Lorenza Muñoz Is Making Community Cool Again

The Ripple Effect Podcast with Steve Harper

I was so honored to interview former L.A. Times reporter and Amazon MGM executive Lorenza Muñoz in this episode of The Ripple Effect Podcast. Lorenza is an incredible entrepreneur on a mission to create connection, community and collaboration together to create even bigger Ripples in the world.

Connecting as human beings is in our evolutionary nature. It is fundamental to our human experience and essential for flourishing. Obviously, this is not news. Communities throughout history have gathered around fires, told stories, bonded, reflected on spiritual needs–together.

But these societal norms have slowly been eroding for a variety of reasons. Community seemed like it was much easier to find only a few decades ago, whether it was through religious institutions or neighborhood gatherings or long held traditions. The lingering trauma of COVID isolation we all experienced, the distraction of social media that seeks to replace in person connection with a virtual one have made the need for connection urgent. As human beings, we need to socialize in order to understand our connection to the world around us.

The premise behind Artemis Muse Productions is threefold:

•Bring back the concept of community–live and in person.

•Catalyze groups and individuals around issues, themes, art or ideas through vibrant gatherings and discussions.

•Advance company or individual business initiatives and ideas through curated gatherings.

Artemis Muse is a connector-catalyst, ready to spread ideas, to create experiences that light up our emotional, artistic needs and to instigate change.

INSPIRATION:

Salons: Back in the 17th and 18th Century, Salons were held (mostly led by women) in Paris and other European cities to discuss ideas, science and politics. These women were friends with the artists and writers and intellectuals. Some were patrons of the arts. But mostly, they provided exposure to artists and thinkers and served as catalysts for some of the radical ideas that led to the Enlightenment.

Harlem Renaissance: The cradle of Black intellectual and artistic thought. A movement that continues to reverberate today with its thought leaders like Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston and others blazing a path for Black influence, thought and art. Georgia Douglas Johnson, a poet and writer who hosted the S Street Salon in Washington DC, was particularly influential. Her Saturday Nighters were legendary gatherings where women’s rights were discussed, anti-lynching action was hatched and literary minds expanded in a supportive, safe environment.

Mexico City: My personal inspiration came through osmosis. Within my own family, there were salons hosted by my Great Aunt (affectionately called Toe). She was a maverick for her time and place, deciding not to marry and instead to follow her own career path in Mexican society. For nearly two decades, Toe held court in her beautiful apartment overlooking Mexico City with writers, intellectuals, bankers, artists and thought leaders. My grandmother also developed and cultivated community. For nearly 70 years, she was at the center of a group of women (jokingly) called “Las Intocables,” or “The Untouchables.” They were a fearsome group of 12 or so women who were best friends and saw each other through life and all of its changes, rituals, happy moments and tragedies. They were also the group to know for any woman hoping to enter into the tight knit world of Cuernavaca, a city about 1 hour south of Mexico City that became a weekend destination and globally renown resort town.

I learned about community through my family, but I began to nurture and lead community gatherings professionally during my time as the head of member relations and awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. When I arrived in 2015, my mandate was to create outreach and opportunities for the members to feel more connected to each other and the institution. We needed to find ways to open up the membership to more women and underrepresented groups who, historically, had not been invited. We needed to create events and gatherings that brought together our members several times a year–not just through the Oscars. We were successful in creating the first ever annual gathering of female members in Los Angeles, New York, London and other cities–complete with a grant award for female filmmakers. We ushered in a new era of inclusivity, with the organization’s Board of Governors becoming more diverse in gender, race and ethnicity than ever before–nearly 50% female by 2020 compared to less than 10% in 2015 among many other accomplishments. It was at the Academy that I realized that no matter how rich or how famous you might be, a sense of belonging, of feeling seen and valued, is essential for any human being.

Be sure to check out her website and let her know one thing that stood out or inspired you about what she shared in this episode: https://thelorenzamunoz.com/