Upswing Creative

What Upswing Creative does

Upswing Creative is a privately held, full-service creative agency headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded around 2004-2005. The firm specializes in branding, content creation, graphic design, video production, 2D and 3D animation, brand photography, and digital marketing services targeted at industrial and essential products companies, with secondary work in higher education and insurance. Its service catalog is organized across six pillars (Branding, Digital, Content, Video, Strategy, and Creative) and is anchored by a "message-first" methodology in which every project begins with a guiding message derived from client discovery rather than visual execution.

The agency's client roster is concentrated among Fortune 500 and industry-leading enterprise accounts, including GE Appliances, American Standard, Trane Residential, Pentair, and Church Mutual Insurance, alongside mid-market and institutional clients such as Concordia University St. Paul, Bonfe, and Minnesota Waste Wise Foundation. Differentiating capabilities include CAD-driven 3D animation for technical product visualization and project management of complex multi-state video productions (e.g., a 5-day, 4-state, 770-mile testimonial shoot for American Standard). Notable outcomes include supporting GE Appliances' market re-entry with RealMAX water heaters and contributing to a $3 million fundraising campaign for Concordia St. Paul.

Upswing operates a B2B, sales-led go-to-market with direct client relationships, referrals, and inbound demand generated through an SEO-optimized case study website and Instagram presence. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project or retainer basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm has 1-10 employees and no disclosed outside funding, parent company, or acquisitions, and is led by principals Josh Whitcomb (Creative Director) and Chris Fink (Director of Accounts).

Name

Upswing Creative

Legal name

Upswing Creative

Website

https://upswingcreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upswing Creative is a privately held, full-service creative agency in St. Paul, Minnesota, specializing in branding, video, 3D animation, and digital marketing for industrial, essential products, insurance, and higher education clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creative & Brand Campaign Development (BPAFAAAB), Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Video production
• Brand strategy
• Industrial marketing
• Content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Professional services revenue generated through brand strategy, creative design, video production, digital content, and marketing campaign development for B2B clients. Projects range from single deliverables to comprehensive campaigns with ongoing client relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Upswing Creative is a full-service creative agency that delivers branding, digital marketing, content, and video production services to companies in industrial and essential products and services. Core deliverables span brand strategy and visual identity, brand and lifestyle photography, social and paid digital campaigns, 2D and 3D animation, and full-service video production including commercials, case studies, testimonials, and brand anthems. The agency applies a message-first content strategy informed by client discovery and end-to-end project management to handle complex production logistics.

Product overview

Upswing Creative is a full-service creative agency that offers a comprehensive suite of services organized into six main categories: Branding (strategy, creative, and production), Digital (strategy, creative, and production), Content (strategy, creative content, and production), Video (strategy, creative, and production), Strategy, and Creative. The agency specializes in serving industrial and essential products/services companies. Key service offerings include brand strategy and positioning, logo and visual identity design, digital marketing (SEO/SEM, social media, paid campaigns), video production (commercials, testimonials, brand anthems), 2D and 3D animation, brand photography, and trade show collateral. The agency emphasizes message-first content backed by detail-obsessed project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services End-to-end branding services covering brand strategy and positioning, logo and visual identity design, brand standards and written identity, plus digital and print design with brand photography and video assets for companies seeking brand awareness or full rebrand work.
• Digital Marketing Services Comprehensive digital marketing services including organic social planning, paid campaign development, SEO/SEM strategy, social media assets and ad builders, copywriting, and data analytics and optimization through a network of SEO and SEM specialists.
• Content Services Content services covering traditional media planning with print ads and native content, content calendar development per channel, video and web content creation, podcast production, supplemental collateral, and product and lifestyle photography with access to studios, resources, and talent.
• Video Production Services Full-service video production covering video content strategy and discovery, concept development, scriptwriting, and production of product and service commercials, case studies, testimonials, brand anthems, and 2D/3D animation, with expertise in managing complex multi-state shoots.
• 3D Animation Specialized 3D animation services for product explainers, technical demonstrations, and character animation, built using CAD files and engineering collaboration to produce realistic renders that visualize complex product technology.
• Brand Photography Full lifestyle brand photography services including planning, location scouting, talent coordination, and producing authentic imagery for digital and print marketing campaigns.
• Trade Show Collateral Design and production of product one-pagers and visual brand story collateral for trade show displays, including large-format video wall content for industry events such as AHR Expo.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised $3 million in additional donations for Concordia St. Paul's Elevate the Promise campaign
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Godfrey: B2B marketing agency focused on industrial, technical, and manufacturing clients. Directly comparable to Upswing's message-first, channel-savvy approach to industrial audiences.
• Bader Rutter: Mid-size B2B marketing and advertising agency based in Milwaukee that serves industrial, manufacturing, and agricultural clients — directly comparable to Upswing's industrial-and-essential-products focus and project-based creative services.
• Russell Herder: Minneapolis creative agency with comparable size and B2B/industrial client work. Operates in the same regional market and competes for similar mid-market industrial engagements.
• Skidmore Studio: St. Paul-based creative agency with overlapping brand, video, and content services for enterprise clients. Same metro and similar scale, making it the closest geographic direct peer.
• HAWORTH Marketing: Minneapolis-based B2B marketing agency with a strong industrial and manufacturing client base. Operates in the same geography as Upswing and competes for similar industrial creative briefs.

Broad incumbents

• Stein IAS: Larger B2B marketing agency with deep industrial and technology client portfolios. Broader in scope than Upswing but overlaps on industrial creative, content, and campaign work.
• Padilla: Minneapolis-headquartered B2B communications and marketing agency. Shares Upswing's industrial and B2B orientation but operates at greater scale with integrated PR, content, and creative capabilities.
• Carmichael Lynch: Larger Minneapolis creative agency with broader consumer and B2B clients. Overlaps with Upswing on creative production but operates at significantly greater scale and consumer-brand mix.

Regional players

• Zeus Jones: Minneapolis-based independent creative agency with brand strategy, content, and campaign capabilities. Comparable in size and craft, competing in the same Upper Midwest creative market.
• Preston Kelly: Minneapolis creative agency offering brand strategy, advertising, and digital work. Regional peer operating in the same talent market and competing for similar enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upswingcreative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Upswing Creative