While our award might be fake, the inspiring work these organizations are doing is 100% real.
Each August, before the busy fall season, we stop to shout out some of the great work happening in marketing and organizational strategy. From indie businesses in Pittsburgh to major arts organizations, this year’s winners inspire us with their creativity, commitment, and grit.
There is no formal process or official trophy (though we do accept nominations!). This is our way of recognizing some of the work that moves us right now in the world of arts, culture, and nonprofits. We celebrate these organizations (and the people who make them) because they often don’t get the kind of accolades that major institutions and household brands do—and they deserve it.
So, without further preamble and in no particular order, we present the 2024 Workhorse Fake Awards!
Han Studio
Award: Exquisitely Aligned Rebrand
Creative entrepreneur/woodworker Hannah Dausch recently relaunched as Han Studio, complete with a new logomark, website, color palette, and curated product launch. While we’ve been fans of her work for many years—you may have seen it at Handmade Arcade or her expertly-run Instagram page—this rebrand solidifies and celebrates all the things that make her pieces so distinctive. It’s an example of how to seamlessly line up the brand identity with the product because the visual identity mirrors her work: sleek but substantial, neutral but saturated, elegant but grounded. We also learned that Hannah’s husband, Cole McCloskey, co-founder and creative director at Hounds, led the rebrand. No notes from us!
Adil Mansoor
Award: Artistic Unicorn
Pittsburgh-based theater director and playwright Adil Mansoor is hard to encapsulate in one paragraph, but we’re going to try. We made up a new category to capture what Adil represents because he uniquely integrates the boundless vision of the most exciting creative directors with a clear-eyed acumen for arts administration that makes us a little weepy (in a good way). 2024 has been Adil’s year, from a national tour of his acclaimed play Amm(i)gone (which was developed at Kelly Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh) to his winning the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Emerging Artist. Adil reminds us that there is power in making bold choices, growing thoughtfully instead of forcing it, and lifting others up along the way—all while staying true to his purpose of telling the stories of queer folks and people of color. Pittsburgh is lucky to have him, and we’re over the moon to see his star keep rising.
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden
Award: Elegant Appeal
When Jackie opened this mailed appeal from the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, she geeked hard. As a longtime connoisseur and critic of many annual appeal letters (she has a shelf where she files the good ones), Jackie was floored by the elegant design and curated storytelling. Where many appeals are wordy and laden with multiple pieces of paper, this one is clean, well-designed, and effective. With superb photography, strong quotes, and a focus on the beauty of nature, it makes a great case for why its recipients should support the organization.
The Strong National Museum of Play
Award: Compelling Capital Campaign Comms
Also known as simply, The Strong, this national museum is a winner because of its stellar multi-year communications strategy to engage audiences as it fundraised and carried out a major construction project on-site. Instead of focusing only on high-value donors and community stakeholders (like many capital campaigns do) the museum invited all of its audiences to follow along with this project, even teasing the larger-than-life game pieces that would be included in its newly built architecture park. They regularly shared updates about how the work was progressing and why the upheaval would benefit patrons in the long run, priming audiences to come back and enjoy the new space. From beginning to end, the communication around this (majorly disruptive!) project has been A+.
Silent Visual Media’s Ryan Bergman
Award: Conscientious Colleague
Ryan was nominated by Heather Gray, the co-executive producer at Silent Visual Media, an organization that works to elevate Deaf representation in the entertainment industry. Ryan is Silent Visual Media’s Director of Digital Media. After he joined, he learned American Sign Language (ASL) to become a more effective communicator with Deaf folks in and around the organization and improve his work managing seven social media accounts that reach a Deaf and hearing audience. We’re giving Ryan the Conscientious Colleague award to recognize the internal and often unrecognized stuff it takes to be an inclusive co-worker and communicator.
Assemble
Award: Breakout Fundraiser
We’ve attended dozens of galas, fetes, and fundraisers over the years, so at this point, finding one that cuts through the noise is a real treat. Enter Pittsburgh-based arts and technology education nonprofit Assemble and their out-of-the-box annual fundraiser, MakerDate. While MakerDate has all the usual fundraiser trappings (music, drinks, hors d'oeuvres), guests can also do hands-on activities and bid on “dates” with Pittsburgh artists, technologists, and creatives - perfect for an org with a mission of learning and creativity! Instead of curating a list of exclusive host committee members, Assemble allows anyone to join by purchasing a host committee ticket (and we did!). We can’t wait to meet some of the makers and hopefully win a one-on-one “making” adventure with one of them.
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I also am a long time connoisseur and critic of appeal letters! I got one a few years ago that was SIX PAGES LONG and I still can't shake it...