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1887 First seal — Keeping Eatonville first in all that we do1887First

1887 First Media Agency

We turn stories into strategy and strategy into action.

We work with small businesses, nonprofits, municipalities and agencies, cultural institutions, and community organizations that need work which holds up in public.

Services

What we do

Brand and campaign strategy

Positioning, messaging, and campaign architecture for organizations that need to be taken seriously the first time.

Digital advertising and media buying

Paid placement planning and buying across search, social, and local channels.

Social media and digital marketing

Always-on content, community management, and growth built on real audience relationships.

Photography and video production

Documentary photography and short-form video that treats communities as sources, not backdrops.

Content and visual storytelling

Editorial writing, design systems, and visual narratives that carry across every channel.

Community engagement

On-the-ground outreach, listening sessions, and partnership building with the people affected.

Event marketing

Promotion, activation, and vendor recruitment informed by two years of running our own market.

Why 1887 First

We're not visiting. We're from here.

Crowds at the 1887 Night Market

  • Cultural knowledge

    We are from here. We do not have to be briefed on the community we are asking you to reach.

  • Community trust

    Relationships built over years of showing up, not campaigns bought for a quarter.

  • Storytelling experience

    A working newsroom's standards applied to commercial work.

  • Proven community engagement

    19 markets, 200+ businesses, and 15K+ estimated visitors — documented.

  • Media, commerce, and impact

    We connect coverage, commerce, and community outcomes in one place.

Selected work

Case studies

Launching a recurring market in a historic district

1887 Night Market

Launching a recurring market in a historic district

Challenge
A historic commercial corridor with foot traffic potential and no recurring retail platform for local businesses.
Strategy
Build a recurring, brand-led market with vendor recruitment, youth programming, and a documented impact record.
Execution
Identity, social campaigns, vendor recruitment, photography and video, on-site activation, and post-market reporting.
Results
  • 19 markets held in Eatonville
  • 200+ Black businesses participated
  • 850+ vendor applications received
  • 3M+ social media views

Source: 1887 First Two-Year Economic Impact Snapshot.

Documentary storytelling for small business owners

Night Market vendors

Documentary storytelling for small business owners

Challenge
Vendors had products and no consistent visual or written presence to grow beyond market days.
Strategy
Produce portrait-led documentary content that vendors could reuse across their own channels.
Execution
On-site photography, short-form video interviews, and written vendor profiles produced across market dates.
Results
  • Vendor-facing photo and video library produced on site
  • Profiles distributed through 1887 First channels
Turning public-record reporting into public participation

Community advocacy

Turning public-record reporting into public participation

Challenge
Residents were affected by land and development decisions they had little plain-language access to.
Strategy
Translate meeting records and property data into accessible coverage, then invite participation.
Execution
Ongoing reporting, meeting documentation, and social distribution built around The Land series.
Results
  • Standing public accounting of parcels and transfers
  • Ongoing documentation of town and agency action

Advertising opportunities

Advertise with 1887 First.

Website advertising

Display placements across 1887First.com, sold by section or run of site.

Clearly labeled sponsored stories

Branded editorial produced by our team and labeled Sponsored on every surface.

Newsletter sponsorships

Placement inside the Eatonville newsletter, sent to opted-in subscribers.

Social media campaigns

Campaigns distributed through 1887 First channels.

Video sponsorships

Presenting sponsorship of documentary and interview video series.

Night Market and event activations

On-site brand presence, sampling, and activation at 1887 Night Market dates.

Sponsored stories are always clearly labeled. Advertisers do not control editorial coverage.

Request the media kit

Our process

01

Discover

Stakeholders, records, audience, and the actual constraint.

02

Strategize

Define the story that is true and the outcome that is measurable.

03

Create

Identity, content, media, and production in-house.

04

Launch

Distribute across owned, paid, and community channels.

05

Measure

Report results against the outcome we set at the start.

Testimonials

Approved client testimonials will be published here. We only publish quotes we have written permission to use.

Frequently asked questions

Who do you work with?

Small businesses, nonprofits, municipalities and agencies, cultural institutions, and community organizations.

Do agency clients influence news coverage?

No. Agency clients, advertisers, and sponsors do not control independent editorial coverage.

What does a project cost?

Scope varies. Share a budget range in the project form and we will tell you honestly what is possible.

How fast can you start?

Tell us your target launch date in the form and we will confirm availability.

Do you produce sponsored content?

Yes, and it is always clearly labeled as Sponsored.

Start a project

Tell us what you're building.

Services needed

Newsletter

Eatonville, in your inbox.

Local reporting, land coverage, market dates, and business opportunities — sent from people who live here.

Interests