We recently connected with Daniel Hilles and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

After three years of starting as an intern at my first marketing job and steadily advancing, I immersed myself in every aspect of video production, photography, social media, and more. However, I eventually realized that I wasn’t where I truly wanted to be—and more importantly, that clients deserved a higher standard of service from their marketing partners.

Taking the biggest risk of my career at the time, I decided to leave my stable job and build something of my own. Shortly after, a former client—who had also left the same company—approached me with an opportunity to collaborate, recognizing the impact my work had already made on their brand. This partnership became the foundation for what is now Everest Creative Agency.

The early years were challenging, filled with strategic building, rebranding, and process development, but those efforts laid the groundwork for the agency’s success. Today, Everest Creative Agency is thriving, helping clients craft compelling brand stories and establish a strong digital presence.

Looking back, that risk was daunting, and there were moments of uncertainty. But taking that leap taught me invaluable lessons about entrepreneurship and the impact I want to make in the marketing industry. I no longer view risk as something to fear—rather, I see it as an opportunity to pursue what I believe in. That mindset has shaped my approach to both business and creativity, allowing me to confidently embrace new challenges and drive meaningful results for our clients.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Daniel Hilles, and my journey into marketing began with a college photography class, where I first explored black-and-white film photography. That initial passion for visual storytelling led me to an internship at a local marketing company, where I quickly took on the responsibility of managing social media for 15 to 30 clients. Over time, I expanded my expertise into videography and video production, dedicating three years to refining my skills in video editing, photography, and content creation.

As I gained experience, I recognized significant gaps in the industry—clients deserved more than just marketing services; they needed a true partner to help them navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape with confidence and collaboration. That realization led me to establish Everest Creative Agency, with a mission to simplify marketing for small businesses. Our goal is to remove the frustration from the process and provide tailored strategies that empower our clients to grow and succeed in an increasingly competitive digital space.

At Everest Creative Agency, we specialize in Marketing Consulting and Strategy, YouTube Management and SEO, Website Design and Development, Social Media Management, and Content Creation through videography and photography. We’ve had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, including gyms, IT companies, water feature businesses, and restaurants.

What I take the most pride in is our commitment to transparency and collaboration. We ensure that our clients fully understand how our strategies benefit their business, providing clear insights and options at every stage of the process. Our approach is built on years of refining a system that prioritizes our clients’ vision, making sure their brand story is told exactly as they envision it.

Marketing is more than just a profession for me—it’s a passion. Being part of Everest Creative Agency allows me to do what I love: helping businesses grow while building lasting partnerships based on trust and innovation.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I first met my business partner while managing his marketing efforts at my previous company. I was responsible for launching and maintaining his YouTube channel for his water feature business, handling everything from filming and video production to ensuring a consistent posting schedule aligned with YouTube’s algorithms at the time.

During this process, we both began to notice critical flaws in the way the marketing company operated. When my client, Krys, entered his slow season and needed to adjust his marketing strategy, a conversation should have taken place—but it never did. Instead, I was instructed by my employer to pause video production without informing Krys, with the assurance that a discussion would happen. However, his regularly scheduled Monday video was never posted, and he was never notified of the change. Understandably, he felt blindsided and concerned that this disruption would negatively impact his channel’s momentum and audience engagement.

This incident highlighted deeper issues within the company, including a lack of transparency and communication with clients. It was one of many concerning business practices I observed, alongside being overworked and under-compensated for the dedication I was putting into my role. Recognizing that I could no longer align myself with those values, I decided to resign.

Shortly after, I reconnected with Krys, and through hours of conversation, we realized we shared a vision for what a marketing agency should be—one built on integrity, collaboration, and a client-first approach. Combining his business expertise with my experience in marketing and video production, we founded Everest Creative Agency with the mission of providing businesses with strategic, transparent, and results-driven marketing solutions.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As we built our company over the years, we faced our share of challenges, including choosing an overly common name, Atlas Digital, which was widely used across multiple industries. While this was a minor setback, we also navigated larger hurdles, such as refining our pricing structure, effectively implementing strategies for our clients, and assembling the right team to drive our vision forward.

Like any business, we remained resilient in our mission. This past year, we truly found our stride—honing our processes and welcoming a key team member whose expertise and alignment with our vision became the missing piece we needed to elevate our company. Without our team’s dedication and willingness to adapt, we might have had to take a step back. However, that was never an option in our minds.

The resilience our team has demonstrated over the past year reinforces our belief in what we’re building. No matter the challenges we encounter, we remain committed to finding solutions—not just for our clients, but for our own continued growth and success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.everestcreativeagency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everestcreativeagency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverestCreativeAgency/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Jon Mayer