Check Out Jason Kelly’s Story

Well, it’s been a very interesting journey here in the Valley. I grew up in Chandler as a child and never would have thought that the sacrifices my mom made as a single construction secretary in order to buy my brother and me that first 1989 486DX Pentium computer would turn out to be my technological foundation.

My journey as a lifelong Phoenician began at Desert Vista High School in Ahwatukee. I was a boundary transfer who had travel approval so I could live in Chandler and play football at a Phoenix high school, where we ultimately won a state championship in the 5A division. I started varsity for three years, and as much as I’ve lived my life trying not to become an Al Bundy, I do recognize that being run to death in the Phoenix, Arizona heat for four years straight by some of the most demanding coaches in the history of the state still reverberates in my ability to work within a team mindset and offers me the discipline necessary to complete those 18-hour days.

I know some people kind of think that’s not real, but if you look at the overwhelming number of CEOs in this country, the majority have played football or come from the military. That’s pretty much the most I’ve ever talked about how high school football influenced my life—this is the first time I’ve reflected on what it actually taught me.

I turned down a football scholarship to a smaller school in Nebraska to pursue a passion and career in commercial photography. After that, I dropped out of a few other colleges. Ultimately, like many people, my ideas of moving to New York and becoming a poor starving artist on the come-up were sidetracked by partying on Mill Avenue and Old Town Scottsdale.

So yeah, I turned to an unlikely place with what I thought was the least amount of responsibility for the biggest amount of money. Now, mind you, this was 20 years ago, so you know, $41,000 a year plus bonus with no college degree was actually a big deal. Who knew you could make $65,000 being an overnight manager at QuikTrip?

So that’s what I did. And ironically, 20 years ago they didn’t have the upgraded systems they have today. I used to operate in a store that didn’t have all the modern upgrades. I used to have to operate two registers at the same time. That’s when I learned to become ambidextrous, which is also kind of a hobby of mine—making sure I can do everything with my left hand that I can do with my right hand.

It sounds silly, I know, but watching someone take money, keep transactions together in their head, and offer change at the same time from two different registers was a unique skill. That got me promoted at QuikTrip to a trainer very quickly.

Ultimately, I woke up one day and said, “Working in a gas station is not where I want to be.”

So I set out to start a career in healthcare recruiting, and I was given a chance in Scottsdale by leaders in the industry who recognized that I was a smart person who could type nearly 95 words per minute and had the gift of gab.

After excelling in that industry for almost a decade at a few employers—some of which are the largest in the U.S.—I started getting asked to help with small things like figuring out work Google accounts, correcting little website errors, troubleshooting email problems or Microsoft Exchange server issues, or whatever. Because yes, I knew even back then, in the early 2000s, that it didn’t matter what you know—it matters how well you can find the information and how quickly you can put that information to good use.

So in 2016, my mom basically came to me and said, “I really would like a part-time job, and I don’t want to have to work anymore. Can you find us something to do?” So I said, “You know what, I don’t want to work for anyone either, so yeah, let’s try to sell purses.”

I spent weeks at the Phoenix library learning how to build WordPress websites. We launched our first website: It’s Kind of a Bag Deal—a play on words that my mom came up with. It was kind of funny. We knew nothing about business, but the website was good.

It turns out, though, that the purse industry is a cutthroat business with a lot of returns from finicky customers. We decided to shut it down.

What I did learn from that was everything on the Facebook side, the ad side, and the website side. I decided to open up my own company, and my mom was very supportive of that. She knew it would require some help.

So as much as I’d like to tell the story that I’m 100% self-made, I have to be honest: if my mom didn’t give me that extra room rent-free for the first few years of this business’s life, I’m not sure I would’ve made it.

And because of her generosity and tolerance, like many people who succeed, when I get a win, I thank God and I thank my mom—because Lord knows both have been looking out for me.

During that time, I was calling every contractor in Arizona that would listen to a guy with one website as a portfolio. I spent 35 hours a week cold-calling and emailing Arizona companies just to get one or two clients a month at $150. All I had to do was keep track of my time and share the metrics with my mom so she could justify having her adult son live rent-free.

Slowly things progressed, and I got my first co-working office—the size of a small closet—in downtown Phoenix.

In 2021, I eventually got my first big break with a larger organization here in the state that builds all of the bus terminals, shelters, benches, and other things across the Southwestern United States. They have four different companies under their umbrella, and they hired me for all of them. We built four simple but highly effective websites. I also provided the company with all of their corporate photography and videography.

Since then, it’s been a fast-paced, escalating ride with a few minor stumbles along the way—just growing pains as I learned how to operate a professional organization on the fly with no formal education, other than what I’ve learned from speaking with 10,000 contractors in Arizona who I’m now on a first-name basis with.

Today, Phoenix AZ Ad Agency is a proud member of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, a member of Visit Phoenix, Go Local Arizona, and Arizona First. We’re a founding member of the Midtown Business Alliance, which supports over 2,000 businesses from I-10 to Camelback and from 16th Street to 16th Avenue.

We have maintained a 5-star service record since our company’s inception and garner over 200 five-star reviews from real clients.

The success of Phoenix AZ Ad Agency—and the work we’ve done on nearly 1,200 projects for over 300 clients—has allowed me to grow a team of four employees, with plans to grow further.

I’ve also opened a second business called Imaginary Defense, a bulletproof clothing and backpack showroom. We serve serious individuals who travel abroad or work in hazardous situations, parents who want to protect their kids in today’s environment, and law enforcement and rangemasters who rely on our products to return home safely.

Our humble showroom, located in Midtown Phoenix, features a wide range of accessories, bags, backpacks, hoodies, vests, shirts, jackets, and other items for those who need them. You can book an appointment at imaginarydefense.com.

I didn’t open this company because I’m one of those “rah-rah Second Amendment or die” people. I opened it because we live in a country with more guns than citizens, and the areas that used to feel safe just don’t anymore. I refuse to live in a delusional reality where we only talk about solutions after something terrible happens. A hoodie that stops bullets lets me breathe a little easier when I go out at night.

I know it sounds macabre, but this is the world we live in.

That said, the ad agency is—and always will be—my main focus. The personal attention we give our client companies is what sets us apart. That’s why we’re one of the highest-rated agencies in Arizona and consistently appear on best-of lists for Phoenix all over the internet.

Every client of ours will give you a reference because I care about the hard-earned money people give us—because I’ve had $0 to my name and understand the value of a dollar. So when someone gives me thousands on a project, I don’t hesitate to lose sleep making sure they’re glad they did.

That’s probably why we’ve been nominated two years in a row for the BBB Torch Award for Small Business Ethics.

Along the way, I’ve become a board member of three separate charities, including Struggle Made Us, which operates Struggle University, a mentorship organization for kids left behind by incarceration, suicide, or violence.

I’m also the Chief Marketing Officer for All Things for the Kingdom, a faith-based nonprofit working to eradicate wanton hunger due to homelessness in Indiana.

And if you’ve noticed those rose-colored streetlights lining the streets in Midtown Phoenix, along with the 8-foot banners advertising local businesses—I designed most of them. We worked with over 60 Midtown businesses and placed their ideas and imagery, logos, and messaging on the banners, which will hang along Central Avenue for the remainder of 2025.

In collaboration with the Midtown Neighborhood Association, that was my first contribution to a City of Phoenix beautification project. Due to my agency’s involvement with charities nationwide, Phoenix AZ Ad Agency is now a BBB4Good-designated company.

And finally, throughout my life, I’ve had a fascination with Vespa and Lambretta scooters. Even though they’re the butt of a lot of jokes, the truth is most of the world gets around on two wheels. We’re seeing a resurgence here—people are realizing they don’t need a car or a truck. They need something that gets 90 miles to the gallon or recharges, and gets them that 2 to 3 miles from home to work or school for a few grand.

Once I could afford the dream scooter I always wanted—a 300 GTS SuperTech with custom paint that can hit 80 MPH on 12-inch wheels—I started a club. Turns out, I’m not alone. Others like me see scooters as a little reward for their success. People without ego, who don’t care to show off.

So I started The Greater Phoenix Scooter Club, Inc., a 501(c)(3). On our very first ride, we decided we were going to incorporate as a charity in order to support Arizona foster kids. Our mission is to collect sufficient quality clothing to bolster support for the 13,000 foster children in the state.

To date, we’ve put clothes on thousands of kids’ backs and provided thousands of toys, items, and games for birthdays and holidays.

Above all else, it’s those contributions—what we’ve done for Arizona’s most vulnerable—that I’m most thankful to God for.

And I’m damn proud of that.