About
Founded in 2003 by Vanessa Wakeman, The Wakeman Agency employs an array of storytelling mechanisms that move beyond the offerings of traditional communications agencies. Wakeman’s framework addresses the essential needs and ambitious aspirations of our clients, and those they serve.
Our expertise amplifies your impact to result in meaningful change.
For the past 20 years, The Wakeman Agency has provided a powerful approach to communications strategy for mission-driven causes and socially responsible companies in pursuit of systemic change. We methodically combine diverse areas of expertise that are crafted to elicit specific reactions and outcomes from core audiences.
The agency’s legacy is centered around pioneering strategies and the development of innovative tools that support systems level change. Our client engagements weave an interplay of public relations, messaging architecture, thought leadership development, event design and revenue strategy. We draw on equity focused practices, ethnographically informed methods, behavioral science findings and experiential insight on social change and communications. Our work advances sustainable progress on the most pressing issues of our time.
We shifts perceptions and move the needle on a wide range of topics, industries and philanthropic arenas, including civil rights, public health, child abuse prevention and treatment, school desegregation, fintech, climate justice, educational equity, culturally responsive pedagogy and curriculum, criminal justice reform, housing, disability services, domestic violence, human rights and animal welfare.
Our team members are original thinkers who bring consistent curiosity and rigor to our work. The foundation of our process is the understanding that effective and ethical communications require those closest to the problems we work to solve.
We join with progressive companies to channel our agency’s abilities on behalf of diverse and multicultural global communities. Weaving our experience with those who are transforming systems, our expertise amplifies your impact, resulting in meaningful change defined principally by those impacted by that change.
A narrative-driven brand refresh for a narrative-defiant strategic communications agency.
The Wakeman Agency’s 20th anniversary in 2023 was not a destination but a jumping off point. This is the story of how we connected and expanded our Wakeman at 20 vision through visual and brand storytelling.

Contact us to learn more about our work.