Designing the Next-Generation Agency Workforce

By India Fizer

Kamron Clark-Carpenter on what Gen Z expects — and how agencies must respond

What does it take to retain ambitious young talent in an industry defined by constant change? Kamron Clark-Carpenter explains why clarity, structured development and reciprocal learning are now essential. From rethinking internships to building an agency-wide AI task force, Marcus Thomas is approaching talent growth as intentionally as client strategy.

What are the biggest retention challenges agencies are facing right now?

One of the most pressing retention challenges facing agencies right now is that young talent thrives on clarity and consistency, and the dynamics of the agency business don’t always support that well.

In high-performance, client-driven environments, priorities shift quickly. Without clear career pathways, structured feedback and consistent manager engagement, employees can struggle to see how their growth connects to the business.

At Marcus Thomas, we’ve formalized career ladders across all our practice areas, but we don’t treat those ladders as static. As the industry evolves, roles evolve. Our progression frameworks are reviewed and refined to reflect on how work is changing.

Early career strategy also has been foundational to retention. Emerging talent want experiences early on that they feel will strengthen their career development. We redesigned our internship program to be development-driven, intentionally working to give our interns exposure and experience in more than one discipline. Many of our former interns have grown into long-term team members and even leadership roles. That pipeline matters.

Equally important is manager enablement. We’re investing in preparing managers to have better development conversations. When employees understand what they’re doing well, where they can grow and how they contribute to client success, confidence increases. And confident employees stay.

Retention today depends on intentional structure, not just strong culture.

Are mentorship models evolving in response to AI and remote work?

What is changing is that mentorship is becoming reciprocal. As quickly as technology and AI are evolving, junior staff are critical in bringing experimentation and learning forward. Our young professionals frequently bring emerging AI knowledge and tool experimentation into the agency. Leaders bring strategic judgment, client context and business experience. The exchange goes both ways.

We’re also believers in organic mentorship over forced mentorship. Young professionals take initiative to connect with leaders beyond their immediate teams, especially in an integrated agency model where cross-disciplinary exposure is possible. Critical to success, though, is that leaders create an environment that encourages mentorship and spend the time to engage with early-career staff members.

We also support development through group-based learning. Our Young Professionals programming and leadership-led lunch-and-learns create structured exposure opportunities. Mentorship is no longer defined by hierarchy. It is defined by access and shared expertise.

How do you foster innovation without overwhelming teams with constant tech change?

We’ve established an AI task force with representation from various integrated disciplines across the agency, ensuring that experimentation is not siloed. We encourage diverse perspectives on how AI can enhance workflows. The entire agency is encouraged to experiment, and we prioritize implementing AI solutions that enhance the value we deliver to clients, so that we can spend more time getting great ideas to market. We also prioritize investing human insight and instinct into the work where emotional connections are essential.

Leadership communicates a grounded technology narrative. We trust our staff as professionals, encourage exploration and provide guardrails. The goal is not to chase every new tool. It is to adopt what meaningfully enhances creativity and client outcomes.

Technology should amplify talent, not destabilize or replace it.

What differences are you seeing in Gen Z’s expectations compared to previous generations?

Gen Z expects growth with intention.

They are not only focused on promotion but also focused on building expertise. They want to know they’re developing real skills that increase their long-term value. They also expect transparency around expectations and regular feedback.

Cross-disciplinary exposure is especially important. Many don’t want to be siloed into one narrow specialty. They want to understand how strategy, media, creative, analytics and other disciplines intersect.

Agencies that listen to and apply what they learn, rather than simply acknowledge it, will retain this generation.

What characteristics and / or skills will a future marketer need, to advance in what feels like an unpredictable industry?

Future marketers will need to relish in the unknown and demonstrate adaptability and strategic intelligence.

Executional responsibilities will continue to shift as automation advances. The differentiator will be judgment, cultural awareness and the ability to translate insights into business impact.

Data literacy and technological fluency are essential, but so are communication and influence. In an integrated agency model, success depends on the ability to collaborate across disciplines and align teams around client goals.

Above all, curiosity will matter. The most valuable marketers will be those who continuously learn, experiment responsibly and stay culturally fluent.

The future of agencies will not be defined by tools alone. It will be defined by resilient teams that evolve alongside the work and strengthen long-term client partnerships in the process.