Member Since 2021
The Engine is Red
California
Chris Denny is the Founder and President of The Engine Is Red, an award-winning advertising agency with a unique operating model that goes against the grain of the traditional way agencies serve brands. Celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary in 2019, the agency has grown rapidly, recently opening an office in Minneapolis, helping brands like Tesla, Medtronic, Kendall-Jackson and Rombauer Vineyards. The Engine is Red is a team of outsiders, technologists and creatives, pursuing a better way to collaborate with clients. Better for the work, better for the client, better for the team. They seek out relationships with clients that is built on earned trust that’s strong enough to push beyond the expected to create meaningful, memorable work. Chris is driven by the creative process, constantly working to better understand and improve it. He has found that the best work comes when you bring talented people together with radical candor and transparency. Since Chris founded The Engine is Red, he has been listed on Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and has been featured in various media outlets, including Business Insider, Adweek, AdAge, Digiday, Entrepreneur, CNN, and USA Today. Chris grew up in South Florida where he attended a small private arts school before transferring to the University of Iowa to study entrepreneurship and design. After moving to California in 2005, Chris was hired as a designer in the marketing department for a SF startup. A few years later, he launched Santa Rosa-based agency The Engine Is Red with no advertising agency experience.
To achieve lasting success, company owners and leaders must learn how to establish long-term relationships with customers.
New entrepreneurs often approach their hoped-for mentors first, but successful industry leaders can and should proactively reach out to help the next generation of professionals, leaders, and business owners.
A culture of adaptability has helped many organizations not only survive but thrive through the challenges of the past year and will set them up for future success.
The Engine is more than an integrated creative agency. We’re more than the sum of our parts. We’re a tribe of creators and strategists, builders and collaborators, learners and students. Over the past eight years, we have built a reputation of collaborating with our clients to push the boundaries and create inspiring work. We believe the best work comes from an empowered and independent team, free to drive their projects in their own way. We push ourselves to refine processes that bring transparent predictability but resist the urge to control or confine. We trust each other - knowing each of us is talented, honest, and dedicated. We believe life outside of the studio is a deep source of inspiration, rest, and drive. We’ve streamlined the typical agency processes. No time sheets. No change orders. Rather, a simple and transparent flow based loosely on the principles of Agile development. We seek exceptional clients and talent that believe in joining a passionate, egoless team that is building something bigger than themselves. We insist on having fun and aspire to create ground-breaking work together.
Marketing & advertising