Selected Press & Media Appearances
Salzburg Global Seminar
Famous Fellows: Brooke Hall, 2022
“Brooke Hall participated in the first session of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators in 2014 and went on to launch Light City Baltimore, a festival that sought to unite a city divided by issues of racial inequality. Connections made in Salzburg helped Hall create the festival, which featured illuminated art installations, street theater, and concerts, as well as conferences on social justice and equality. The premier festival in 2016 attracted 400,000 visitors, injected nearly $34 million into the local economy, and positioned Baltimore as a global hub for art and innovation. Light City was repeated in 2017 and is on its way to becoming an annual event.”
See the full list of Famous Fellows.
AMA Baltimore
How Do Your Know Your Agency is a Good Fit? 2019
“Brooke Hall Allen, CEO of What Works Studio, a Baltimore-based marketing agency, says ‘Great results occur when there is synergy between the players… You want to look for an agency that not only has a proven track record of success but is also inspirational and has goals and values that align with the organization’s.’”
Smart CEO Magazine
The Promise of Light City, 2016
SmartCEO Magazine gathered highlights from the 2016 Light City festival and caught up with co-creators Justin Allen and Brooke Hall to talk about how this groundbreaking event can shape Baltimore’s future.
Smart CEO Magazine
By Alyssa Hurst and Tina Irgang, Sept/Oct 2016
“The creative minds behind this small design studio have launched a whole series of projects designed to put Baltimore on the map and let the world know about the creative talent working in the city.”
“The creators of What Weekly, Light City and Mr. Trash Wheel were on a mission to showcase a brighter side of Baltimore. So they built a coalition of the city’s most prominent business and civic leaders to make it happen.”
CBS Baltimore
Light City Baltimore Looking To Go Bigger And Brighter Next Year
By George Solis, June 24, 2016
“This is more than just an arts festival, it is an economic development tool, a driver of opportunity for the city,” said Justin Allen, Light City Baltimore.
The Baltimore Sun
Light City Baltimore adds $33.8 million to economy, study finds
By Brittany Britto, May 18, 2016
“Light City contributed $33.8 million to the local economy during the festival’s inaugural run in March and April, according to Forward Analytics.
“Brooke Hall, the creator of Light City, said though she was excited about the festival’s economic impact, it was about more than the numbers. She emphasized the importance of the city’s spirit and sense of community that week. “It’s hard to measure how you uplift a community, but I think we were able to do that,” Hall said.
“Hall said she is confident that next year will be a success.“Light City is my baby. You’ll always be connected to your baby,” Hall said. “I’m excited to see it grow.”
Smart CEO Magazine
Lighting Up Baltimore: How Light City provided a much-needed boost for the Inner Harbor and beyond
By Alyssa Hurst, May/June 2016
“Look at all these people! They are so happy.” Brooke Hall, founder and CEO of What Works Studio, marveled at Baltimore’s first Light City festival, but she wasn’t just one of the 400,000 visitors who took in the interactive light and art installations. Along with her husband and co-founder Justin Allen, she dreamed up the Light City idea, and used it to illuminate Baltimore.”
The Baltimore Sun
Nearly 400,000 come for Light City Baltimore
By Andrea K. McDaniels, April 4, 2016
“The event was conceived by Brooke Hall and Justin Allen of What Works Studio... Allen and Hall, who are married to each other, had worked for three years to bring the festival to Baltimore. They had wanted to present a positive, unified image of the city. “I would like to see it become a citywide celebration,” Allen said. “We imagined that over time it will spread throughout Baltimore and it will be an event that all Baltimore residents celebrate.”
Baltimore Sun
Why is Baltimore so wired to ‘The Wire’?
By Jim Wheeler, April 6, 2016
“Two panelists, Sonja Sohn, the acclaimed actress from “The Wire,” and Brooke Hall, who, along with her husband Justin Allen founded Light City, both said they did not and would not accept barriers. They preferred to see a barrier as an opportunity or a challenge that fueled their desire to achieve their goals and dreams.”
Baltimore Magazine
Light City U Conference Wrap-Up: Weeklong sessions highlight social, tech, and creative innovation.
By Jess Mayhugh, April 2, 2016
“If you don’t like what you see back in your past, look ahead and build something new.” -Brooke Hall from the Wonder Women Panel: Featuring Asha Curran, Director, Center for Innovation and Social Impact at 92Y, Brooke Hall, Founder of What Works Studio, Vanessa Garrison, Co-Founder and COO at GirlTrek, and Sonja Sohn, American Actress and Star of The Wire.”
Rawlings-Blake Review
Celebrating Our Innovation and Creativity
By Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, April 1, 2016
“Light City Baltimore has created a sense of wonder and imagination in Baltimore that is the combination of innovation, light, music and artistic expression…Perhaps more important, was embracing the passionate vision of co-founders Brooke Hall and Justin Allen and expanding it into our neighborhoods.
“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.”
The Baltimore Sun
By Jen Ronald, March 31, 2016
“If you are from Baltimore, this next paragraph can only be about Brooke Hall and Justin Allen, founders of Light City Baltimore. What a debt we owe these two. We should parade them through town and give them the keys to this city, for they are just two regular people who have reminded us that in Baltimore this is what two people can do. This is citizenship at its finest. Two people believed in an idea that could better their city. They badgered everyone they could to make it happen. They are Baltimore’s best.”
FOX45 NEWS
Light City Baltimore festival kicks off Monday
By the Morning Producer, March 28, 2016
“Charm City is about to be transformed into Light City. Brooke Hall and Justin Allen, the brains behind the festival, share how they came up with the idea.”
The Baltimore Sun
Meet the married couple behind Light City Baltimore
By Brittany Britto, March 25, 2016
“They mapped out their vision in 2013, pitching it to potential stakeholders. A year later, the couple connected with entrepreneurs, business owners and local organizations … Flash forward to 2016, and more than 500 people from the Baltimore area are working to make Light City come to life.”
Travel Pulse
‘Light City’ Festival Illuminating Baltimore
By Charu Suri, March 22, 2016
“The enthusiasm of Brooke Hall, founder of “Light City,” is infectious. She said the festival was engineered to bring people and the artistic community together and celebrate camaraderie and joie de vivre. What took three years to put together will finally come to fruition in a week.”
The Daily Record
Light City festival: High risk, with potential for high reward
By Anamika Roy, March 18, 2016
“When Brooke Hall and Justin Allen came up with the idea for Light City, they were looking for a way to showcase Baltimore’s creative talent and innovative spirit. But after the year the city’s had, the local business and tourism community is hoping the event will also change the conversation about Baltimore.”
The Baltimore Sun
Roughly Speaking podcast: What to expect from the inaugural Light City Baltimore festival (episode 65)
By Dan Rodricks, March 11, 2016
“Light City Baltimore: In just over two weeks, something potentially amazing will be happening at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. It involves light shows, art and music, but Light City Baltimore is also meant to showcase Baltimore’s development as a hub for technological innovation and entrepreneurship with a social conscience. Today, we meet the couple who conceived of the idea — Brooke Hall and Justin Allen, founders of the Baltimore-based creative agency What Works Studio and the online magazine, What Weekly.”
Arrive Magazine
Let There Be Light: A New Arts, Music and Ideas Festival Highlights the Brighter Side of Baltimore
By Matt McCue, March/April 2016
“Baltimore is brimming with artists. Surprised? “We find that no one really knows that,” says Brooke Hall, CEO of What Works Studio, a local creative agency. So she and her husband, Justin Allen, have co-created Light City Baltimore, a seven-day arts, music and ideas festival March 28-April 3. “We’re trying to shine a light on the Baltimore that you never see on the national news.”
Southwest Magazine
Light City: An Innovative new festival launches in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
March 2016, Page 75
“Baltimore is back at the forefront of light innovation.”
Baltimore Magazine
Labor of Love: These couples play and work together
By Gabriella Souza, February 2016
“Hall and Allen can never be accused of thinking small. Whether it’s starting their own creative agency and the online magazine What Weekly, or envisioning Light City Baltimore, a new arts and innovation festival that debuts March 28, they traffic in big ideas. “I think that was part of the reason why we were attracted to each other,” says Hall. “We’re both just like, ‘How far can we push the envelope? What’s the biggest, most exciting thing we can create?’ We talk each other into believing things are possible.”
Technical.ly Baltimore
By Stephen Babcock, February 3, 2016
The focus of the conference is exploring ways to harness innovation for social change. Brooke Hall, who is CEO of What Works Studio and created the festival with her partner Justin Allen, said it boils down to the question, “How do we become a more responsible and equitable society?
Baltimore Business Journal
Meet the couple who dreamed up Light City Baltimore
By Sarah Gantz, February 2, 2016
“Brooke Hall and Justin Allen were pounding the pavement to bring a light installation festival to Baltimore years before the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts agreed to run with the idea.”
“So how is it possible to put on a $4 million, seven-night light installation festival in the heart of Baltimore with such a short timeline? Someone started thinking about lighting up Baltimore years ago.”
The Baltimore Sun
DJ Jazzy Jeff, Thomas Dolby among headliners set for inaugural Light City Baltimore festival
By Chris Kaltenbach, February 2, 2016
“We want the world to see Baltimore as we see it, which is as a hub for innovation,” said Brooke Hall, founding partner of Light City Baltimore.”
New York Times
Festival and Hotel News: Lights in Baltimore, Music in St. Martin
January 29, 2016
“Featuring 28 art installations along a 1.5-mile stretch of waterfront, the inaugural Light City Baltimore is set for March 28 to April 3.”
CNN
16 intriguing things to see and do in the U.S. in 2016
By Marnie Hunter and Katia Hetter, January 8, 2016
“When the inaugural Light City Baltimore goes live, 28 light art installations will illuminate a 1.5-mile path along the city’s Inner Harbor, with pop-up performances and musical acts adding to the festivities.”
Baltimore Business Journal
Light City Baltimore, a festival of innovation, set for March 2016 debut
By Kevin Litten, February 26, 2015
“The festival, which has been in the works for two years, was the brainchild of Brooke Hall and Justin Allen of the marketing agency What Works Studio.”
Baltimore Magazine
Light City Q&A: Festival to bring light, art, music, and innovation to Baltimore in 2016
By Gabriella Souza, June 08, 2015
“Brooke: People, especially at the community sessions, are talking about Light City being the unifying moment for diverse communities around the city, which is really special. It warms my heart to hear folks say that.”
The Baltimore Sun
Light City Baltimore festival aims to change the city’s brand
By Natalie Sherman, February 26, 2015
“We wanted to celebrate the interesting things we’d been seeing,” said Brooke Hall, CEO of What Works Studio, who spent months approaching city leaders and community members to talk about how to make the light festival a reality. “There’s something that could be done here at the intersection of art and technology that’s really special and could be really unique to Baltimore.”
ABC2 NEWS
With Grand Prix gone, Baltimore in search of large-scale events for city
By Sarah Blumberg, July 15, 2014
“With the Grand Prix shuttering operations and plans for Otakon to move to Washington, D.C., some city organizers are working to bring the next “big thing” to the city. Mt. Vernon residents Brooke Hall and Justin Allen are hoping their event concept will put Baltimore on the map. Their idea involves lights and many of them. Known as Light City, the weeklong event could be in Baltimore as early as 2017.”
Technical.ly Baltimore
What Works Studio, publishers of What Weekly, pass 5-year mark
By Andrew Zalenski, May 22, 2014
“When Brooke Hall started her eponymous creative and marketing agency in 2009, she was working out of her house.
Five years later, the since renamed What Works Studio is four, full-time employees strong — including Hall’s husband, Justin Allen — occupying space in a new office on Saratoga Street, and pushing the boundaries of the publication that anchors it all: What Weekly.”
New York Magazine
Go Neighborhood-Hopping in Baltimore
October 17, 2013
“Independent digital resource What Weekly covers Baltimore’s emerging neighborhoods, cultures, and countercultures. It was rated the city’s best new magazine by old stalwart Baltimore Magazine in 2011.”
The Guardian
“Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia: Best blogs for travelers”
Vicky Baker, October 4, 2013
“‘We asked ourselves, what if we could show a different side of Baltimore (the story HBO's The Wire didn't tell)? Is it possible for media, used in right way, to make Baltimore internationally known as a cultural hotspot for artistic and intellectual pursuits?’ So write the site's founders, Justin Allen and Brooke Hall, a married couple with their fingers on the pulse of all things hot and creative in Charm City. Here they've assembled a collective of artists, entrepreneurs, educators and writers to put that other side forward, through a range of essays and portraits, reviews and previews.”
The Huffington Post
The Baltimore Experiment: Getting Out From Under “The Wire'“
By Jim Luce, June 29, 2012
“‘Can Good News Revive a City? A new media experiment is underway in Baltimore, Maryland to find out. Is it possible for media, used in right way, to make Baltimore internationally known as a cultural hotspot for artistic and intellectual pursuits?”
Baltimore City Paper
Accentuate the Positive: What Weekly seeks to eliminate the negative and support local arts
By Hannah Bruchman, Aug 18, 2010
“‘In an age of failing newspapers and struggling magazines, Hall sees a web site such as What Weekly as being on the cusp of what she calls ‘a huge shift in the media landscape.’ She feels What Weekly is creating a new type of journalism that incorporates multimedia into its practice.”