INTO ACTION FESTIVAL
Into Action was a 10 day art and culture festival in Downtown Los Angeles that brought together more than 200 high profile visual artists from around the country, plus DJ's, musicians, performers, and dancers. Over 100 nonprofits and select few conscious corporate partners were placed into the design of 70 hours of programming that included workshops, panels, performances, and immersive experiences covering every social justice intersection you could think of-- often running simultaneously. My role included stage producing, program design, public facing and internal copy writing, talent management, and more.. It was an incredible labor of love and so worth it. Here's a few of my favorite moments from that time.
THE ART GALLERY
The Art Gallery boasted an incredible 40k square feet of social justice art. Nearly all programming was designed to speak back to the installations featured in the gallery providing attendees with a wrap-around investment in the experience. My programming team worked closely with VIP tour guides to emphasize pieces of the gallery that were thematically relevant to scheduled programming and led daily internal meetings to maintain messaging alignment between all activated areas of the festival.
WOKE KIDS STORY HOUR
Programming was blocked and scheduled with consideration of crowd behavior and typical demographic scheduling. Being a mom myself, I knew that parents of small children could appreciate an early morning activity that was fun for the entire family, right after breakfast and just before nap time -- Enter Woke Kids Story Hour featuring stars like Rosario Dawson and the cast of Grey's Anatomy reading aloud award winning socially conscious kids books. Everyone wins.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND PERFORMANCES
The greater part of 70 hours of programming happened on the Main Stage where we featured the most prominent voices of our time including the legendary Bryan Stevenson, John Legend, Black Eyed Peas and more. Throughout the festival we also featured live DJ's and instrumentalists that were thoughtfully curated to feature majority women and artists from under represented communities.
THE IMPACT HUB
The Impact Hub was designed outside of the Main Stage area and Art Gallery to give guests an opportunity to reset and engage with art in a hands-on way. It featured an "Artivist" Cafe, live programming, a store, and materials for guests to express themselves creatively after touring the gallery. I worked closely with the Art Department and Physical production to ensure the space was staged and technically equipped for all programmatic priorities.
BANJEE BALL
On the last day of the festival which also happened to be the same day as the Women's March, we celebrated the wide spectrum of femininity and community with a Banjee Ball. Banjee Balls were made popular in the 80's in the New York underground vogue scene but have only in recent years begun to surface more publicly. Banjee Balls offer a safe space for expression, creativity, and unfiltered joy for people of all backgrounds but especially and primarily for the LGBT community.