How Hunterblu uses bonuses and perks to encourage a healthy work-life balance

At the end of its last quarter, Hunterblu distributed among its 23 employees $95,000 in bonuses. This wasn’t an atypical move inspired by an exceptionally lucrative quarter—the Florida-based agency does it every quarter. Twenty percent of its net revenue goes back to its employees as bonuses four times per year, every year. See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here Employees can use the funds as they see fit. Some save it for vacations they already had planned thanks to unlimited PTO with a minimum two-week vacation requirement for the year. Others combine it with the $750 stipend they get for a hotel stay if they’re promoted. “We encourage them to just blow it and have fun with it,” said David Hunter, co-founder of Hunterblu. “It’s fun money. Other people use it for more practical purposes.” Judicious spenders still get to enjoy the company’s holiday retreat every year, usually during the summer. In June, Hunterblu invited all of its employees and their plus-ones to a Key West getaway. “We’ve met almost everyone’s mom because they love to bring their moms,” said Jessica Blumberg, co-founder of Hunterblu. The agency will take everyone on a Virgin Voyages cruise in May this year—slightly earlier than normal as it hopes to avoid the worst of hurricane season, which complicated travel last year. Meeting during these events is especially important as Hunterblu maintains a completely remote workplace, Blumberg said, adding that employees do need to be based in either Florida or Georgia—the states where the agency is registered as a company. Still, Hunter maintained that its 100% remote workplace policy has been good for retaining talent, which in turn looks good to clients. See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here While employees are expected to travel for client meetings, there are limits to what Hunterblu will have them do. A client once gave the agency an ultimatum: work weekends or lose the account. Hunterblu chose the latter, telling the client it would need to pay more to make up for employee turnover. “We set those boundaries in place very early with clients,” Hunter said. “We try to educate them on this being better for them in the long run because we’re not constantly having to retrain somebody on our team.” When the agency makes a new hire, that employee enjoys a week of paid time off before beginning. “People can’t afford to take a week off between jobs, but it’s really important,” Blumberg said. “You can’t stop working on Friday at 5 p.m. at another job and then start a new job on Monday at 9. There’s no time to decompress and take care of life, so we instituted that policy and it’s been really popular.” Hunterblu doesn’t see itself growing past 30 employees anytime soon. “A big piece for us is making sure we know our employees and they aren’t just a number,” Hunter said. See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here

How Hunterblu uses bonuses and perks to encourage a healthy work-life balance

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