Sleight-of-Hand Studios

What Sleight-of-Hand Studios does

Sleight-of-Hand Studios (legally Sleight-of-Hand Studios LLC, operating also as SoH Studios) is a boutique digital agency headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, founded in 2004. The firm renders a vertically integrated portfolio of branding, digital strategy, web development, graphic design, photography, and print/digital book production services. Its core technical platform is Drupal, on which it builds custom content-managed websites for associations, nonprofits, industry organizations, and government clients. The company is independently owned and managed by Managing Partner Dori Kelner and Technical Director Larry Hugg, with a headcount of 1–10, and holds WBENC Women's Business Enterprise, Virginia SWaM #686252, and 8(m) Woman-Owned Small Business certifications.

The firm's product surface centers on Drupal-based website solutions, broken into design, development, training, managed hosting and support (delivered through the proprietary Backstage PAS® package), and a Drupal Rescue service for inheriting and remediating existing Drupal sites. This is complemented by a strategy and consulting layer (branding and identity, digital strategy, content strategy) and creative services (graphic design, commercial and portrait photography, print and digital book layout). Notable technical capabilities include a native integration with Avectra NetForum Pro for member-management single sign-on and premium content gating, as evidenced in work for SRA International.

Sleight-of-Hand Studios earns revenue primarily through professional services engagements, supplemented by a recurring hosting and support subscription via Backstage PAS®. Go-to-market is direct and consultation-led, anchored by a 30-minute "Get Relevant Consultation" entry point and supported by active participation in the Drupal Association, Acquia partner program, DrupalCon, Drupal Camps, Drupal for Government, and various regional professional associations (ASAE, DC Web Women, UXPA). Pricing varies by project scope, with the contact form indicating budgets ranging from under $1,000 to over $100,000, while standardized pricing is published for business portraits ($350 initial session, $95 per additional image). Geographic focus is the United States, primarily the Washington DC metro area with national reach for association and nonprofit clients.

Name

Sleight-of-Hand Studios

Legal name

Sleight-of-Hand Studios LLC

Website

https://sohstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sleight-of-Hand Studios is a Fairfax, Virginia-based boutique digital agency that builds custom Drupal websites and provides branding, digital strategy, design, and photography services primarily to nonprofits, trade associations, and government clients in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Agency Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH)

Keywords

• Drupal web development
• Digital agency services
• Brand identity design
• Content strategy consulting
• Nonprofit web solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Web Development and Design Services: Custom Drupal website development, web design, and interactive experiences. Revenue generated through project-based engagements ranging from small to enterprise-scale implementations.
2. Strategy and Consulting: Branding and identity, digital strategy, and content strategy consulting services.
3. Photography Services: Commercial photography and business portraits. Business portraits priced at $350 for initial session with full retouching; additional images at $95 each. Custom pricing for commercial photography assignments.
4. Hosting and Support: Ongoing hosting and maintenance services for Drupal clients, bundled in Backstage PAS (Priority Annual Support) package.
5. Training: Custom training programs for website content management, provided both in-house and web-based.
6. Drupal Rescue: Consulting and remediation services for existing Drupal websites requiring expert support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sleight-of-Hand Studios is a boutique digital agency that designs, develops, and supports custom Drupal-based content-managed websites for associations, nonprofits, industry, and government clients. Service offerings span strategy and consulting (branding, digital strategy, content strategy), website solutions (design, development, training, hosting and support, Drupal Rescue), and creative services (graphic design, commercial photography, print and digital books).

Product overview

Sleight-of-Hand Studios is a boutique digital agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of Drupal-based website solutions complemented by strategy and creative services. The core offering is Website Solutions built on the Drupal platform, which encompasses website design, website development, training, hosting and support (via the Backstage PAS® package), and Drupal Rescue services for existing sites. This core is complemented by Strategy and Consulting services including Branding and Identity, Digital Strategy, and Content Strategy. Creative Services round out the portfolio with Graphic Design, Photography, and Print and Digital Books production. The company specializes in serving associations, nonprofits, industry, and government clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Solutions Custom content-managed websites built on the Drupal platform, covering discovery, content strategy, interaction design, development, training, launch, hosting, and maintenance. Targeted at associations, nonprofits, industry, and government clients needing Drupal-based digital platforms.
• Drupal Rescue Expert analysis and remediation of existing Drupal websites with technical issues, configuration problems, security vulnerabilities, or performance issues. Includes reverse engineering of original developer intent and planning optimal routes for repair, maintenance, or upgrade.
• Hosting and Support (Backstage PAS) Managed hosting on high-availability HP systems with security monitoring, redundant connectivity, regular software updates, and ongoing reviews for security patches, bundled in the Backstage PAS (Priority Annual Support) package.
• Website Design Visual web experience design covering fonts, color palette, imagery, navigation, media selection, and interaction design to optimize user experience.
• Website Development Web application development based on strategies and requirements, focused on search engine scoring, security, performance, usability, and accessibility.
• Training Custom back-end interface training and ongoing support to ensure clients understand how to maintain content on their new Drupal site. Delivered both in-house and via web-based formats.
• Branding and Identity Brand development services that identify how an organization wants to be perceived versus how it is actually perceived, through exercises, discussions, storytelling, and review, with recommendations applied across content, graphics, and messaging channels.
• Digital Strategy Needs assessment evaluating existing processes for digital improvement, requirements alignment with business goals, and sustainable planning for organizational operations, helping clients improve operations, manage resources, and provide audience interaction tools.
• Content Strategy Content analysis, inventory, and governance planning defining content owners, policies, and workflows, along with editorial calendar development for ongoing content distribution.
• Graphic Design Design services ranging from logos to print collateral to website design, ensuring visuals are fresh, relevant, and aligned with brand and audience.
• Photography Commercial photography and business portrait services with professional lighting, composition, and attention to detail, delivered in multiple resolutions for documents, websites, and marketing materials.
• Print and Digital Books Layout and design services for print and digital books in ePub formats, including publishing and distribution support across platforms like Amazon and CreateSpace.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced site downtime to seconds during major version upgrades through Backstage PAS
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AcquiacoreTechnology or IntegrationAcquia partner status - a major Drupal-based cloud platform company. SoH Studios works with Acquia for hosting and cloud infrastructure needs for Drupal clients.
• Drupal AssociationcoreTechnology or IntegrationOrganizational member of Drupal Association with contributors to the Drupal community online and in person through attendance, presentation and sponsorships at DrupalCon, Drupal Camps, Drupal for Government and local meetups.
• WBENCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Women's Business Enterprise through WBENC certification.
• ASAE The Center for Association LeadershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership supporting association leadership community.
• DC Web WomenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal professional community for women in web and technology in Washington DC area.
• DC InDesign Users GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal user group for design professionals using InDesign.
• User Experience Professionals AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for UX practitioners. Dori Kelner is an active member.
• The American Small Business CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition supporting small businesses. Both Dori Kelner and Larry Hugg are active members. Dori has served as chair of the charity auction.
• The Small Business Government Communicators NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for government contractors and small business communicators. Larry Hugg is an active member.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Acquia: Acquia is the largest commercial entity in the Drupal ecosystem, providing cloud hosting, content management, and personalization. SoH is an Acquia Partner, and Acquia represents the broad incumbent whose platform SoH builds, hosts, and supports on.
• Bounteous: Bounteous is a large digital transformation agency offering Drupal, Adobe, and other platform development as part of a broader portfolio. It represents the scaled-incumbent alternative that SoH competes against for mid-market and enterprise digital engagements.

Direct peers

• Palantir.net: Palantir.net is a Madison, WI-based digital agency with deep Drupal expertise providing strategy, design, and development. It is comparable to SoH as a mid-sized Drupal specialist serving mission-driven organizations.
• Chapter Three: Chapter Three is a digital agency with deep Drupal and open-source CMS expertise focused on complex web platforms for enterprise and association clients. Its Drupal specialization and hosting/support services overlap directly with SoH's core offering.
• Promet Source: Promet Source is a Drupal development agency that specializes in solutions for associations and nonprofits, including complex membership and content platforms. Its customer segment alignment with SoH's association/nonprofit roster makes it a directly comparable peer.
• Bluecadet: Bluecadet is a Philadelphia-based interactive agency specializing in Drupal and WordPress website design and development for museums, cultural institutions, nonprofits, and mission-driven brands. It mirrors SoH's boutique-agency model with comparable Drupal expertise and a nonprofit/cultural-sector customer focus.
• Lullabot: Lullabot is one of the most established Drupal-specialized agencies, offering strategy, design, development, and hosting for enterprise Drupal projects. It overlaps with SoH across the full Drupal service stack and represents a larger but directly comparable specialist.
• Hook 42: Hook 42 is a Drupal agency focused on Drupal support, migrations, and complex development projects. It is a strong functional peer given its overlap with SoH's Drupal Rescue and ongoing support offerings and its similar boutique operating model.
• Forum One: Forum One is an Arlington, VA-based digital agency specializing in Drupal strategy, design, and development for associations, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and government. It is the closest geographic and segment-specific peer to Sleight-of-Hand Studios, with a nearly identical customer focus and technology stack.
• ImageX: ImageX is a Drupal agency that builds enterprise-level Drupal websites for associations, nonprofits, and government clients. Its Drupal-only positioning and association/nonprofit segment focus mirror SoH's core strategy and customer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sleight-of-hand-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sleight-of-Hand Studios