“The Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”
~ Lao Tzu
My entrepreneurial experience began in 1996. I was twenty five years old and I had been searching for a vehicle to embark on the journey of being a business owner. I had a passion for music and technology and after becoming familiar with the Internet and conducting research on its potential, I combined my two passions to launch an online business focused on marketing independent music. With a couple of college friends, $1,300 each and a computer, RhythmNet.com was born.
The company was launched as a digital first company (before the term was ever invented) in what I refer to as the “ancient days” of the Internet. People could come to the website, discover independent music, listen to song samples and buy CDs through a secure website. It was an idea before its time as there was no broadband, no MP3s, people were afraid to use their credit cards online and only thirty million people across the world were connected online. After struggling with this model, pivots occurred and we adapted to provide digital marketing services for other businesses.
Over the years, we continued to adapt to market dynamics and the company evolved to become a leading digital marketing agency in Southern California. Our clients included a wide variety of middle market to large enterprise companies. Along the way, we refined our brand and became simply, “Rhythm.” Some of our major accomplishments included:
- Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list five years in a row. Only seven percent of Inc 5000 recipients achieve this feat.
- Awarded Best Places to Work and Top Places to Work in Orange County four years in a row by the Orange County Business Journal and Orange County Register
- Honored by American Honda Motors as the first company to be designated as a Premiere Partner after the first year of service
- Acquired our own commercial office building in 2009 at the height of the credit crunch
- Listed in the top 15 advertising & marketing agencies in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal
- Received numerous industry awards for our portfolio of work
- Being acquired by a strategic buyer (see below)
Inc 5000 Awards
Recognized as an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America five years in a row. Only 7% of Inc. 5000 companies achieve this level.
Receiving Gold ADDY Award
Craig Cooke with team receiving Gold ADDY Award
As Chief Executive Officer (CEO), I formulated the vision and established the strategic direction of the organization. I was involved in every aspect of the business since the very beginning. Even with the company being bootstrapped, I led it to reaching eight figures in revenue and to an eventual acquisition by a strategic buyer, Code & Theory, a world class digital first creative agency headquartered in New York City.
For additional background information on education and personal achievements, please view my LinkedIN profile.
American Honda Motors Premiere Partner Award
Executive Vice President of American Honda Automotive Operations, Masayuki Igarashi, presents Craig Cooke, CEO of Rhythm, with American Honda's Premier Partner Award. This was the first time this distinction was awarded to a company with less than three years of service (awarded after first year).
30%+
EBITDA
Achieved numerous years of high profit margins as CEO
Top 15
Marketing Agencies
As reported in the Orange County Business Journal
Top 5%
Agency Performance
Based on 3rd party research benchmarks on profit margin
Awards
Top 100 Marketing & Advertising Leaders, 2021
40 Under 40 of Orange County Professionals, 2009 OC Metro Magazine
40 Under 40 of American Indian Professionals, 2008 National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
