SARAH KORNFELD
whatsarahsees@gmail.com
+1 415 542 8873
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkornfeld
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Twenty+ years of experience in business leadership, marketing/partnerships/public relations, producing, public affairs and content curation. Executive-level management and consulting experience with startups, mid-size companies, and large global players. Proven Blockchain, Layer1 Governance and Innovation Leadership. Trusted advisor to CEOs, venture capitalists,
executive directors, and boards for branding, public affairs, public relations, influencer
relations, content creation, and curation.
• Trusted creative producer/content creator + marketer.15+ years as a media specialist,
producer, and project manager for legacy arts and technology organizations, and education
ventures in Silicon Valley, New York, and Europe. Proven experience leading diverse teams of
highly creative and neurodivergent people. Clients include The Kitchen, UC Irvine/Berkeley,
Pop!Tech, Institute for The Future, Obscura Digital, etc.
• Management/leadership experience in large and boutique communications agencies
including, Burson-Marsteller, SparkPR, and Peppercomm Communications. Developed first
international influencer relations programs, strategic events, meet-ups, salons, social media,
brand communications, influencer and analyst relations, small and massive launches, and
customer relations programs. San Francisco, New York, London, Italy
• Success creating and managing high-impact media/content campaigns within diverse
organizations First producer at Netflix for live TV, positioned Keyhole that became Google
Earth. Public Affairs Lead for women’s health and policy at The Mother’s Milk Bank. Content
creator/ producer for EdTech company NearPod. Managed communications budgets at
$600,000+ and helped to raise and maintain a 3 million dollar Ford Foundation Grant for
education/technology and the arts.
**Domain expertise includes: Creative economy, entertainment and emerging technologies,
science literacy and healthcare, education, and EdTech, human-centric design/systems.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE OVERVIEW
NEAR Digital Collective (NDC), August 2022 - August 2023
Founding member and Communications Lead
NDC is the largest democracy/election movement on a Layer1 Protocol. KPIs include
core positioning and 30K listeners to movement conversations, identified and supported members to position their communities to run for office.
Rising Partners, Rome/San Francisco January 2021 - Present
Founding Partner
Rising Partners is an integrated marketing and communications firm that focuses on bridging
old brands onto Web3. The focus is on identifying and supporting art and technology
partnerships and research for brands including The Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, and
private financial services firms looking to enter Web3 for private collections.
Raw Science Film Festival, Los Angeles July 2018 – January 2021
Consulting Producer/Communications Lead
The Raw Science Film Festival is a leading festival to celebrate the world of science/inquiry
and the entertainment industry. Advisor to the founder and CEO of the festival on
fundraising, content creation, public policy campaigns and not-for-profit engagement.
The Mothers’ Milk Bank, San Jose October 2016 – July 2018
Deputy, Public Affairs/Marketing Lead
The Milk Bank is the oldest Milk Bank (like a blood bank) in California. For over forty years it
has been meeting the needs of the most vulnerable infants (Preemies, NICU and foster/ill
infants) while directly addressing the issues of health equity and social justice for women,
babies and families under or at the poverty line. Managed all press including ABC and BBC.
Negotiated WWF segment on “Total Divas” with over a million views on E! Entertainment to
highlight Brie Bella’s visit to NICU and donation of milk for infants at risk.
TCOY (The Culture of You), San Francisco August 2016 – February 2018
Consulting Content Producer
Content Creator/producer for EdTech venture focused on creating skills development online
curriculum for young adults in crisis to better navigate their big life transition. Wrote content
for neuroscience-based programs dealing with spatial intelligence, design thinking, and hands-on learning. • Responsible for all partnerships and evangelism (Stanford University & USF) for
content creation for salons and events. Managed scientist engagement and intern
involvement.
THE GEORGE GREENSTEING INSTITUTE
Community Producer/Communications Lead
Managed daily execution of programs/content management for programs that bridge
neuroscience/science literacy/creativity and children at risk. Developed positioning and
partnership programs, and media /influencer relations for the Inventio!Brains System™ aimed to
strengthen educators’ understanding of the brain and teach creative processes to support
STEAM programming.
• Curated, “Inventio! Conversations” — international salons that brought applied
neuroscience in conversation with those in the fields of policy, art + design, screen
cultures, wellness, futures and education with pick-up in local SF and LA press.
Guests included Kevin Kelly, Dr. Mark Changizi, Dr. September Williams, Dr. Paul Zak, Dr.
Wallace J. Nichols and others
BVNW GROUP, San Francisco/New York May 2002 — March 2012
Founder/Principle
BVNW offered comprehensive creative production, influencer & media consulting for
start-ups, international 501C3 cultural centers, philanthropic organizations, academic
programs and digital ventures focused on Art and Technology. Core offerings included
integrating new forms of events, partner development, facilitation & roadmap development,
hybrid projects utilizing creative social/media (installation/site specific/digital media) to
support organic innovation & growth.
Some examples include:
• Supported the Executive Director and Curator of The Magnes Collection of Jewish
Art and Life (U.C. Berkeley) created their strategic roadmap to support their annual
report/social media for their donor communications for outreach and growth.
• The Blue Marble Project 501c3 and BLUEMiND, advised and developed the
evangelist program and summit/salon series initiated by Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D,
marine biologist and NeuroConservation leader. Additionally, produced events at the
California Academy of Science in celebration of Jacques Cousteau. Work led to Dr.
Nichols on the cover of Outside Magazine, coverage of BLUEMIND in the
NYT/WSJ and Good.
• Advisor to Obscura Digital CEO and EVP of Marketing for communications –
supported marketing strategies for live, large-scale projects including YouTube at
Carnegie Hall.
• Consulting Director of Development and Communications for culturally iconic
thought leadership conference, Pop!Tech 501c3. Managed partners and supported
guest speakers including Brain Eno, Reggie Watts, Stuart Brand and others.
• Boosted market awareness for Keyhole, soon after being acquired by Google and
re-branded “Google Earth”
• Consulting director of development/strategist to the Executive Director for The
Kitchen. As part of a Ford Foundation Grant, we developed the first National Arts and
Technology Network, a collaboration between international art + technology
educators and individual artists including Bill T. Jones, Laurie Anderson and Philip
Glass.
PEPPERCOMM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS – January 2006 — March 2007
Senior Manager
Hired to support West Coast president with growing and managing satellite office of New
York-based, award-winning mid-sized agency and to establish new business and partnership
initiatives.
• Negotiated and managed partnerships with Media-Screen and Dealmaker Media
with clients including Jump Associates, Hands-On Mobile, Fireman’s Fund,
Media-Screen, Anderson School of Management/ UCLA and Medium. Negotiated
articles for Jump Associates in Harvard Business Review and Bi-line in Fast Company
as well as full staff interview with BusinessWeek innovation/ international editors
NETFLIX, Los Gatos/Los Angeles 2004 — 2005
Senior Manager/Producer
Oversaw “Love of Movies” brand, studio relations/publicity and executive produced live,
branded Netflix TV spots on movies, awards, and film festivals.
• Developed Studio Partner Public Relations program: created network with C
Level publicity contacts at studios including Lionsgate, Warner Brothers, Sundance,
Paramount, etc, leveraged the Netflix brand to secure placement of one-on-one
interviews with Tier1 talent, forward placement on red carpets, and exclusive
screenings of films for early TV reviews
• A team of five (including the agency) increased the national booking of SMTs within top
25 DMA morning news programs including the following top 10 DMA markets: ◦ NY, LA,
Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit
• Team booked Rocchi as a recurring guest analyst on CNN Headline News,
Scarborough Country & BBC
• Personally pitched, landed, and managed on-site interviews for Netflix
pre-taped interviews and produced talent interviews with Adrien Brody, Keira
Knightly, Robert Deniro, Don Cheadle, Uma Thurman, Gweneth Paltrow, Regina King,
Steve Buscemi, Brad Bird, John Sayles and others
• Produced all Netflix on-air Rocchi Reports from The Cannes Film Festival,
Toronto Film Festival, Sundance Film, Tribeca Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival,
HBO Comedy Festival, and the Independent Spirit Awards
Education: The Royal Court Theater International Training Program London, England Sarah
Lawrence College Bachelor of Arts Bronxville, New York
Passions: Writing, the ocean, travel, children, film, social justice and new languages.
HoM Vote Results: 