Town of Waterford Town of Waterford Takes Action Towards Supporting Small Businesses Impacted by the Pandemic, Launches Grant Program Client Town of Waterford Takes Action Towards Supporting Small Businesses Impacted by the Pandemic, Launches Grant Program Year 2022-2023 Scope of Work Project/Program Management | Administrative Assistance Industry Municipal Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Town of Waterford wanted to develop and administer a Small Business and Assistance Program that would provide pandemic relief to small businesses. This was the first program directly supporting Waterford small businesses, and First Selectman Rob Brule along with the Economic Development Commission requested assistance. Our Approach We understood that facilitating a program that adequately supports the unique infrastructures, cultures and processes found within small business models requires many interconnected pieces. We took a well-rounded, innovative and customized approach to implementing operations management services that thoroughly assessed the specific needs of Waterford’s small businesses in order to: ensure the shared grant materials align with legal requirements grant information is clearly communicated and promoted to prospective applicants the application process is conducted as seamlessly and fairly as possible facilitate communication so that all relevant parties can be kept knowledgeable on awardees implement administrative support to upkeep maintenance and reporting Our Impact & Client Milestones Our Operations Management support enabled us to build the Town of Waterford's first Small Business program, from end-to-end and specifically: Ensure it followed federal/ARPA policy Facilitated community listening via a survey that gathered quantitative and qualitative data from over 50 small business owners, which was not only useful for the creation of the program but also for long-term use by the Town Curate and host a virtual round table discussion between Town leaders and small business impacted by the pandemic, to de-mystify any concerns about the application process Built a user-friendly submission process, which resulted in 9 complete applications Created a user-friendly application rubric for the EDC to award $78,500 in total funding to all 9 applicants As of January 2023, BRVC is working with the Town of Waterford to facilitate the second cohort for the program, with the remaining $105,000 ARPA funds.

TAPPING INTO MY SECRET SAUCE helped build confidence and let me know to just be myself because that’s what my audience will love the most. I enjoyed Brianna's course and was able to learn how to better understand my audience. Her course helped build confidence and let me know to just be myself because that’s what my audience loved the most. Her course was supportive and encouraging, I appreciated the group setting because it allowed me to listen and pick up from others because we all did things differently. Micha'Angelina Founder

First Boulevard Black-Owned Neobank First Boulevard and Terrence J Launch Financial Literacy Initiative For HBCU Student Client First Boulevard: Financial Literacy Initiative Year 2021 Scope of Work Brand Messaging Development, Public Relations Industry Start-Up, B2C Our Approach For this 1-month campaign, we knew it would be best to leverage Terrence J’s brand ambassadorship to bring awareness to First Boulevard’s mission—particularly among publications that cater to Black millennials, HBCUs and breaking news within the Black community. To maximize our efforts we firstly conducted a coverage audit on First Boulevard and Terrence J, analyzing stories within the past 365 in order to determine the best outlet to release an exclusive. Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Black America has been underbanked, unbanked and underserved for centuries. First Boulevard empowers Black America to take control of their $1.4T+ in annual economic impact while also being fully inclusive and welcoming of all other communities. Specifically, First Boulevard Founders, Donald Hawkins and Asya Bradley, wanted to bring awareness to their Project Tassels campaign with actor, and media personality, Terrence J, who is their Strategic Advisor of Financial Education. Our Impact & Client Milestones In addition to writing and releasing a press release on the wire with the First Boulevard team, our tailored pitches resulted in 19 placements on Rolling Out, HBCU Buzz, BIN.com , Sheen Magazine, Afro Tech, Urban Magazine, Def Pen and Power 105.1, News One, HBCU Connect and more. (73% of coverage included backlinks diverting traffic to First Boulevard's website.) Although not selected as the final outlet to release the exclusive, our efforts did garner interest from The Breakfast Club. Additionally, despite scheduling conflicts which prevented the officiation of the interview, our efforts did garner interest from the Earn Your Leisure podcast. Our Impact & Client Milestones In addition to writing and releasing a press release on the wire with the First Boulevard team, our tailored pitches resulted in 19 placements on Rolling Out, HBCU Buzz, BIN.com , Sheen Magazine, Afro Tech, Urban Magazine, Def Pen and Power 105.1, News One, HBCU Connect and more. (73% of coverage included backlinks diverting traffic to First Boulevard's website.) Although not selected as the final outlet to release the exclusive, our efforts did garner interest from The Breakfast Club. Additionally, despite scheduling conflicts which prevented the officiation of the interview, our efforts did garner interest from the Earn Your Leisure podcast.

I took a coaching class with Brianna and it was amazing! I developed a better marketing strategy, received feedback on my online presence, defined my target audience and so much more. Plus I had great interaction with the rest of the class. Would highly recommend. Dawn F. Founder Beauty by Dawn Project Elevating Strategy & Engagement Year 2023 Scope of Work 60-Day Pow Wow Industry Lifestyle, B2C

The Breed Ent Grammy-Nominated Producers Unite 400+ Members of The Music Scene In Their Home State Client The Breed Ent: Uniting CT's Arts Community Year 2019 Scope of Work Brand Messaging Development, Content Creation, Influencer Marketing, Public Relations, Brand Partnerships, Event Planning Industry Entertainment, Lifestyle Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) What used to be known as an annual high-energy, day party, transformed into an inaugural 4-day weekend intended to amplify as well as unify the culture and talent in Connecticut's arts community. Founded in 2009 by Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum producers—Aaron “Y-A” Rogers and Rashad “Snacks” Johnson—The Breed Entertainment is a multi-tiered production company that creates quality and culturally-driven experiences through music, as well as community and entertainment events. Prior to 2019, The Breed Weekend only referred to an annual day party. However, Y-A and Snacks wanted to create a different experience that would break barriers and encourage Connecticut creatives to make genuine connections that would foster more collaboration and positive energy across the state's music community. Our mood going into this project: Our Approach Keeping the production company's desire for unification and amplification in mind, we worked with Y-A, Snacks and The Breed Entertainment team to create The Breed Weekend---the first 4-day event that bridged gaps in Connecticut’s entertainment scene through interactive moments. Specifically, we produced an event coordination that itemized essential tasks (i.e. budget, roles, and run of show). We also worked with The Breed to brand the event by providing messaging for all four events, as well as developed and implemented a marketing and communications plan that would generate awareness, attendance and revenue for the event. Our Impact & Client Milestones The multi-day event generated over 450 attendees. Specifically, our marketing and PR efforts resulted in: The creation of sponsorship opportunities as well as outreach that produced partnerships with Shine Papers, Connecticut Office of The Arts, Audiomack, Martell USA, Single Mom’s Alliance and the City of New Haven The creation of vendor opportunities that resulted in the involvment of local small businesses: Kenzie Kare, Concreat, Z For Everybody & Typsy Gypsy Earned 200,000+ impressions and 20,000+ engagement activity on Instagram Earned media coverage from Incline Magazine, CT Breakthrough, Power of Connecticut & IGASTT Podcast (estimated 20,000+impressions) Developed messaging for promotional video that was featured on a mobile advertisement Received attendance and involvement from influential experts familiar with funding Connecticut artists, the art of DJing, record labels/music industry, content producers, management and music producers. The Plug | The Breed Weekend 2019 The Grand Opening of The Live Room introduced a new “pressure-free” venue for artists to perform their music in front of a crowd that respects their craft. Artists came to "plug" in their latest music for Connecticut's entertainment scene to enjoy. This event was hosted by Martell Cognac; and sponsored by Audiomack and Shine Papers. The Plug | The Breed Weekend 2019 The Grand Opening of The Live Room introduced a new “pressure-free” venue for artists to perform their music in front of a crowd that respects their craft. Artists came to "plug" in their latest music for Connecticut's entertainment scene to enjoy. This event was hosted by Martell Cognac; and sponsored by Audiomack and Shine Papers. Bridging The Gap | The Breed Weekend 2019 Bridging the Gap was a night that combined interactive networking with a "town hall" discussion about breaking down walls and emphasizing the possibilities of success for everyone. Featured speakers included: Hot 93.7's Big Regg, Connecticut Office of the Arts' Adriane Vegas Jefferson, Chill Shump (music producer) and more. The Breed Day Party | The Breed Weekend 2019 The Breed Day Party 2019 was an opportunity for creatives and beyond to come together and have a good time! Thank you to Martell USA for partnering with The Breed Weekend 2019! Before The Breed Weekend, BRVC also collaborated with The Breed Entertainment and provided brand development, social & digital strategy consulting and public relations to all talent within the company which includes: Aaron "Y-A" Rogers (producer), Rashad "Snacks" Johnson (producer), DluxB (producer), Randi "Kashthebreed" (producer), Slay Washington (host/MC), DJ Eazy, and BUTT3R (artist). After The Breed Weekend, BRVC consulted The Breed on brand development as well as team development and engagement for the The Breed Academy.

RiseUP for Arts Non-Profit RiseUP for Arts Takes Art ManiFESTation to New Heights Client RiseUP for Arts: Project Management to Empower Event Committee Year 2022 Scope of Work Project Management, Systems Implementation, Administrative Assistance, Event Planning Industry Non-Profit Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Fundraisers, Art ManiFESTation (a collaboration with MAD) and Cocktails for Change, are not foreign events to supporters of RiseUP for Arts. In 2022, the organization wanted to mesh the high-energy of these events, to produce an interactive arts experience in Connecticut. RiseUP was founded in 2012 as a youth development and mentoring program aimed at helping youth develop the skills needed to be the catalysts that inspire and uplift their community. RiseUP for Arts has grown to be the State of Connecticut's only state-wide public art nonprofit. In addition to public art, RiseUP for Arts is still focused on youth development in each community mural project. RiseUP also partners and organizes creative placemaking experiences across Connecticut. In 2021, RiseUP for Arts Founder, Matt Conway, wanted to revitalize the organization's Art ManiFESTation event by forming an event committee and streamlining tasks. Our Approach Excited to bring a unique experience to Connecticut's arts ecosystem, we facilitated the below processes: An assessment of the existing RiseUP team, divided into 6 sub-committees based on superpowers/event Helped teams focus on individual goals and tasks through consistently updated Assisted with Marketing strategy and messaging where necessary. (Framed the event’s interactive elements messaging for sponsorship/marketing purposes) Built out contacts for sponsorship list (up to 40) Team supervision/accountability - attended necessary meetings to ensure teams were kept on track, risks were mitigated, and agendas were moving forward. The below ROI of our support contributed to an organized event that "exceeded expectations by 1,000%!"(Source) Risk mitigation and accountability monitoring Increased productivity levels Time and energy available to complete other tasks (Time Management) Establishment and maintenance of efficient business systems and processes Documented processes (to help plan for next year’s event)

By uncovering my strategic steps I’ve been landing longer term contracts, which I was never really focused on before. I wanted to hit $10k - $20k months faster, doing 1 or 2 projects a month. Thinking strategically about my approach, I was able to hit 50% of my goal within 3 months. I also figured out a way where I don't have to be completely present on my business’ Instagram and can still introduce people to my story and the brand which has been working so far. Ashli F. CEO, Creative Director Ashli F. CEO, Creative Director Exhibit B Agency Project 50% Revenue Goal in 3 Months Year 2023 Scope of Work 60-Day Pow Wow Industry Start-Up, B2B

Call Me Ace Independent Billboard-Charting Artist Uses Music to Call Out Racial Injustice, Burn Out & Work-Life Balance Client Call Me Ace: Music with a Cause Year 2019 Scope of Work Brand Messaging Development, Public Relations Industry Entertainment Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Determined to use his music and professional knowledge as a gateway to connect with disenfranchised communities, Call Me Ace encourages his supporters to live a rich life, not just a life full of riches through timely music releases. Call Me Ace is an independent hip-hop artist, millennial professional and creative tech entrepreneur, whose debut album, Airplane Mode, hit #3 on the iTunes Top 40 US Hip-Hop Album Chart as well as #50 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales chart. Determined to elevate the buzz he created on his own, Ace desired brand awareness ahead of the release of his second EP, Working From Home. Our Approach To kick-off our 12-month campaign, we audited Ace's online presence, conducted a competitive coverage analysis to identify unique narratives and updated/created all pitchable assets. Our strategic communications and marketing strategy aimed to gain local, regional & national publicity via blogs, podcasts, digital, Print & unconventional publications; as well as be mindful of appearances and strategic partnerships. Based on our market research, there was an opportunity to not only leverage Ace's artistic achievements, but also frame narratives around his millennial perspectives on business and lifestyle topics. Additionally, as we the unforseen pandemic occured, Ace released Working From Home: Extended which elaborated on news topics like burnout, work-life balance and social justice. We worked with Ace to use the EP's pre-orders as well as Google’s gift-matching program to raise $10,000+ for Faith In Action’s Live Free campaign to end social injustice. Our Impact & Client Milestones Within the first month of pitching the "Working From Home" campaign, we secured an exclusive with Earmilk--a nationally recognized music publication--for the "Gold Cuffs" single, which contributed to the first 1,000 Youtube views. The month the EP dropped, we wrote and distributed a press release which got picked up by 228 platforms, totalling an estimate of 11M+ impressions. In the following months we garnered a total of 61 placements, totalling an estimate of 419m+ impressions. At the end of the 12-months, our efforts were complemented by Ace's songs "5:15am" and "No Assistance" getting added to the NBA 2K21 Next Gen Gaming Experience (featuring songs from 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, CHIKA, Pop Smoke, Tame Impala, Drae Harris, The Weeknd, JID, Jack Harlow, Juice WRLD and More) Notable media coverage: FOX Soul, Afro Tech, Blk Creatives’ Twitter-chat summit: FEARS, Medium, Urban Magazine, Live with DJ A-Rod, Sheen Magazine, LA On Lock, Global Money World, Central Sauce and more. In 12-months, we were able to produce 4x more media coverage for his brand, compared to the year prior to working with us. After the first year of working together, we continued our collaboration for another 12 months to continuing raising brand awareness--particularly for his project "Out of Office." Our PR support resulted in: 37 placements (Estimated impressions: 3B+) Notable coverage: HipHop Dx, KAZI Magazine, Def Pen, Hype Magazine, Audiomack (playlist), xoNecole, Sheen Magazine, Pie Radio UK, Travel Noire, Digital Journal and more. Invites sent to selected media to attend a virtual listening party (which had 100+ attendees, including a journalist from Hip Hop Since 1987) Being a semi-finalist for BET's #BETAmplified contest A press release announcing Ace's collaboration with the Ford Mustang

RiseUP for Arts Non-Profit RiseUP for Arts Takes Art ManiFESTation to New Heights Client RiseUP for Arts: Project Management to Empower Event Committee Year 2022 Scope of Work Project Management, Systems Implementation, Administrative Assistance, Event Planning Industry Non-Profit Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Fundraisers, Art ManiFESTation (a collaboration with MAD) and Cocktails for Change, are not foreign events to supporters of RiseUP for Arts. In 2022, the organization wanted to mesh the high-energy of these events, to produce an interactive arts experience in Connecticut. RiseUP was founded in 2012 as a youth development and mentoring program aimed at helping youth develop the skills needed to be the catalysts that inspire and uplift their community. RiseUP for Arts has grown to be the State of Connecticut's only state-wide public art nonprofit. In addition to public art, RiseUP for Arts is still focused on youth development in each community mural project. RiseUP also partners and organizes creative placemaking experiences across Connecticut. In 2021, RiseUP for Arts Founder, Matt Conway, wanted to revitalize the organization's Art ManiFESTation event by forming an event committee and streamlining tasks. Our Approach Excited to bring a unique experience to Connecticut's arts ecosystem, we facilitated the below processes: An assessment of the existing RiseUP team, divided into 6 sub-committees based on superpowers/event Helped teams focus on individual goals and tasks through consistently updated Assisted with Marketing strategy and messaging where necessary. (Framed the event’s interactive elements messaging for sponsorship/marketing purposes) Built out contacts for sponsorship list (up to 40) Team supervision/accountability - attended necessary meetings to ensure teams were kept on track, risks were mitigated, and agendas were moving forward. The below ROI of our support contributed to an organized event that "exceeded expectations by 1,000%!"(Source) Risk mitigation and accountability monitoring Increased productivity levels Time and energy available to complete other tasks (Time Management) Establishment and maintenance of efficient business systems and processes Documented processes (to help plan for next year’s event)

Town of Waterford Showcasing Grant Impact and Establishing the Economic Development Commission’s Presence Client Town of Waterford: Establishing the EDC's Presence Year 2023 Scope of Work Brand Identity, Brand Messaging Development, Content Creation, Newsletter Creation Industry Municipal Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) In 2022 and 2023, with the help of BRVC’s Operations Management team, the Town of Waterford (TOW) awarded a total of $170,065.01 in grants to small businesses through its Small Business Grant Program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Despite the program’s success, TOW lacked in-house support for marketing and content creation to effectively showcase its impact and position the Economic Development Commission (EDC) as a resource for the local business community. Our Approach BRVC’s Creative Strategy team provided comprehensive support to amplify the program’s success and elevate TOW’s branding as well as storytelling. Marketing Audit: Conducted a competitor analysis to refine TOW’s brand identity and identify successful elements of similar programs. Mini Marketing Campaign: Developed messaging, strategy, and key performance indicators to promote the program and align with TOW’s long-term branding goals. Content Creation: Produced 8 original social media posts, including captions and hashtags, along with a newsletter and press release highlighting the program’s achievements. Visual Branding: Designed and delivered a specific EDC logo to establish the commission as a trusted resource for the business community. Our Impact & Client Milestones Delivered high-quality, engaging content (videos, graphics, and written assets) shared on TOW’s website and social platforms, effectively showcasing the First Selectman and EDC’s impact on small businesses. Supported TOW in sharing grant recipients’ stories and highlighting the program’s success, building stronger connections with the local business community. Provided a ready-to-use press release template to spotlight the distribution of over $170k to small businesses. Positioned the EDC as a valuable resource through cohesive branding and storytelling, and a first-ever logo. With BRVC’s expertise, TOW successfully demonstrated the transformative impact of its grant program, enhanced its public visibility, and set the stage for long-term community engagement and support BRVC x TOW & EDC - NEWSLETTER - Small Business Grant Program Cohorts 1 and 2 (2022 - 2023) BRVC x TOW & EDC - NEWSLETTER - Small Business Grant Program Cohorts 1 and 2 (2022 - 2023)

Tina Turtle x Steve Madden Boosting Tina Turtle’s Brand and Revenue Client Tina Turtle Year 2024 Scope of Work Branding, Influencer Marketing, Influencer Management Industry Lifestyle Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) With nearly 1 million followers, viral moments, and cultivated influence, Tina Turtle has reached a pivotal point in her brand journey, that involves solidifying her as a fashion and lifestyle content creator. Our Approach Over the past 8.5 months, we focused on solidifying the packaging and presentation of Tina’s brand to elevate her as a go-to collaborator for brands looking to connect with Gen-Z and millennial women who live confidently, appreciate nostalgia, and aim to make the most of life. Branding & Strategy: Updated social media bios and created a streamlined brand kit and one-sheet to establish a consistent and clear brand identity. Marketing & Communications: Defined partnership goals, conducted market research, and analyzed past efforts to identify strategic opportunities. Set up a Brand Correspondence Tracker to manage inbound inquiries. Operations Management: Managed inbound inquiries with response templates and directed to Tina’s management. Pitched outbound to relevant brands, securing partnerships and increasing revenue. Our Impact & Client Milestones Revenue Growth: From October 4 to December 20, Tina's revenue nearly doubled compared to the previous 1.5-month period, and almost tripled compared to the first 4 months of the partnership. This demonstrates a significant increase in both the average deal size and overall revenue performance. Social Media Milestones: Tina reached 100k+ followers on Instagram, significantly expanding her reach and influence. Brand Partnerships: She attended her first festival, the Broccoli City Music Festival, with travel compensation. Tina became the face of a summer campaign with Paper Planes, which resulted in ongoing engagement with the brand. After participating in gifting campaigns, Tina secured her first paid Steve Madden deal and a paid partnership with Adore Me, showcasing her ability to leverage event content into paid collaborations. Gained partnerships with Fashion Nova, Readyhubb, Kenner, Nike, PUMA and more. With nearly 1 million followers, viral moments, and cultivated influence, Tina Turtle has reached a pivotal point in her brand journey, that involves solidifying her as a fashion and lifestyle content creator.

First Boulevard Black-Owned Neobank First Boulevard and Terrence J Launch Financial Literacy Initiative For HBCU Student Client First Boulevard: Financial Literacy Initiative Year 2021 Scope of Work Brand Messaging Development, Public Relations Industry Start-Up, B2C Our Approach For this 1-month campaign, we knew it would be best to leverage Terrence J’s brand ambassadorship to bring awareness to First Boulevard’s mission—particularly among publications that cater to Black millennials, HBCUs and breaking news within the Black community. To maximize our efforts we firstly conducted a coverage audit on First Boulevard and Terrence J, analyzing stories within the past 365 in order to determine the best outlet to release an exclusive. Here's the Stitch (aka Situation) Black America has been underbanked, unbanked and underserved for centuries. First Boulevard empowers Black America to take control of their $1.4T+ in annual economic impact while also being fully inclusive and welcoming of all other communities. Specifically, First Boulevard Founders, Donald Hawkins and Asya Bradley, wanted to bring awareness to their Project Tassels campaign with actor, and media personality, Terrence J, who is their Strategic Advisor of Financial Education. Our Impact & Client Milestones In addition to writing and releasing a press release on the wire with the First Boulevard team, our tailored pitches resulted in 19 placements on Rolling Out, HBCU Buzz, BIN.com , Sheen Magazine, Afro Tech, Urban Magazine, Def Pen and Power 105.1, News One, HBCU Connect and more. (73% of coverage included backlinks diverting traffic to First Boulevard's website.) Although not selected as the final outlet to release the exclusive, our efforts did garner interest from The Breakfast Club. Additionally, despite scheduling conflicts which prevented the officiation of the interview, our efforts did garner interest from the Earn Your Leisure podcast. Our Impact & Client Milestones In addition to writing and releasing a press release on the wire with the First Boulevard team, our tailored pitches resulted in 19 placements on Rolling Out, HBCU Buzz, BIN.com , Sheen Magazine, Afro Tech, Urban Magazine, Def Pen and Power 105.1, News One, HBCU Connect and more. (73% of coverage included backlinks diverting traffic to First Boulevard's website.) Although not selected as the final outlet to release the exclusive, our efforts did garner interest from The Breakfast Club. Additionally, despite scheduling conflicts which prevented the officiation of the interview, our efforts did garner interest from the Earn Your Leisure podcast.