Uptrade Media is a full-service digital agency that combines custom web development, strategic marketing, and media production to drive measurable revenue growth.
Most agencies specialize in one thing. We integrate all three because that's how growth actually works.
No WordPress. No templates.
We build fast, scalable web applications from scratch using modern frameworks like Next.js and React. Every pixel is intentional. Every line of code is ours.
Traffic that converts.
SEO, paid media, and content strategy built around your actual business goals—not vanity metrics. We track revenue, not just rankings.
Brand meets performance.
Video production, photography, and brand design that looks premium and drives action. Creative work with a commercial purpose.
We're not for everyone—and that's intentional. We partner with established businesses who are ready to invest in real growth infrastructure, not quick fixes or band-aids.
Personal injury, family law, and business litigation firms who need more qualified leads and a brand that commands premium fees.
Custom home builders, commercial developers, and construction companies ready to stand out in competitive markets.
Brokerages, luxury agents, and property management companies who want to own their local market online.
Hotels, restaurants, and tourism destinations looking to fill rooms, tables, and experiences.
Medical practices, dental groups, and senior living communities that need patient acquisition at scale.
B2B software companies ready to invest in growth infrastructure that scales with them.
Every recommendation starts with your business goals, not a template. We build strategies around what actually moves your revenue.
We don't guess. We measure baseline performance, set clear KPIs, and track progress obsessively. If it doesn't impact the bottom line, we don't do it.
We write every line of code ourselves. No WordPress themes, no page builders, no technical debt. Your site is yours.
Modern frameworks like Next.js and React give us complete control over performance, security, and scalability. No plugins to break, no updates to fear.
You work directly with the people doing the work. No account managers. No layers. No surprises.
Weekly updates, shared Slack channels, and access to leadership. When you have a question, you get an answer—not a ticket number.
Eight years of pivots, setbacks, and lessons that shaped everything.
Uptrade didn't begin as a marketing agency. It started as an ambitious idea in Manhattan trying to fix two broken systems at once.
The founder worked for a B2B barter exchange in NYC. Smart concept—businesses traded services using private currency. But some held hundreds of thousands of units, others almost none. No regulation, no cap, no way to protect value. Meanwhile, crypto was surging with speculation but zero real-world use. Uptrade Exchange was born in that tension: what if a transparent digital asset could stabilize the barter world while giving crypto holders something real to spend on?
What this means for our clients: We understand complex business models and the courage it takes to build something new. We won't judge your ambition—we'll help you execute it.
A small founding team of three. A modest office. Pitches at Cincinnati Startup Week. Suits, slide decks, whiteboards, long nights.
By Q4 2018, the story changed. Zero outside capital committed. Significant crypto development costs. Mounting financial pressure. The original team needed steady jobs. The office closed. The crypto roadmap was dead. Uptrade was left with a name, a concept, and a hard-earned understanding of how fragile ideas can be when funding doesn't follow. A pivot wasn't optional. It was survival.
What this means for our clients: We've felt what it's like when cash is tight and every marketing dollar needs to pull its weight. We'll never waste your budget on vanity.
One pattern kept emerging: to pitch investors and win partners, everything had to be created in-house. Branding, flyers, pitch decks, landing pages.
There was also a history of building marketing plans inside the barter world—structuring campaigns for other agencies and getting them approved for real budgets. The insight was simple: if Uptrade could design the plan and sell it, there was no reason it couldn't become the team that delivers it. The next two years were a grind. Side work, odd jobs, neighborhood projects kept the lights on while skills developed in web design, advertising, graphic design, and video production.
What this means for our clients: We learned to do real work before we had real resources. That scrappy DNA means we know how to get results without bloated budgets.
A key early believer helped invest in real camera gear. That marked the turning point from scrappy solo effort to competitive media team.
The company began covering live events across Greater Cincinnati, producing brand content for growing local businesses, delivering graphic design with real polish. Collaborations with larger organizations like 3CDC opened doors. Uptrade Media became a functioning creative studio with deadlines, clients, and an expanding portfolio.
What this means for our clients: We understand what it takes to build trust with bigger organizations. We know how to punch above our weight and deliver at their level.
The main video kit was stolen and there was no insurance payout coming. Overnight, the high end tools were gone.
What stayed was the client base, the work ethic, and a city full of businesses that still needed marketing. So Uptrade got scrappy again. Hero videos shot on an iPhone with a gimbal. Strong visual sites built fast for restaurants and owner operated shops. That season proved something important. Strategy, story, and execution matter more than gear. Today the equipment, backups, and systems are far beyond that early stage. The scrappy mindset stayed. Clients get a team that knows how to win in imperfect conditions and still hit performance targets.
What this means for our clients: We don't hide behind expensive tools. We focus on what actually drives results—clear positioning, sharp messaging, and relentless execution.
That realization became the next evolution. Custom React & Next.js applications. Technical SEO. Professional gear again. 100+ clients.
The team moved into full custom development—React, Next.js, later Vite. Hired dev talent. Rebuilt workflows. Reinvested in professional camera gear. Design, development, and media began working in sync. Deep focus on technical SEO, Core Web Vitals, structured content for law, construction, real estate, hospitality. The focus shifted from "nice site" to measurable lift: faster load times, better search visibility, higher conversions, clearer attribution. No longer a vendor—a true growth partner.
What this means for our clients: You get a team that's been through the fire and knows what works. Custom code, real strategy, and full accountability for results.
Like the iconic Roebling Bridge connecting two states, we bridge the gap between where your brand is and where it deserves to be.
In September 2017, we moved from Manhattan to pursue our vision here. Midwestern work ethic—handshakes that mean something, promises kept.
We know Cincinnati inside and out.
Clients from coast to coast.
Direct access to leadership.
Face-to-face or virtual.
We've been on the edge of runway. We understand what every dollar means.
Not vanity metrics. Real outcomes that impact your bottom line.
We've made magic with an iPhone and a laptop. Constraints breed innovation.
From first impression to signed contract—we know the entire journey.
Your challenges are our challenges. We're in it together.
Every client relationship was built through results, not sales pitches.
We've been on both sides. We know what doesn't work.
"The original mission was to help businesses trade up. That hasn't changed—just the tools."
From scattered tactics to a focused, performance-driven system that actually grows revenue.
