digital, creative, and direct-response campaign services to nonprofits and advocacy organizations. Comparable client base and integrated campaign offering.

Broad incumbents

• Mekanism: Full-service creative agency with a meaningful social-impact and purpose-driven portfolio. Comparable creative production capabilities (animation, video, integrated campaigns) for an overlapping buyer base.
• Pentagram: Independent design and branding firm offering identity, brand strategy, and creative services. Overlaps with Underground's branding and design capabilities but serves a much broader commercial client base.
• Doe-Anderson: Full-service advertising and creative agency with integrated campaign capabilities comparable to Underground's. Broader commercial client mix with some mission-driven accounts.

Emerging players

• Pivot Marketing Group: Smaller creative and digital agency serving nonprofits, advocacy, and purpose-driven brands. Comparable offering in scope, with less scale and brand recognition than Underground.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNDagency
• Facebookfacebook.com/undergroundagencysf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/underground-advertising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Underground