Case Studies
Each case study below focuses on the challenge we were hired to solve. Interested in learning more about our approach, deliverables, or results for a specific project? Email amani@olucompany.com for the full report.
Photo: Clay Barckholtz. Courtesy of College for Creative Studies
new england foundation for the arts
Challenge
As New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) approached its 50th anniversary, the organization needed strategic communications support to position leadership as thought leaders in the field, strengthen its institutional messaging, and ensure continued stakeholder confidence. NEFA required a comprehensive content strategy, crisis communications planning, and executive communications support to elevate its voice in regional arts policy and cultural funding while celebrating its legacy and articulating its evolving mission.
college for creative studies
Challenge
Ranked among the top ten art institutions nationally, the College for Creative Studies needed strategic communications to elevate its global profile, position the college as a leader in arts education, and establish Detroit as a destination for recruiting creative talent. Despite producing graduates for major industries—transportation, film, advertising, consumer electronics, athletic apparel—CCS remained “Detroit's best-kept secret” without proportional press recognition or visibility among national and international recruiters. The college required a comprehensive strategy to increase both local community engagement and national industry visibility.
lower manhattan cultural council
Challenge
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a leading cultural nonprofit supporting artists and cultural organizations in New York City, needed sustained strategic communications support to elevate its visibility, manage major program launches and milestones, and position itself as a critical voice in New York’s cultural ecosystem. As LMCC approached its 50th anniversary and navigated significant organizational evolution—including executive leadership transition with the appointment of a new President & CEO—the organization required a comprehensive PR strategy, media relations, executive communications, and stakeholder messaging to maintain momentum and deepen institutional relationships with press, funders, and cultural partners.
michigan central
Challenge
Michigan Central, Ford’s ambitious $950 million restoration of Detroit’s iconic train station, needed to launch its innovation campus and announce the opening of Newlab Detroit at the historic Book Depository building. The opening event required sophisticated experiential design that would honor the building's historic significance, introduce Michigan Central's vision for Detroit's innovation future, celebrate community investment, and create a memorable experience for diverse stakeholders, including Ford leadership, civic officials, community members, innovation partners, and media. The event needed to position Michigan Central as a catalyst for Detroit's economic transformation while authentically connecting to the city's cultural legacy.
art for justice fund
Challenge
Art for Justice Fund, a six-year initiative aligning artists, advocates, and allied donors to end mass incarceration, was approaching its planned sunset in June 2023. The team needed to memorialize six years of transformative work, communicate impact to key stakeholders, and create a lasting resource for the movement. The challenge was distilling complex grantmaking, narrative change work, and criminal legal transformation efforts into accessible content while honoring grantees’ lived experiences and ensuring the Fund’s legacy would continue serving the field after closure.
ford foundation gallery
Challenge
Ford Foundation was launching Ford Foundation Gallery, a new public space presenting “art as a powerful ally in the fight for social justice.” The gallery had no cultural footprint, no arts audience or media relationships, and needed to establish credibility in NYC’s oversaturated arts landscape while maintaining legitimacy as both a cultural institution and a social justice foundation. Beyond launch, the gallery required sustained communications across multiple exhibitions and virtual programming, including a mid-engagement pandemic pivot.
bottega veneta
Challenge
Bottega Veneta sought to activate Detroit for its Salon 03 runway presentation and supplemental programming, pushing beyond traditional fashion week circuits. The house’s former creative director was inspired by Detroit’s automotive industry legacy and techno music heritage, but the brand lacked essential local connections, cultural credibility, and infrastructure to authentically integrate the city’s identity into a fashion presentation. The challenge was to bridge international luxury fashion and Detroit’s creative community in a way that felt genuine rather than extractive.
museum of contemporary art detroit (mocad)
Challenge
MOCAD faced intersecting crises requiring sensitive navigation: the termination of its former Executive Director amid community controversy, an Executive Director search during heightened scrutiny of museum leadership practices, and a major capital campaign for building renovation—all while maintaining its exhibition programming and institutional credibility. The museum needed strategic communications counsel to manage institutional crises while preserving relationships with artists, donors, community stakeholders, and the press. Adding to the complexity, MOCAD needed to continue earning substantive media coverage for exhibitions amid institutional turbulence and pandemic disruption.
ily2 gallery
Challenge
When ILY2 launched in Portland in 2020, the gallery confronted a fundamental challenge facing any contemporary art space operating outside New York or Los Angeles: how to build curatorial credibility and national visibility in a market where geographic proximity to established art world centers often determines institutional legitimacy. Without the inherent advantages of a major market location, ILY2 needed strategic positioning to cultivate collector relationships, secure press coverage, differentiate its curatorial vision, and earn recognition from gatekeepers who might otherwise dismiss a Portland-based program.
michigan justice fund
Challenge
Michigan Justice Fund, a newly established criminal justice reform initiative, needed to build brand recognition and communicate its complex impact to diverse stakeholders, including donors, policymakers, grantees, and the public. The organization required a foundational brand identity followed by annual reporting that could translate dense programmatic data and grantee stories into accessible, compelling narratives. The challenge was creating materials that honored the lived experiences of those impacted by the criminal legal system while demonstrating measurable impact to funders and advocates.
nxthvn
Challenge
NXTHVN, a groundbreaking arts institution founded by MacArthur Fellow Titus Kaphar and Jason Price, launched in New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood to address inequities in the art world through artist residencies, curatorial fellowships, and public programming. As a new national arts model operating outside traditional art world centers, NXTHVN needed to establish institutional credibility, position its unique equity-focused mission within contemporary art discourse, attract national attention for its exhibition programming and fellowship opportunities, and build visibility for both the organization and its emerging artist fellows. The challenge was elevating a neighborhood-based initiative to national prominence while maintaining an authentic connection to New Haven’s community and honoring the organization’s mission.