Our Story
From Engineering To Marketing.
From The UK To Calgary.
We didn't set out to build an agency. We set out to help businesses get noticed.
Thumbmuffin started as a side project in 2014. It grew because the work delivered results and clients kept coming back. What hasn't changed in over a decade is the approach. Direct. Practical. Honest about what's working and what isn't.
The Founder
A Marketer With An Engineer's Brain.
Dan Clayton started his career as a noise control engineer. Acoustics, vibration, environmental science. About as far from marketing as you'd think. But there was always a side drawn to music, storytelling, video, and figuring out how to get people to pay attention.
That side won. Thumbmuffin began in 2014 as a music events promotion company. Then music videos. Then artist branding. Commercial clients followed, then brand strategy, then full marketing support. Today it's a video-first marketing agency for service businesses across Calgary and Canada.
The engineering background didn't go away. It became a feature. Dan still treats marketing the way an engineer treats a problem. Measure it. Test it. Decide based on what actually works. Not what sounded good in a pitch deck.
Track Record
A Decade Of Work That Got Results.
The Team
A Senior Marketer, Plus The Right Specialists.
Most agencies sell you a tier and slot you into a process built for someone else. Thumbmuffin works differently. You get Dan as your strategist and main point of contact. Behind him is a network of trusted specialists: videographers, editors, designers, copywriters, web developers. They get pulled in only when your project actually needs them.
This model is deliberate. No overhead-padded retainers paying for people you're not using. No junior account managers who don't know your business. You talk to one person who knows your business inside out, and the right specialist gets brought in for the right job.
You get the strategic thinking of a senior marketer. The production firepower when you need it. And none of the bloat that drives up agency prices.
One Strategist
Dan is your main point of contact. In every meeting. On every project. No handoffs to people who don't know your business.
Right Specialists
Videographers, editors, designers, writers, developers. Brought in for the work at hand. Senior craft, not junior filler.
Real Efficiency
No padded retainers. You pay for the work that actually moves your business forward. Scale up and down as you need.
The Approach
Direct. Honest. Built To Work.
We don't do fluff. If something isn't working, we'll tell you. If you're wasting money, we'll tell you that too. If we think video is the thing that'll move the needle, which it usually is, we'll show you exactly how.
Marketing is too important and too expensive to outsource to people who hide behind jargon. We treat your business like ours. We measure what we do. We adjust when something isn't landing. And we tell you the truth, even when it's not what you want to hear.
Direct
No fluff. No hiding behind jargon.
Practical
Strategy that ties to what actually moves the needle.
Honest
If it's not working, we say so. If you're wasting money, we say that too.
Measurable
We measure what we do. So we can adjust when something isn't landing.
Get In Touch
Let's Talk About Your Business.
Calgary based. Working with businesses across Canada. Three ways to start the conversation.