Epiphany co-founder Robin Skidmore invests £500k to launch new Leeds agency

Robin Skidmore, who co-founded Leeds-based search marketing firm Epiphany in 2005, has launched new agency Journey Further.

Based in Leeds, the new agency offers PPC and programmatic display advertising to the UK’s leading brands. The team’s search advertising experience spans 12 years, including campaigns for Virgin Holidays, J D Williams, Ann Summers, Ebuyer and AXA.

Skidmore has invested an initial £500k in agency operations to recruit senior staff, secure city-centre office space and build a brand for the company, which aims to employ 30 staff within 12 months.

Matt Kwiecinski joins as managing director following 18 years at Omnicom Group, where in his capacity as managing director he delivered campaigns and products for many UK brands.

Robin Skidmore, founder & CEO at Journey Further, commented: “We went on an astounding journey with Epiphany, leading the way in our field, delivering incredible results and fostering hundreds of young people into prosperous careers.

“Journey Further is the next chapter in that story and the paid search and programmatic space is where we know we can make the biggest impact. For too long, brands have been kept in the dark when it comes to paid performance. We want to cut through the jargon and use the latest technology to help our clients hit targets that were previously unthinkable.

“We have established a structure whereby senior analysts work directly with our clients to deliver a more personal and trustworthy service, in contrast to the typical, big agency workflow.

“Naturally, our growth plans are ambitious and we are looking for the very best talent to join us in Leeds, where we will provide unrivalled training and development opportunities.”

Robin grew Epiphany from 2 to 160 staff in 8 years. Epiphany was acquired by Jaywing in 2014 for £18m.

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