Michele Kurtz Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Lead strategic communications to advance TNC goals and objectives around oceans, lands and freshwater conservation. Identify and support the execution of multi-media stories and other communications tactics that effectively convey the importance of protecting 30% of the earth while also positioning TNC as a top global leader in advancing conservation at scale and influencing conservation action.

Lead all communications and marketing around partnerships with corporate funders, the largest source of funding for American Forests.

Washington, Dc

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Leads the development of all externally facing content for American Forests and develops and implements communications strategies for the organization. Works with the development team to boost awareness of the organization’s corporate partnerships and motivate other businesses to become leaders in the movement to create healthy and resilient forests in natural landscapes and cities.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Provided communications consulting, multi-platform content development and strategic planning for innovative organizations, from production companies to coalitions for the public good. • Work included co-producing short documentaries, consulting on television content ideas and spearheading communications for large non-profit events.• Designed event branding, created social media campaign, wrote press releases and pitched journalists to raise profile of Sept. 14 town event, "Climate Emergency: Montgomery County Responds," sponsored by 32 advocacy groups. The standing-room-only town hall featured top county officials and environmental activists examining county's plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2027.

• Oversaw creative development and sales of new television and SVOD content for a leading production company. Developed new series concepts, identified and recruited on-air talent and supervised creation of short-form “sizzle” pitch tapes and written materials. Shaped creative concepts for specific networks based on brands’ needs and audience data, and pitched them to top network executives.• Developed and sold more than 25 series, including Raising Tourette’s, How the States Got Their Shapes, Say Yes America and the critically acclaimed The Last Alaskans. Successfully pitched series commissioned by Discovery, National Geographic, A&E, History Channel, Animal Planet, Bravo, TLC, Lifetime, FYI and Nat Geo Wild.• Managed as many as 10 internal producers and editors, and hired and managed outside consultants and freelancers for targeted projects. • Developed strong client relationships, recognized and acted on industry trends and buyers’ needs to create strategic plan to grow business, and served as creative liaison with international parent company. • Collaborated with heads of programming and production departments to transition commissioned development projects into TV productions.• Oversaw department’s budget, initiated and negotiated contracts with outside producers and talent.• As head of development, led the long-term strategic growth of Half Yard’s robust portfolio, resulting in 2014 sale of company to Red Arrow Entertainment Group.

Bethesda, Md

Bethesda, Md

Bethesda, Maryland

Boston, Massachusetts

• Covered education, criminal justice, health care and science for one of the nation’s leading newspapers. As a beat reporter, identified newsworthy stories to pitch to editors for approval and then executed.• Conducted interviews, cultivated sources, analyzed data and presented complex topics and events -- under tight deadlines -- clearly and concisely for a general readership.

• Wrote about state government, including the Texas House of Representatives, various state agencies and public and higher education for Austin’s daily newspaper. • Covered education policy and the dynamic and troubled Austin Independent School District, which was under indictment for test tampering.

• Wrote about a recently merged school system in community with fraught climate around history of race relations, aggressively reporting daily breaking news while producing impactful long- and short-term enterprise stories. • Provided statewide perspective on North Carolina’s school reform movement and charter schools.