RUTH LANDY | WRITING | COMMUNICATION | ADVOCACY
I’ve been making connections between people, places and ideas since I was a child, growing up in “international Geneva” Switzerland. Bridging borders, cultures and worlds is in my DNA, the daughter of a UN labor law expert who was also a German-Jewish refugee and an immigrant. The art of bridge building is also the art of communication.
I came to love fondue, mountain railways and Swiss maps whose exquisite detailing turned each walk into a local adventure. In a time before Google Earth and GPS, those maps were my first masterclass in design, scale and positioning.
With a passion for all things visual I first chose to advocate for a better world through filmmaking. Dark Circle, our award-winning documentary feature, explores the links between nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and radiation’s devastating impact on communities. Places for the Soul is my film portrait of architect and urban thinker Christopher Alexander as he tries to heal the world by transforming the way we build.
It was natural to follow in my father’s footsteps…harnessing my communication skills to advance social goals at the global level. No surprise I ended up working on five continents for UNICEF, WHO and two global health partnerships. It was a life-changing career – pitching stories filmed in challenging settings to top-tier media; launching advocacy campaigns for health, nutrition and child protection; managing teams in New York, Geneva and Vientiane, capital of Laos.
California is fertile ground for new beginnings. Now based in San Francisco, I’ve been honored to consult for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, PATH, UCSF and others, supporting their strategic advocacy, messaging and media outreach.
We’re living in a time when remembrance of the Holocaust is fading and Anti-Semitism is on the rise. That’s personal for me so I’ve chosen to write about its impact on our family. I want to add my voice to those preserving memory and fighting hate; and to deploy my communication expertise in support of change makers, whether down the street or across the globe,
When in need of perspective, it’s time to step outside and take a short, steep walk to the top of Bernal Hill. The splendid pattern of the cityscape below is an invitation to always think bigger picture.
