Parklife x Diecast: Parklife Launches Collaborative Studio with Richmond-Based Diecast Media Group
Project strategist and fundraiser Annie Newton joins creative team
There’s something beautiful about creativity for creativity’s sake. At Parklife, we are proud to be a haven for creatives and entrepreneurs. Our team thrives on big ideas, collaborative energy, and the belief that creativity can be a force for real change. That’s why we’re excited to announce Parklife x Diecast, our new partnership with Diecast Media Group. Diecast is a video and podcast production studio founded by Richmond-based producer, Marshall Hanbury, Jr.
Hanbury brings over eight years of experience in high-quality content creation across platforms, from social media to commercial-grade film production. Marshall built Diecast to “make the ordinary extraordinary,” whether that's through capturing drone footage for a local nonprofit, producing mini-documentaries for trade associations, or writing, directing, and producing short films in the horror genre. Through Diecast, Marshall has worked on everything from racial equity campaigns to business development reels, always with an eye toward cinematic excellence.
Hanbury’s Drive Homeward, Black Lamb, a short horror film that he wrote, directed, and filmed in 2024, recently earned screenings and recognition at film festivals based in Rome and Berlin.
Now, Parklife and Diecast are coming together to level up the creative possibilities for our clients. The collaborative studio will be led by Parklife founder Brian Castle, with creative direction from Parklife leaders Annie Vann and Carly Martinelli, as well as Diecast’s Hanbury.
We are also proud to announce longtime collaborator and historic preservationist Annie Newton is joining the studio for project strategy and fundraising support. The Parklife team has worked with Newton extensively in telling the histories of Indigenous and Black communities in North Carolina on multiple projects.
The studio will also leverage the talents of Parklife researchers and writers Lisa Smith, Kristen Smithwick, and Emily Langan, as well as Jess Ledrowski and Rachel Cameron, who bring an array of talents to Parklife x Diecast, including videography, photography, graphic design, and book art.
“For artists, it’s important to work on certain projects for art’s sake,” shared Hanbury, a former Columbia Records recording artist. “While the team at Parklife and I both enjoy amplifying entrepreneurs, social innovators, and thought leaders in their day-to-day marketing and communications, it’s beyond special to bring our storytelling talents and the tools of our trade to bear for purely creative ambitions. I’m proud to collaborate with this team of gifted people and build an outlet for our most creative work, together.”
While Parklife has long supported clients through visual content, branding, and storytelling, this new collaboration will deepen our video production capabilities in a big way. This means higher-level podcast production, sharper videos for websites and social media, and even the ability to explore documentary-style storytelling on a new scale.
“With this creative studio, we’re able to offer clients creative services that go places where most traditional marketing agencies never dream about,” says Parklife founder Brian Castle. “But we’re not traditional, and we like to dream around here! Whether we’re preserving history through film or helping a founder record a podcast series, this partnership boosts the talents and tools to elevate both the quality and ambition of our work.”
Services on offer through our Parklife x Diecast collaboration include Biopix, where we share family histories, as well as documentary films, publishing, on-site podcasting, and more.
The Parklife x Diecast partnership builds on a growing portfolio of creative work we’ve done that lives at the intersection of marketing and art. While Parklife has always done video and podcasting, some of our favorite projects have stepped outside the bounds of traditional marketing. From our collaboration with Indigenous Memories to help preserve oral histories and cultural narratives to facilitating book publishing for multiple clients, we’re energized by content that’s purpose-driven and community-focused.
These are the kinds of projects that move us—and that our clients come to us to create. Now, with Diecast in our corner, we can do it all better, faster, and with even more heart. Critical to the new studio’s success is the contribution from Newton, an executive who knows how to shape creative ideas and set them on a successful fundraising path. “Annie Newton is the catalyst we need in these spaces to make it all work,” explained Castle. “She brings strong ideation, insights from her experience, and precision fundraising activities to shape great ideas and give them life.”
Marshall’s vision, talent, and collaborative spirit align perfectly with Parklife’s mission of being a haven for creatives and entrepreneurs. Whether we’re supporting nonprofits, entrepreneurs, or organizations pushing for social impact, we’re doubling down on the kind of storytelling that sticks.
“Our two firms are obsessed with helping clients meet the speed of risk and opportunity they see in the marketplace,” added Castle. “Our collaboration is meant to provide our people a place where we can craft and explore our passions, whether it’s funding our own documentary films, publishing someone’s memoir with bespoke packaging, or helping an iconic family preserve its history in film.”
Contact Brian Castle at brian@parklifecomm.com or Mashall Hanbury, Jr. at marshall@diecastmedia.net to learn more about our joint creative capabilities at Parklife x Diecast.
