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Click on a wave below to dive in and explore our portfolio:
Anchored Here, Advancing Together
Turning Ripples Into Waves
Make Waves with Every Frame
Design That Flow, Code That Connects
From Ripple to Reach, Copy That Carries
Open Channels, Shared Currents
Steering Events to Success
Empowering the Next Generation

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Kaptivate is a strategic communications firm headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Kaptivate helps organizations pivot + thrive through change with AI and data storytelling; PR and media relations; digital marketing and communications; program management; community engagement and coalition building; and crowdsourcing/open innovation. We turn insights into action, driving growth and real results for our clients and partners. Kaptivate works with businesses of all sizes; local, state and federal government; associations and organizations, and more. 

Preserving an Alexandria Legacy

522 Logo522 Productions is an award-winning video production agency based in Alexandria and driven by creativity and fueled by two decades of experience. We stand out from the crowd by delivering innovative, high-quality video that grabs attention and gets results. From corporate training to documentaries, event coverage to marketing campaigns, we’re committed to exceeding client expectations and creating video that leaves a lasting impression.

Why Water's Worth It

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For over 25 years, New Target, Inc., proudly established and thriving in Alexandria, has been a trusted leader in delivering a full spectrum of digital services. Our expertise spans from innovative website design and seamless development to robust integration solutions. We provide reliable hosting support services and strategic digital marketing, all tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, we consistently go above and beyond to not only meet but exceed client expectations, ensuring their digital presence is both impactful and successful.

Building Alexandria Community Partnerships
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Preserving an Alexandria Legacy

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

Our success guiding the Torpedo Factory Artists Association through uncertainty and into renewed civic relevance mirrors exactly what AlexRenew seeks in a communications partner: local insight, strategic clarity, and public trust.

Project Overview

Kaptivate collaborated with the Torpedo Factory Artists Association (TFAA) to develop a strategic business plan and communications strategy aimed at ensuring the financial sustainability and community engagement of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia. This initiative was undertaken during a period of institutional uncertainty and high public interest, necessitating a thoughtful and urgent response to preserve the center's legacy and shape its future.

Key Results

  • Strategic Planning: Engaged over 180 artists to co-create a business roadmap focusing on financial resilience, service expansion, and performance benchmarks.
  • Communications Strategy: Designed and executed a comprehensive public engagement campaign, including political advocacy, grassroots outreach, and media relations, to mobilize public support and position TFAA as a credible steward of the Art Center.
  • Economic Impact Study: Conducted research and analysis to quantify the Art Center’s value to Alexandria’s economy and cultural landscape, highlighting its role as a cornerstone of the city's tourism economy and cultural identity.
  • Business Plan Development: Developed a strategic plan incorporating new revenue models, a capital campaign in partnership with the City of Alexandria, and a framework for accountability.

Through these efforts, Kaptivate equipped TFAA with the strategic foundation and public support necessary to confidently advance its case for leadership and control of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

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Why Water's Worth It

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

The campaign’s alignment with AlexRenew’s mission of environmental stewardship showcases the campaign’s success in fostering public engagement and awareness. 522 Productions effectively transformed WEF’s campaign into a movement, highlighting water’s significance and inciting responsible actions.

Project Overview

WEF partnered with 522 Productions to create a compelling video for the WEFTEC Opening General Session, aiming to inspire both the water industry and the next generation. The theme, “Be a Hero. Water’s Worth It,” served as a call to action, emphasizing the emotional and practical importance of water conservation.

    • Craft a message that emotionally resonates with both industry professionals and the general public.
    • Highlight the urgency of protecting water resources, particularly for future generations.
522 Productions was inspired by children’s water-themed drawings, proposing a concept where a child narrates a poem about water. This poem, brought to life with animation and live-action scenes, illustrates the essential role water plays in everyday life and global ecosystems.
 

Key Results

    • Promote the Water’s Worth It campaign.
    • Encourage dialogue among decision-makers, educators, and the public.
    • Emphasize communal responsibility in water protection.
The video debuted at WEFTEC, leaving a strong impression and leading to a physical book publication due to attendee demand. The campaign became a central tool for WEF, used by members and educators to engage stakeholders and teach young students about water conservation.
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Building Alexandria Community Partnerships

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

The project aligns with AlexRenew's mission by enhancing public engagement and awareness. New Target is leading AHRA in rebranding to modernize its brand and digital presence for Alexandria's diverse community. We collaborate with ARHA to support its mission of managing public housing and providing affordable, non-discriminatory living for low and moderate-income residents. A modern, user-friendly, and secure website is crucial for ARHA's stakeholders and partners.

Project Overview

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) is dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing to low-income residents in Alexandria, Virginia. As the city's population grew and housing needs evolved, ARHA recognized the necessity to modernize its brand and digital presence to better serve the community.

ARHA's existing branding and website no longer effectively communicated its mission or met the needs of its diverse audience. The organization required a refreshed visual identity and a scalable, user-friendly website that could accommodate future growth and technological advancements.

New Target collaborated closely with ARHA to develop a comprehensive rebranding strategy. This included designing a new logo inspired by Alexandria's skyline, creating a cohesive brand book, and developing a clean, modern website. The website was built using Drupal to ensure scalability and integration capabilities, including features like a rent and maintenance portal and Google Maps functionality for housing listings.

Key Results

  • Enhanced Brand Identity: The new logo and brand guidelines provided ARHA with a modern and recognizable visual identity that resonates with the community.
  • Improved User Experience: The redesigned website offers intuitive navigation, making it easier for users to find information and access services.
  • Increased Engagement: Integration of tools like the rent and maintenance portal and interactive housing maps improved user interaction and satisfaction.

Through this partnership, ARHA now has a revitalized brand and digital platform that effectively communicates its mission and supports its commitment to serving Alexandria's residents.

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Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns that Drive Audience Action

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

This project demonstrates the ability to customize messaging, engage audiences and drive stakeholders to take action. Multi-channel marketing campaigns exceeded goals, including click-throughs, open rates, impressions and fundraising results. 

Project Overview

Over the past eight years, a member of our team led high-impact fundraising and marketing campaigns for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well as Doctors Without Borders, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen and other top organizations for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). This included end-to-end marketing strategy and execution, from campaign planning to writing and creating marketing and communications, to data analytics and performance analysis. The goal was to  increase donations during the critical CFC season, working within a set budget, and leveraging multiple channels while navigating tight timelines, government constraints, and audience saturation. Through data analysis, a multi-channel strategy was created consisting of email marketing, social media, print ads, direct mail, native advertising and more. 

Key Results

  • Increased Engagement and Fundraising: The St. Jude targeted marketing campaign from 2024-25 yielded email click-through rates up to 3% throughout the campaign plus a fundraising increase from the prior year which the client attributed to the marketing campaign’s performance.  
  • Employed Creative New Strategies: Deploying email retargeting this year with “in case you missed it” messaging a few days after important emails helped engage priority audiences who did not respond to the first email, increasing response rates throughout the campaign.
  • Provided Return on Investment: For Doctors Without Borders, the targeted marketing campaign resulted in a 14% increase in fundraising, equating to ~$150,000 over the previous year’s results and three times the return on the marketing investment.
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Powering Solutions Through Open Innovation

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

Crowdsourcing, citizen science, and prize competitions give AlexRenew powerful channels to engage new audiences, source innovative ideas, and build public trust. These projects demonstrate Kaptivate’s ability to manage complex outreach and communications campaigns including creating digital content, social media posts, event planning and support, and community engagement.

Project Overview

Kaptivate successfully managed two major U.S. Department of Education prize challenges aimed at driving innovation in education. The CTE CHIPS Challenge focused on expanding student recruitment, training, and placement strategies in semiconductor fab construction and advanced manufacturing careers. The Career Z Challenge invited schools, districts, and partners to design and scale high-quality, work-based learning (WBL) opportunities for students in grades 6–12. For both multi-phase, national initiatives, Kaptivate provided full program management—including challenge design, technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, and judging coordination—to ensure smooth execution and broad participation.

Key Results

Kaptivate provided daily program management of Challenge.gov through communications, capacity building, technical assistance, and strategic public engagement for federal prize managers through GSA’s Open Innovation Program. Our outreach included multi-channel campaigns, hybrid events, and tailored content for community building and key stakeholders. We supported the Applied AI Challenge Social Media Style Guide, which helped establish a cohesive and accessible public-facing identity for a high-profile federal challenge.

Kaptivate’s work in Open Innovation has delivered scalable engagement models that drive public participation and innovation and support long-term communities of practice, demonstrating our ability to scale quickly, adapt to evolving needs, and deliver high-impact results.

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Public Engagement with Science Summit

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

Rallying a community to sustain citizen science momentum involves more than just participation; it requires engaging individuals directly in the work of government. By inviting community members to co-develop initiatives, this approach fosters a sense of shared purpose and builds transparency in the mission of government. Through collaborative efforts, citizens become active partners in generating knowledge and driving innovation, ensuring that public projects are both inclusive and impactful. This project demonstrates Kaptivate’s deep understanding of public participation and expertise in event production.

 

Project Overview

This Summit took place on April 17, 2025. It was inspired by a letter sent in August 2023 by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to President Biden on Advancing Public Engagement with the Sciences. In the letter, PCAST issued a call to action to advance public engagement with science.

Public engagement and inclusive dialogue are essential to science and technology that benefits the health, environment, national security, and well-being of all Americans. Federal agencies play a critical role in creating avenues for robust science and technology communication and public engagement.

This in-person full day Summit was for federal employees and took place at the General Services Administration headquarters in Washington, DC. Participants heard from 2011 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics Saul Perlmutter on the importance of public engagement with science. The event also included remarks from senior government leaders, a panel discussion of programs and portfolios that support public engagement with science, and featured exemplary participatory science projects.

Key Results

Kaptivate served as the full service event management team for the Summit. Kaptivate prepared the event agenda; coordinated with senior leaders and VIP speakers; conducted outreach and event marketing; managed registration; developed an event website; prepared print materials including event branding, physical signage, name tags for all attendees, and slide decks; and provided on-site logistics.

The event brought together 100 attendees from 16 federal agencies for a full day of programming. Kaptivate prepared a post-event blog that was published on the GSA blog page.

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Public Engagement with Science

Public Engagement with Science

 

Internships: Build the Pipeline, Build the Brand

Impact and Alignment with AlexRenew

A high-school internship program would give students hands-on experience in environmental science, engineering, communications, and public service. These interns could become AlexRenew apprentices, staff, and even future civic leaders who understand the importance of environmental infrastructure.

Project Overview

Kaptivate has developed a robust internship program that not only contributes to its business objectives but also plays a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of professionals. By integrating interns into meaningful projects and supporting federal initiatives, Kaptivate demonstrates a commitment to workforce development and innovation.

In an evolving economic landscape, Kaptivate recognized the need to cultivate a sustainable talent pipeline. The company aimed to address the talent crisis by investing in internships that provide real-world experience, thereby preparing students for future careers while simultaneously benefiting from their fresh perspectives and skills.

Key Results

Kaptivate's approach to internships is multifaceted:

  • Meaningful Work Assignments: Interns are entrusted with tasks that directly impact client projects, such as designing materials, analyzing data, and enhancing productivity tools.
  • Mentorship and Professional Development: Interns receive guidance from experienced professionals, fostering growth in areas like marketing, communications, and project management.
  • Support for Federal Initiatives: Kaptivate contributes to programs like the U.S. Department of Education’s CTE CHIPS Challenge and Career Z Challenge, which aim to expand student recruitment and training in high-demand sectors. Interns assist with outreach, engagement, and program implementation, gaining exposure to national workforce development efforts.

The impact of Kaptivate's internship program is evident:

  • Recognition: Named a Top Virginia Employer for Interns by the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), highlighting the quality and effectiveness of its internship offerings.
  • Economic Value: Intern contributions have led to significant cost savings, with reports indicating nearly $25,000 saved in a single year due to intern-led initiatives.
  • Workforce Development: By providing hands-on experience and supporting federal challenges, Kaptivate helps bridge the gap between education and employment, fostering a skilled and adaptable workforce.

Kaptivate's strategic investment in internships serves as a model for how organizations can simultaneously achieve business goals and contribute to workforce development. Through meaningful work assignments, mentorship, and support for national initiatives, Kaptivate empowers interns to become future-ready professionals, addressing the talent crisis with proactive solutions.

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Together we can transform complex data into engaging stories that inspire and build trust in our local community and beyond.

Get excited for what's next! Explore more examples of our work.

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