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Ian has built media, policy, and organizing campaigns since 2012. Over the years, they led coalitions comprised of as many as 375 groups in high-stakes national campaigns for corporate accountability and economic justice; set crucial statewide precedent in defeating a dangerous $70 million proposal to store natural gas below a redlined neighborhood in Sacramento, California; and uncovered potentially criminal misconduct at Wells Fargo and broke the story to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, leading to renewed Congressional hearings.

Creative stunts are the ultimate earned media. Ian’s first appearance as the “Monopoly Man” in a Senate hearing was seen by millions, generating coverage from Fox News to the Today Show. Yet nothing kills interest faster than showing an audience how badly you want their attention. The keys to viral content are novelty, emotional resonance, relatability, and an appearance of spontaneity – even when it is meticulously planned. Ian understands how to garner viral attention and harness it to shape public sentiment and refocus news coverage.

Ian directs and produces original videos and creative content to change the story. Whether short documentaries, 30- to 60-second ads, or four-part story arcs, they know how to turn activism into an art form to engage audiences with insight and humor in equal measure. Ian has also written and performed original music and parody songs designed around specific campaigns.

As an experienced media and communications strategist, Ian works with clients to tailor their messaging to the audiences they most want to reach. They draft and edit all types of content — op-eds, fact sheets, web content, white papers, social media posts, even comic books! Their work has been profiled in the New York Times, Washington Post, HBO, Fox News, NPR, and many more. Ian’s writing has been published in the Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice, Politico, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Huffington Post.

Ian has more than a decade of experience advocating with everyday people and marginalized groups against powerful interests. They got their start with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren as a Legal and Policy fellow. Ian went on to introduce and pass legislation to strengthen legal remedies for human rights abuses in California; launch rapid response digital campaigns to mobilize voters after the 2016 election; work with Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, to design a civilian review board to oversee the notorious L.A. County Sheriff’s Department; incubate a national movement for Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations based on the Momentum organizing model.

As a Senior Trainer with the Center for Story-based Strategy (CSS), Ian leads groups through exercises designed to build a common language and introduce tools that reliably fuel imagination and innovation. These customized workshops generate narrative shifts and incubate new campaigns, often in just hours or a few days. They have also facilitated month-long trainings for advanced practitioners and ongoing coaching programs for CSS fellows.