About

Welcome to What Works

What Works Studio is an award-winning, certified woman-owned agency with offices in Baltimore and San Diego.

Since 2009, we’ve been creating brands, projects, and campaigns that have become culturally significant movements that capture the attention of the world.

Our work has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in measurable economic impact and ROI, billions of earned media impressions, over a million festival attendees, viral social media events, and global brand recognition for our clients seeking to create monumental change at scale. Our testimonials speak for themselves.

We have won many awards, including Innovator of the Year and Creative Group of the Year, but our primary focus is on creating big wins for our clients and we have a strong track record of delivering transformational results with global reach.

What Works Studio is led by Brooke Hall (Founder/CEO) and Justin Allen (Partner/COO). Our team includes 20+ professionals working as project managers, social media specialists, content creators, designers, developers, copy writers, and creative strategists who are uniquely talented at their craft.

As a certified woman-owned business, What Works Studio is one of the 0.1% of female-founded creative agencies in the U.S.

Our Track Record

Whether we’re on the front lines of Kaiser Permanente’s social media during the COVID-19 Pandemic or creating and popularizing the now famous trash interceptor Mr. Trash Wheel, we’re known for thinking big and helping our clients create meaningful impact.  

We dreamt up and spearheaded Light City—America’s first international light festival, which drew over 400,000 attendees in its inaugural year and contributed $111.8 million to the Maryland economy. We also produced Light City U, a six-day, sold-out innovation conference.

We helped launch a groundbreaking #GivingTuesday campaign that raised $5.7 Million for nonprofits in 24 hours and made Baltimore the “Most Generous City in America.” This achievement is now featured in a permanent philanthropy exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute.

We've crafted brand-defining campaigns that generated record attendance across 21 locations for the Enoch Pratt Free Library and we continue to manage digital marketing and produce an award-winning podcast on their behalf.

We have executed multiple milestone celebrations for organizations including producing a community-focused drone show to commemorate the 200th Anniversary for the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). Most recently, we executed a successful influencer campaign to engage target audiences and drive them to enroll in diabetes programs designed to improve the overall health of the community. 

Our track record demonstrates our bold thinking, diligent execution, and unwavering commitment to our clients' success.

We consistently hit home runs, delivering exceptional results that exceed expectations and make a lasting impact.

Our Expertise

For over 15 years, we’ve been dedicated to delivering exceptional results for more than 140 clients, earning hundreds of testimonials, press features, and awards.

We are experts in branding, design, content, creative direction, campaigns, digital marketing, advertising, content marketing, websites, social media, email marketing, video and podcast production, and, most importantly, strategy.

Explore our portfolio to see how we consistently stand out and make a difference.

Our Awards

“Best Social Media Marketing Agencies in Baltimore, 2020 and 2022” Expertise.com, “Innovator of the Year” by The Daily Record, “Creative Group of the Year” by Baltimore Innovation Week, “25 Women to Watch” by the Baltimore Sun, “Mayor’s Certificate of Recognition” by Baltimore City Mayor, “Top Female CEO” by Smart CEO Magazine, “40 Under 40” by the Baltimore Business Journal, Warnock Foundation’s “Social Innovation Award,” Salzburg Global Seminar's "Young Cultural Innovator Fellow," and Adobe Behance "99u Fellow," Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Award, Betamore’s “Silo Breaker Award,” Strong City's "Baltimore Transformer Award," Smart CEO’s “Brava” Award, and Baltimore Magazine’s “Best of Baltimore” in 2012, 2013 and 2016.

Our Certifications

State Of California Small Business Certification #2030304

WBENC National Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) #WBE2000980

Maryland Department Of Transportation (MBE/DBE/SBE) #14-341

City Of Baltimore Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) #12-358247

  • "Your work was one of the reasons we were acquired and joined a national network of industry leaders. Our capacity to do phenomenal work has increased exponentially."

    - BJ Sing, CEO of EventEQ

  • "You are making a difference, not just at What Works Studio, but also out in the community. Thank you for making our community a better place in which to live and work."

    - Kevin J. Manning, President, Stevenson University

  • "Creative Genius."

    - Peter Hoffberger, Hoffberger Insurance Group

  • "These guys are incredible. Great work, incredible and inspiring!"

    - Jesse Rowe, Live.com

  • "Genius crew."

    - Heather Fields, GiveCorps

  • "They paid attention to what was important to me and worked hard to create a campaign that was tailored just for my business... Do yourself a favor and contact What Works Studio."

    - Christopher Schafer

  • "Communications gurus!"

    - Doreen Bolger, Director, Baltimore Museum of Art

  • "Genius in concept and flawless in execution."

    - Elizabeth J. Himelfarb Hurwitz

  • "The website is amazing! You guys nailed it and I love, love, love it!"

    - S. Smith, G.B. Smith Photography

  • "Your work is amazing!"

    - Amy Webb, Author and Founder of Future Today Institute

  • "A rare combination of strategic thinker and creative executor… all of this has worked to shorten our sales cycle, which of course has led to better sales. I highly recommend What Works Studio."

    - Derek Gordon, Yield Software

  • "This new logo is fantastic! There was clearly both brilliance and God-driven inspiration behind it."

    - John Frisch, CEO, Miles and Stockbridge

  • "I am starting to cry it looks so good."

    - David Eisele, CEO at Davelle Clothiers

  • “Hall and Allen can never be accused of thinking small... They traffic in big ideas."

    - Baltimore Magazine

  • "So impressed with What Works Studio."

    - Amy Webb, Author and Founder of Future Today Institute

  • "Both Mr. Trash Wheel and Light City are two of the greatest stories to come out of Baltimore in recent years and neither would have been possible without What Works."

    - Adam Lindquist, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore

  • "No one knows or leverages 21st Century new media better."

    - Peter Davis

  • "What Works Studio has really gone the extra mile to ensure our social media campaigns consistently exceeded engagement benchmarks for our campaigns for the past five years. I whole-heartedly recommend What Works Studio as your social media agency.”

    - Program Manager, Consumer Marketing, National Healthcare Organization

  • "Working with the What Works team was a pleasure, from start to finish. I found their expertise invaluable."

    - Denise Russo, Senior Director, Regional Marketing Communications, Kaiser Permanente

  • "Not only have you used your expertise to create and lead world-class campaigns and social movements, but you have engaged the whole community in the process. You are an inspiration."

    - C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, 2nd District, Maryland, Member of Congress

  • "Your creativity, imagination and innovation, and the ways you have chosen to use these talents speaks to your continued success."

    - C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Member of Congress

  • "What Works Studio cares about their clients and it shows in their work."

    - Dawn Gammon

  • "Light City Baltimore has unlocked forward thinking ideas and tools to positively impact and grow healthy and sustainable communities in a way that we’ve never experienced before."

    - Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Former Mayor of Baltimore City

  • "I've worked with 4-5 social media content strategy firms, and What Works trumps them all..."

    - Ben Smith, Homewood Interiors

  • "Astonishing vision."

    - Mary Duston Lidinsky

  • "You have done important and such inspiring work."

    Dr. Leana Wen, Former Commissioner of Baltimore City Health Department

  • "What Works Studio is great example of how a business can be not only profitable but impactful."

    Olga Maltseva, Former Executive Director, Warnock Foundation

  • "Brilliant logo."

    Christopher Regan, THA Advisory

  • "I have never seen, anywhere, a transformation of vision into reality that was such a stretch. And so fast. You two did it!"

    Gary Vikan, Director, The Walters Art Museum

  • "They have their fingers on the pulse of all things hot and creative in Charm City.”

    The Guardian

  • "Allen and Hall deserve the Key to the City! Total heroes in Baltimore."

    -Baltimore Sun

  • “Don't know many other people who manifest dreams like you and Justin!"

    Diana Gross, Director of Learning and Innovation, Johns Hopkins University

Get in touch.