Our Future Now was formed on January 1st, 2007. As the world turned its attention to events like Live Earth and films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Our Future Now was developing a grassroots approach to meeting people where they are, and to spread a message that all the solutions to our global concerns are right in front of us.

     By enlisting some of the top installation artists in the country, and drawing from a diverse pool of educators, Our Future Now launched a nationwide campaign in 2007 that took its message to the largest music festivals in the country. These included Lollapalooza, V-Fest and Burning Man. OFN's campaign included the construction of gigantic monuments and temples made out of reclaimed materials.  These became sites for lectures on sustainability and hands-on technology demonstrations. With art as the catalyst, OFN made positive impression after positive impression with audiences normally desensitized by media.

In 2008, Our Future Now is meeting people "where they are", and bringing the OFN experience to people where they gather. Starting with music festivals (but with ambitions to include everything from malls to sporting events), OFN is reaching hundreds of thousands of people with messages that touch them and that remain with them.

Our Future Now has already attracted some remarkable people.  They range from a musician who enjoys international fame to business and marketing specialists who handle budgets for Fortune 500 companies to scientists who lead their fields with imagination and practical innovation.  Collectively, we offer Our Future Now.

Michael Kang

     Michael brings more than 15 years of experience in the music industry to Our Future Now. As a principal member of The String Cheese Incident, Kang has performed for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, while building a dedicated fan base. The String Cheese Incident. also operated numerous successful businesses, including a record company, ticketing company, and merchandise company while being recognized as one of the most successful touring bands of the last 10 years.  As co-founder of Our Future Now, Kang has been developing important alliances within the music industry. He is also active in designing our installations.

David Fulton

     David enjoyed two decades as an entrepreneur in the services and technology sectors before co-founding Our Future Now.  Inspired by long journeys at sea on America's Tall Ship the Coast Guard Barque Eagle, he spent seven years as a business coach and motivational counselor.  As a natural implementor he draws on his deep experience in team building, training and technology.  He is accomplished as a project manager with an emphasis on business development, marketing and promotion.  Believing that, "it takes a village," he has invested his life in service to the community as a builder and guide. David has donated his services building homes, classrooms, missions and large scale art installations.

Matt Atwood

     Matt Atwood offers a background in science and community organizing.  He is employed full time by Biodiesel Systems where he manages the development of next-generation algae to biofuel technologies.  He has long experience in non-profit management, having previously directed a non-profit concerned with legislation promoting social justice and healthcare reform. He currently serves on the boards of directors for two other non-profits: the Conscious Alliance and the American Rainbow Rapid Response.  Every year, he coordinates a village at Burning Man, where art and environmental thought flourish through the community they create for a week in the desert of Nevada.

Christine Bolles

     Christine comes to Our Future Now with fifteen years of marketing expertise in today's most competitive and aggressive industry, wireless telecommunications.  As an executive for both AT&T and Nokia, she has an established track record marked with building some of the worlds biggest brands, making innovative products and ideas mainstream, and managing P&L's to realize landmark revenue growth.  Her corporate experience afforded Christine the opportunity to launch many successful technology startups, create winning corporate sponsorships, and develop intimate relationships with consumers.   As part of the Our Future Now family, Christine bridges companies to the icons their customers admire, causes that build brand and character, technologies that benefit the bottom line and the world, and the individual consumers who decide what the future holds.

Nick Morgan

     Nick is an organizer, activist, business developer and project manager.  For two decades, Nick has pioneered the U.S. Government's recruitment of citizens in toxic cleanups.  He documented toxic imprints for the U.S. Navy, and then helped the Navy engage citizens, busineses and local government in the remediation of military bases. s.  He's coordinated Greenpeace's efforts to address environmental justice issues, assisted the cities of Berkeley and Emeryville with their brownfield conversion issues, and currently runs a real estate company focusing on innovative ecosystem protection programs in New Mexico, Costa Rica and the Yucatan.  In addition, he is the Director of Synergy for Peak Experience Productions which produces multi-day audience participatory events based on mythic themes.

David Shearer

     David Shearer currently serves as Chief Scientist at California Environmental Associates.  Dr. Shearer works in transportation, energy and IT, with emphasis on the future. Over the last ten years, he has worked in these fields to develop and deploy practical solutions. Toyota has been a frequent client. Earlier, Dr. Shearer developed exposure assessment technologies/methodologies for outdoor/indoor air pollutants. He has worked with a range of private and public groups to manage environmental risk, quantify the impact of human activities, develop market- based strategies, and promote public discourse on these topics.

Sarah Haynes

     As CEO of The Spitfire Agency, Sarah has worked with numerous bands, non-profits, celebrities, responsible businesses and activists. Her work in the event greening and production has marked her as a leader in her industry. Sarah's range of clients include such luminaries as Daryl Hannah, The Red Hot Chili Peppers,  Perry Farrell, Julia Butterfly Hill and Woody Harrelson. She has also developed green campaigns for companies such as Hotel Triton and Warner Brothers Music.  She contributes time to a variety of non-profits.

 

Tom LaPorte

     Tom spent more than two decades producing, writing and reporting radio news for Westinghouse and CBS in Chicago.  He also produced talk shows, in-flight audio programs for the top domestic U.S. airlines (including collaborations on National Geographic Specials, NOVA and Planet Earth programs).  In addition, he is an Assistant Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water Management, and performs a great deal of environmental outreach through the arts.  He has been associated with the Burning Man event, managing its national media relations in the desert last year.

David Best

     Internationally renowned artist David Best has captivated audiences for decades with his innovative sculptures. Best utilizes all kinds of unique artifacts and discarded items to build massive installations that inspire awe and defy simple description.  In the process, he has also become a master community organizer, having worked with more than  50,000 volunteers in this career.  He is well known for the temples he has built and burned as a shared event at Burning Man.

Carey Thompson

     Carey Thompson is an accomplished artist and builder known for paintings and large scale installations that move all who see them. His work is described as "holomorphic transmission vision crystals". He credits his perspective to explorations of sacred Mesoamerican sites, and copious amounts of surfing and jungle trekking throughout North America, Mexico and Central America.

Shrine

     Shrine has been a freelance artist for more than twenty years. His paintings and found  object/trash sculptures have been featured at numerous galleries and events, and  his guerrilla murals dot the Los Angeles landscape. He has other work in Edinburgh,  London, and Portugal, among other places. He has collaborated, both as a visual artist and performer, with Lucent Dossier and the Do Lab in many of their performances (including The Flower and The Flytrap at Burning Man, Vau de Vire Society, and the national and world tours of Panic at the Disco! and Warp Tour. He lives in Pasadena.

Beryl Jacobson

    Beryl Jacobson is OFN’s New Media Impresario.  Beryl has run marketing, creative design companies, video, audio, live event  

and digital production companies, as well as, specialize in the  integration of interactive technologies. He has been a touring musician and producer of both albums and films.  He has been the founder of numerous businesses, non profits, bands, music venues and eco based projects.   Some of these include his own Mozaik Media, EQ.TV, Mobius Productions, Hamsa lIla, Mozaik, Kid Kaleidoscope, YOU, Earth Race and more to come. Beryl’s life works has revolved around the health, ecological  

and sustainability movements and music, entertainment, and events. He is married and has three children and lives in Ashland, Or.

Our Future Now is born of the desire to spread environmental and social awareness by combining art, science and community.

     We bring together diverse individuals and organizations. We believe that humanity faces challenges that require widespread public education and mobilization. Our Future Now purveys information in an artistically captivating package that prompts action, while bringing together both local and world renowned artists, musicians, citizens and businesses.