Blake Renda is featured in the Community Highlights story in the August 15th issue of VoyageLA. Blake is always excited and enthusiastic when it comes to sharing his story and the story of Dragon Horse.
Blake was born in Santa Monica, CA, and raised in West L.A. He graduated from the University of Southern California. Blake has worked in a variety of businesses from NBC Studios in Burbank to being a Sr. Paralegal in L.A. From a young age, he was interested in investing and entrepreneurship. In 1994, he was afforded the opportunity to immerse himself in the culture volunteering to be part of a team to open the second office of the legal firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, and Lowey, P.A. He loved every minute!
As the years progressed, so did Blake’s success. He worked his way through the industry that he so very much loved. He was ranked as a Best of the Buy Side Investor in 2001 and was nominated again in 2004. And in 2008, Blake relocated to Florida as a full-time resident. During this time, he wore many hats as part of a start-up company. “It is a team effort; I am passionate about business and very competitive, and I like to succeed.” In 2015, Blake set his sights on other entrepreneurial opportunities.
“While investing in public and private companies over the years and working as an entrepreneur myself, I had extensive experience working with marketing agencies and found those experiences frustrating. These experiences stayed with me and were the spark that lit my next endeavors.”
Blake set out to be different. He wanted to create a firm that offered a comprehensive business strategy with a comprehensive platform of marketing services under one roof. A “one-stop-shop” for clients. Blake brought in President and Co-Founder Julie Koester during the early stages of forming Dragon Horse. She was not only interested in the idea of Dragon Horse, but Moxie Creed as well.
For the first year and a half of their holding company Veedor Holdings, LLC, they worked out of Julie’s kitchen funding the business themselves and taking no compensation. In 2018, they moved into a slightly larger office space. (They could have desks.) Before they knew it, Dragon Horse rapidly took hold and others began to notice that they were not your average marketing agency.
“We vet our clients to ensure a good fit on both sides, and business strategy – and how that incorporates the client’s overall marketing strategy – is front and center. We are serious about whom we work with and the results we produce.”
Dragon Horse is no bi-coastal with offices in Naples, FL and Santa Monica, CA providing complete marketing services and business strategies. Blake continues to use the same due diligence, vetting and analysis that he did back in his investing days to make Dragon Horse the powerhouse that it is.
“It’s all about our client’s success. It’s not about winning awards or personal achievements; they are simply results of our commitment to excellence and a passionately accomplished job.”
Today, Dragon Horse is a multi-award-winning business marketing firm with local, national, and international clients.
To read more about P. Blake Renda’s life, successes and Dragon Horse, check out the full story in VoyageLA.