Why BackPocket Agency Is Among the Most Loved Companies to Work For in America

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MAYA CULTURE AWARD WINNER I 2026

Every December, kindergartners at Hampton Fine and Performing Arts Elementary School on Chicago’s South Side excitedly gather in the school gym for a beloved holiday tradition — a visit from Santa. The space soon fills with yelps of joy and laughter as torn wrapping paper covers the floor and children clutch the toys and gifts from their wish lists.

So, who is Santa in this case? This Kris Kringle isn’t your typical mall version. Instead, he arrives in the form of happy volunteers from BackPocket Agency — a Chicago-based boutique content marketing agency dedicated to helping organizations tell their stories, connect with audiences, and drive engagement.

While BackPocket Agency officially launched in 2024, moments like this reflect something deeper: a team whose shared values and commitment to community were established long before the agency had a name.

BackPocket was founded by Rene Ryan and Joe Stella, a content marketing duo who have worked together for more than two decades. After years spent at large agencies, they experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly — and often found themselves imagining what agency life could look like if they were in charge.

Rene brings 25 years of content marketing expertise and a deep passion for workplace culture, psychological safety, and helping creative teams build award-winning marketing programs. A former journalist who once shared a gin and tonic with Walter Cronkite, she pivoted to agency life at the dawn of content marketing, carrying her storytelling instincts with her.

Joe Stella brings 30 years of experience across diverse industries, including nonprofits, associations, finance, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, retail, and technology. After a brief stint pursuing fiction writing under the tutelage of David Foster Wallace, Joe transitioned into magazine editing, eventually overseeing a portfolio of custom publications at an agency — where he met Rene.

Fast-forward to 2024. After multiple agency mergers and acquisitions, BackPocket was born, firmly rooted in expertise, transparency, and the belief that work should be joyful. Simply put, Rene and Joe created the agency they always wanted to work for and do business with.

“We knew there had to be a better way — a way to leverage deep expertise and deliver it for our clients in a way that’s joyful, transparent, and collaborative,” says Rene.

They were onto something. Former colleagues were eager to follow Rene and Joe, drawn to an all-hands-on-deck mentality where the team rises and falls together through a shared commitment to culture. Today, BackPocket’s marketers, creatives, strategists, and developers are united by a belief in storytelling, creativity, and strategic thinking — producing client work that consistently exceeds expectations.

Offering strategy, content, communications, creative, web development, digital marketing, fundraising support, event marketing, and data analytics, BackPocket positions itself as the ideal partner for organizations that were promised the A-team but keep getting the C-team, are burdened by nickel-and-dime change orders, or have in-house teams stretched thin by constant demands.

Behind this mission is a workplace culture that recently earned BackPocket recognition on the Breakthrough Culture Awards list, naming it one of the most thriving companies to work for in the U.S. After reviewing thousands of companies and surveying more than 20,000 employees through anonymous sentiment analysis and in-depth evaluations, BackPocket stood out for building a culture that directly addresses the stress and burnout often associated with agency life.

Together, the BackPocket team brings decades of experience crafting results-driven, award-winning content marketing programs for associations, nonprofits, and B2B and healthcare organizations. They blend data and creativity to drive growth, meeting audiences where they are through value, education, and inspiration. As they say: “No BS — just better marketing.”

True Team Spirit

A shared spirit of making an impact — both through their work and within their community — connects BackPocket’s employees and strengthens the team as a whole.

Work at BackPocket, and you might find your entire team cheering you on at your band’s concert. You might find the Director of Content Strategy baking cookies to celebrate a job well done. Or you might find yourself at a surprise baby, wedding, or milestone shower thrown entirely in your honor.

Culture like this doesn’t happen by accident.

“We want every team member to feel valued and deeply connected to both the work and the team,” says Joe. That philosophy is reflected in BackPocket’s use of the term “Stitches” to describe its employees — a nod to the strong stitching in denim jeans. Each stitch is unique, yet together they create something stronger as one fabric.

Creating environments where people feel they belong requires intentional design. At BackPocket, that means choosing transparency, honoring every voice in the creative process, and building trust over time.

“Trust isn’t acquired through a transaction — it’s earned through compassion, communication, transparency, and promises kept,” Joe adds. “The most meaningful work we do at BackPocket is grounded in why we do it. We show up with care, curiosity, and an unshakable belief that our work adds value to the world around us.”

Joy in Work

That sense of belonging is reinforced through transparent, collaborative client relationships — with no hidden fees, no one-size-fits-all solutions, and an internal culture that mirrors the integrity BackPocket offers its clients. Team members are encouraged to give back, champion psychological safety, and build community by celebrating wins and learning from setbacks. The result is meaningful work in an environment people are genuinely glad to show up for each day.

That purpose extends well beyond the workplace. Although BackPocket Agency itself is new, its commitment to community giving spans years. A perfect example is the annual holiday adoption of students at Hampton Fine and Performing Arts Elementary School. This tradition means as much to the team as it does to the community they serve.

People who thrive at BackPocket are storytellers at heart — grounded in experience and energized by creativity, collaboration, and meaningful impact. The agency looks for individuals who bring their own unique “patch” to the shared fabric, blending strategic thinking, journalistic curiosity, and joyful approaches to purposeful work. The result is a workplace that is welcoming, inclusive, and refreshingly low-pressure when it comes to perfection.

Supporting and attracting talent also means embracing potential. Even if someone doesn’t check every box, BackPocket encourages connection — because the right fit often goes beyond a job description. Transparency, mutual respect, and a nimble structure allow diverse voices to flourish, while giving initiatives and a team-first mindset reinforce that real connection and shared values matter here.

Recognition as one of America’s most thriving workplaces affirms what Rene and Joe set out to build after stepping away from traditional agency models that too often prioritize profit over people. Culture is the very reason BackPocket exists, proving that work can be strategic, transparent, and joyful.

By weaving together shared purpose, long-standing community traditions, and a belief in people-first work, BackPocket Agency shows that boutique agencies can deliver award-winning results while creating environments people actively choose to be part of every single day.