campaigns

#MySocialTruth

Stories that push to change a broken social media environment

Tasting notes: UX design, youth voice, collaboration, project management

#MySocialTruth is a story bank project for young people to share their experiences on social media, and their ideas for how social media could be reimagined. Youth ages 13-25 from all over the world have contributed to the campaign, and it is used by leaders from Silicon Valley to Washington DC to better design products and policy with outcomes for young people in mind.

As part of my work building out the education and youth offerings with the Center for Humane Technology, I led their team and worked with a web designer and developer to create a seamless, safe experience for young people that produced impact for CHT’s mission.

Lagniappe: "The Log Off Movement: Teens Demand Social Media Reform” - May 19, 2021, MTV News. 

#agoodtimetowrite

Writing is an act of joy and freedom, even during a pandemic.

Tasting notes: talent wrangling, message consistency, resiliency, resourcefulness

#agoodtimetowrite brought together best-selling writers like Dave Eggers, Amanda Gorman, Jason Reynolds, and Jacqueline Woodson, as well as 826 staffers across the country, to remind young people of the power of writing during the pandemic. Working quickly following the shelter-in-place order in April 2020, I organized my team at 826 National to develop new programming and opportunities for young people and a promotional campaign on Instagram and YouTube to encourage writing and creativity.

You can find the resulting website here and the YouTube page here.

The Pizza Poetry Project

Sharing youth poetry through the unifying power of pizza.

Tasting notes: cross-sector collaboration, audience engagement, unexpectedly complimentary

On Pizza Poetry Day in New Orleans, hot pizza comes with a fresh poem by New Orleans youth. Every April since 2014, we’ve published poems of all kinds on pizza boxes from some of the best local pizza joints in town. Pizza eaters/poetry readers are encouraged to share their poems on social media using hashtags.

I co-conceived of the project and led its execution over its first five years. This included designing the publishing process, coordinating pizza joints, leading and writing marketing, and working with educators and students.

Lagniappe: "Order pizza, get poetry as these New Orleans pizzerias embrace Pizza Poetry Day” - April 19, 2017, The New Orleans Advocate. We also made Food & Wine Magazine.

A Dark & Stormy Night

A spirited evening of ghost stories and cocktails.

Tasting notes: spooky, elegant, environment design, scene/be seen, event coordination

A Dark and Stormy Night is an annual fundraiser for 826 New Orleans. We welcome the best cocktail bars in the best cocktail city in America to create cocktails inspired by ghost stories. It was once named one of the best parties in New Orleans by The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Also on that list was a concert featuring Kanye West and Rihanna and the Film Society’s shindig with Matthew McConaughey. Needless to say, our party had quite a smaller budget than those.

I conceived of the event, and led its strategy, design, and marketing for its first five years.

The Great College Essay Project

Write your way in.

Tasting notes: nationwide campaign, product and impact growth

I led this partnership between 826 National and Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher to expand our college essay approach across the country, both within and beyond 826 chapters, training teams at sites like Temple University in Philadelphia and Barkley in Kansas City. 

The Great Ghost Story Auction

Ghost stories over the phone.

Tasting notes: coordination, innovative fundraising, wrangling celebrity spokespeople

To raise funds and spirits for Big Class/826 New Orleans, I’ve convinced literary luminaries like RL Stine, Roxane Gay, George Saunders, and Michael Lewis to read ghost stories over the phone to the highest online bidder, and connected the project to bidders through local events and press engagement.