If you ever needed evidence that things are really cooking in Atlanta (beyond the amazing food), look no further than the success of Trade School.
The indie agency, born just weeks before a global pandemic erupted and subsequently disruptedI businesses across industries, was uniquely primed for the moment with clients such as The Home Depot and FedEx, which saw tremendous growth during what they refer to as “the stay at home economy.”
Four years later, the agency is still going strong and has added clients including Publix and Southwest to their growing portfolio.
IAN speaks with Trade School’s Co-founder and President, Genna Franconi, and SVP and Head of Growth, Christy Cross, to learn more about the agency’s secret sauce for success and find out why Atlanta’s the best place right now to be an indie agency.
Watch the interview
Agency stats
- Founded: 2020
- Location: Atlanta, GA
What the agency is best-known for
To put it simply, Trade School is best known for their ability to create a vast amount of personalized content at scale, and for having an influencer team, tech stack and workflow that makes its creation a seamless operation for clients.
What the agency’s core strengths are
The team’s core strengths lie in the fact that their strategy, creative, and production teams work in tandem from an idea’s inception through its execution, efficiently simplifying their workflow and ensuring synchronicity from start to finish.
Why the agency loves being indie
Like most indies, Trade School values their ability to iterate and evolve quickly in all aspects of their work and operations, and have the freedom to make decisions for their clients and their teams without being beholden to shareholders.
Why brands should work with this agency
In addition to the fact that they “help marketers solve modern problems,” the team considers their agency “an extension of their client teams,” ultimately forming partnerships that help brands drive growth from within their organizations – a benefit that is lost in the age of project-based, “gig economy” ecosystems.
Why talent should put this agency on their list
The woman-owned and majority led agency not only prides itself on that distinction, they’re also champions of creating a culture with an “entrepreneurial spirit,” where talent is encouraged to bring forward ideas and offerings that will improve the business and incubate and launch them into existence. And as a sister company to 22Squared, the company boasts a pretty stellar track record of strong work (and network), foundational and financial stability and consistent growth since its founding mere weeks before the pandemic. They also have a peer-nominated award program and – according to them – impressive perks and benefits.
Marketer shout out
- Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer, Delta Airlines
- Matt Guffrey, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, UPS
- David Duncan, EVP, Consumer Products Group, Georgia Pacific
- Jon Bridges, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Chick-fil-A Corporate
Learn more
- Find Trade School Here
- Find Careers at Trade School Here
- Trade School on Instagram
- Trade School on LinkedIn
- Genna Franconi on LinkedIn
- Christy Cross on LinkedIn
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