What began 5 years ago as a division of Fortress Presents, the team behind the acclaimed Fortress Festival and Wild Acre Live, has evolved into Phonetic, a full-service advertising agency specializing in arts, entertainment, lifestyle, and humanities brands. Phonetic has delivered impactful campaigns for clients like NASCAR, TCU,La Pulga Spirits, and more.

This transformation is fueled by the addition of new partners Andrea Wilson and TyroneWilliams, who join co-founders Ramtin Nikzad and Alec Jhangiani to lead Phonetic’s next phase of growth and creative innovation.

Andrea Wilson brings over two decades of expertise in advertising and brand strategy, including her tenure as SVP of Strategy for Dentsu, where she developed strategies for brands like LVMH, Esteé Lauder Companies and Michael Kors. Her leadership ensuresPhonetic delivers results-driven solutions at the intersection of culture and commerce.

Tyrone Williams offers over 20 years of experience in live event production and experiential marketing. As Director of Production for the 5,000-capacity Wild Acre Live venue andNASCAR’s nationally touring mobile museum experience, Tyrone has a proven track record of executing large-scale sponsorship activations. His work with brands like Def Jam Records and the Dallas Cowboys further exemplifies his ability to craft immersive experiences that resonate with audiences

Under this leadership, Phonetic delivered standout campaigns in 2024 for NASCAR, La Pulga Spirits, TCU, Friends of WRR, and DeFy Tickets, offering services such as branding, strategy, social media management, paid media, and experiential marketing.

“Since partnering with Phonetic, our small arts nonprofit has seen a significant increase inbrand awareness and tangible growth in both membership numbers and engagement, thanks to their expert analysis and strategic marketing campaigns that aligned with our target audience. The Phonetic team's expertise in branding, content creation, and social media engagement has reinvigorated our organization and allowed us to strengthen our presence within the classical arts community,” said Rachael Glazer, Managing Director of the Friends ofWRR, the non-profit advocate organization for Texas’ oldest radio station.

Phonetic’s work with La Pulga Spirits further exemplifies its multidisciplinary strength.Managing all aspects of marketing between March and October 2024, including a multimedia campaign as the first-ever Official Tequila of TCU Athletics, the agency helped the young brand achieve a social media follower growth rate 3x the industry average, a more than 100%increase in IG post impressions, comments, shares and saves, and more than 22 million media impressions across web, social, print and more, directly supporting their climb intothe top 50 best-selling tequilas in Texas (top 15 in the additive-free category).

Phonetic’s collaboration with NASCAR showcases its creative and logistical expertise. The agency designed and managed NASCAR’s Fueling History mobile museum, a 52-foot trailer featuring augmented reality and memorabilia, which hosted over 30,000 attendees across 10racing destinations nationwide in 2024.

The agency’s roots in Fortress Presents provide a strong foundation in production and sponsorship activation. Past partnerships with major sponsors like Dickies and the Diageo portfolio of spirits including Don Julio, Seagram’s, Smirnoff, and Crown Royal, reflectPhonetic’s ability to seamlessly integrate brands - online and offline - into cultural experiences like Fortress Festival.

“Our evolution from Fortress Creative to Phonetic mirrors our growth from an in-house team dedicated to supporting our live events, to a full-service agency with national reach,” said Ramtin Nikzad, Co-Founder of Phonetic. “We’ve built something complementary to the vibrant agency landscape in North Texas by blending our deep understanding of arts and entertainment with the deep agency acumen and production experience of Andrea and Tyrone.”

“We are passionate about the intersection of creativity, culture, and commerce,” added AndreaWilson, Partner and Brand Strategist. “At Phonetic, we amplify the cultural relevance of the brands we work with, setting them apart in a crowded marketplace in a unique way that emotionally moves consumers towards engagement with our clients.”

With a diverse team of world-class creatives both locally and nationally, Phonetic is ideally positioned to deliver superior quality work that drives measurable results. The agency is currently accepting new clients and is committed to growing intentionally with projects and partnerships that are a strategic fit for all parties.