for a livable future

Communications

Strategic

Studio Kākāpo helps people working for positive impact get their story straight and engage key audiences.

Why work with us

  • We turn story theory, audience insights and your project’s special sauce into actionable narrative strategies that get results.

  • We clarify your target audiences and integrate insights from neurobiology, behavioral science, psychology, UX design and community organizing to maximize narrative impact.

  • We bring a nuanced understanding of diverse topics—climate, biodiversity, oceans, forests, materials, waste, inequality, democracy, local economies, food systems, more. We’re on top of the latest science, too, and we’re versed the ins and outs of impact finance.

  • We deliver on time, on budget, true to scope and at the highest level. We like to have a good time along the way, and we do our best to make sure you do, too.

Tory Read, Founder & Principal

  • “In an era of information overload, Tory Read's work breaks through the noise to reach the audience.”

    Janis Alcorn, Garfield Foundation

  • "Tory listened deeply, asked great questions and provided insightful feedback through the lens of a potential investor/donor partner."

    Keoni Lee, Hawaii Investment Ready

  • "I needed someone who understood our target audiences and could work skillfully across six nations, in often demanding conditions. Tory Read exceeded our expectations."

    Maurice Knight, USAID

  • "We wanted to know, are we telling our story well? It's all about visual storytelling now, and Tory brought a savvy, bang-on perspective."

    Erika Gregory, CEO Collective Invention

  • "The stories that Indonesian forest activists crafted in Tory's strategic communications workshop helped them win new child labor protections in Indonesian palm oil."

    Lafcadio Cortesi, Rainforest Action Network

How it works

Every engagement starts with a conversation to explore your story priorities. Depending on your needs, you can book us on either a project or retainer basis.

The project structure works best for time-limited engagements that result in specific, non-repeating deliverables. The first step is an exploratory conversation to discuss your objectives, starting place, timeline, resources and budget. Team Kākāpo then crafts a custom proposal. After finalizing the scope of work, we roll up our sleeves and dive in.

A monthly retainer arrangement works best for people and projects seeking creative ideas, editorial feedback and/or narrative guidance on an ongoing basis.

Our services

  • Investor pitch narrative

    Thought leader strategy & themes

    Target audience insights, narrative frames & core messages

    Community building, content & engagement strategy

  • Landscape scans

    White papers

    Issue briefs

    Lessons learned reports

  • Elevator pitch

    Founder “why”

    Making friends & influencing people

    Adaptive pitching on the fly

Prior clients