3 Things People Are Surprised to Learn About The Excellence Agency

When people hear “public relations agency,” they usually picture a fairly traditional path: media lists, press releases, campaign calendars, and a team built entirely from PR backgrounds. While those things absolutely matter, The Excellence Agency was built a little differently.

From the beginning, we wanted to create an agency rooted not only in strategy, but in culture, perspective, and authentic human connection. As the media landscape continues to evolve at lightning speed, we’ve found that some of the qualities that make us different are also the ones that make us most effective.

Here are three things people are often surprised to learn about The Excellence Agency.

1. Our backgrounds aren’t traditional PR backgrounds, and that’s intentional.

The Excellence Agency was built at the intersection of creativity, operations, digital culture, and brand development.

Our founder, Jase Schiereck, came up through entertainment, influencer marketing, fashion, wellness, and digital media. He has worked with brands like Live Nation, CELSIUS, ColourPop, White Fox, and JustFab while helping shape influencer and affiliate strategies long before many traditional firms fully embraced them.

Co-founder Mark Stephenson's background spans the arts, nonprofit leadership, operations, and business administration. Alongside three decades of experience in contracts, finance, and organizational leadership, He's also spent much of his life as an actor, writer, and director working in theater and film.

That combination shaped how we think about public relations. Because at its core, great PR is never just about visibility. It’s about understanding emotion, timing, trust, perception, and what genuinely resonates with people.

In many ways, we don’t simply see brands as clients to promote. We see our role as helping champion the larger vision behind the work.

2. We started experimenting with AI in 2022, before most agencies were comfortable talking about it.

When AI tools first began entering the PR space, many agencies either dismissed them completely or viewed them purely as shortcuts. We saw something different.

We believed AI could become a powerful support tool for research, brainstorming, trend analysis, workflow management, and creative exploration if used thoughtfully and responsibly. So we started learning early.

Not to replace human creativity, instinct, or relationships. Those remain irreplaceable. Instead, we wanted to strengthen the strategic side of what we do and create more space for deeper thinking, sharper ideas, and stronger client service.

Today, the industry is changing rapidly. The firms that thrive will be the ones willing to evolve while still protecting the human side of the work. That balance matters deeply to us.

3. We were born in Los Angeles, but expanding beyond LA made us stronger.

The Excellence Agency was founded in Los Angeles, and that creative DNA still runs through everything we do.

Over time, our leadership has expanded geographically. Today, our work stretches across Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, and beyond. Ironically, stepping outside a single-market mindset has given us a broader understanding of culture, regional identity, and connection.

Every city has its own rhythm. Los Angeles moves at the speed of entertainment and influence. Denver brings a distinct entrepreneurial and lifestyle-driven perspective. Atlanta continues to emerge as one of the country’s most important hubs for culture, business, hospitality, film, and innovation.

That broader lens has helped us better understand how people connect, how regional identity shapes brands, and how modern media increasingly operates at both the local and national level simultaneously.

At the end of the day, we still believe the strongest strategies are rooted in something simple: clarity, culture, and authentic human connection.

The tools evolve. Platforms change. Trends come and go. But work that genuinely moves people still matters most.