GSS The Marketing Agency

What GSS The Marketing Agency does

GSS The Marketing Agency (legal entity Grand Slam Social LLC) is a full-service marketing agency founded in 2016 and headquartered as a fully remote, female-owned operation in the United States. The firm specializes in the equestrian and horse racing industries, serving race tracks, equestrian venues, industry associations, performance coaches, and adjacent lifestyle brands. Its core service offering is organized around six pillars — Brand Strategy, Branding, Paid Media, Events, Content, and Consulting — and is delivered through project-based engagements, retainer agreements, and consulting work. The agency's defining capability is live, real-time event coverage: it has executed 500+ onsite event takeovers, including 9 Breeders' Cup World Championships, and produces platform-specific content ecosystems with up to 15 posts per day during show weeks.

The agency's go-to-market is consultation-driven and event-driven, leveraging its team's identity as horsewomen with insider industry access. Client acquisition comes through direct consultation bookings via the company website, industry event presence, referrals within the equestrian community, and case-study-driven inbound interest. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is tailored per client; revenue is generated through professional services engagements. Named enterprise clients include Breeders' Cup, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Santa Anita Park, Keeneland, Sam Houston Race Park, 1/ST, Fasig-Tipton, Daily Racing Form, Sonoma Horse Park, West Palms Events, the Women's Horse Racing Association, the Race Track Industry Program, Saratoga Motorcar Auction, Saratoga Automobile Museum, and performance coach John Haime.

Underlying technology is not proprietary — GSS relies on standard agency tools plus social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X), virtual meeting infrastructure (Google Meet) for consultations, and content production workflows. The agency was partially acquired by Experiential Squared in late 2020, rebranded from Grand Slam Social to GSS, The Marketing Agency in 2023, and returned to full female ownership in August 2024 when original founder Shona Rotondo and CEO Kaitlin Christopherson jointly purchased the company back. Leadership currently comprises Kaitlin Christopherson (CEO & Co-Owner), Shona Rotondo (Founder & Co-Owner), Kelly Giordano (Lead Business Strategist), and Tyler Sivero (Paid Advertising Director, joined Jan 2025). The agency also sells an Online Marketing Workshop as a packaged educational offering.

Name

GSS The Marketing Agency

Legal name

Grand Slam Social LLC

Website

https://gsstheagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GSS The Marketing Agency is a remote, female-owned full-service marketing agency specializing in equestrian and horse racing brands, delivering strategy, branding, paid media, content, live event coverage, and consulting to race tracks, equestrian venues, and lifestyle clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Sales Promotion Campaign Design & Management (BPAFAMAC)

Keywords

• Marketing agency services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Paid media management
• Event marketing services
• Equestrian marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Services: Full-service marketing agency offering strategic planning, branding, creative design, video production, paid media campaigns, live sporting event coverage, social media management, content creation, and consulting services. Revenue is generated through project-based work, retainer agreements, and consulting engagements with horse racing and equestrian industry clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GSS The Marketing Agency is a boutique marketing services firm that develops brand strategy, executes paid media campaigns, produces content, manages events, and provides marketing consulting for clients. Its core focus is the equestrian and horse racing industry, where it serves brands, venues, and event organizers with integrated marketing support. It also offers an online marketing workshop and virtual consultation as packaged educational and advisory offerings.

Product overview

GSS, The Marketing Agency is a full-service marketing agency specializing in the equestrian and horse racing industries. Founded in 2016 as Grand Slam Social and rebranded in 2023, the agency offers a unified suite of marketing services centered on social media marketing and strategic campaign execution. The core offering comprises Brand Strategy, Branding, Paid Media, Events, Content creation, and Consulting services. These services work together as an integrated marketing partnership, where GSS acts as an extension of clients' internal teams rather than an outside vendor. The agency also offers a Virtual Meeting & Consultation service for prospect engagement and an Online Marketing Workshop for educational purposes. Notable specializations include live sporting event coverage (having covered 9 Breeders' Cup World Championships), real-time social media storytelling during events, and influencer collaborations across the equestrian lifestyle space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Development of brand positioning, messaging frameworks, and strategic marketing direction tailored to equestrian brands, horse racing venues, and event organizers.
• Branding Creative branding services including visual identity development and brand asset creation for equestrian and horse racing clients.
• Paid Media Planning, buying, and management of paid advertising campaigns across digital channels for equestrian and horse racing brands and events.
• Events Marketing and production support for equestrian and horse racing events, including on-site brand activation and event-driven campaigns.
• Content Content creation and distribution for equestrian and horse racing clients, supporting brand storytelling across channels.
• Consulting Marketing consulting engagements providing strategic guidance and advisory support to equestrian organizations, brands, and event organizers.
• Online Marketing Workshop Structured online workshop delivering marketing education and training to equestrian and horse racing clients.
• Virtual Consultation One-on-one virtual advisory sessions providing marketing consultation to equestrian and horse racing clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 129% increase in video views year-over-year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• John HaimecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 January 2025GSS partnered with John Haime, a globally recognized performance coach and author of 'Ride Big – The Ultimate Guide to Building Equestrian Confidence', to amplify his transformative coaching services and expand his reach within the equestrian community. GSS enhances John's visibility, builds strategic collaborations, creates impactful content, and spearheads outreach to connect him with organizations, brands, and media outlets. The partnership represents GSS's expansion into the broader equestrian industry beyond horse racing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MKG: Experiential and event-marketing agency with social/content capabilities. Directly comparable to GSS in event coverage and live activation services, particularly for sport and lifestyle clients, at similar boutique-to-mid scale.
• Critical Mass: Digital experience and marketing agency known for integrated digital strategy, content, and paid media. Comparable to GSS in integrated digital and social services with event-adjacent clients, at similar mid-market positioning.

Broad incumbents

• VaynerMedia: Social-media-first creative agency with strong sports and lifestyle credentials. Comparable to GSS in social-media-led service delivery and content production, but with a much broader client base and category focus.
• Edelman: Global PR and communications firm with a dedicated sports marketing practice. Comparable to GSS in reputation and brand-building work for major sports properties (tracks, federations, events), though much broader and enterprise-scale.
• Octagon: Global sports marketing and athlete representation agency with a major equestrian/horse racing client roster (e.g., Breeders' Cup). Comparable to GSS as a sports-marketing services provider, but at vastly greater scale, broader portfolio, and with non-equestrian verticals diluting focus.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with deep sports and entertainment experience (e.g., Budweiser, Coca-Cola sports work). Comparable to GSS in brand strategy and creative execution, though broader in vertical and larger in scale.
• Wasserman: Large sports, entertainment, and lifestyle marketing agency offering strategy, content, and event services. Comparable in service mix and sport-lifestyle client base to GSS, but operates at enterprise scale across multiple verticals.

Emerging players

• Mekanism: Independent creative agency with a 'brand as friend' content-driven approach and notable sports/lifestyle work. Comparable to GSS in content-led, culturally attuned storytelling for sport/lifestyle clients, though broader in category scope.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GSSTheAgency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gss-themarketingagency
• Instagraminstagram.com/gsstheagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 GSS The Marketing Agency