Ben Gansky

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Ben Gansky translates complex concepts into imaginative, accessible, and emotionally-rich experiences. Drawing on his background in community organizing, game design, theatre, critical theory, and media production, Gansky conceives, designs, and operates projects and programs that vivify the intersection of emerging technologies, progressive politics, and culture. Ben is a Research Affiliate with Institute for the Future's Equitable Futures Lab. He holds an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University, and is currently a PhD candidate at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation and Society.

Colleen Pulawski

Co-Founder & POLICY Director

Colleen’s work sits at the nexus of design, data, and governance. Her applied work and research have focused on local government innovation, data- and design-driven public management, and reimagining civic engagement. She has worked for three US innovation teams in local government.

Holding both a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, Colleen is dedicated to synthesizing her storytelling acumen with work in the civic sphere to further agendas of equity by shaping public policy through public conversation.

Blessing Yen

Co-Founder & Creative Director

Blessing Yen is a designer, producer and director. Along with her partner, James Kaelan, she has co-directed and produced, amongst other works, the VR narrative "The Visitor" (Slamdance '16, SFIFF '16, AFI FEST '16) and the feature film, EEL (AFF Wroclaw '14, Sarasota '15). She currently teaches Design for User Experience at USC, and serves as Chief Design Officer for the crowdfunding and streaming platform, Seed&Spark.

Michael Martin

Co-Founder & Director, Industry Engagement

Michael Martin is currently Director, Network & Community at M13, an early-stage venture capital fund, where he built and operates the network strategy that leverages the firms ecosystem of partners to support portfolio companies and firm operations. Previously, he was the Director, Network Development at SignalFire, an AI-driven, early-stage venture capital fund, where he convened top AI engineers and data scientists to build mindshare to impact portfolio talent development.Prior to SignalFire, he managed the AI XPRIZE and led Global Community Relations at the XPRIZE Foundation. He has a background in the public sector as a city planner, focused on public engagement, climate resiliency, and economic development.

He holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of New Orleans and a B.A. in Political Science from Pace University.

Veronica Moonhill

Veronica Moonhill is a director and producer based in LA. She began her artistic practice in the New Orleans’ experimental theater scene where her love for absurdism and flair blossomed. Veronica is drawn to making work that is feminine, fantastical, and joyful. See Veronica’s work at themoonhills.com

James Kaelan

James Kaelan is a writer, filmmaker, and political speech writer. His films, performances, and VR experiences have shown at festivals around the world, including Sundance, Slamdance, Tribeca, and AFI FEST. See James’ work at jameskaelan.com.

Max Silverman

Founder, Canvas

Max is a product leader with a decade of experience working at the intersection of tech and the arts. He is the Founder of Canvas, a marketplace that matches political and civic organizations with values-aligned creative talent. He is a co-founder of Seed&Spark, a film crowdfunding and distribution platform, where as CPO he shaped the product vision and supported a community of independent filmmakers in the tens of thousands. Max attended Northwestern University and holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and Economics.