How Lorenzo Costa Built One of Chicago’s Fastest Growing Gen Z Agencies
From Wet Car Towels to Digital Billboards
Let’s rewind to Lorenzo Costa, age 14, freezing his hands off at his dad’s car wash in Chicago. January wind slicing through his hoodie, wiping down car after car while thinking, “There’s gotta be more than this.”
Fast forward a decade. He’s the founder and CEO of Link Creative, a Gen Z-led marketing agency helping businesses across Chicago build their digital presence. His team creates websites, runs SEO, produces content, and somehow does all of it without paid ads. Just taste, trust, and hustle.
How’d he get here? A little DJing. A lot of risk. And a relentless belief in personal branding.
This is the kind of story that matters if you’re trying to break into the creative industry. If your background doesn’t check every box, Lorenzo’s journey proves you don’t need it to.
What You’ll Get from This Breakdown
It shows how varied experiences—DJing, failed side hustles, and even working in finance—can become assets in building a creative business. In this article, we’ll cover:
How Lorenzo’s upbringing shaped his leadership style
How Gen Z values became a real business advantage
Why prioritizing your own brand actually works
So if you're wondering whether to send that cold email, launch your freelance brand, or just post more of your work, this might help you see the upside.
Not an Ad Major? Doesn’t Matter
Here’s the thing. Lorenzo didn’t go to school for advertising. He studied consumer economics and finance. He interned at a web development shop during college and later tried launching a dropshipping brand called "Elastilace"—a no-tie shoelace company.
It worked for about two weeks. The store brought in $20K in revenue, but nearly all of it disappeared into ad spend and slow overseas shipping. Customer complaints piled up. The store shut down. He moved on.
He eventually landed a full-time finance job at Northern Trust. But deep down, he knew that world wasn't for him. And he made the call many young creatives face. He left stability behind to build something his own way.
The DJ Booth Was the First Client Pitch
Lorenzo’s experience as a DJ ended up being more important than his degree. He was one of the youngest residents at Tao Chicago. DJing paid well, but more importantly, it connected him to the right rooms. Event producers, venue owners, entrepreneurs. People who knew how to create a vibe—and needed help telling their stories online.
Over time, DJing evolved into creative direction. That became media consulting. Then came Link Creative. It was scrappy and unofficial at first. Lorenzo worked his nine-to-five, DJed nights, and ran the agency in between.
Eventually, the side project became the main thing.
Keep It Tight, Keep It Local
Link Creative isn’t trying to be the next mega-agency. It’s built with a different approach. The team is fully in-house, based in Chicago, and entirely Gen Z. They focus on mid-sized and legacy brands that haven’t yet nailed their digital strategy.
Their process is content-first, brand-aware, and rooted in collaboration. Each client gets a dedicated account manager, whether they’re a family-owned grocery store or a hospitality group. Production stays close to home. Nothing gets handed off to faceless freelancers. That’s how they maintain consistency and trust.
And they never bought a single ad.
All of their growth came from referrals, organic content, and showing up online the way they want their clients to.
Treat Yourself Like a Client
One of Lorenzo’s most important decisions was to treat Link Creative like its most important client.
A lot of agencies preach digital strategy but barely post. No blog. No videos. Just outdated PDFs and a logo.
Link flipped the script. They post behind-the-scenes clips. They run their own podcast. They named everything—clients are “Links,” their vlog is “Behind the Link,” and their studio sits in the middle of their office.
It’s weird, it’s consistent, and it works.
That level of attention to their own presence helped them win trust. Clients could see the standard before the first meeting.
What You Can Take Away
Lorenzo’s story shows that you don’t need the perfect resume or traditional background to make it in creative advertising. What you do need is the willingness to start, to learn in public, and to keep showing up even when no one’s watching.
He turned a DJ booth into a career. He built a brand with no outside funding. He grew an agency without paying for traffic. That didn’t come from magic. It came from persistence, good taste, and caring enough to take the long way.
If you're a student, freelancer, or someone who still feels on the outside looking in, start building. Post something. Design something. Email someone. You’re not as far behind as you think.
Want the Full Story?
In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, we sat down with Lorenzo Costa, Founder and CEO of Link Creative, right inside his office in River North. It’s a candid, practical conversation about:
Turning nightlife gigs into marketing relationships
Hiring with taste and instinct instead of resumes
Building a team culture that’s tight-knit and execution-focused
Finding clients without running a single ad
🎧 Listen to the episode on:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@breakingenteringadvertisin6816
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mlC7OWM5dTb3O8XmdzHSd
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-and-entering-advertising-podcast/id1506434104
This is the kind of story you listen to once and keep thinking about for months.
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