What McGarrah Jessee does

McGarrah Jessee (McJ) is an independent, full-service creative agency headquartered at 121 W. 6th Street in Austin, Texas. Founded by Mark McGarrah and Bryan Jessee in 2003 (per the company's history timeline; firmographics list 1996, but all internal milestones — including the design department — date to 2003), the agency is led by CEO Britton Upham and operates with a headcount in the 51–100 range. It services enterprise and mid-market consumer brands through a direct sales motion, with named business-development contacts Klaire and Kevyn receiving inbound via [email protected] or [email protected].

The agency's core capabilities span strategy, media and data analytics, design, film production, digital and social campaigns, outdoor/print advertising, and experiential and retail activations. It maintains a sister social agency called Look Squirrel for conversation-driven social content and an internal DEIB/Journey to Belonging consulting line ([email protected]). Documented client work spans food and beverage (Whataburger, Shiner Beer, Deep Eddy Vodka, Stubb's, Central Market), outdoor lifestyle (YETI, Costa Sunglasses, Ariat), transportation (Lyft), grocery (Instacart), musical instruments (Fender), retail/gaming (GameStop), banking (Frost Bank), and education/media (MasterClass).

The revenue model is professional-services based — quote-per-project or retainer arrangements with enterprise consumer brands. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The agency's technology stack is described as creative services rather than software; it maintains a professional digital presence through Instagram, LinkedIn, its website portfolio at mcj.co, and direct email outreach. There are no disclosed funding rounds, investors, M&A activity, patents, regulatory actions, or parent company affiliations — the agency operates as a standalone independent.

Name

McGarrah Jessee

Legal name

McGarrah Jessee

Website

https://mcj.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

McGarrah Jessee is an independent, full-service creative agency headquartered in Austin, Texas, founded in 2003 by Mark McGarrah and Bryan Jessee, serving enterprise and mid-market consumer brands with brand strategy, film, design, experiential, digital and social campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Full-service creative services including brand strategy, campaign development, design, film production, experiential activations, and digital/social marketing for enterprise and mid-market clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McGarrah Jessee (McJ) is an independent, full-service creative agency providing brand strategy, campaign development, design, film production, experiential/retail activations, digital and social marketing, and outdoor/print advertising for enterprise consumer brands. The agency is powered by strategy, media, and data and works with clients across food and beverage, outdoor lifestyle, transportation, banking, and retail sectors.

Product overview

McGarrah Jessee (McJ) is an independent full-service creative agency based in Austin, USA, powered by strategy, media, and data. The agency's core offerings include Film Production, Digital + Social Campaigns, Experiential + Retail Activations, Design Services, Outdoor + Print Advertising, and Campaign Strategy and Brand Development. McJ has developed notable campaigns including the WhataWings launch for Whataburger, the YETI brand transformation from niche product to lifestyle brand, and the Fender American Vintage II guitar launch. The agency also operates a sister social agency called Look Squirrel and maintains an internal DEIB consulting initiative. Their work spans food and beverage, outdoor lifestyle, transportation, banking, and retail sectors, with a stated mission of fueling irrational fanaticism for irrational growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Production

Quantifiable outcome

• YETI brand grew from $25M to $800M in sales over five years under McJ's brand strategy and 'Never Settle' campaign
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• LookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister social agency focused on social media strategy and content creation. McJ refers social-focused work to Look.
• SquirrelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial agency partner that has done work for Whataburger and Deep Eddy Vodka. Affiliated creative partner for social content.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 72andSunny: Independent, full-service creative agency of similar scale with a comparable blue-chip consumer-brand roster (Google, Samsung, Adidas, Activision). Closest structural analog to McJ in terms of independent positioning and integrated capabilities.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic independent creative agency (Nike, Coca-Cola, Levi\'s) with integrated strategy, design, and film capabilities. Comparable in independent ownership model, integrated offering, and category-defining campaign work.
• Mother: Independent creative agency known for emotionally resonant brand work for major consumer clients. Operates with a similar boutique-but-global structure and independent ownership model.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency that famously broke from the traditional agency model by embedding strategy, creative, and media. Closely comparable to McJ in non-traditional, brand-building approach with enterprise clients.
• GUT: Fast-growing independent creative agency with a similar full-service offering and consumer-brand client base (Google, Popeyes, Intuit). Comparable trajectory of independent-led growth and award-winning work.
• The Martin Agency: Richmond-based independent creative agency with a long heritage of consumer-brand work (Geico, Oreo, Walmart). Comparable independent structure and integrated creative + media + production offering.
• Preacher: Austin-based independent creative agency, making it a particularly close geographic and structural peer to McJ. Similar boutique full-service model with consumer-brand clients.
• Fallon: Independent creative agency (Cadillac, Hulu, United) known for breakthrough brand work. Comparable in independent ownership and integrated creative capabilities, though operating at larger scale.
• Cutwater: San Francisco-based independent creative and content agency with a similar integrated offering and consumer-brand roster (Royal Caribbean, UFC, Lyft). Comparable independent positioning and brand-transformation focus.
• Joan Creative: Independent creative agency founded by former Droga5 leadership, working with enterprise consumer brands. Comparable independent structure and brand-led creative positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/41027
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcgarrahjessee
• Xx.com/mcgarrahjessee
• Facebookfacebook.com/mcgarrahjessee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 McGarrah Jessee