Recess Creative

What Recess Creative does

Recess Creative is a full-service creative and technology agency founded in 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio, by Chris Jungjohann. The firm operates as a unified service offering rather than a productized platform, delivering strategy, brand design, web development, mobile application development, digital marketing, SEO/SEM, social media management, and campaign execution on a project-based or retainer basis to clients primarily in Northeast Ohio with selective national engagements. Its underlying technology stack is conventional and integration-led — full-stack web (Drupal, WordPress, Shopify), cross-platform mobile (Flutter with native iOS/Android method channels), marketing automation (HubSpot), and authentication (Auth0) — supplemented by occasional bespoke engineering such as a vector-based product search engine built for Oatey handling ~10k daily queries and a custom multilingual translation layer for Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

The agency's revenue model is professional services: custom engagements sold via direct outreach and referrals, with no publicly disclosed pricing or retainers. Its client base is highly diversified across verticals, including municipal government (City of Cleveland, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport AOR since 2013, Cleveland Metroparks, Mayor Justin Bibb's office), nonprofits (Legal Aid Society, Prayers from Maria Foundation, Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, Be Present Ohio), B2B (KeyBank KeyNavigator commercial banking platform, Bellisio Foods, Met-L-Chek, Cee-Bee Aviation, INFORCE), consumer brands (Pope's Cocktails, Lark by Hinkley), and sports/entertainment (Arnold Palmer Invitational, Arnold Palmer Estate). The firm holds 5 American Advertising Awards (1 Gold, 4 Silver) from 2020 and is COPPA-compliant.

The business is founder-owned and operated without external institutional capital; Jungjohann bought out other partners in Q4 2019 to take sole ownership. A 2020 pandemic-driven rebrand and shift to remote-first operations was followed by adoption of a hybrid 2-3 days/week in-office model in 2023. The company does not disclose revenue and shows no M&A, funding, or inorganic growth activity.

Name

Recess Creative

Legal name

Recess Creative, LLC

Website

https://recesscreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recess Creative is a Cleveland-based, founder-owned full-service creative and technology agency offering branding, web and mobile app development, digital marketing, and campaign strategy to government, nonprofit, B2B, consumer, and sports clients primarily across Northeast Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative & Digital Agency Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Web design development
• Mobile app development
• Brand strategy identity
• Digital marketing campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative & Digital Agency Services: Full-service agency revenue from strategic consulting, brand design, web development, mobile app development, digital marketing campaigns, and creative services. Projects are custom and tailored to client needs, operating on project-based or retainer contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recess Creative is a full-service creative and technology agency that designs brand platforms, builds mobile apps, develops websites, and drives digital marketing experiences for clients. Services span strategy, marketing, design and creative, development and technology, and implementation and optimization, delivered through custom project-based and retainer engagements. The agency serves government, nonprofit, B2B, sports, and consumer brand clients primarily in Northeast Ohio.

Product overview

Recess Creative is a full-service creative and technology agency (founded 2009) offering strategic creative services and digital solutions. The agency operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform with distinct product modules. Services include brand strategy, campaign development, content and copywriting, design and creative services, email marketing, full-stack software development, mobile app development, web design and development, SEO/SEM/digital advertising, social and influencer marketing, and user experience/UI design. The agency's work spans multiple client verticals including government/public service (Cleveland Ohio.gov, Mayor's Page, Cleveland City Council), nonprofit organizations (Legal Aid, Prayers from Maria, Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, Be Present Ohio, To Be Me), sports marketing (Arnold Palmer, Arnold Palmer Invitational), financial services (KeyBank KeyNavigator), mobile applications (Cleveland Metroparks, LandGlide), e-commerce (Prayers from Maria via Shopify), and general marketing campaigns (Bellisio Foods, MealsGiving, Making Ohio). The portfolio represents completed client projects rather than a standardized product portfolio, with each engagement tailored to specific client needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy & Identity Design Research-driven brand strategy and visual identity design including brand platforms, logos, visual systems, collateral, and rebrands for organizations ranging from consumer brands to municipalities and nonprofits.
• Web Design & Development Full-stack web design and development using Drupal, WordPress, and Shopify CMS, including custom templates, multilingual support, responsive interfaces, and e-commerce functionality, for clients such as the City of Cleveland and KeyBank.
• Mobile App Development Mobile application development using Flutter for cross-platform builds with native iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin) integrations via method channels, including Auth0 authentication, GPS, gamification, and wayfinding features.
• Digital Marketing Campaigns Multi-channel digital marketing campaigns spanning paid search, paid social, display, billboards, and radio, with measurable outcomes such as a 1300% increase in job applications for Bellisio Foods.
• Social Media Management Full-service social media management including content strategy, organic posting, community engagement, and performance analysis for client accounts such as Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
• SEO / SEM Services Search engine optimization and search engine marketing services, including organic SEO strategy and paid SEM campaigns, for clients seeking improved search visibility.
• Email Marketing Email marketing program design and execution, including monthly newsletters built and maintained in HubSpot for client and agency use.
• UX / UI Design User experience and user interface design for web and mobile platforms, including responsive dashboards, role-based interfaces, and information architecture.
• E-commerce Solutions E-commerce design and development on Shopify, including storefront build, product catalog setup, and integration with branded websites for nonprofit and brand clients.
• Content Creation & Copywriting Creative copywriting and content production for brand campaigns, websites, and ongoing editorial programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased job applications by 1300% for Bellisio Foods through multi-channel recruiting campaign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thunder::Tech: Cleveland-based marketing and technology agency offering strategy, design, development, and digital marketing. Closely comparable in services, geography, and mid-market focus to Recess Creative.
• Padilla: Mid-size integrated marketing and communications agency with brand, digital, and content capabilities. Similar in scope and service mix; serves overlapping B2B, consumer, and public-sector verticals.
• Brokaw: Cleveland-based full-service advertising and digital agency serving national and regional brands. Comparable in service scope (creative + digital) and mid-size independent positioning.
• Mower: Mid-size independent advertising, branding, and digital agency with full-service capabilities. Comparable in service breadth and independent ownership model, though larger scale than Recess.
• R&R Partners: Independent full-service creative agency with similar mid-size positioning and government/enterprise client mix. Comparable in service offering though larger in scale.
• 2Fish Marketing: Independent Cleveland creative agency offering branding, web development, and digital marketing for consumer, B2B, and nonprofit clients. Comparable size and Cleveland-centric footprint.
• Marcus Thomas LLC: Cleveland-based full-service creative and digital agency of similar size and client mix. Directly competes with Recess for regional and enterprise accounts across B2B, consumer, and government verticals.
• Fathom (Fathomdelivers): Cleveland-based creative and digital agency offering branding, web, and marketing services. Similar size, location, and full-service agency positioning to Recess.

Broad incumbents

• Razorfish: Large digital and technology agency with full-service creative, web, and mobile development capabilities. Represents the scaled, technology-enabled incumbent that competes for the KeyBank- and Oatey-class platform engagements Recess targets.
• Droga5: Large global creative agency (part of Accenture Song) operating broadly in advertising, brand strategy, and digital. Establishes the upper-bound incumbent competitor Recess may face when bidding for larger enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/recesscreative
• Facebookm.facebook.com/recesscreative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recess-creative
• Instagraminstagram.com/recesscreative

Compliance1 record

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 Recess Creative