Listen Up! National Office
Donald Devet - Acting Director of Listen Up!
ddevet@merrow.org
Before joining Learning Matters in 1999, I was Director of a full time professional touring puppet company. I wrote, produced and performed shows across the country and managed the company's marketing and PR. Before that I served as an instructional television writer/producer in Charlotte, NC. My first experience in television began when I produced and hosted a local children's program, "Stanley the Clown" in Columbia, SC. These varied experiences have given me a solid foundation for working with our creative team of producers. In addition to my management responsibilities at Learning Matters, I've produced two serials, Making the Grade and Young Scientists, for The NewsHour and have handled many of our company's web, DVD production and graphic responsibilities.
More than 20 years ago I walked into the radio station at my
engineering college — my interest in calculus plummeted, my love
for producing media soared. I switched schools and haven't
looked back since. Out of college and off on a mountain bike, I
wrote a weekly newspaper travelogue through the South (USA) and
then Central America — the beginning of a 10-year stint in
Guatemala. In Guatemala I produced films for development and
human rights organizations like Doctors without Borders, Habitat
for Humanity and the United Nations mission that brokered the
end of a tragic 36 year-old war. I also worked with street
children to produce their own TV show — the beginning of an
amazing youth media journey. Times flies and almost decade later
in New York City, our terrific team at Listen Up! supports 120
youth media organizations around the globe. I've produced films
like The Way We See It: Youth Speak Out on Education (PBS &
Annenberg Channel) which make a visible difference in the way we
all view today's youth. I'm especially proud of our
international Beyond Borders: Short Films by Teenagers Worldwide
(Independent Film Channel/IFC). The best part of this journey
always ends at home with my wife Wendy and our daughters Anna
and Bella.
Sharese Bullock - Strategic Partnerships and Marketing
sharese@listenup.org
I join the Listen Up! Youth Media Network as the Strategic
Partnerships and Marketing Manager, contributing my creative
management skills in brand-building, event production,
sponsorship marketing and community organizing. Most recently, I
created a brand management company, which serviced for-profit
and not-for-profit organizations with technical/creative
writing, production, fundraising and brand management. I
developed a broad financial skill set through completion of a
Financial Analyst program in the Equities Division of Goldman
Sachs & Company. I completed my Undergraduate Studies in
Communications at The University of Pennsylvania, where I also
served as a campus event/concert producer, Marketing
Representative for Atlantic Records, Elektra Entertainment
Group, Warner Custom Music and Daewoo Motor America. I am an
avid traveler, completing service and exchange programs in over
twenty countries.
Edwin A. Clavijo - Production Assistant
edwin@listenup.org
"Productivity keeps the mind in perfect activity!" my father always said.
While I never expected to sound like my dad, he does have a point. I've
been working in film and video for the past nine years, starting as an
editor for a local television station when I was eleven in West Palm
Beach, FL. When I was in High School I also produced a lot of short films that are still screening in festivals across the country and receiving their fair share of awards. Since coming to New York, I've continued to make films and will have two more narratives completed this spring. Here at Listen Up!, I helped edit
"Beyond Borders: Personal Stories from a Small Planet," which is now airing on the Independent Film Channel IFC-.
I come to ListenUp! with a background in social justice
activism covering issues like women's human rights, economy and
trade, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive rights. And while on-the-ground
activism is really invigorating I also love the action happening
online. My aim is to convey clearly (and attractively!) the missions
and ideas that power nonprofit work and bring technology and web-based
tools to organizations working for social change. In addition
to political activism and traveling, I work with a select group of
organizations for their web and technology needs.
