Ryan Black, Progressive Organizer & Content Creator

Howdy,

My name is Ryan Black.
I'm a progressive organizer, political strategist, writer and content developer with 13 years of experience.
I work remotely from Indiana.

Resume

ABout

I am a progressive organizer and multimedia content creator. Currently, I am Organizing Coordinator at RootsAction.org where I focus on anti-war organizing and reducing the risks of nuclear war. I maintain and edit ProgressiveHub.net. Articles I’ve written have been published on Common Dreams, Counter Punch, LA Progressive, The News, Activist Post, Nation of Change, Reader Supported News, and more.

In 2020 I led organizing efforts for the Arizona arm of VoteTrumpOut.org. In 2018 I served as campaign manager in a U.S. House race and helped lead the campaign to a primary election victory despite being heavily outspent. In 2016 I created videos for Bernie Sanders and Larry Lessig while working at a content-tech startup. In 2014, I led content production efforts for Alison Grimes for Senate in Kentucky against Mitch McConnell. I currently live and work from home in my hometown in Northeast Indiana.

Write

I like to write. I’ve written dozens of blogs and articles. Mostly focused on politics.

Design

I design and draft graphics in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Develop

Building a website is like solving a puzzle. I like puzzles.

Produce

I’ve produced dozens of digital ads, mini docs, live streams, and even a feature length film.

Organize

I know what we need to do to lead your campaign to victory.

Innovate

I’ve canvassed Facebook, organized through COVID, and will pitch you wild ideas.

Resume

July 2020 - Present

RootsAction.org | Organizing Coordinator

DefuseNuclearWar.org

Designed and Built DefuseNuclearWar.org coalition website
Organized October month-of-action, including 55 on-the-ground demonstrations and picket lines nationwide
Produced and edited four episodes of podcast featuring famed whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg

DontRunJoe.org

Edited 60-second TV ad that earned media coverage in CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, The Hill, and more
Developed text program that sent 180,000 texts to New Hampshire Democrats
Designed mobile billboard campaign in Washington, DC
Designed full-page ad placed in The Hill

ProgressiveHub.net

Curated and posted hundreds of daily articles that reflected core progressive action issues
Pitched and wrote actions and petition tools that were reactive to current events
Wrote original articles that were syndicated in Common Dreams, CounterPunch, Nation of Change and more
Built campaign action pages like NoWarInUkraine.org and WithoutStudentDebt.org
Travelled to Minnesota to cover Line 3 pipeline protests

NoHoneymoon.org

Managed 2,000+ volunteers and organized thousands of emails and phone calls to Congress.
Produced 14 Zoom call livestreams featuring guests like Nina Turner and Abdul El-Sayed

VoteTrumpOut.org

Recruited and trained 150+ volunteers and led a paid staff of 4
Canvassed 15,000+ progressive Arizona voters directly on Facebook
Trained 100+ textbankers who contributed to GOTV operation that sent 1.14 million texts
Designed 50+ endorsement graphics and managed content updates on VoteTrumpOut.org

April 2019 - July 2020

Nichols Brand Stories | Content & Digital Strategist / Producer

Wrote 40 blog articles in about healthcare, manufacturing, and public relations
Managed content updates on 5 client and agency WordPress websites, including a key area hospital
Developed and designed area hospital’s on-site informational kiosk touchscreen UI/UX
Designed 100+ social media graphics for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company
Optimized Google ads for national restaurant equipment manufacturer, increasing ad clicks by 15%

November 2017 - November 2018

Anita For Arizona, U.S. Congress | Campaign Manager

Led campaign to a primary election victory by 5% depsite being outspent 4 to 1
Recruited, trained and organized a 600 person volunteer team
Targeted and contacted 90,000 voters by phone, door, and handwritten postcards
Targeted voters in NGPVAN, cut hundreds of lists, and launched dozens of in-person canvasses
Broke turnout record in primary and general elections

January 2016 - Present

RyanTBlack.com | Freelance Political Consultant & Content Developer

Produced campaign website for Aramis Ayala for Attorney General of Florida 2022
Produced video for LawLytics website builder and content generation platform 2022
Designed and built Abstract Hair & Nail Design website 2021
Built webpages and ActBlue donation pages for Adair Burroughs for Congress 2020
Shot and Produced livestream for Presidential campaign launch event for Wayne Messam 2020
Produced “Think Big” video for Bernie Sanders 2016
Shot and produced videos for Larry Lessig For President 2016
Wrote 50+ articles at The2020Progressive.com and earned 1.2 million organic pageviews between 2016 and 2018

December 2016 - November 2017

Levitate Strategic Communications | Digital Content Specialist

Wrote articles and implemented SEO best practices for agency website
Led video efforts, including a multi-video series for a leading international cardiac device manufacturer
Tracked client social media performance and developed monthly client-facing reports

February 2016 - December 2016

Clearvoice | Content Strategist

Content Strategist (May - Dec)

Conceptualized hundreds of content marketing pieces for on- and off-page SEO initiatives for agency clients
Guided writers and designers through the content creation process to meet client demands

Junior Digital PR Specialist (Feb - May)

Developed and maintained relationships with popular blogs and publishers
Placed articles on dozens of high domain authority websites

June 2014 - November 2014

Alison For Kentucky, U.S. Senate | Campaign Video Producer

Conceptualized, filmed, and edited 45 digital videos receiving over one million views
Extremely high profile race against Mitch McConnell
Created dozens of graphics, emails, and animations that contributed to record-breaking fundraising effort
Traveled across the state with candidate and core campaign team

Jan 2013 - June 2014