down for a better world
We are a Sacramento-based full service creative agency that has been serving the community for over 30 years. As a female-founded, human-centered and purpose driven company, we make it a point to help organizations that are doing good things for the world.
This is what we’re about.
At Uptown, our empathy sets us apart. We’re conscious of who we create for and the societal impact of our work, always striving to produce work that serves the greater good. We’re committed to accessibility and inclusivity, designing with ADA compliance in mind to ensure everyone can engage. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, both within our team and with our clients. We stand firm in our values, embracing versatility without sacrificing professionalism. As an all-inclusive agency, our creativity knows no limits. We like to think outside the box, offering ideas with precision and expertise so our work resonates across all mediums. We’re down for anything, if our clients are up for something different.
Where We Came From & Where We’re At
Tina Reynolds founded Uptown in 1992 in her living room, when marketing was all about print, TV, radio, and Yellow Page ads. The internet was in its infancy. She expanded the business gradually and developed a studio model that was able to transition to meet ever-evolving client demands for new services. In 1999, the first office space was rented across the street from Cesar Chavez Park and the first employees, a few graphic designers and a web developer, were hired. In 2007, Uptown expanded business operations, moved into a two-bedroom bungalow office on Alhambra Boulevard and added a social media manager. In 2015, to cater to Uptown’s accessible brand promise, a new building in the Greater Broadway District was acquired and designed with ADA accessibility in mind.
In 2020, the Uptown team shifted to a primarily remote work setup in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2024, Tina, though still the community face and energetic engine of Uptown, reduced her leadership duties as Jonathan took over the dual role of CEO/CFO. The company transitioned into its current fully virtual studio. Tina has always had an innate talent for connecting with people and, through her enthusiastic involvement in a diverse range of nonprofit boards and committees, has developed and maintained many long-lasting business partnerships over the years. Uptown is at the top of its game; running a lean, nimble crew of creative, dedicated and enthusiastic professionals. Right now, we’re up for anything.
Are you thinking about collaborating with us?
We had a great experience working with the Uptown team to overhaul our website. The previous version was clunky, outdated and difficult to update regularly, so unsurprisingly we weren’t seeing much benefit from it. I worked with April to lay out the vision for the new site, design the elements and learn to make our own updates, and in addition to being lovely to work with for that process, she has continued to be a resource for me when I hit a snag making updates or need a reminder on how to perform a particular function. Our new website brought us into compliance with ADA guidelines and made us eligible for Google Ad Grants, which has greatly improved the visibility and functionality of our website; in the first year post-launch, website traffic saw a 450% increase and quarterly donations also increased by 400%. As a nonprofit with a small team, we need our website to be effective and low-maintenance, and Uptown helped us achieve both!
Emily Blade, Executive Director of Friends of Front Street Shelter
The team at Uptown has consistently provided top-notch creative and technical support to my organization in the areas of website design, videography and graphic design. They have a very talented, multi-disciplinary team who are fun to work with and who are always responsive. I view Uptown as a one-stop shop for a variety of communications and design strategies in support of high impact, social change efforts.
Jim Keddy, Executive Director, Youth Forward & Sac Kids First
Uptown Studios came to our rescue after our website crashed and required a complete redesign during the busiest season of our year. The team at Uptown redesigned our website using one of their themes, and they were able to have us back up and running in record time! The website design is clean, efficient, and easy to navigate, and they took the time to teach us how to update our own content regularly. Their care and support has been nothing short of wonderful. We are very grateful for their partnership!
Marshall Callaway, Chief Administrative Officer, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento
I just wanted to share that Jaime has been amazing to work with on our website development. Our process over the last couple of weeks has been seamless and the team is delivering. I really appreciate the hard work as we were so excited to launch our site! I’ve enjoyed working with her and having the team execute and make revisions very quickly.
Elizabeth Wood, Chief Operating Officer, The Jacquelyn
Your developer, Brent, has been great to work with on the new form, and our website management overall. Clear communication, accurate edits, and timely responses.
Melanie Hogan, Chief Development Officer, California Fire Safe Council
I don’t know how to thank Uptown Studios for making this process fun, easy. You did a great job! I appreciate all of your assistance.
Tina Bonilla, Bonilla Communications
OMG Gilda! The fact it took me 4 times to get through without crying is a testament to the love and attention you put into this celebration of life video.
Tim Ray
This animation looks amazing. Thank you so much to you and your team. You’ve made this process so smooth for us. I know the team appreciates your work, and efforts bringing our ideas to life through this project. I am excited to show this to some of the youth in our community, and our community partners. I’m also planning to use it as a tool with our youth advisory group.
Joseph Gray, CommuniCare + OLE
I just wanted to provide a quick note of appreciation for one of your employees. Gilda worked tirelessly to get us our video project by the deadline, working closely with me and providing clear direction and flexibility to the dozen-plus people who submitted their own self-taped videos for the project. I absolutely love the finished product and how everything came together, and I am so appreciative of Gilda’s efforts and going above and beyond. Thanks for having such a great team!
Amanda, Health Access California
Truly amazing, Hope! Thank you so much for your partnership. You have done a truly exceptional job monitoring our account and increasing our organization’s visibility. We appreciate you!
Terrell, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families
All of the testimonial videos are great! I loved and am so grateful to have been a part of the process. Thank you all for your partnership and authenticity. I know these videos will help others!
Lori, County of Sacramento, Department of Health Services
Uptown Studios has been amazing to work with. They have been very professional in the work and also in the process they created for feedback. I appreciate that so much.