Over the last six years, Love Now Media has successfully cultivated an incredibly supportive and unapologetically empathetic community of lovers, healers, artists and activists, centered around social justice, wellness, equity, and of course, love.
As a long-time storyteller, Love Now Media’s founder, Executive Producer and Publisher, Jos Duncan Asé used storytelling as a tool for activism to challenge some of the narratives that were being told about Black and Brown communities, knowing the way these communities were being covered in the news was problematic.
“It was when I became a mentor to young people in these communities and I saw that they were defining themselves based on what the news media said, I realized I had to do something.”
Love Now Media was born through a group of storytellers who went into communities to tell stories rooted in tradition of hope, resilience and anything to uplift and give new, powerful narratives back to the community. It was during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Jos realized documenting Black stories of trauma, pain and anger was no longer her path.
“I was out documenting a protest and there was just so much beauty to be seen. There were little girls in their fathers arms, there were people holding hands, there were people giving out water… so I shifted my lens to start covering that. Instead of the angry fists in the air, I started capturing the people holding hands.”
As Jos tells us, there is great power in the art of storytelling as a tool for narrative justice. There has been so much harm done in the name of telling stories about people and telling stories to people - stories that often help shape policies and help shape the way people perceive certain communities. What started as a desire to challenge the stories being told, and shifting the focus to stories of love, grew into what we know today as Love Now Media (see “Revolutionary Love Stories” here).
As a long-time, valued member of the CultureWorks family, we have seen Love Now Media grow and flourish into a one-of-a-kind, impact-focused organization that produces real change. Being a part of CultureTrust has allowed their team to focus less on the backend, administrative undertakings that go into running a successful nonprofit, and focus more on what truly matters.
“With CultureWorks, I have a team around me to help me hone in and execute on what Love Now Media needs to thrive. It has been game changing to not have to do that alone.”
Love Now Media is an empathy-centered, media company that uses storytelling to amplify acts of love at the intersection of social justice, wellness and equity. That pushes audiences to examine the ways in which love shows up in our lives, our work, and our communities.
Mark your calendar - they will host 11 Days of Love Stories from June 15th through June 25th with daily events throughout the city each day. The current season explores “The Politics of Play”, with so many exciting events and various programming coming in the next few months. To learn more and stay up to date, visit their website and follow along on social media @LoveNowMedia.
