Day Job, a Los Angeles-based creative agency, is experiencing explosive growth as tech startups and venture capital firms seek distinctive branding in an increasingly AI-saturated market. The bootstrapped agency, founded in 2018 by Rion Harmon and Spen Madsen, has doubled its revenue and headcount this year, driven largely by demand from Silicon Valley clients navigating the challenges of standing out in the AI era.
The agency gained significant visibility through its work with the Technology Business Programming Network (TBPN), a podcast that has featured high-profile tech leaders including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Palantir’s Alex Karp, and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey. TBPN expects $5 million in revenue this year, and its distinctive branding—featuring a “cacophony of logos” and VHS visual effects—has become a calling card for Day Job’s creative approach.
AI startups face unique branding challenges, according to Harmon, who notes that “AI just kind of has a branding problem” because “there’s something sort of ominous about something coming for your job.” Day Job has worked to counter this narrative with clients like Stuut, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed AI startup, creating playful branding that positions AI as a helpful tool rather than a threat. The agency also recently completed campaigns for Bland AI, a customer service startup.
While originally focused on consumer packaged goods brands like Recess and Fly By Jing, Day Job has seen increasing demand from tech clients. Patron, an early-stage VC firm, hired the agency for a complete rebrand, seeking “the most non-VC website possible.” The shift reflects a broader trend where tech companies recognize that “there’s so much noise” and need to “talk to your consumer in a more profound way,” Harmon explained.
Paradoxically, the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT is creating more demand for human creativity. TBPN’s Jordi Hays noted that while “it’s never been easier to generate creative assets,” AI is simultaneously “creating more demand than ever” for creative minds who can “break through the noise.” Harmon emphasized that “no AI is going to tell you to name your protein brand David,” referring to a viral campaign the agency created. He added that “AI is good at outputting things that have already happened, but they’re not good at figuring out what’s next.”
Key Quotes
AI just kind of has a branding problem. The valley adopts it … but there’s something sort of ominous about something coming for your job.
Day Job cofounder Rion Harmon explains the fundamental challenge AI startups face in public perception. This insight drives the agency’s approach to humanizing AI brands and positioning them as helpful tools rather than threats.
It’s never been easier to generate creative assets. Anybody can go on ChatGPT or Nano Banana and say, ‘Make me a website.’
TBPN’s Jordi Hays acknowledges the democratization of creative tools through AI, but argues this accessibility is paradoxically increasing demand for human creative strategists who can deliver truly differentiated work.
No AI is going to tell you to name your protein brand David.
Harmon uses this example to illustrate the limits of AI creativity, emphasizing that artificial intelligence excels at pattern recognition but struggles with the kind of counterintuitive, bold creative decisions that make brands memorable.
AI is good at outputting things that have already happened, but they’re not good at figuring out what’s next.
Harmon articulates the fundamental limitation of current AI systems—their reliance on historical data means they optimize for the past rather than innovate for the future, creating opportunities for human creative strategists.
Our Take
This article captures a fascinating inflection point where AI simultaneously threatens and validates creative professionals. Day Job’s success story demonstrates that the AI revolution isn’t simply replacing human creativity—it’s creating a two-tier system where generic AI-generated content floods the market while premium human creativity becomes more valuable.
The irony that AI startups themselves need human creativity to overcome AI’s negative perception is particularly striking. It suggests the technology sector understands that winning hearts and minds requires more than technical superiority—it demands emotional intelligence and cultural fluency that current AI systems lack.
Most significantly, this trend validates a crucial insight: AI excels at optimization but struggles with innovation. As more companies use similar AI tools, differentiation becomes harder, not easier. This creates a sustainable competitive advantage for agencies like Day Job that can deliver genuinely novel creative directions. The future may belong not to those who use AI most, but to those who know when human creativity is irreplaceable.
Why This Matters
This story highlights a critical paradox in the AI era: as artificial intelligence makes content creation easier and more accessible, it simultaneously increases the value of distinctive human creativity. The success of Day Job demonstrates that AI’s proliferation is creating a branding crisis, particularly for AI startups themselves, which struggle with public perception issues around job displacement and technological anxiety.
The article reveals how AI companies are investing heavily in humanizing their brands to overcome negative associations, suggesting that the AI industry recognizes its image problem. This trend has significant implications for creative professionals who feared AI would eliminate their jobs—instead, demand for strategic creative thinking is growing as companies seek to differentiate themselves in an increasingly homogenized digital landscape.
For the broader business world, this signals that AI tools alone won’t replace strategic thinking and brand innovation. As AI drives everything “to the mean” by optimizing based on past data, companies that want to lead rather than follow will need human creativity more than ever. This creates opportunities for creative agencies while validating concerns that over-reliance on AI could lead to generic, undifferentiated brand experiences.