Elizabeth
Maxwell

Elizabeth Maxwell is a creative producer, writer, and director with 15 years experience in the arts, events/media, and the impact economy. A New Orleans  native, Elizabeth's winding professional path has led her to spend significant time in New York City, Philadelphia, Italy/Europe, and South Africa. She has held leadership positions with innovative start-ups such as the Artistic Director of the Art Monastery Project and Chief Dot Connector with the non-governmental U.S. Department of Arts & Culture. Most recently, Elizabeth worked with Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) to produce industry-leading content on impact investing via the national SOCAP 365 event series, curating 40+ events in 9 cities across the U.S. and co-hosting the company's first podcast, “Money + Meaning”. An award-winning theatre director, public speaker, and systems thinker, she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the University of New Orleans and is a 2019 Women4Climate Fellow.

PROJECT

"PSAs for Climate Action will prototype new formats and creative content for contemporary public interest ad campaigns that build support for critical climate solutions. Working with frontline activists and leading scientific research, key upcoming decision points will be identified in a targeted geographic context based on two criteria: 1) the potential to enact meaningful climate policy 2) where public opinion matters towards influencing policy makers. Once the target campaign has been identified, a curated group of community-based artists will be engaged to develop compelling original content (including but not limited to the creation of new characters, climate heroes and heroines to narrate our struggles and triumphs) across multimedia formats (print, radio, video, digital). The final component of the project consists of bringing together a broad coalition of stakeholders to maximise campaign circulation and measure the effectiveness of messaging and organic distribution tools. PSAs for Climate Action seeks to elevate public consciousness, activate our political imagination, and mobilise collective action. As contemporary forms of time-tested strategies, PSAs for Climate Action are an experiment in viral content creation, cross-sector organising, and creative propaganda for climate justice.

I've been turning over the idea of Public Service Announcements for several years, seeking a way to devise contemporary, effective, creative campaigns. Born out of frustration with the relatively low levels of political awareness and engagement in the U.S., I've spent many hours daydreaming about the under-tapped resource of artists - society's most effective communicators and creative messengers - and how they could translate data-driven research to generate politically progressive outcomes. I feel privileged to have been exposed to leading thinkers and the vast array of climate solutions at our fingertips, and thus personally committed to spreading the gospel of Hope."

MOTIVATION FOR & COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

"I believe that a sustainable, just, and regenerative future is possible and within reach: if we choose to build it. This credo is what keeps me going, grounded in the knowledge that we have the technology to minimise human impact on the warming of the planet; for better or for worse, our problems are political. The good news is that humans can change, and change can happen in leaps and bounds. The questions are not If, but When and How. It may not be our most likely scenario, but it is our most hopeful scenario. Why work towards anything else?"

Find out more:
Twitter