Siobhan Riordan Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

Photography and visual media leader consulting on a variety of cross-disciplinary projects with global scope. My strength is in being equal parts creative and analytical: I'm great at developing expansive and inclusive design processes, bringing structure to them, and translating them into measurable tasks, plans, and outcomes.Offerings include:• Program Design, Project Management, Creative Direction, and Content Curation for innovative visual storytelling in photography, documentary, XR/immersive, and emerging media.• Evaluating creative work as a jury member for selection committees, including the most recent Soros Arts Fellowship, awarding $1.6M to a global cohort of mid-career artists pushing for environmental justice.• Mentoring emerging creators, including through the global Women Photograph Mentorship Program, providing targeted, year-long 1:1 support to women and nonbinary photojournalists on creative and professional development.• Presenting about social impact photography as a guest speaker and providing creative guidance as a portfolio reviewer at over 20 international conferences worldwide, including the New York Times, National Geographic, and the Lubumbashi Biennale.

New York, New York

Open Society is the world’s largest private funder of social justice and human rights, working in over 120 countries. I spent a decade at the foundation designing and leading global field research, strategy development, grant programs, and art direction to support innovation in socially-engaged documentary photography, visual journalism, interactive storytelling, and creative technology.Currently, I'm consulting on curatorial projects and artist fellowship programs within the photography, documentary, and visual arts portfolios on a freelance basis.

• Partnered with newly merged teams to expand programmatic scope and design new long-term strategies, increasing program budget from $2M to $15M.• Founded and launched a grant and fellowship program for visual artists, awarding $700k in funding over 2 years and bringing 20 ambitious projects to life.• Managed the development of 8-10 concurrent high-touch initiatives, steering Agile project roadmaps and guiding creative vision with internal and external cross functional teams and working with 25-30 collaborators and stakeholders per project.• Curated and led creative direction for 5 major international visual campaigns, generating in-depth public engagement for 40 multidisciplinary artists from 25 countries.• Designed and produced 50 events and opportunities for visual creators to center the importance of art and culture within the research and advocacy work of Open Society's global network.• Reviewed hundreds of creator portfolios and represented Open Society at conferences worldwide, including in Bangladesh, D.R. Congo, Uruguay, and Mexico, increasing engagement with regional creative communities, identifying emerging talent, and connecting them to resources.• Redesigned selection processes and implemented targeted strategies for diversity and inclusion, growing participation of BIPOC artists by 3x and women artists by 2x over four years.• Strategically increased grantmaking funds in 2020, initiating partnerships with National Geographic and Women Photograph that provided unrestricted emergency funding to support female, non-binary, and BIPOC photojournalists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Successfully advocated to expand the mandate of our $2M global program to include support for emerging media and creative technology.• Scouted new talent and increased engagement, growing open call applications by 2x to 400-500 submissions per round from visual journalists and documentary artists worldwide.• Led creative direction and production operations for a 3,200 sq. ft. gallery space in midtown Manhattan, managing a $300k annual budget, producing 5 major exhibitions, and overseeing tours to 15 subsequent international venues.• Built and strengthened field partnerships with esteemed creative institutions such as the Magnum Foundation (New York), the Museum für Fotografie (Berlin) and BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts (Brussels).• Collaborated internally across 21 programs, 12 departments, and 33 offices globally, ensuring inclusive and collaborative program design.• Instituted new PM software and digital workflows to increase efficiency, collaboration, and data management, resulting in program-wide adoption of Slack, The Museum System (TMS), Trello, and Wrike.• Promoted three times in 5 years, expanding progressively into leadership from associate producer to head of program.

Brooklyn, New York

VII is a collectively-owned photojournalism agency representing world-class talents in photography and documentary film. I managed editorial, creative, and community operations for the New York headquarters office and gallery.Key accomplishments:• Produced and presented at 15 exhibitions and bimonthly public programs, advancing dialogue on current aesthetic and technological developments in visual journalism and social impact storytelling.• Directed concurrent editorial campaigns and assignments for 30 international artists with top global clients, including National Geographic, The New Yorker, TIME, and the United Nations.• Managed a digital database of 80k+ visual assets and optimized processes for captioning, metadata, and photo research, improving accessibility and driving up sales revenue.• Managed a global community, promoting engagement through social strategy, digital content, partnerships, public programs, and education.• Hired, led, and mentored a total of 10 colleagues in the editorial internship trainee program, developing several emerging talents who later became field leaders in content design, publishing, and photo education.

Key accomplishments:• Delivered on 5-7 photo research and licensing requests per day, creating robust partnership pipelines with editorial clients for agency content.• Researched grant programs and corporate partnerships for documentary media projects, increasing funding for development initiatives.• Developed web and social media content strategy, delivering on milestones for audience engagement.

Medellín, Colombia

IBJ is dedicated to protecting basic legal rights in the global south. I documented case research, cultural organizing, and rights awareness trainings led by one of their JusticeMakers fellows, a public defense lawyer focused on youth criminal justice in Medellín, Colombia. I researched, authored, and published 5 blog articles, each featuring original photography, contributing to broader narratives about rights and justice worldwide for a global audience.

Princeton, New Jersey

Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization, building assessments based on rigorous research and an uncompromising commitment to quality. I trained at headquarters in the development of standardized assessments of English language proficiency. As full-time staff and later as an independent consultant, I wrote and edited hundreds of question items and produced visual prompt content for global standard exams, including the TOEIC and TOEFL. Freelance clients included: Educational Testing Service (ETS), the University of Michigan, and iTEP International.

Balikpapan, Indonesia

EF English First is one of the largest providers of English language learning in the world. Based in eastern Borneo, I developed English language curriculum and delivered daily instruction for students in primary and secondary education. I also designed and led private advanced business English courses for professionals in local energy and media companies.

Ba, Economics

Graduated with a degree in economics, a minor in art history, and two years of photography coursework at Mason Gross School of the Arts..

Specialization, Creativity And Ai

Courses explored the origins of modern computer science and AI/ML, functional vs. intellectual creativity, theories and technical case.