Fresh Ideas, Strong Connections - Brand Boost: New Year’s Edition

Our 2026 events kicked off strong with our Brand Boost: New Year’s Edition on Thursday, January 22nd! Featuring nearly 10 creative partners and WBC members, the event showcased many of the local resources available for small businesses to work with on marketing, branding, and finding their business’s voice! Marketing in 2026 can feel a bit daunting - from designing a logo, to building a website, to creating an online presence on social media. Creating an authentic brand to reach and connect with clientele can take time, money and creativity. And when you need to focus those assets on running a successful business and providing a top tier service, marketing isn’t always what we want to think about!

Photos Provided By: Karen Samedi, Atelier Sociale

Hosted by Atelier Sociale (372 Main St.), owner Karen Samedi opened the doors to her unique, creative new studio, welcoming us in to explore, network, and connect! Featuring a podcast studio, multiple fully designed areas for photo and video shoots, plus a hair and makeup room - the studio provides a space for photographers, videographers, podcasters, content creators, and more to work their magic. “Atelier Sociale” (or “Atelier Social”) blends together the French word atelier (artist’s studio/workshop) with the social aspect of fostering creativity and community in a fun, shared space.

The vibes were high as guests enjoyed discounted headshots from Watertown photographer Natalie Nigito, as well as advice and networking from the rockstar lineup of local marketing professionals! One attendee noted, “I’m the only one on my team who does social media, so it’s really nice to get to talk to other people who get what I do!”

Thanks to our incredible food and drink sponsors, nobody left hungry or thirsty! Nzuko spoiled guests with their delicious appetizers, Pizza Roma provided some incredible Italian cookies, and Magnolia Wine Company supplied no shortage of beer and wine. The Mighty Squirrel team was in attendance and did not come empty handed either!

A big thank you to all of our members who supported this event!

A special thank you to our marketing professionals and WBC Members, who each brought their own spin, thoughts, and creativity!

• Atelier Sociale: 

• Natalie Nigito Photography

• Victoria Sax Design

• AVC Strategies

• Life of E’s

• Fusionary Thinking

• Blue Collar Boost

Incredible advice came out of this event and we hope our featured members can be a resource to any business looking to boost their branding this year, and beyond!

And finally: thank you to our nonprofit feature of the night, Watertown Cable Access Corp.! Executive Director Andrea Santopietro and Outreach & Fundraising Coordinator Evelyn Brito joined the event to share more about WCA-TV’s mission, the creative studio space that they offer to the community, and ways to collaborate! For information on workshops, sponsorship opportunities, and memberships, visit wcatv.org or reach out to Andrea, here!

We can’t wait to connect even more at our events throughout the rest of 2026!