Heidi Nel's guest appearances

Heidi Nel

The Other 50%

The Iridescent Podcast

Creative Distribution 101

Naomi McDougall Jones

Rachel Joy

Jo Saxton

Leigh Stein

Gabriela Ledesma

Tiffany Bluhm

Judy Jean Kwon

Joanne Harris

Nell Scovell

Andi Andrew

Kat Rosenfield

Ashley Feinstein Gerstley

Lorna Landvik

Deia Schlosberg

Alexis Giostra

OwlTail

In this episode of season 3, we interview Heidi Nel, the Head of Raben Impact Entertainment, a division of The Raben Group. Heidi is a storyteller and impact strategist using art, film, and media to change the world. She works with leaders across media, entertainment, tech, and philanthropy, including the American Film Institute, MACRO, One Community, PBS, Sony Pictures, and YouTube, as well as independent filmmakers, artists, and change makers. With nearly two decades working in entertainment, advocacy, strategic communications, and public engagement, Heidi is a leader in the social impact field, with unique insight and expertise in advancing cultural and policy change through stories and film. In addition to her work on Just Mercy through the Represent Justice public campaign, she has led impact strategy and successful engagement campaigns tied to award-winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, and more. Her issue-area expertise includes criminal justice reform, immigration, sexual assault, and gender and racial equity. What’s it really like building a career in the entertainment industry as a woman? What leadership and life lessons has Heidi learned along the way? How does story-telling through film impact social change? How can we actively advocate for cultural and policy change? These questions and more will be explored in this latest episode.  More about our guest Heidi Nel:  For more info, visit heidinel.media  Follow Heidi on instagram @heidinel   Iridescent Bonuses:   For more Iridescent articles about making a social impact and advocating for change, check out Iridescent’s  Advocate for Change. To receive the Iridescent’s weekly Advocacy in Action email dedicated to educating ourselves on different issues of injustice and how we can make a difference, subscribe here. Check out our Iridescent  movie review of Just Mercy by Joy Attmore.  

In this episode of season 3, we interview Heidi Nel, the Head of Raben Impact Entertainment, a division of The Raben Group. Heidi is a storyteller and impact strategist using art, film, and media to change the world. She works with leaders across media, entertainment, tech, and philanthropy, including the American Film Institute, MACRO, One Community, PBS, Sony Pictures, and YouTube, as well as independent filmmakers, artists, and change makers. With nearly two decades working in entertainment, advocacy, strategic communications, and public engagement, Heidi is a leader in the social impact field, with unique insight and expertise in advancing cultural and policy change through stories and film. In addition to her work on Just Mercy through the Represent Justice public campaign, she has led impact strategy and successful engagement campaigns tied to award-winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, and more. Her issue-area expertise includes criminal justice reform, immigration, sexual assault, and gender and racial equity. What’s it really like building a career in the entertainment industry as a woman? What leadership and life lessons has Heidi learned along the way? How does story-telling through film impact social change? How can we actively advocate for cultural and policy change? These questions and more will be explored in this latest episode.  More about our guest Heidi Nel: <ul> <li>For more info, visit <a href="https://www.heidinel.media/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">heidinel.media</a> </li> <li>Follow Heidi on instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heidinel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@heidinel</a> </li> </ul> Iridescent Bonuses:  <ul> <li>For more Iridescent articles about making a social impact and advocating for change, check out Iridescent’s <a href="https://iridescentwomen.com/category/advocate-for-change/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Advocate for Change</a>.</li> <li>To receive the Iridescent’s weekly Advocacy in Action email dedicated to educating ourselves on different issues of injustice and how we can make a difference, <a href="https://iridescentwomen.com/subscriber-perks/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe here</a>.</li> <li>Check out our Iridescent <a href="https://iridescentwomen.com/2019/12/20/a-film-for-america-a-movie-review-of-just-mercy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> movie review of Just Mercy by Joy Attmore</a>. </li> </ul>

Advancing Cultural and Policy Change through Film & Media with Heidi Nel

Heidi Nel is a social impact strategist and producer. As the head of The Raben Group’s Impact Entertainment division, she provides pro-social consultation to leaders in media, entertainment, and philanthropy, including the American Film Institute, Beachside Films, The Fledgling Fund, Fuse Media, Google, One Community, PBS, Peabody Awards and Media Center, Sony Pictures TV, STX Entertainment, and YouTube, as well as independent artists, filmmakers, and change-makers. Heidi has developed impact strategy and led successful engagement campaigns tied to award-winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, Newtown, The Return, Racing Extinction, and The Rape of Recy Taylor. Currently, she is working on Just Mercy featuring Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx. She has guest lectured at American University, Boston University, and George Washington University, and was an adjunct instructor at Duke University in the Sanford School of Public Policy. She has been featured in Variety, Real Screen, Screen Daily, Washington Life Magazine, and HuffPost. She has been recognized by the Case Foundation as a “Millennial Leader to Follow” and received the Media Impact Award from the PVBLIC Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships.

Heidi Nel is a social impact strategist and producer. As the head of The Raben Group’s Impact Entertainment division, she provides pro-social consultation to leaders in media, entertainment, and philanthropy, including the American Film Institute, Beachside Films, The Fledgling Fund, Fuse Media, Google, One Community, PBS, Peabody Awards and Media Center, Sony Pictures TV, STX Entertainment, and YouTube, as well as independent artists, filmmakers, and change-makers. Heidi has developed impact strategy and led successful engagement campaigns tied to award-winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, Newtown, The Return, Racing Extinction, and The Rape of Recy Taylor. Currently, she is working on Just Mercy featuring Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx. She has guest lectured at American University, Boston University, and George Washington University, and was an adjunct instructor at Duke University in the Sanford School of Public Policy. She has been featured in Variety, Real Screen, Screen Daily, Washington Life Magazine, and HuffPost. She has been recognized by the Case Foundation as a “Millennial Leader to Follow” and received the Media Impact Award from the PVBLIC Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships.

Heidi previously served as the head of The Raben Group’s Impact Entertainment division where she provided pro‐social consultation to leaders in media, entertainment, and philanthropy. Clients included the American Film Institute, The Fledgling Fund, One Community, PBS, Sony Pictures TV, and YouTube, as well as independent filmmakers, artists, and change makers. With nearly two decades working in entertainment, advocacy, strategic communications, and public engagement, Heidi is a leader in the social impact field, with unique insight and expertise in advancing cultural and policy change through stories and film. Her issue‐area expertise includes criminal justice reform, immigration, sexual assault, and gender and racial equity. Prior to The Raben Group, Heidi was a Partner at Picture Motion where she led the Washington, D.C. office. She began her career at Ghost House Pictures where she co‐produced an original web and TV mini‐series for Comcast, and managed marketing at Lionsgate for Grindstone Entertainment films. In addition to her work on Just Mercy through the development of the Represent Justice campaign, she has led impact strategy and successful engagement campaigns tied to award‐winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, The Return, Racing Extinction, and The Rape of Recy Taylor. Heidi has guest lectured at Boston University and the George Washington University, and was an adjunct instructor at Duke University in the Sanford School of Public Policy. She has been featured in Variety, Real Screen, Screen Daily, Washington Life Magazine, and HuffPost; has been recognized by the Case Foundation as a “Millennial Leader to Follow”; and received the Media Impact Award from the PVBLIC Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships. Originally from South Africa, Heidi grew up in Colorado and attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she majored in modern dance. She is currently completing an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and dog. 

Heidi previously served as the head of The Raben Group’s Impact Entertainment division where she provided pro‐social consultation to leaders in media, entertainment, and philanthropy. Clients included the American Film Institute, The Fledgling Fund, One Community, PBS, Sony Pictures TV, and YouTube, as well as independent filmmakers, artists, and change makers. With nearly two decades working in entertainment, advocacy, strategic communications, and public engagement, Heidi is a leader in the social impact field, with unique insight and expertise in advancing cultural and policy change through stories and film. Her issue‐area expertise includes criminal justice reform, immigration, sexual assault, and gender and racial equity. Prior to The Raben Group, Heidi was a Partner at Picture Motion where she led the Washington, D.C. office. She began her career at Ghost House Pictures where she co‐produced an original web and TV mini‐series for Comcast, and managed marketing at Lionsgate for Grindstone Entertainment films. In addition to her work on Just Mercy through the development of the Represent Justice campaign, she has led impact strategy and successful engagement campaigns tied to award‐winning films, such as Batkid Begins, The Best of Enemies, Food Chains, Happening, The Human Experiment, The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, The Return, Racing Extinction, and The Rape of Recy Taylor. Heidi has guest lectured at Boston University and the George Washington University, and was an adjunct instructor at Duke University in the Sanford School of Public Policy. She has been featured in Variety, Real Screen, Screen Daily, Washington Life Magazine, and HuffPost; has been recognized by the Case Foundation as a “Millennial Leader to Follow”; and received the Media Impact Award from the PVBLIC Foundation and the United Nations Office for Partnerships. Originally from South Africa, Heidi grew up in Colorado and attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she majored in modern dance. She is currently completing an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and dog.