Jody Berg is the founder and principal of Media Works, Ltd., a thriving media service company focusing on media research, planning, buying, and analyzing performance. Under Jody’s direction and leadership, Media Works has become one of the region’s most respected agencies, placing over $80 million in media legacy and digital media throughout the country. Media Works clients include B2B and consumer focused businesses within the healthcare, entertainment, education, public energy and commercial real estate industries. The agency employs more than 50 media professionals with most in the Baltimore area.

It’s been a busy year. Media Works also secured contracts with several notable businesses including a Fortune 500, a healthcare technology company, and a national home services network

The principles upon which Jody founded Media Works 36 years ago are still just as important today and remain the pillars for the agency – ensuring every media recommendation is backed by sound research; providing top-notch service to every client; ensuring that all dollars spent by clients provide a strong return on investment; and giving back to the community in terms of volunteer work and charity.

Jody earned her degree from the The School of Public Communications at Boston University.

Media Works has been in business for almost 37 years, what makes you so successful?

Our agency has differentiated itself by being one of the first to focus solely on media. We have grown from a basement operation to a carriage house, to expanding our office footprint to 9000 square feet in Mount Washington where we have been for over 14 years. Our people are our number one asset, and we continue to invest in our team. Twenty-five percent of our employees have been with us for over ten years, which is incredible. They carry with them institutional knowledge and long-standing relationships. Our clients know our team will go above and beyond for them, and because of that, there is a trust that clients have with us that surpasses a typical business relationship. This has allowed us to continue to grow our business organically as well as winning new business from formal RFP reviews. We place media across both legacy and digital channels, allowing us to plan more holistically for our clients. If there is a new channel or platform, we are there to learn it quickly and implement it effectively to bring the best value to our campaigns.

How do you retain client relationships long term?

Client service. It’s the backbone of what we do. Our clients know they can trust us as experts in the media field. We will deliver to them a targeted strategic media recommendation, negotiate aggressive rates, secure added value, and will steward and optimize their media delivery because this is what we do! Our entire team of 50+ employees are media people. Most agency media teams are much smaller. With a staff this big, we have the depth to have subject matter experts in every media channel and platform, such as paid search, Meta, LinkedIn, streaming audio, and connected TV. Having this deep understanding of media platforms allows us to recommend a variety of verticals and how they will enhance our clients media programs. We understand how to plan holistically, because we look at everything- the research and tools we invest in help us truly understand who our clients customers are and the best way to reach them. We also embrace new technologies thereby helping us to deliver better quality work that delivers for our clients. Our ability to adapt to an ever-changing media landscape builds trust with our clients; they know we know our stuff.

What new business projects do you have coming up?

We are thrilled to say we were recently awarded the media planning and buying contract for the Maryland State Lottery. We had this account for years and after losing it in 2019, we felt pretty defeated. Winning it this year was like putting an old coat back on. It’s exciting to show them how we have grown as an agency. We were also awarded a slice of the $246 million dollar, three-year contract with University of Maryland Global Campus, and proud to be the only Maryland agency on that contract.

It’s been a busy year. Media Works also secured contracts with several notable businesses including a Fortune 500, a healthcare technology company, and a national home services network. Most of these contracts were grown from relationships built and nurtured by our team over the years. The work that we do stays with our clients- they remember us.

What kind of technology and tools does your agency use to stay ahead of the curve?

We invest heavily in research and technology to help our clients reach their consumers. Most recently, we have brought on The Trade Desk for programmatic advertising, allowing us more control over placement and better quality. We also focus on robust reporting regardless of platform, allowing our clients transparency in how their campaigns are performing.

What can we expect to see from Media Works in 2026?

We continue to grow as an agency, especially in the Baltimore area. After 20 years with us, Michele Selby, our current president, will be stepping back at the end of 2025 to become a strategic consultant and a member of our board of directors.

Melissa Davis, our current vice president of people and organizational development, will take over the presidential role in January 2026. We have had several recent internal promotions, including Amy Ward who was elevated to chief operating officer. Our management team members; Monica Lazarus, Beth Cyphers, Colleen Winterling, and Halley Firestone were all promoted to senior vice presidents.

Through these changes, we will continue to see the growth of Media Works for both team members and clients. At our center we remain committed to client service and our client’s growth.

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