Gaslight Studios

What Gaslight Studios does

Gaslight Studios is a privately held, founder-owned integrated branding and marketing agency headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Founded in late 2016 by Scott MacKenzie (President), the firm operates as a full-service creative agency spanning three core practice areas: Creative Services (branding, advertising, web design, graphic design, illustration, UX/UI design, video production), Digital Marketing (social media, content creation, SEO, influencer programs, marketing analytics, voice skill strategy), and Public Relations (message development, media relations, crisis management, thought leadership). The agency employs 11-50 professionals and has been rebranded from Gaslight Marketing & Communications to Gaslight Studios in March 2023 to reflect its broadened service portfolio.

The company's revenue model is professional services-based, delivered through project-based work and retainer engagements across primary verticals including hospitality (hotels, resorts, restaurants — its strongest vertical), consumer brands, B2B companies, and more recently higher education through the CollegeCompete division launched in August 2024. Notable portfolio clients include Marriott Tribute Portfolio properties (The LaSalle Hotel, The English Hotel, The Inelle Hotel, The Domestic Hotel, The Yeti Hotel), Chef Todd English's restaurant concepts (The Pepper Club), Matt's Music, Burkard Group, and Dinner at Mary's. The firm sells through a direct sales motion that begins with a complimentary branding or marketing assessment and is supported by thought leadership content, SEO, and the October 2023 Maestro Management Consulting Consortium partnership.

Gaslight Studios has no external funding, no parent company, and operates as an independent bootstrapped agency. Core technology is not applicable to the operating model, and the agency does not disclose proprietary AI/ML capabilities. Its competitive positioning centers on hospitality domain specialization, integrated in-house creative+PR+digital capability, and a multi-hub national footprint.

Name

Gaslight Studios

Legal name

Gaslight Studios

Website

https://gaslightcomm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gaslight Studios is a privately held, founder-owned integrated branding and marketing agency headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. It serves hospitality, consumer brands, B2B, and higher education clients through creative, digital marketing, and PR services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Advertising Agency Services

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Brand strategy
• Creative agency
• Hospitality marketing
• Integrated marketing
• Public relations

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Branding, Creative, PR, Digital Marketing): Project-based and retainer engagements for integrated branding, creative services, public relations, and digital marketing services. Services include branding, advertising, web design, graphic design, illustration, UX/UI design, video production, social media marketing, content creation, SEO, media relations, and crisis management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gaslight Studios is a full-service, integrated branding and marketing agency that develops brand identities, advertising campaigns, digital experiences, and public relations programs for clients. The firm operates three core divisions — Creative, Digital Marketing, and Public Relations — and also runs a specialized higher-education marketing division called CollegeCompete that helps colleges and universities recruit students through data-driven marketing.

Product overview

Gaslight Studios is a full-service, integrated branding and marketing agency (formerly Gaslight Marketing & Communications) that offers a comprehensive suite of professional services organized into three main divisions: Creative Services (Branding, Advertising, Web Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, UX/UI Design, Video Production), Digital Marketing (Social Media Marketing, Content Creation, Voice Skill Strategy, Mobile Marketing, Influencer Programs, Marketing Analytics, Search Engine Optimization), and Public Relations (Message Development, Media Relations, Media Training, Thought Leadership Programs, Crisis Management, Awards & Speaking Opportunities, CSR & Community Engagement, Strategic Partnerships). Their portfolio includes notable hospitality branding projects such as The English Hotel, The Pepper Club, The LaSalle Hotel, The Yeti Hotel, The Inelle Hotel, The Domestic Hotel, Matt's Music, and Dinner at Mary's. The agency also launched CollegeCompete, a specialized education division serving distressed higher education institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CollegeCompete: A specialized education division delivering public relations, marketing and creative services specifically designed to help smaller colleges confront challenges to ensure long-term viability of their institutions.

Products and services

• Creative Services

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maestro Management Consulting ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2023Gaslight Studios announced acceptance into Maestro Management Consulting Consortium, providing comprehensive and scalable project-based solutions. Membership undergoes rigorous vetting process. Consortium includes creative, technical and operational expertise across industries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Situation Interactive: Boutique digital and creative agency with notable hospitality and entertainment practice. Comparable as a similarly sized integrated agency with overlapping digital marketing and creative services.
• Taxi Studio: Independent branding and design agency serving hospitality and consumer brands. Comparable as a boutique, founder-led creative firm competing for similar rebranding mandates.
• BrandOpus: Independent brand strategy and design agency focused on hospitality, food & beverage, and consumer brands. Directly comparable in terms of boutique scale, vertical depth in hospitality/F&B, and full-service branding offering.
• 5W Public Relations: Independent PR and integrated communications agency serving hospitality, consumer, and lifestyle brands. Comparable in independent/founder-led positioning and integrated PR plus digital marketing services.
• HL Group: Boutique communications and branding agency with strong hospitality, lifestyle, and consumer practice. Comparable as a similarly sized integrated PR/creative shop competing in hospitality and consumer brand work.
• Beardwood & Co. Boutique creative agency serving hospitality, food & beverage, and lifestyle brands with integrated branding, digital, and content services. Closely comparable in size, vertical focus, and integrated agency model.
• Eleven: Boutique branding and design agency of comparable size specializing in hospitality, food & beverage, and lifestyle clients. Directly comparable as a similarly scaled, hospitality-focused creative shop competing for the same boutique hotel and restaurant rebrands.

Broad incumbents

• Prophet: Global branding and growth strategy consultancy serving hospitality, consumer, and B2B clients. A broader incumbent competitor for enterprise hospitality rebranding and brand strategy mandates.
• Godfrey Dadich Partners: Design and branding firm with strong hospitality and corporate brand practice. Larger and broader than Gaslight but competes for the same premium hospitality rebranding work.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency with deep hospitality and experiential marketing practice. Competes for integrated brand experience budgets but operates at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thisisgaslight

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 Gaslight Studios