For years, Baltimore’s story has been told by an outsider’s narrative. Mostly negative headlines and cliché stereotypes seem to play on repeat. And too often the real, deep-rooted love that locals have for their great city gets muted. The B-Side invited locals to grab the mic, to take back the narrative. And it gave them a platform to share their pride … and their side of the story.
We started by turning Baltimore into a living, breathing soundtrack. At the center was an original music track built entirely from the city. Working closely with Visit Baltimore and Nick Wood Music, we developed a plan to capture the sound of Baltimore through a combination of field recordings of the city, original music from local artists, and ultimately weaving it all together to create something only Baltimore could create.
A first-of-its-kind track built from the city, for the city.
The team hosted an artist workshop that brought local musicians, writers, and community activists together. Ideas turned into conversations, shared demos turned into collaborations, and a city’s voice turned into an original composition. The result, “From the B-Side” was pressed on vinyl and released with original sleeve art from Baltimore’s own Globe at MICA.
With the track as the foundation, we partnered with Wide Angle Youth Media to create an anthem video that brought the B-Side to life. Capturing the city through the eyes of the next generation of storytellers, the video combined documentary-style footage and imagery into a dynamic visual collage, inviting Baltimoreans to add their own stories to the official record.
Instead of pushing a top-down tourism message, we built the B-Side for participation, turning locals into creators, curators, and amplifiers of their own city pride. Found on Visit Baltimore’s site, the entire initiative is quickly proving that Baltimoreans have something to say. And now they have a platform to say it proudly.
Expanding the platform, we helped Visit Baltimore create B-Side Records, the Mobile Visitor’s Center disguised as a vintage record shop. It invites people to dig through custom designed records, each one showcasing a unique experience from Baltimore’s B-Side. Equipped with a listening station and interactive poster-generator, B-Side Records is literally taking the city’s story to the streets.
