Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Reilly.
Hi Robert, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from Iowa where I grew up and went to college and got my first taste of media, advertising, and the thrill of developing brands, stories, and campaigns for clients. I worked at my student newspaper in college which allowed me to get real world hands on experience that I was able to carry on to my career start in Seattle, WA.
Shortly after I moved to Seattle, I got an opportunity to advise the college media program at the University of Hawaii where I was able to expand on my education and get a MBA which I use in my consultative approach to our marketing and branding projects. I worked in the university system for about 7 years and bounced from Hawaii to Oregon for a job change, before realizing that I wanted to expand beyond student media.
I resigned from my job at the University of Oregon in 2016 to pursue a career in a branding and marketing firm. I was fortunate to find a really good mentor in Kurt Osaki whom owned Osaki Creative Group and hired me on as a project manager and developer for his firm. Which allowed me to expand my knowledge base and refine my design skills while also honing in on the skill sets that make me a successful partner to our clients.
In 2019, I resigned from my job at Osaki Creative group and started what was “Awesome Sauce” marketing, before changing the name to Mixed Handed Branding in early 2020. Since then I have continued to grow, hiring people as my retainer list has grown and build systems and processes that will help us manage our workflows and projects.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I believe that every business owner has their fair share of struggles along the way. The main thing I can say, is that starting a business is a lot of work and to make it successful, you have to put in the time to see the results.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mixed Handed Branding?
Mixed Handed Branding is a full-service branding and marketing agency built around one simple idea: great creative work should also help a business grow. We bring brand strategy, graphic design, website design and development, digital advertising, SEO, social media, content, and broader marketing strategy together under one roof, allowing us to look at a client’s business as a whole rather than treating each marketing channel as a separate project.
I founded Mixed Handed in Honolulu in 2019 before eventually bringing the company to Eugene, Oregon. What began as a way to help local businesses build stronger brands has grown into a team serving clients across the continental United States. Some of the businesses we worked with in those earliest days are still clients today, and that longevity is something I’m particularly proud of.
What sets Mixed Handed apart is that we don’t believe in applying the same marketing formula to every business. Industries, audiences and goals change, but the fundamentals of good marketing remain remarkably consistent: understand the customer, communicate something meaningful, create a strong and recognizable brand, and give people a reason to act. We combine those fundamentals with creative thinking, data, technology and ongoing strategy to build marketing that looks good and has a job to do.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Mixed Handed has developed a personality of its own. We take the work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. Our brand is colorful, a little unconventional and intentionally human, and I think that reflects the type of relationships we want to have with our clients. We want to be the people they actually enjoy having at the table—not simply another vendor completing a list of deliverables.
Ultimately, we want businesses to see Mixed Handed as a long-term creative and strategic partner. Whether we’re developing an identity from scratch, rebuilding a website, managing an advertising campaign or helping an established company rethink how it markets itself, the goal is the same: build a stronger brand and create marketing that contributes to real business growth.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about Eugene is its size and quality of life. It has the convenience and amenities I need without many of the headaches that come with living in a larger city. At the same time, we’re incredibly well positioned—you can be at the Oregon Coast or up in the mountains in a relatively short drive. There’s a strong sense of community here, and I appreciate that you can build relationships, run a business, and feel connected to the city without everything feeling overwhelmingly large or impersonal.
What I like least is that Eugene sometimes feels like a city with tremendous potential but without a clear vision for what it wants to become. Homelessness and its impact on residents, businesses, and public spaces is an obvious challenge, and I’d like to see solutions that are both compassionate and effective. More broadly, I think Eugene could benefit from a stronger, more unified approach to economic development, downtown revitalization, and responsible growth. I don’t want Eugene to lose what makes it special—I’d like to see us become more intentional about building on it.
Pricing:
- Full Service Marketing $3k per month
- Digital Marketing Package: $2k per month
- Website Design & Development Starts at $3.5k
- AISEO & SEO Starts at $1,250 per month
- Free Consultation For Service Proposals
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mixedhanded.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixedhandedbranding/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mixedhanded
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mixed-handed-branding/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mixed-handed-branding-eugene-3?osq=Mixed+Handed+Branding
- Other: https://www.dakinewebpros.com/
