Atlanta Agency Surface Scales Rapidly, Taps Palma Group to Disrupt Multi-Unit Retail Category

In a market defined by media fragmentation and shrinking budgets, Surface is challenging accepted creative and media norms and getting results.

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, May 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a market defined by media fragmentation and shrinking budgets, Atlanta-based agency Surface is challenging accepted creative and media norms and getting results. Today, the agency announced a strategic partnership with The Palma Group and a series of key senior hires, signaling an aggressive expansion of its proprietary, unit-level marketing model.

In under two years, Surface has secured a high-profile roster including Skiptown, Fifth Group Restaurants, and CobbEMC. Most notably, in June 2025, the agency was named Agency of Record for Creative and Media for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

Surface’s rapid ascent is attributed to its BreakThrough™ media system. Moving away from traditional top-down spending, the system synchronizes disruptive creative with hyper-localized, unit-level media. This approach forces marketing dollars to perform at the individual trade-area level, effectively out-leveraging national competitors despite tighter budgets.

“We created the BreakThrough system because without enormous budgets, the old “top down” media model is no longer viable,” said Richard Leslie, President of Surface. “In today’s fragmented media ecosystem, every dollar has to punch above its weight class. We’ve proven that when you synchronize creative with hyper-localized media, you can drive measurable traffic results that massive, expensive, unfocused campaigns simply cannot match.”

Strategic Growth and Leadership: To support the expansion of the BreakThrough™ system, Surface has appointed Michael Dunn, an award-winning creative leader and veteran of transformative brand turnarounds, as Group Creative Director. Dunn brings a passionate blend of originality and commercial discipline to the agency’s roster, with a focus on scaling its ability to marry iconic brand identities with high-converting social content. Brandon Wolff also joins the team as Art Director.

Additionally, Paul Carpenter, current President of the American Marketing Association’s Atlanta Chapter, has joined as Account and Agency Development Lead. Carpenter has a long and storied history in the Atlanta marketing community as champion of Georgia's creative economy and a vocal advocate of transparency and efficacy in marketing.

The partnership with The Palma Group—a premier advertising recruitment and consulting firm—is designed to sustain the agency’s momentum.
“The team at Surface is relentless. They have assembled a best-in-class leadership team, and their BreakThrough™ system is truly unique in my experience,” said Michael Palma, CEO of The Palma Group. “It creates unmatched, bottom-line results for multi-unit operators.”

About Surface
Surface is an Atlanta-based marketing agency focused on helping brands drive measurable business performance through culturally relevant creative delivered on its BreakThrough™ media system. The agency takes pride in providing challenger brands with the leverage they need to compete effectively.
About Palma Group

About The Palma Group is a leading recruiting and consulting firm specializing in the advertising industry. With 35 years of experience, the firm offers a comprehensive suite of services, including executive search, talent acquisition, agency search, and business development consulting. The Palma Group is committed to building long-term relationships with clients and candidates, fostering successful partnerships that drive growth and innovation.

Amy Camp
Surface Agency
press@surfaceagency.co
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