Ep 7: Hiring for the Agency of the Future

Most agency founders know the work itself is changing fast. The harder question is what an agency has to become as execution gets increasingly commoditized. In this episode of Agency Confidential, Jeff Shannon sits down with Dee Dang, founder of Right Hook Digital, to talk about nearly a decade of building an ecommerce growth agency through multiple versions of the agency game. Dee shares how Right Hook grew from two founders taking almost any client they could get to a 120+ person agency, including the unexpected pre-revenue client that became a nine-figure luggage brand. He also breaks down why content and reputation became such powerful growth levers, how his approach to hiring has evolved, and what he looks for during an employee’s first 30, 60 and 90 days. Then Jeff and Dee get into the question every agency is working through right now: what happens to agency teams when AI can handle more of the execution? They talk about the rise of high-leverage strategists and problem solvers, what Jeff has learned from putting an AI agent in charge of a real ad account, and why agency founders need firsthand experience with the tools reshaping their businesses. What you’ll learn: How Right Hook Digital grew from two people to more than 120 at its peak How July Luggage became the lighthouse client that helped accelerate Right Hook’s growth Why consistent content can change the quality of clients and employees an agency attracts How Dee hires for culture, experience and “spongeability” Why the first 30, 60 and 90 days are the real job interview How Right Hook uses controlled pressure to evaluate new hires Where Dee looks for experienced agency talent Why problem-solving ability becomes more valuable as AI handles more execution What Jeff learned from letting an AI agent manage a live ad account How Dee is using AI as a second brain across meetings, management and decision-making Chapters: 00:00 How July Luggage found Right Hook before it had revenue 01:20 Dee Dang and the evolution of Right Hook Digital 03:35 From film production to Facebook ads 07:53 Building the agency from scratch 12:01 Finding the lighthouse client that changed everything 14:25 Why content became table stakes for agency growth 20:38 Hiring for culture, experience and problem solving 24:03 Why the first 90 days are the real interview 32:45 A surprising place to recruit experienced agency talent 34:08 What AI means for the future of agency teams 36:30 Jeff’s experiment with an AI-managed ad account 40:18 Building a team of better problem solvers 42:36 Why agency founders need to get hands-on with AI 44:30 Dee’s AI-powered second brain Links & Resources: Agency (peer network): https://www.joinagency.co/?utm_source... Pilothouse: https://www.pilothouse.co/ Subscribe to the DTC Newsletter: https://www.directtoconsumer.co/