Then: Founder and CEO of What Works Studio

Later: Founder, Light City Baltimore

Brooke Hall participated in the first session of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators in 2014 and went on to launch Light City Baltimore, a festival that sought to unite a city divided by issues of racial inequality. Connections made in Salzburg helped Hall create the festival, which featured illuminated art installations, street theater, and concerts, as well as conferences on social justice and equality. The premier festival in 2016 attracted 400,000 visitors, injected nearly $34 million into the local economy, and positioned Baltimore as a global hub for art and innovation. Light City was repeated in 2017 and is on its way to becoming an annual event.