We're not really rock stars. But we make sure our clients are.

Troy Brandt

As the founder of Take it to Eleven, Troy has been making it one louder for more than 20 years. An award-winning Twin Cities art director and graphic/interactive designer, he has developed bold marketing and design for businesses in the marine, marketing, medical, manufacturing, sports, nonprofit, and retail industries for brands such as Cummins, Genmar, Honeywell, Premier Marine, Paradysz, Monster Sports, the University of Minnesota, PGA 2009, Hazeltine National Golf Club and Best Buy.

Troy is a former drummer who now spends his time strumming a G chord on an acoustic guitar and making up jingles about people as they try to work.

Mike Menne

A partner at Take it to Eleven, Mike brings valuable client-side experience to the agency from his 10-year tenure as Premier Pontoons' director of marketing. Call it marketing empathy, but Mike understands the unique challenges marketing managers face and knows what it takes to get the job done. A graduate of Saint John's University with majors in business management and communications, Mike has quickly compiled a world-class knowledge of the marine, manufacturing and print industries, and has managed marketing plans yielding annual growth rates of 30 percent.

To our knowledge, Mike has no musical ability whatsoever. But he wishes he was Bono.

Marc Conklin

Every agency needs a "big idea" guy, and at Take it to Eleven, that's Marc. An award-winning screenwriter and creative director, Marc is trusted by clients to understand their industry, competition and challenges quickly, then find a way to reach key audiences with big-screen creativity and clarity. With over 15 years in marketing, Marc has worked with clients from a wide range of industries, including Anytime Fitness, HealthPartners, Honeywell, Qwest, Hamline University, Thomson Reuters, Legal Aid, Make A Wish Minnesota and Nicollet Island Inn.

Marc is a guitarist who played in bands from the age of 14, until he realized that playing for beer and coffee beans would never support a family.

Scott Sand

You know how some "biz dev" guys seem like they care more about hitting their monthly sales goals than taking the time to understand yours? Scott fits well into our "roadie vs. rock star" culture by being the exact opposite. He easily develops relationships with business professionals of all stripes and from virtually any industry—shedding light on profitable opportunities based on a modern, "user-centered" marketing approach. Scott can get along with almost anybody, but he is a St. John's grad (so if you're a Tommy, just keep it to yourself).

Scott could try to sell you on the idea that he's a musician, but we know otherwise ...

Todd Lester

Todd brings Take it to Eleven's clients a "both-sides-of-the-brain" perspective. One part creative thinker, one part problem-solver, Todd is known for his ability to see the big picture one minute, then get down to the nitty-gritty details the next. A seasoned interactive professional, Todd has led teams that have brought over 200 websites to market, working with brands including Purina, General Mills, National City, Alamo Rent-A-Car, The Bahamas and the NYSE. His experience as a coder and project manager gives him the broad-based experience that translates to giving clients solid advice on the front end for successful projects on the back end.

Todd is a drummer and member of the Minneapolis electronic duo Machines in Transit as well as an all-around audio guru who can make a wicked remix in Logic.

Patterson Leeth

When he says his name is "Patterson," don't ask him for his first name. Our newest producer/project manager, Patterson recently relocated to the Twin Cities via Omaha—not to mention New York, southern Missouri, Australia, Turkey and Peru. Eclectic, to say the least, Patterson has done everything from directing an arts advocacy group and project managing an architectural design firm, to working in both a marina and a metal fabrication shop. An avid fisherman, you can generally find Patterson on a river when he's not in the office.

While he loves music, Patterson hasn't played an instrument since dabbling on the recorder in the 5th grade.

Anita Riedner

From the streets of Warsaw to our office on Washington Avenue, Anita finally settled down after years of international travel and a career in engineering (our little miss smarty pants has a masters in structural engineering). Always drawn to her creative side, Anita made the leap to web design and development. She is an emotional being who laughs, loves life a lot and she truly treasures applying a little of herself into her work (and ultimately your end product). She loves Kielbasa and Vodka. Seems a bit stereotypical so we're encouraging her to switch to beer and hot dogs. You're in America now, Anita. She sounds like a Bond character (and as it turns out, she's married to a trained killer that makes James Bond seem like Robby).

Joe Lavoie

A little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds ...
Little-known fact: Bob Seger originally wrote that song about Joe — even though he wasn’t born yet. Joe certainly has that rock star physique (the non‑Meat Loaf kind), and as a designer, he brings to our clients a unique, almost old-school appreciation of "handcrafted" aesthetics in the digital age. We’ve felt Joe’s lightning. Now we’re waiting on the thunder. Oh yeah, we’re waiting on the thunder.

Kristi Branigan

Having grown up working in her parents’ bar in small–town Wisconsin, Kristi came to us with perfect blend of Irish sugar and spice. She understands how to get the job done with just the right diplomacy normally reserved for the over served. But don’t let her small stature fool you, she packs a punch when the going gets rough. And she has a relentless approach to getting your projects done on time. Little known fact: “Cocktails and Dreams” was originally Kristi’s idea which was stolen by Hollywood for a little known Tom Cruise movie. She’s petite and sweet and we all think she’s neat!

Marko Zitzer

Marko recently joined what he thought was the "wolf pack" and quickly found out it's just a place to work (aw, sad face). With enough drive to get him past the disappointment, Marko dove in head first and is really ramping up our video division with vim and vigor. He's a little guy (almost elfish) with big ambitions. His first project is the all-new "11-second films"—a series of shorts that will come out with our newsletter, giving you a little insight into the inner workings of Eleven.

Riley Farrell

Straight from the gates of MCAD, where boys run free, free through the fresh green meadows, where you can wear your shorts. Riley came to us with little more than a dance belt and a tube of chapstick, but quickly became a viable force of design. And, at about 6’ 4”, he’s not only in line to be our new company basketball center, but he’s taken over the title of tallest, skinniest dude in the office (former title holder, Joe Lavoie 6’3”, about 165 soaking wet). Riley is accomplished in motion graphics that will incite your business beyond motion sickness.

Olga Budzilovich

Known as "The Pride of Belarus," Olga is a front-end interactive developer who understands the importance of following web standards. Olga brought her passion for design to Eleven after working at PRI International and earning her B.S. in interactive media design from The Art Institutes International, as well as a computer science degree from St. Paul Technical and Community College.

If Olga is musical, she's hiding that talent behind her real hobby of choice: being outside and photographing nature.

Crew Not Pictured

The following TITE players have bios and photos forthcoming. We're workin' on it.

• Christina Berglund - designer
• Ryan Pederson - interactive developer
• Sean - interactive developer
• Micah Elofsen - the go-to guy