This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, May 3, 2013 - For the Beacon's fifth birthday, we've asked people to share five favorite things from over the years.
- Hands downs, 7 Nights in July. I've always seen an opportunity for true community engagement, reporting, shared experience and revenue and this project was proof of concept. We highlighted a complex and unique St. Louis event, used multiple forms of storytelling, engaged multiple partners and gave some local high school kids the experience of a lifetime. It was icing to have it recognized nationally.
- Our partnership with the Missouri History Museum on Race, Frankly and Class: The Great Divide. An organic yet beautifully orchestrated dance of reporting, live events and community input gave a consistent and well-supported framework for our region to discuss some of its toughest issues. The commitment was ongoing for two full years.
- Sukkah City STL. The Beacon partnered with Trivers Associates and Act3 to enter this St. Louis reimagining of an event held in NYC the year prior. We designed the Storycubes Sukkah, which was jury selected as one of 10 to be built on the Washington University campus and won the People's Choice award. To raise the money to build it, we ran a successful Kickstarter campaign complete with an animated video. The whole experience became the basis for my Pecha Kucha St. Louis presentation.
- While others have mentioned it, I must include This is Bill, the animated short we did with Act3 in conjunction with our Worlds Apart series on health disparities in St. Louis. In addition to winning a Telly and other design awards, it was recognized by professionals in the education, marketing and policy sectors of the public health field as an extremely effective articulation of a hugely complex issue. To me, it encapsulated the opportunity of public media today.
- Our current project, This is St. Louis. In partnership with Jarred Gastreich, Restoration St. Louis and St. Louis for the Love, we put together the resources to bring regular photography to our readers and show the nooks and crannies but also the familiar parts of our region through a new lens.