We’re Not Dreamers, We’re Innovators.

We work hard to bring your dreams to life.

OUR STORY

AKC Marketing was born out of necessity.

Big companies have big infrastructures and red tape. That size can hinder the speed and agility required to take a business to the next level. AKC was built with speed and agility in mind. Nimble, quick-thinking teams act as an extension of the client, so success can happen at incredible speeds.

 

At AKC, every client is treated like the only client.

We hand pick our partners — and to us, they truly are partners — to ensure a good fit and the success of both agency and client. Together, we create effective, proven and stunning marketing campaigns designed to captivate, inform and convert. We exceed expectations so business can boom.

In Memory of Our Founder Scott Clem

Scott Clem, a veteran executive in the advertising industry, served as Chief Executive Officer of AKC Marketing since the company’s development in April 2007.

Scott’s enjoyment of the marketing process and passion for the industry directly led to AKC Marketing’s founding. He was inspired to build a business based on the effectiveness and efficiency traditional advertising agency models created, while embracing the latest technologies and services that would benefit associates and clients.

Employee-Photos_Casual_400x400_0020_Clem_Scott

HubSpot Certified
Certified HubSpot and inbound marketing experts, AKC is full of award-winning marketers and all-around amazing people who want to help businesses succeed.
Integration-Speed-Icon
We make our clients’ lives easier by seamlessly integrating our organizations to produce better results.
Our office is full of subject-matter experts dedicated to client success. And our turnaround time is downright impressive, just ask our clients.

Our Work

OUR TEAM

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0027_Brinks_Shawn

Shawn Brincks

President

Shawn Brincks is the President of AKC Marketing, Dwebware and REL Productions. Prior to that role, he served as the Vice President and Director of Sales for each of those companies.

Shawn is a graduate of Central College in Pella, Iowa, and received his master’s degree from Illinois State University. He is a proud father and an avid Cyclone fan and supporter.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0025_Adler_Kim

Kim Adler

Account Executive

Kim Adler is an Account Executive with more than two decades of agency and in-house marketing experience. Prior to AKC, her client work included FedEx, The Coca-Cola Company, Polo Ralph Lauren and the International Olympic Committee. She has degrees from the University of Iowa in political science and communications.

Kim likes to spend time with friends and enjoy art at her father’s art gallery.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0022_Ceaser_Marcie

Marcie Ceaser

Accountant

Marcie Ceaser is the Accountant for AKC Marketing where she oversees all financial operations. Prior to working at AKC, she worked in public accounting for 21 years. She graduated from Western Washington University with a major in accounting and a minor in business administration.

Marcie loves spending time with family and painting in her spare time.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0021_Chambers_Emily

Emily Chambers

Digital Marketing Specialist

Emily Chambers is a Digital Marketing Specialist. She handles day-to-day projects for clients to ensure timely deployment. In her role, she focuses on client-facing analytics, consistent client support, project management, process improvement, tech stack analysis and streamlining business practices and optimizing activation plans within a low-maintenance framework.

Before working at AKC, Emily spent five years working at an international technology and consulting firm on their digital project management team. She is very passionate about her cat Penelope and dog Maddie.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0020_Claus_Amber

Amber Claus

Graphic Designer

Amber Claus is a designer on the creative team with more than five years of experience. She works hard to clearly convey the client's company brand and messaging.

A University of Northern Iowa alum, Amber enjoys illustrating and binging horror films/shows.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0019_Ebel_Cole

Cole Ebel

Content & Digital Marketing Manager

Cole Ebel is a Content and Digital Marketing Manager, working on marketing, social content, strategies and overseeing campaigns from conception to completion.

A Greater Des Moines area transplant, Cole keeps busy by attending local events, concerts and festivals, eating his way around the Metro, and finding his next favorite food or drink.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0018_Edwards_Ann-Marie

Ann Edwards

Senior PR Manager

Ann Marie Edwards is the Senior Public Relations Manager at AKC Marketing.
Ann Marie has worked in agricultural communications throughout her career.

A graduate of Iowa State University, she and her family are passionate about the Cyclones, wrestling and every sport in between.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0029_Furst_Baillee

Baillee Furst

Social Media Manager

Baillee Furst is the Social Media Manager at AKC Marketing. She helps manage client organic and paid social media campaigns and ensures the utilization of SEO and SEM best practices. 

Baillee is a 2020 graduate of Simpson College. In her free time, she enjoys reading and supporting the Cyclones and the L.A. Dodgers.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0017_George_Cassie

Cassie George

Merchandise Manager

Cassie George is the Merchandise Manager at AKC Marketing where she oversees sourcing, managing, and curating apparel and promotional products.

Outside of work, Cassie enjoys spending her time with her husband Will, daughter Blazi and son Hoyt on their farm, working cattle or riding horses together.

Scott Holton

Scott Holton

Marketing Automation/Business Intelligence Manager

Scott Holton is the Marketing Automation Manager at AKC Marketing. In addition to overseeing the Business Intelligence team, he is responsible for developing inbound marketing strategies, implementing campaigns and using customer relationship management (CRM) software for lead generation and sales.

Scott and his wife Diane of 24 years have two daughters, Carter and Lilly, and a sassy boxer named Memphis Blue.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0004_Jacobson_Ben

Ben Jacobson

Content Contributor

After more than a decade in newspaper journalism, Ben Jacobson hung up his reporter's notebook to start his own content creation business. Ben works alongside AKC Marketing to help create and enhance content. He has a thorough understanding of AP Style, a keen eye for detail and brings a healthy disdain for the serial comma to all his projects.

Ben lives in Dubuque with his wife, three dogs, two bunnies and a chinchilla. He spends his free time sampling craft beers, watching horror movies, reading, playing board games and trying to convince his wife not to adopt any more animals. 

AKC_Generic_Female_Image_400x400

Erin Julius

HR Manager

Erin Julius is the Human Resources Manager for AKC Marketing. Prior to AKC Marketing she worked in HR at an agriculture cooperative.  

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her two children, Reagan and Reid, and being with family at their cabin in Okoboji.   

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0030_McGraw_Neon

Neon McGraw

Content Manager

Neon McGraw brings two decades of copywriting and advertising experience to his role as Content Manager at AKC. His penchant for words and languages sees him creating compelling content for myriad media. He loves a turn of phrase that turns heads.

When not tapping away at a keyboard, you’re likely to find Neon at the local observatory, camping in the deepest woods he can find or absorbed in the latest physics journals.

AKC_Generic_Female_Image_400x400

Kristin McKibben

Senior Graphic Designer

Kristin McKibben is a graphic design professional with nearly 15 years of experience. She is a graduate of UNI and loves the way design constantly encourages her to grow as a professional and as a creative with every project.

Outside of the office, you’ll find Kristin enjoying a craft beer with her husband, Mat, wearing a silly costume, painting in her home studio or playing with her 2 rescue dogs, Bailey and Gilligan.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0007_Nichols_Amy

Amy Nichols

Executive Consultant

Amy Nichols is a full stack marketer with C-Suite experience who has a track record of growing companies, brands and revenue for clients. As a consultant working directly with AKC Marketing, she helps build and maintain strategic and productive relationships with internal teams, leadership, vendors, and other third parties by checking the ego at the door, actively listening, being flexible and willing to do all tasks – big and small.

She was instrumental in the creation, launch and management of original programming designed to disrupt traditional ag marketing with a new concept dubbed “Agritainment.”

When she’s not working, Amy is an over-enthusiastic soccer mom, fitness guru, amateur photographer, foodie and movie-goer who may, or may not, share popcorn.

 

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0006_Ntegeyimana_Gentil

Gentil Ntegeyimana

Marketing Automation Specialist

Gentil Ntegeyimana is a Marketing Automation Specialist at AKC Marketing, managing clients’ digital assets. A Grand View University graduate, he has almost a decade of experience in digital marketing.

At 6’3" Gentil loves playing basketball and outdoor activities. He also speaks French and Kinyarwanda.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0005_Prudenz_Brianne

Brianne Pudenz

Digital Marketing Specialist

Brianne Pudenz started working at AKC in 2020 as a Data Analyst. She now works in HubSpot to build out marketing assets for campaigns and events. One of her favorite parts of the job is helping the client focus on an inbound marketing strategy.

In her free time, Brianne likes to explore Des Moines, spend time outside — whether that is at a park or on a patio — attend ISU sporting events, travel and enjoy time with family and friends.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0028_Rhone_Scott

Scott Rhone

Graphic Designer

Scott Rhone is a design professional with more years of experience in marketing and communications than he wants to admits. He graduated from Grand View and has spent his career in the Des Moines area.

Scott has been married for 20 years to his wonderful wife, Jodi. They have one son, Nathan, that enjoys theater, robotics and Legos. Scott loves baseball (even the ups and downs of being a Cubs fan), movies, music and is an avid Star Wars fan.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0002_Thomsen_Brent

Brent Thomsen

Creative Director

As the Creative Director at AKC Marketing, Brent Thomsen brings more than 30 years of award-winning strategic thinking and creative design to the table.

When not keeping multiple marketing projects in the air at once, Brent enjoys spending time with his family, watching football (American as well as English), growing and consuming hot peppers, and hitting the road on his Harley.

AKC_Generic_Female_Image_400x400

Taylor Treibel

Office Manager

Taylor Treibel is the Office Manager at AKC Marketing where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the office and client hospitality.

When not at work, Taylor enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Macklyn and Eily, and her husband, Nate.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0031_VanDerHart_Sarah

Sarah VanDerHart

Senior Strategic Account Manager

Sarah VanDerHart is a Senior Strategic Account Manager at AKC Marketing where she partners with clients to develop result-driven marketing strategies. Sarah has 10+ years of marketing experience spanning from marketing operations management to public relations to experiential event planning.

Sarah lives on an acreage that has been on her family farm for 90 years with her husband and two daughters.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0001_Webb_Kyle

Kyle Webb

Content Director

Kyle Webb is the Content Director at AKC Marketing where he oversees a staff of writers and digital specialists to ensure all content meets the tone, style and voice of the client. Prior to working at AKC Marketing, Kyle worked for nearly a decade as a newspaper editor in both Iowa and Texas.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, Kyle is passionate about the Hawkeyes, as well as his family, including his wife, Kathleen, and young sons, Austin and Nolan.

Employee-Photos_Fun_400x500_0000_Wilkening_Nicholas

Nicholas Wilkening

Social Media Expert

Nicholas Wilkening is a Social Media Expert at AKC Marketing, where he helps clients create analytics-driven social media campaigns and strategies. Prior to working at AKC, Nicholas helped small businesses optimize their social media strategies.

A graduate of Central College, he is passionate about homebrewing award-winning beer, cycling around Des Moines with his wife and spending time with their dog, Tonks.