What H&L Partners does

H&L Partners is a full-service, independently held advertising and media agency founded in 1985 in Oakland, California, operating under the legal entity Hoffman/Lewis d/b/a H&L Partners. The agency employs approximately 180 people across six offices (Oakland, Atlanta, Coral Gables, Scottsdale, Kansas City, St. Louis) and serves clients in 22 U.S. states. Its core offering spans seven integrated service modules: Creative, Production and Design; Media Planning and Activation; Data and Innovation; Web and App Development; Analytics and Data Engineering; Strategy, Insights, and Multicultural Marketing; and Public Relations. Wolfhouse Productions operates as a wholly owned in-house studio providing end-to-end digital and broadcast content production.

The agency's proprietary technology infrastructure includes a Sales Match Back system that maps digital activity to actual vehicle purchases, an in-house full-stack media technology suite for planning, buying, and analytics, and AI-enhanced creative tools. H&L generated measurable client outcomes including an 87% decrease in cost per sale for Toyota's first-party audiences, a 2024 Effie Silver Award for data-driven marketing, and $500MM in tourism spending growth for Explore St. Louis. The agency specializes in localizing Fortune 100 brands at the micro-audience level, with multicultural marketing capabilities maintained since 2004 across seven languages.

H&L generates revenue through professional services (creative, strategy, digital, PR) and advertising commissions/management fees from media planning and buying. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting franchise retail brands, dealer associations, and corporate marketing teams, with anchor client relationships spanning decades (Toyota 35+ years, McDonald's 25+ years). The agency operates with no parent company, no institutional ownership, and no public funding rounds, maintaining founder/management ownership under President and CEO Trey Curtola.

Name

H&L Partners

Legal name

Hoffman/Lewis d/b/a H&L Partners

Website

https://hl.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

H&L Partners is a full-service, independently held advertising and media agency founded in 1985, specializing in localizing Fortune 100 brands at the micro-audience level across 22 U.S. states. It serves enterprise clients including Toyota, McDonald's, AAA, and Grocery Outlet via integrated creative, media, data, and PR capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative and Strategy Services: Full-service creative development including campaign development, social media content, branding, broadcast, 3D animation and motion graphics. Revenue generated through project fees, retainers, and production costs.
2. Media Planning and Buying: H/L serves as media agency of record for clients like Grocery Outlet, handling all media planning and buying. Revenue derived from media commissions, management fees, and percentage of media spend.
3. Digital Services: Web and app development, custom website applications using Laravel framework, digital advertising, email campaigns with CRM integration, SEO/SEM services.
4. PR and Communications: Public relations services including media relations, crisis management, community relations, and influencer marketing campaigns.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

H&L Partners is a full-service independent advertising agency that provides creative development, media planning and buying, digital marketing, public relations, analytics, and multicultural marketing services for enterprise clients. The agency specializes in localizing Fortune 100 brands at the micro-audience level, combining in-house production capabilities (Wolfhouse Productions) with proprietary data and AI-enhanced tools to deliver integrated campaigns across media, markets, and platforms.

Product overview

H&L Partners is a full-service independent advertising and media agency organized around seven integrated service modules plus proprietary production and community programs. The core agency operates through Creative, Production, and Design (featuring in-house production house Wolfhouse Productions), Media Planning and Activation, Data and Innovation (AI-enhanced creative and analytics), Web and App Development, Analytics and Data Engineering, Strategy/Insights/Multicultural Marketing, and Public Relations. Supporting proprietary offerings include Fast Content for rapid social content creation, Multicultural Production in seven languages, and special programs like Community Catalyst, the Josh Nichol Scholarship, Project Paella, Holiday Help, and the Kinetic Academy internship program. The agency specializes in localizing Fortune 100 brands at the micro-audience level, with deep multicultural marketing expertise and in-house media technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wolfhouse Productions: In-house digital and broadcast production team providing complete access to every step of content creation process—from concept to final delivery.
• Community Catalyst
• Kinetic Academy
• Insights 360

Products and services

• Creative, Production, and Design Full-service creative development for every media channel including campaign development, social media content, branding, broadcast, and 3D animation and motion graphics. Delivers creatively impactful work meeting global brand standards for enterprise clients.
• Media Planning and Activation End-to-end media services including planning, audience building, ad operations, media buying, data automation, storage, cross-channel campaign analytics, media mix modeling, and optimization with full-stack in-house capabilities.
• Data and Innovation AI-enhanced creative, data-driven dynamic creative solutions, AI-based consumer and market insights, and internal AI tools integrated into agency workflows. Central hub connecting engineers, strategists, creatives, media teams, and analysts.
• Web and App Development Full suite of digital services including custom website applications using Laravel framework, digital advertising (rich media, video, HTML5), email campaigns and CRM integration, SEO/SEM, and WordPress websites with custom themes.
• Analytics and Data Engineering Real-time data analytics and bespoke dashboards crafted around client needs. Processes, visualizes, and analyzes data enabling sound decision-making with intuitive, interactive dashboards and seamless client access to actionable insights.
• Strategy, Insights, and Multicultural Marketing Insight-based strategic planning including creative and cultural strategy, brand positioning, consumer and competitive insights, quantitative/qualitative research, consumer journey mapping, content strategy, and dedicated multicultural audience marketing since 2004.
• Public Relations Community relations, media relations, social media engagement, crisis management communications, media training, influencer relations, experiential marketing, and special projects including media asset production.
• Wolfhouse Productions In-house digital and broadcast production team providing complete access to every step of content creation process from concept to final delivery. Produces hundreds of highly targeted, time-sensitive productions including broadcast TV, LED signage, social videos, and special effects.
• Fast Content On-demand social content creation service moving at the speed of culture. Produces adaptable content shells for trend adaptation and platform-specific content (TikTok, Snap, Instagram) that can be plugged-and-played for different offers and audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% decrease in cost per sale among first-party audiences while maintaining #1 market share
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability11 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Learner's GroupsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerH/L partnered with industry leader The Learner's Group to explore what DEI means for their agency. Together they identified impactful ways to enrich Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts with a focus on belonging. The partnership helped establish the Human Equity Advisory Council.

Scale indicators22 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RPA: Independent, full-service advertising agency headquartered in Los Angeles with strong automotive and consumer brand heritage (historically Honda). Comparable to H/L in independent positioning, full-service scope, West Coast presence, and concentration in auto and consumer verticals.
• Duncan Channon: Independent, full-service creative and media agency based in San Francisco with a similar mid-size footprint and B2B/consumer brand mix. Closely comparable to H/L on independent positioning, California roots, full-service offering (creative, media, digital), and similar client tenure patterns.
• The Martin Agency: Independent creative and media agency headquartered in Richmond, VA, with a long track record serving enterprise brands including GE, UPS, and Coca-Cola. Comparable to H/L as a privately held independent full-service agency with multi-office US footprint and integrated creative/media capabilities.
• Allen & Gerritsen: Independent, full-service advertising and media agency with offices in Philadelphia, Boston, and Charlotte. Comparable to H/L as a privately held mid-size independent offering integrated creative, media, and digital services to mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Campbell Ewald: Independent advertising agency headquartered in Detroit with long-standing automotive client base (historically Chevrolet) and full-service creative/media offering. Comparable to H/L on independent ownership, auto vertical depth, and integrated media-planning capabilities.
• GSD&M: Independent, full-service advertising agency based in Austin, TX with a long history serving legacy brands (historically Southwest Airlines, Walmart). Comparable to H/L on independent ownership, full-service offering, multi-decade client relationships, and mid-size agency scale.
• Mekanism: Independent creative agency based in San Francisco known for integrated content production and cultural marketing work. Comparable to H/L on independent ownership, California roots, integrated creative + production capabilities, and emphasis on culturally resonant storytelling.
• 72andSunny: Independent creative agency headquartered in Los Angeles with global expansion (Amsterdam, APAC). Comparable to H/L as an independent full-service agency with strong cultural-marketing orientation and consumer brand portfolio, though larger and more internationally distributed.
• Doner: Independent, full-service advertising and media agency headquartered in Detroit with deep automotive client heritage. Highly comparable to H/L on independent positioning, auto-dealer franchise specialization, full-service scope, and concentration in automotive and consumer verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Mother: Independent creative agency network with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Shanghai. Comparable to H/L on independent positioning and creative-first orientation, though materially larger and international in scope — useful as a benchmark for an independent agency that has scaled globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HandLPartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/handlpartners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 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 H&L Partners