RECENT WORK

The Berman Archive documents American Jewish Communities. Housed at Stanford University, the Berman Archive maintains the largest collection of printed material related to American Jewish communal life. Talk Shop was brought in to transform a niche repository of documents into a platform for knowledge and intellectual engagement with ideas, data, and points of view that have defined and sustained the American Jewish experience. We developed a narrative, vision, brand, website, and communications strategy for the Berman Archive, enabling broader engagement outside of academic spheres. We continue to maintain the Archive’s communications efforts.

Talk Shop Role

• Communications strategy

• Brand development

• Web development

• Content development

• Social media execution

• Program planning and production

Talk Shop has been integral to the development, planning, and execution of The Deep Read, an annual program that invites curious minds to think deeply about literature, art, and the most pressing issues of our day. A campus wide program led by the Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz, Deep Read participants read compelling books and consider their implications on our politics, inner lives, and communities. 

The Deep Read Program has enabled connections between the chosen books to areas of critical engagement and social importance. In 2022 we read Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom and explored the benefits and costs of cultural assimilation for immigrants to the United States, the relationship between religious faith and scientific inquiry, and the experience of first-generation students in higher education. With There There by Tommy Orange we engaged with the history and experience of our region’s Native American communities, and culminated the 2021 program with an insightful conversation with the author. In 2020, we explored feminist texts and environmental anthropology as they related to Margaret Atwood’s novel The Testaments. The Deep Read shows the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and, in turn, creates long-term supporters and advocates for both the Humanities and UCSC’s innovative approach to higher education. 

Talk Shop Role

• Branding

• Program development

• Message development

• Faculty collaboration

• Communications strategy, planning, and execution

• Content development

Rust Belt Humanities Lab

The Rust Belt Humanities Lab is a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded community project of Ursuline College focused on telling the stories of the Rust Belt region through the voices of its people. We worked with the Ursuline team to create a name, communications strategy, plan, narrative and brand assets to elevate Ursuline’s success and drive interest in a groundbreaking endeavor. 

Talk Shop Role

• Communications strategy

• Narrative development

• Brand development

• Program naming

COGSEC Conference at University of Texas-Austin

COGSEC was a two-day, online conference focusing on practical skills related to investigating and thwarting media manipulation and disinformation campaigns online. Talk Shop partnered with the conference leads to organize, promote, and produce this event featuring leading disinformation researchers, reporters, and activists including Dan Rather, Joan Donovan from the Shorenstein Center at Harvard, Journalist Talia Lavin, and Aric Toler of Bellingcat. We brought our advocacy and cultural experience to bear on the curation of the program, generating a compelling lineup that reached new and unexpected audiences for an academic conference. The event exceeded attendance goals and was a vital and valuable exploration of disinformation.

Talk Shop Role

• Event production

• Communications strategy and execution

• Program planning

• Copywriting

• Program design

Okinawa Memories Initiative

The Okinawa Memories Initiative is a community history and dialogue project based at UC Santa Cruz with partnerships with Cal State Monterey Bay, CSU East Bay, and in Okinawa. Talk Shop led a rebranding and communications planning process for the organization, helping it relaunch and reach new audiences and funders.

Talk Shop Role

• Branding 

• Messaging

• Communications strategy

• Competitive analysis

• Campaign planning and execution

• Pedagogical strategy