Strategic Communications / Real Estate PR & Marketing Event PR / Media Relations / Narrative Development / Community Partnerships
Building Public Recognition Around One Of Colorado’s Most Distinctive New Communities
PAINTED PRAIRIE CASE STUDY
When Paper PR joined the broader marketing team (as HipCat Media) in 2020, the community itself was still taking shape, and its public story had yet to be told.
What began as event and writing support quickly grew into something more embedded: a strategic communications partnership spanning public relations, community engagement, event visibility, storytelling, and media coordination.
Over time, Paper PR operated as part of a collaborative team, helping shape not just public recognition, but the lived experience of the community itself.
Painted Prairie was an entirely new vision for how community-centered living could feel in Colorado, thoughtfully designed, highly experiential, and rooted in connection.
The Partnership
One of the earliest defining moments was Prairie Harvest Fest, an immersive Hallmark-movie-inspired fall festival designed to feel cinematic and community-centered. Themed storytelling, roaming improv actors, and family programming created shareable, organic excitement for future residents and the public.
The festival also launched during peak COVID season, which presented its own challenges. The team created timed-entry RSVPs and practiced safe distancing guidelines to get people out of the house and into the neighborhood.
As Painted Prairie expanded, so did the role: builder relations, sponsorship coordination, award submissions, resident and builder engagement, and regional media strategy. The work stayed deeply relational, focused as much on shaping how the community felt to live in as it was on generating media coverage where warranted.
The role grew alongside the community. Paper PR collaborated with the team on experiential events, narrative development, media coordination, and led relationship-driven outreach.
What That Looked Like
Six Years, By the Numbers.
Painted Prairie has also earned numerous additional industry awards in design, architecture, and marketing collateral.
sunday denver post
Front-page, above-the-fold placement in the Sunday Denver Post (print and digital)
NAHB Nationals
Master Planned Community of the Year — Gold, 2021 NAHB Nationals
gold nugget awards
Master Planned Community of the Year — Grand Award, 2024 Gold Nugget Awards
NAHB Nationals
Best Realtor/Broker Program — Silver, 2021 NAHB Nationals
A sustained community partnership portfolio spanning chambers of commerce, schools, and civic organizations
denver MAME awards
Community of the Year — Gold, 2021 Denver MAME Awards
Additional placements and coverage in regional and national trades
denver MAME awards
Prairie Partners Program — Silver, 2023 Denver MAME Awards
NAHB Nationals
Best Special Promotion Events — Silver, 2021 Denver MAME Awards and 2021 NAHB Nationals
$34,000+ in event sponsorship revenue generated through targeted outreach and contract negotiation
That alignment is the throughline: every placement, every event, and every partnership reinforced the same story, rather than chasing a different headline each time.
Sometimes PR doesn’t mean headlines; it's boots-on-the-ground outreach and relationships that drive change.
Painted Prairie grew into one of NE Aurora’s most recognizable master-planned communities because the strategy stayed aligned with the experience the community was trying to create.
the outcome
The best community stories are usually told by the people living inside them.
The best community
The best community
stories are usually told
The best community
stories are usually told by the people living
The best community stories are usually told by the people living inside them.
