Human Connection
Human connection matters.
We believe the strongest marketing partnerships are built on trust, chemistry, and real understanding—not simply capabilities lists.
Who We Are
Marketing matchmakers built around human connection.
Setup is a team of connectors, marketers, and operators with experience on both sides of the brand–agency relationship. We bring clarity, context, and human understanding to a marketing world that can feel crowded, noisy, and hard to navigate.
What Guides Us
Three principles guide the way we work.
Setup was built around three enduring beliefs: relationships are human, fit matters, and clarity makes better partnerships possible. They shape how our team thinks, collaborates, and shows up in every conversation.
Right Fit
The right match creates momentum.
More options do not always create better outcomes. The right relationship matters more than the longest list.
Clarity
Clarity creates better partnerships.
Better decisions happen when the need, expectations, and next step are clearly understood.
Joe Koufman
Founder + CEO / Chief Matchmaker
Built by a Connector
Built from experience on every side of the agency relationship.
Joe Koufman founded Setup in 2014 after building his career across a small digital firm, an independent full-service agency, and a large holding-company agency.
That cross-market perspective gave him a clear view of why agency relationships succeed or stall: not simply talent or capabilities, but whether the right context, expectations, chemistry, and fit are understood from the start. He created Setup to bring that clarity into the relationship.
Before launching Setup, Joe served as SVP of Business Development and Marketing at Engauge, later acquired by Publicis Groupe. His work included brands such as Cisco Systems, Newell Brands, AMC Theatres, Hanesbrands, Hershey’s, Georgia-Pacific, and Chick-fil-A.
Today, Joe shapes Setup’s vision and point of view. He has extended that work as an author and speaker, sharing what more than a decade of building meaningful brand–agency connections has taught him about leadership, growth, and relationships.
12+
years connecting brands and agencies through better-fit partnerships
1,400+
brand and agency connections made through Setup
- Founder Setup · Founded 2014
- Community Leadership President, AMA Atlanta · 2026–2027
- Author The Connector’s Compass · Published 2026
- Speaker Leadership, growth, and meaningful connection
Published 2026 The Connector’s Compass
Networking isn’t the secret to success. Connection is.
After more than a decade of building Setup through genuine connection, Joe captured the lessons behind that work in The Connector’s Compass. Through personal stories and practical guidance, the book shows how curiosity, vulnerability, and authenticity can help anyone build trust, create lasting value, and develop relationships that matter.
Available through Amazon. Speaking inquiries open in a separate form.
Meet the Team
The people behind the matchmaking.
Each member of Setup brings a different perspective to the work—from brand marketing and agency growth to operations, content, events, and relationship-building. What unites us is a shared commitment to better connections.
Amanda Thompson
President
Amanda brings deep brand, agency, and operations experience to Setup’s work. She helps shape the processes, relationships, and delivery standards that make agency-brand connections more thoughtful, practical, and effective.
Rhonda Beckmann
Head of Growth
Rhonda leads growth across brand opportunities, agency engagement, and go-to-market strategy. She focuses on helping brands clarify their needs and helping agencies understand where they fit within the Setup model.
Madeline Evans
Marketing Manager
Madeline leads Setup’s content, events, community touchpoints, and brand voice. She helps bring Setup’s personality and market perspective to life across the channels where marketers and agencies engage.
Kayla Floyd
Marketing Consultant
Kayla supports Setup with marketing strategy, content, analysis, and special projects. She brings a flexible, thoughtful approach to improving the systems and resources that support Setup’s community.
May Beja
Executive Assistant
May helps keep Setup moving behind the scenes through organization, scheduling, research, and operational support. Her work helps the team stay coordinated across agency, brand, and event initiatives.
Why We Exist
Our purpose and the way we bring it to life.
Our purpose and vision define the future we are working toward. Our commitments and values shape how we pursue it every day.
Purpose
Unlock the power of human connections.
We believe the right connection can change the trajectory of a brand, an agency, or a career.
Vision
Help marketers thrive.
By connecting them with the people, partners, and resources they need to move forward.
How We Work
Three commitments shape how we put our purpose into practice.
Make meaningful connections
We bring the right people together with care, context, and purpose.
Stay connected to the market
We create useful content, events, conversations, and resources that keep us listening, learning, and contributing.
Follow through with excellence
We pair human connection with the structure, responsiveness, and discipline needed to make it work.
Our Values
How we show up.
Honorable
We do what is right, not just what is easy.
Approachable
We are welcoming, inclusive, and easy to talk to.
Insightful
We bring useful perspective that helps brands and agencies make better decisions.
Tenacious
We stay committed, follow through, and keep working toward the right outcome.
Innovative
We ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and keep improving how we serve.
Choose Your Next Step
The right connection starts with a conversation.
Whether you are a marketer looking for the right agency or an agency working to become the right choice, start with the path that best fits what you need next.
Not sure where to start? Talk with Setup →