Senior-level communications thinking. Hands-on execution. No layers. No hand-holding needed.


Hi. I’m Dean Askin — Founder, Creative Lead and Executive Producer of Studio1027 MediaWorks. We’re a fully remote, agile boutique communications collective based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

We help organizations turn complex ideas, missions and brand stories into clear, compelling communications that resonate with audiences and move them to action. We do it with:

  • Senior-level communications strategy
  • Storytelling rooted in journalism training, background and editorial judgment
  • Hands-on execution — from concept to finished work

Being fully remote means we work seamlessly with local and regional clients — or across time zones, provinces, borders and continents. Think of us as an extension of your in-house team.

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Trusted by organizations that want more than “good enough” content.

  • 30+ years of communications, editorial and storytelling experience.
  •  5x APEX Award of Excellence winner.
  • National campaign leadership — including a movement that reached 800+ locations across every province and territory.
  • Deep experience in disability employment, accessibility and inclusive communications.

Think quality over scale of content — what counts is creating content that makes an emotional connection.

There’s certainly no shortage of content nowadays. The problem is, there’s a flood of material that’s:

  • Technically and grammatically fine, but
  • Thin on substance and strategy
  • Easy to forget and will get lost in the shuffle

Let’s face it: Some people and organizations communicate better than others. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small non-profit or a Fortune 500 company with international presence.

Today — more than ever — if your:

  • Key messages aren’t clear and expressed in an engagin way
  • Thought leadership reads or sounds like a committee wrote it — “corporate speak”
  • In-house team is stretched to thin to do important work well, consistently

the result is the same:

  • Missed opportunities, revenue and profits
  • Diluted brand reputation and credibility with stakeholders, employees and customers alike
  • Communications that don’t move people and get lost in the shuffle

All this can hurt your brand and your bottom line — big time. Can you afford that?
 
That’s where we come in. Studio1027 MediaWorks works with organizations that need a trusted senior partner to:

  • Sharpen their messaging
  • Strengthen their storytelling
  • Create communications that support business and mission goals

What we do

Studio1027 MediaWorks supports organizations on a fractional, project, campaign or ongoing basis. Here’s where we can help:

  • Communications strategy
  • Thought leadership and ghostwriting
  • Campaigns and content
  • Publication design and editorial
  • Podcast strategy and production
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Senior-level thinking. Without the big agency overhead.

Studio1027 MediaWorks is built for organizations that want strategic clarity and polished execution. Without the layers, overhead and hand-offs that often come with working with larger agencies. You get the support you need while controlling your budget and investment in communications.

You work directly with me. From the initial discovery call to see if there’s a fit, to the finished piece. When a project calls for added capacity or specialized expertise, I bring in trusted collaborators — carefully and intentionally.

What does all this mean for you? No grief. You’re not breaking in someone new — no hand-holding needed. You can focus on other things when you have other priorities. You’re calling in someone who’s already been there, done that. You get:

  • One accountable lead with a high standard of craft
  • Work shaped by decades of experience in journalism, communications, editorial, design and storytelling
  • An external partner who doesn’t just execute tactics; we understand the strategy behind them

We follow the brief. We don’t give you grief.

Selected results

At the Ontario Disability Employment Network, I built the organization’s first dedicated communications function and led six National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) campaigns from 2019 to 2024. With participation and reach growing exponentially year over year. By 2023, audience reach through media exposure hit 35 million people — almost the entire population of Canada at the time.
 
Light It Up! For NDEAM grew from a regional add-on to a 2020 NDEAM campaign, into a national movement. By 2024, it reached over 800 locations in nearly 200 communities across every province and territory. Light It Up! For NDEAM is the most expansive disability-awareness lighting event of its kind in North America. More significantly, it’s a movement that drives continuing conversation about the socio-economic importance of disability inclusion.
 
Beyond campaign work, my ODEN portfolio includes executive ghostwriting and thought leadership, and a long-running podcast that helped define a respected voice in Canada’s disability employment sector.

View selected work

Who do we work with?

Organizations like yours.

Studio1027 MediaWorks works with:

  • Corporate communications and marketing leaders
  • Non-profit executives
  • Agency creative directors
  • Professionals — such as financial advisors

who need more than a content vendor; more than a freelancer. Our ideal clients are looking for a senior communications partner who:

  • Thinks strategically and writes clearly — and helps turn ideas into finished work and real results
  • Becomes a valued extension of the in-house team
  • Can be briefed once and delivers — without hand-holding

Whether your need is thought leadership, a campaign, sharper messaging or stronger communications support for a stretched team — Studio1027 MediaWorks is built for all this.

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Need a senior communications partner who can do both the thinking and the work?

  • We don’t just create and execute communication tactics
  • We understand the strategy that needs to be behind them
  • We know the difference between a tactic and a strategy
  • We can help you develop that strategy

If you’ve got a campaign, publication, podcast, thought leadership initiative — or a broader communications challenge that needs a fresh set of experienced eyes — let’s talk.