Culture House sits at the crossroads of entertainment and impact. How do you define “culture work,” and what responsibilities do you believe creators and leaders have in shaping collective consciousness?

To me, culture work is about shaping the emotional and imaginative frameworks that people use to make sense of the world. It’s the stories we tell about who we are, what’s possible, and who belongs. At Culture House, we believe that film, television, podcasts, and live experiences aren’t just entertainment—they’re how values travel. So, doing “culture work” means being intentional about the stories you put into the world, the people who tell them, and the futures those stories make feel inevitable. Creators and leaders have a profound responsibility because culture builds consent—social, political, even moral. If we don’t shape culture deliberately, someone else will, and we may not like the story they tell about us.

You’ve worked across government, entertainment, and entrepreneurship. What has each world taught you about influence—and how do you define power for yourself today?

Working in government taught me that systems shape lives in ways most people never see. Working in entertainment taught me that culture shapes systems—often faster and more deeply than policy ever could. And entrepreneurship taught me that you don’t have to wait for permission to build the thing you wish existed.

Today, I define power as the ability to create alignment—between ideas, people, and resources—in service of something bigger than yourself. It’s not about dominance or control; it’s about coherence. The most powerful people I know make other people feel more powerful.

What gives you hope right now about the next generation of cultural leaders? What do they intuitively understand that perhaps earlier generations had to learn the hard way?

The next generation understands that identity and ideology are inseparable—and that culture is politics, whether we name it that way or not. They move through the world with a sense of interconnectedness that us older generations have had to unlearn their way toward.

They also have an incredible fluency with platforms and formats; they know how to move ideas through ecosystems. They’re impatient with old hierarchies, and that impatience is healthy. It keeps the rest of us honest.

Do you have one secret to your success?

I don’t wait for clarity to take the first step. I’ve learned that purpose often reveals itself in motion. Also—surround yourself with people who are as ambitious about their joy as they are about their work. That balance is contagious.

Who is a woman you admire?

Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados. She’s one of the clearest examples we have of what visionary, values-driven leadership looks like on a global stage. She governs with moral courage and strategic brilliance—able to connect the dots between climate, economics, and justice in a way that feels both deeply human and globally relevant. She reminds us that leadership is not about charisma alone; it’s about coherence and conviction. Watching her speak makes you believe, again, in what’s possible when intellect and integrity meet purpose.

What’s one thing you can’t live without?

Reading fiction. It’s my reset button, my mirror, my time machine.  Reading fiction keeps my imagination expanding and alive. 

What is one big trend you’re excited about in 2025?

Longform storytelling making a comeback. As the noise of social media gets louder, people are craving depth again—stories that take time, that unfold, that let you live inside a world instead of scroll past it. That’s where real influence lives.

‍What book or film/show has been the most impactful in your career or life?

James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time is a compass for me—it’s a reminder that love and truth-telling aren’t opposites. And in terms of film, The Wire changed the way I think about narrative power. It proved that complexity is not a liability—it’s the point.