What Wheelie does

Wheelie is a private, bootstrapped creative agency and production company founded in 2009 by Lisa Slagle, headquartered in Whitefish, Montana with a secondary presence in Crested Butte, Colorado and a regional office in Denver. The firm specializes in human-centered campaigns, rebrands, video production, photography, and environment design (trail systems, maps, branded signage) for outdoor-minded brands. Its differentiated production capability centers on backcountry and obscure-location shoots executed by crew members trained in avalanche safety, wilderness first aid, and remote-area operations, augmented by a proprietary app-to-desktop process for trail sign design and mapping. Over 17 years the agency reports 800+ brand partnerships spanning cycling, ski, outdoor apparel, performance fabrics, camera technology, cookware, and entertainment, with named clients including Panasonic LUMIX, The North Face, Specialized, Cervelo, Liv Giant, Polartec, GSI Outdoors, Flylow, Rocky Mountain Bikes, 10 Barrel, and HBO.

The business operates on a project-based professional services model with quote-based pricing across three disclosed budget tiers — $10K–$50K, $50K–$100K, and $100K–$1M+ — secured through a sales-led, consultative motion via website inquiry, email, and phone. Go-to-market emphasizes the outdoor industry community: an Instagram and YouTube presence, a long-running podcast (Outside by Design, since 2013), a quarterly newsletter, and community workshops including the 2025 Wilding Women Creatives Retreat run in partnership with Wilding Therapy. The company transitioned to a fully remote, national model in 2021 and sources specialty talent globally while retaining its Whitefish and Crested Butte offices. The core product surface combines in-house creative direction with a curated freelance crew network, allowing the lean core team to flex project-by-project without carrying full-time bench cost.

Name

Wheelie

Legal name

WHEELIE

Website

https://wheeliecreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wheelie is a bootstrapped, founder-led creative agency and production company serving outdoor-minded brands with campaigns, rebrands, video, photography, and environment design, distinguished by backcountry production capabilities and a curated specialty talent network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Whitefish

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

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: Project-based creative services including campaign creation, rebrands, video production, photography, and creative direction. Services are priced based on project scope with budget tiers ranging from $10K to $1M+. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees rather than recurring contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wheelie is a creative agency and production company that creates human-centered campaigns, rebrands, video, photography, and environment design (trail maps and branded signage) for outdoor-minded brands. Projects are scoped, crewed, and produced end-to-end using a bespoke in-house creative process combined with a curated network of specialty talent. Services are sold as one-time project engagements with budget tiers from $10,000 to $1,000,000+.

Product overview

Wheelie is an award-winning creative agency and production company specializing in human-centered campaigns and rebrands for outdoor-minded brands. The company operates as a single unified service offering centered around creative development, direction, and production. Core services include campaign creation (video, photography, social content), rebranding, video production, and environment design (trail systems, maps, signs). These services are delivered through a bespoke 'Wheelie Process' that combines in-house creative direction with a curated network of specialty talent. Secondary offerings include community workshops and a company podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Creation Full-service campaign production for outdoor-minded brands, covering creative development, pre-production (location scouting, talent booking, permitting), production, and post-production including social media kits and distribution strategies; used for product launches, brand anniversaries, and new product lines.
• Rebranding Services Comprehensive rebranding engagements following a dialed 12-week process or custom timeline; includes problem-solving for established brands with existing track records, original story IP, and executive production capabilities.
• Video Production Documentary, commercial, and campaign video production including creative concepting, pre-production (casting, permitting, location scouting, script refining), production with craft services, and post-production (management, color correction, sound design, social cuts), plus distribution support; serves outdoor and active lifestyle brands needing backcountry-capable crews.
• Environment Design Branded trail systems, trail maps, and branded sign design for outdoor recreation brands, using a proprietary app-to-desktop mapping and design process that is one of only a few such capabilities in the country.
• Outside by Design Podcast Business podcast hosted by founder Lisa Slagle about successful people who designed their lives outside the corporate box; available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, started in 2013.
• Wilding Women Creatives Retreat 4-day/3-night retreat in Ouray, CO for creative entrepreneurs, artists, and business owners seeking personal and professional evolution, delivered in partnership with Wilding Therapy; the 2025 edition ran July 17-20, 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client doubled sales after rebrand in one quarter

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wilding TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2025Partnership for the Wilding Women Creatives Retreat taking place July 17-20, 2025 in Ouray, CO. Wilding Therapy provides therapeutic and wellness components for the 4-day creative retreat targeting entrepreneurs, artists, and creative professionals seeking personal and professional evolution.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Anomaly: Major creative agency with consumer brand and lifestyle clients. Offers similar full-service campaign and rebranding capabilities but covers a broader market than Wheelie's outdoor specialization.
• Droga5: Large creative agency with premium brand campaign work. Comparable at the campaign and production capability level for enterprise clients but does not specialize in outdoor brands.
• Mother: Global creative agency with active lifestyle and brand campaign clients. Comparable in delivering campaign-level creative for premium consumer brands but not specialized in the outdoor vertical.
• 72andSunny: Major global creative agency with a deep roster of outdoor and lifestyle brand clients. Comparable in offering full-service creative and production work, but serves a much wider client base beyond outdoor specialization.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Portland-based global creative agency with a long track record of outdoor brand work including Nike. Offers comparable creative capabilities at scale but operates across all consumer verticals rather than specializing in outdoor.

Others

• Smuggler: Commercial production company producing high-end brand and campaign video. Comparable in the production capability layer Wheelie delivers but operates primarily as a commercial production house rather than a full-service creative agency.
• Buck: Design and animation studio with lifestyle and consumer brand clients. Comparable for design-driven production work that overlaps with Wheelie's creative services but does not specialize in outdoor brands.
• The Mill: Major VFX and post-production company. Comparable as adjacent production partner for video work but operates at a different stage of the production value chain rather than as a full-service creative agency.

Direct peers

• Verde Brand Communications: Outdoor industry PR and communications agency based in Durango, CO. Serves similar outdoor and active lifestyle brands with communications-led creative work that overlaps with Wheelie's campaign and rebranding services.
• Backbone Media: Outdoor industry creative and public relations agency based in Colorado. The most directly comparable peer given shared outdoor vertical focus and similar mix of brand communications work for outdoor recreation clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC45GDeIPfJif90AA-pZdslw
• Instagraminstagram.com/wheeliecreative
• Xx.com/wheeliecreative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wheelie-creative-design-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wheelie