From Pandemic Launch to Purposeful Work

In the early days of NURA, we weren’t just building a business—we were figuring out how to exist in a world that had suddenly changed. Launching a company during a pandemic meant uncertainty at every turn, but one thing was clear: we wanted to do work that mattered. That opportunity came sooner than expected when we were tapped to help announce a major $5M investment into Baton Rouge’s community development efforts.

At the time, it was more than a project. It was our first big moment as NURA, a chance to prove that we could turn complex initiatives into compelling, people-centered narratives. The challenge? Creating a multi-channel marketing strategy to ensure that JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities Initiative resonated with the people it was meant to impact.

The Power of a Well-Told Story

Announcing a $5M investment could have easily been a transactional press release—just another corporate milestone in a long list of financial commitments. But that’s never been how we approach storytelling. We knew this was bigger than dollars; this was about how neighborhoods could be transformed when funding aligned with local organizations and community needs. 

Our role was to shape the story of an audacious vision for a better Baton Rouge. We eagerly accepted the challenge of making sure that the right voices were amplified, the right visuals reflected the project’s purpose, and that every stakeholder could see themselves in the initiative. We worked across traditional and digital media platforms to centralize messaging, expand the brand’s creative presence, develop a web page, and produce video storytelling elements that gave life to the announcement.

Watch the full video here. 

Lessons in Purposeful Work

This project taught us a lot—not just about the logistics of brand expansion and stakeholder coordination, but about what it means to build something with lasting impact.

Collaboration is Everything

The best projects don’t happen in silos. As a two-person agency just starting out, we had to build strong partnerships to make this project happen. We worked with 4thFlr on the video storytelling component, while local graphic designers like Marcus Soniat helped bring the infographics, animations, and the annual report to life. This experience showed us that great storytelling is often a collective effort, and we’re proud to have worked alongside such talented creatives.

Community Buy-In Matters

It’s not enough to announce funding; people need to see how it directly benefits them. To ensure this investment truly resonated, we went straight to the source—interviewing Baton Rouge residents (like Byron Washington, founder of Scotland Saturdays and Levitt AMP BR)  about their experiences in the city and how this funding could make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families. Hearing their stories firsthand reinforced why storytelling matters in community development: people need to see themselves in the future that’s being built.

Purpose Over Promotion

Marketing isn’t just about making noise. It’s about making meaning. We had to quickly learn how to work alongside other agencies and large corporations, like JPMorgan Chase, to get the messaging right. Beyond abiding by their brand guidelines and legal compliance, we learned the power of authentic storytelling and impact. The ability to balance corporate interests with community voices became one of our most valuable lessons.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

This wasn’t just our first big project—it was the foundation of how we approach every project now. Purpose-driven storytelling, thoughtful strategy, and a commitment to making sure investments aren’t just heard about but felt.

Beyond that, this project meant something deeply personal to us. The then-CEO of Build Baton Rouge, Chris Tyson, believed in us enough to give NURA this opportunity, even though we had only launched our company a few months prior. 

His trust in us validated our belief in our own capabilities, and it reinforced our mission to help other companies and organizations that are committed to doing good.

Since then, we’ve continued to partner with organizations that want to turn big ideas into tangible change. But this project will always hold a special place for us—it’s where we proved to ourselves that we could do more than launch a company. We could help launch movements.