LONDON — Fast-growing digital, social, content and SEO specialist agency Rise at Seven has expanded to the US, opening its first international base in Chicago.

The agency, founded in 2019 by CEO Carrie Rose and COO Stephen Kenwright, who had previously worked together at Leeds-based marketing agency Branded3, is making its first US hires in advance of Rose moving to the US later this year.

In less than two years, Rise at Seven has grown to 60 members of staff in the UK, Spain and now the US. Its clients include Playstation, Game, Made.com, Parkdean Resorts, Cath Kidston and GoCompare, as well as US brands such as Tech Radar, Career Builder and DailyFX.

In January, the agency was appointed by PrettyLittleThing – part of the acquisition-hungry Boohoo online retail group that has recently bought heritage British high-street fashion brands hit by lockdown, including Debenhams, TopShop, Warehouse, Oasis and Karen Millen – as its retained digital PR and search agency across the US and the UK.

Rose told PRovoke Media: “Our US clients all came to us through word of mouth and the majority of their headquarters are in Chicago. We also talked to big social and digital agency owners in the US and they said New York was too expensive and we couldn’t compete on salaries as a small fish in a big pond. Chicago is cheaper and there are more opportunities to make friends, find clients and hire people – we’ll be announcing our first senior hire there in April.

“It feels in my gut like it’s the best place, and I’ll be moving there as soon as possible.”

Rose said she and Kenwright had “got in 18 months where we wanted to be in four years” but were still ambitious: “Our original plan was to build the biggest search agency in the English-speaking world. Something like £30 million revenue and 200 staff. I’m excitable and I sell the dream, and he’s the one that makes it a reality. I want to be different and do things my way. That’s what drives me.”

Rise at Seven recently appointed Sally Rushton, former strategy and planning director of data and creative agency Jaywing, as its executive creative director, in addition to appointing former Saatchi & Saatchi head of content and Moonpig head of social and PR Joe Goulcher as creative director at the end of last year.