INDEPENDENT STRATEGY & CREATIVE / BALTIMORE + SAN DIEGO / EST. 2009

Make what’s next work.

We combine strategic intelligence with creative ambition to help organizations grow, evolve, and make an impact.

Introduce Your Project
Explore Our Work

01 / SELECTED OUTCOMES

The work makes the case.

Different industries. Complex challenges. One consistent ambition: make something meaningful happen.

$111.6M

Economic impact from Light City, the festival we created. 1.3M+ attendees and 2.9B media impressions.

Light City

9-figure pipeline

From the go-to-market playbook we rebuilt for GreenWell Energy.

GreenWell Energy

$500K+ raised

For a second trash wheel, after we gave Mr. Trash Wheel his name, his googly eyes and his voice. Discovery Channel’s #1 story of the year.

Mr. Trash Wheel

  • Close-up view of solar panels on a roof during sunset or sunrise

    Market Expansion Unlocked

    What Works Studio transformed GreenWell Energy’s go-to-market playbook. The result: a nine-figure pipeline.

    GreenWell Energy
  • Night view of a city waterfront with colorful star-shaped lights floating on the water, modern high-rise buildings with illuminated windows, and a large tent-like structure on the pier.

    Large-Scale Cultural Impact & Economic Development

    As the original creators of Light City, we led the concept, strategy, and partnership development behind America’s first international light festival, generating $111.6M in economic impact, drawing 1.3M+ attendees, and securing more than 2.9B media impressions over its three-year run.

    Light City Festival
  • City skyline at sunset with tall buildings, a river, and cloudy sky.

    Iconic Waterfront Repositioned

    Baltimore’s waterfront needed a clearer identity and a refreshed story. We helped reposition this historic destination with a modern strategy that brought clarity, cohesion, and momentum.

    Waterfront Partnership
  • A floating structure with large cartoonish eyes on a body of water, resembling a whimsical watercraft or attraction, with a city skyline and a water taxi in the background.

    Global Cultural Phenomenon

    We transformed an innovative harbor trash interceptor into a global environmental icon by creating the personality, storytelling, and social presence that made Mr. Trash Wheel a beloved internet celebrity and international symbol for ocean conservancy.

    Mr. Trash Wheel

  • High-Stakes Public Messaging

    Amid rapid growth and shifting health communications needs, Kaiser Permanente turned to us to stabilize, streamline, and scale their social media systems resulting in major gains in engagement.

    Kaiser Permanente

Explore All Work →

02 / WHERE WE WORK

Experience where it counts.

Deep sector understanding. Fresh perspective. The ability to see possibilities others miss.

01

Waterfronts & destinations

Making places more magnetic, memorable, and economically vital.

02

Healthcare

Helping complex organizations build trust, communicate clearly, and grow.

03

Energy, infrastructure & industrial tech

Turning sophisticated offerings into compelling market opportunities.

04

Nonprofits & mission-driven organizations

Making important missions more visible, engaging, and effective.

03 / OUR POINT OF VIEW

Good ideas are everywhere. Making them work takes a different kind of partner.

How we work ↗

04 / WHAT WE BRING

Think boldly.
Execute brilliantly.

Strategy & growth. Brand & experience. Marketing & digital. Connected by senior-level thinking and hands-on delivery.

  • “What Works Studio has been instrumental in accelerating our pipeline faster than we ever imagined.”  

    James Wells III, CEO, GreenWell Energy

    More Testimonials

05 / START A CONVERSATION

Something big in mind?

Let’s make it work ↗