Run Spot Run Media

What Run Spot Run Media does

Run Spot Run Media, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led media buying and creative services agency headquartered in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The agency operates two integrated service lines: a media buying practice covering traditional channels (TV, radio, print, out-of-home) and digital channels (online video, in-banner digital, social), and a creative services practice producing advertising assets across traditional and digital formats. Its technology stack is built on industry-standard media research and buying tools, including direct subscriptions to Nielsen/Arbitron ratings (used for independent audience measurement rather than station-reported data), the Smart Plus buying program for TV and radio, and supplementary research platforms such as Scarborough, Tap Scan, and Media Audit. The team is compact (1-10 employees) and led by President Katie Walther, with over 25 years of media experience, supported by Creative Services Associate David Poulshock (founder of Red Door Films, 70+ creative awards) and Doug Zanger (Copywriting and Social Media, Americas Editor for The Drum).

The agency generates revenue primarily through the industry-standard 15% commission on media purchases, with no markup on media, no overhead pass-through, and no charges for meetings or phone calls. A secondary revenue stream comes from creative production and digital marketing services. Client engagement is relationship-driven and uses simple letters of agreement rather than binding contracts, supported by an open-book invoice policy. The client base spans at least ten verticals including events and entertainment, government and state organizations, media and broadcasting, telecommunications, financial services, retail, hospitality and gaming, automotive, healthcare, and nonprofits, with named clients such as Oregon State Fair, Spirit Mountain Casino, Quinault Beach Resort Casino, Findlay Auto Group, Samaritan Health Services, KOIN-TV, Entercom Radio, Goodwill Industries, Columbia Credit Union, and Two Men and a Truck. While the agency is based in the Pacific Northwest, it claims to have executed media buys in just about every U.S. market. The company is bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or parent company, and average client retention is 5+ years versus an industry benchmark of 4-5 years.

Name

Run Spot Run Media

Legal name

Run Spot Run Media, Inc.

Website

https://runspotrunmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Run Spot Run Media is a privately held, founder-led media buying and creative services agency in Portland, Oregon, serving enterprise and SMB clients across at least ten verticals nationwide. It operates a 15% commission model with full transparency, no markup, and no contracts, leveraging direct Nielsen/Arbitron ratings access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFABAA

Broadcast Media Buying (TV & Radio)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying

SECONDARYBPAFABAB

Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying

SECONDARYBPAFABAE

Out-of-Home (OOH) Media Buying (Billboards, Transit, DOOH)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying

SECONDARYBPAFABAF

Print Media Buying (Newspapers & Magazines)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying

Keywords

• Media buying services
• Advertising agency
• Creative services
• Digital marketing
• Media planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Media Buying Commission: The agency operates on the industry-standard 15% agency commission model for media buys. They do not mark up media and resell it to clients, nor do they pass overhead costs to clients. There is no charge for meetings or phone calls.
2. Creative Services: Provides traditional media creative services (radio, TV, print, out of home) and digital marketing services (strategy, video, content, social media management) as complementary offerings to their media buying services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Run Spot Run Media is a traditional and digital media buying agency that plans, negotiates, places and measures advertising across TV, radio, print, out-of-home and digital channels (online video, in-banner, social). It complements media buying with creative services, producing traditional advertising assets (radio, TV, print, OOH, copywriting) and digital marketing deliverables (video, content, social media management, SEO, analytics) for clients across the Pacific Northwest and nationally.

Product overview

Run Spot Run Media is a traditional and digital media buying agency offering creative advertising services. Its portfolio consists of two integrated service lines: (1) Media Buying services spanning both traditional channels (TV, Radio, Print, Out of Home) and digital channels (online video, digital ads), complemented by Media Research & Planning, Strategy, Placement, Tracking & Measurement; and (2) Creative Services encompassing both traditional creative production (radio, TV, print, out of home, copywriting) and digital marketing services (video, content, social media marketing and management, analytics). The two offerings are designed to be paired together — strategic media buys are complemented by professionally produced creative assets — forming a unified advertising solution for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Media Buying End-to-end traditional media buying service covering Media Research & Planning, Media Strategy, Media Placement, and Media Tracking & Measurement across TV, Radio, Print and Out of Home channels for clients in the Pacific Northwest and nationally.
• Digital Media Buying Digital media buying service spanning online video pre-roll, in-banner video advertising, and digital marketing strategy integration across digital channels, intended to complement traditional media buys with measurable digital reach.
• Traditional Creative Services Creative production for traditional media including radio advertising (terrestrial and digital), television advertising (network and cable), print (newspaper and magazines), out-of-home (billboards, transit), and copywriting, designed to be paired with the agency's media buying service.
• Digital Marketing Services Digital and social media services including digital marketing strategy, video marketing, content development, social media marketing, social media management, and analytics & reporting for clients needing digital support alongside traditional media campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oregon State Fair achieved double-digit attendance growth for three consecutive years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• GroupM: World's largest media investment group under WPP, encompassing agencies like Mindshare, Wavemaker, and Essence. Represents the holding-company incumbents RSRM competes against on RFPs and procurement-led reviews, illustrating the scale gap.

Direct peers

• Goodway Group: Independent, boutique media buying agency offering media planning and buying across traditional and digital channels. Closely comparable to RSRM as a smaller, independent shop competing on transparency and client service rather than holding-company scale.
• Horizon Media: Large independent media agency offering media planning, buying, and analytics across all channels. Comparable on independence and full-channel media buying, though meaningfully larger than RSRM.
• PMG: Independent media agency combining media planning, buying, and creative with proprietary technology. Comparable on the integrated media + creative model and independent positioning, with a stronger proprietary tech stack.
• Mediasmith: Independent media agency specializing in media planning and buying for brands and agencies, with strength in traditional and digital channels. Direct comparable on size, independence, and full-service media buying model.
• RPA: Independent, full-service advertising agency with strong media buying and creative capabilities. Comparable on integrated media + creative offering and independence from holding companies.
• Empower Media: Independent media agency providing media planning, buying, and analytics across broadcast, digital, and OOH channels. Comparable to RSRM as a privately-held, mid-sized agency competing on independence and integrated service.
• The Richards Group: Independent, full-service advertising agency known for integrated media planning, buying, and creative work. Comparable on private ownership, integrated offering, and mid-sized independent positioning.

Regional players

• Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic Portland-based independent creative agency with media planning and buying capabilities. Comparable on geography (Portland/Pacific Northwest) and on independent, founder-influenced culture, though significantly larger and more creatively focused.

Emerging players

• Tinuiti: Independent digital marketing agency specializing in paid media across search, social, programmatic, and CTV. Comparable to RSRM's digital buying capability while serving as a benchmark for where digital-forward independent agencies are scaling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/runspotrun
• Facebookfacebook.com/runspotrunmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/run-spot-run-media

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 Run Spot Run Media