Ace Studios

06/15/2026

We’re excited to welcome the May Arboretum Society as a new social media client at Ace Studios! 🌿

As a Reno-based nonprofit, the May Arboretum Society plays an important role in supporting the preservation, growth, and long-term sustainability of the Wilbur D. May Arboretum at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.

From events and education to workshops, membership, volunteer opportunities, and exciting growth projects like the Cactus & Succulent Garden, their work helps keep one of Nevada’s most treasured community resources thriving.

We’re honored to help share their story, grow their digital presence, and connect more people with the beauty and impact of the Arboretum.

Learn more and get involved: https://mayarboretumsociety.org/

06/12/2026

Congrats to our CEO, Kurt Thigpen!

Meet Ad Person of the Year: Kurt Thigpen

Kurt Thigpen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ace Studios, a Reno-based creative marketing and production agency built around one simple belief: creativity for good. Ace partners with purpose-driven organizations to tell sharper stories, spark connection, and create lasting impact through strategy, design, digital marketing, photography, and video.
Equal parts strategist, storyteller, and professional chaos wrangler, alongside his husband Chris, Kurt has helped grow Ace into an award-winning agency recognized as AAF Western Region’s 2024 Advertising Agency of the Year. His leadership is rooted in the idea that good work should actually do something—for clients, for communities, and for the people brave enough to build something that matters.

Kurt’s commitment to AAF runs deep. He has served as President of AAF Reno, Governor of District 14, Western Region Treasurer, and now serves nationally as Vice Chair of the AAF Council of Governors. In 2024, he was honored with AAF’s national Lee-Douthit-Levine Perseverance Award, recognizing his resilience, leadership, and ongoing service to the advertising community.

Beyond the industry, Kurt is also a dedicated public servant. A former elected school board trustee, he now serves as Chair of Nevada’s State Public Charter School Authority, continuing his advocacy for education, equity, and stronger communities.

Whether he’s leading an agency, supporting the grassroots AAF network, or serving the public, Kurt brings the same energy: strategic, unfiltered when necessary, deeply mission-driven, and always focused on leaving things better than he found them.

Join us on June 25th from 5:30p-8:30p at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to celebrate Kurt and the rest of our honorees. Admission includes food and 1 drink.

Get your tickets now at https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

05/27/2026

An impact report should feel more like a story than a document.

We recently partnered with Sage Ridge School to help bring their 2024–2025 Impact Report to life — highlighting the students, educators, families, and supporters shaping the future of the school every day.

From editorial design and messaging support to refining the overall narrative flow, this project was built to celebrate community, progress, and the transformational power of education.

We’re grateful to help mission-driven organizations tell stories that matter.

05/26/2026

Please join us in congratulating our CEO, Kurt Thigpen, for being recognized as one of this year's Ad People of the Year by AAF Reno!

Join us at the gala in June: https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

Please join us for our Ad People of the Year Awards gala on June 25th at the Atlantis!

Cheers to our 2025 Ad People of the Year:
Thomas C. Wilson Lifetime Achievement: Laura Partridge
Ad Person of the Year: Danni Winter and Kurt Thigpen
Community Contribution of the Year: Kristen Saibini, Downtown Reno Partnership
Young Professional of the Year Award presented by Ad 2 Reno: Rowena Magbitang-Pinero

For full event information and to buy tickets, go to https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

05/18/2026

🚨 We’re Hiring at Ace Studios 🚨

We’re growing our team and looking for creative, driven people who want real-world agency experience working on brands, campaigns, websites, and content across Northern Nevada and beyond.

We’re currently hiring for:
• Part-Time Social Media Assistant
• Web Design Intern

If you’re passionate about creativity, digital marketing, storytelling, or web design — we’d love to hear from you.

At Ace Studios, you won’t just grab coffee and sit in meetings. You’ll work alongside an award-winning creative team on real client projects that make an impact.

Apply here: https://acestudios.com/jobs/

05/11/2026

Big news from Ace Studios: we’re officially expanding our work with the City of Sacramento.

Our team has been selected to support the City’s Entertainment Services Division with permit education and communications — helping make important information more accessible, easier to understand, and more useful for the people, venues, businesses, and community partners who rely on it.

This work will include expanding digital resources, creating educational content, supporting public-facing communications, and helping simplify the permit journey for Sacramento’s entertainment and special events community.

As a creative agency with roots in both Reno and Sacramento, this partnership means a lot to us. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support a city with such a vibrant cultural, creative, and entertainment landscape — and to help make the process behind bringing events to life a little clearer for everyone involved.

Excited to get to work.

05/06/2026

Your team has changed. Your services have evolved.
But your headshots are still whispering “2019 LinkedIn energy.” Let’s fix that. 📸
For Team Refresh Month, we’re offering a special deal for small businesses that need new headshots and team photos, just in time for summer.
Available until June 15.
Email [email protected] for a quote.
Tiny glow-up. Big professional energy.

03/20/2026

We had a blast at the AAF Sacramento American Advertising Awards!

Congrats to this year’s winners!

03/10/2026

10 years.

A decade of creativity, storytelling, and building brands that matter.

What started as a small idea has grown into something bigger than we ever imagined — thanks to the clients, partners, and community who believed in us along the way.

We’ve got some exciting things planned to celebrate this milestone throughout the year.

More soon. 🔶

03/03/2026

New Coffee Talks with Ace featuring James Gayles—Emmy Award-winning designer and watercolor portrait artist. A conversation about identity, artistry, and creating work that uplifts. Releasing today at 4 PM. Check it out on our YouTube channel. 🎨

Coffee Talks with Ace - Painting Pain into Color - James Gayles 🎬

https://youtu.be/fGnd--1QVl4?si=HqXY29xqw3BulLCq