Agency sets its sights on further growth after a year of record turnover

Leeds-based strategic marketing agency, Fantastic Media, has made a flurry of promotions and appointments as it targets continued growth throughout 2024.

The agency achieved a record turnover of £1.65m last year.

It has appointed an account director and multi-channel marketing executive to further bolster its expansion plans. Additionally, six team members have been promoted across various roles.

These appointments follow Fantastic Media’s acquisition of Faith Brand Communications in January, which will boost the team with a further eight marketing professionals and take combined turnover to over £2m with a headcount of 33.

Promotions include a managing director role for Sally Willis who re-joined Fantastic last year as director of client services.

Her first spell at the agency lasted eight and a half years and saw her rise from senior account executive to head of operations.

Joining as account director is Stephanie Stretton, who brings with her 15 years of experience in international sales and marketing roles, with a focus on branding, partnerships and performance.

Prior to joining Fantastic, she was account director at Anything is Possible in Brighton.

At Fantastic, she will work across a range of industries with key clients including APS, British Weight Lifting, S2S, Schades, Skopes, Stell, and Stove Supermarket.

Stretton said: “I moved to Leeds in May 2023, and I wanted to experience a fresh way of doing things. After meeting with the Fantastic team, I knew this was the place where I wanted to develop my career further.”

Sam Ward joins as a multi-channel marketing apprentice with a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Manchester and a stint as a marketing assistant at outdoor clothing company, TOG24.

He will primarily be supporting Fantastic’s director of strategy and insights, Gary Pattison, on the agency’s strategic business discovery programme, iNSIGHT, which all new clients undergo.

The agency has made five other promotions including senior web developer, Carl Smith, being promoted to lead web developer after spending 11 years with the agency.

Sarah Miller has been promoted from account executive to account manager after a year at the agency, and Emma Pearson has been promoted to senior account executive after eight months at the firm.

Finally, both Annie White and Seth Leech have completed their digital marketing apprenticeships and have been promoted to account executive and digital account executive respectively.

Fantastic Media founder and CEO, Andy Hobson, said: “These appointments and promotions show the upward trajectory that Fantastic continues to be on.

“The agency has come a long way over the last 18 years, and this is a testament to the people working at the heart of the business.

“Our growth has been further bolstered by the acquisition of Faith, which will allow us to deliver a first-class and increasingly extensive offering to all our new and existing clients.”