WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?
OUR MISSION
Inspired by the participatory culture of Burning Man*, The Voter Party is a non-profit movement which offers resources and opportunities for artists, performers and creative doers of all disciplines to engage civically. We are united in the goal of increasing voter turnout and making voting fun and engaging.
After Nov 3rd, we will continue to mobilize our community to ensure that politicians stay honest, and act in the interests of “We The People”.
We firmly believe that our mission will never be met unless we all look out for one another, the planet and all of her glorious creatures great and small.
PARTY PEOPLE
CEO/Co-Founder
Winkel - Troublemaking prankster, and a progressive do-gooder with an unnatural predisposition for first person bios. Since 2000, I have operated Winkel Studio, a film & event loft in Brooklyn. Most notably, during the filming of John Wick 2, our restroom played host to Keanu Reeves. In 2001 I co-founded The Lunatarium, an underground venue in DUMBO Brooklyn. We hosted many of the world’s most well respected DJs; as well as NYC’s first official Burning Man Decompression. We were nominated “best venue” at the WMC in 2003. In 2005, I co-founded Winkel & Balktick Presents. W&B produced large-scale, participatory culture, warehouse parties in NYC.
Co-Founder/board member
Ysiad Ferreiras - CEO of Big Tent Creative, which registered 25,000 TikTok users in 2020, COO of Hustle (2015-> 2018)-the leading P2P text-organizing platform used by DNC and others since the 2016 election. Raised $40+M. Founded an organization that registered over 5k voters in 2004.
COO
Kirk Ceballos - 2018 Founder of The Creators Cartel, the co-producer of the Bushwick Collective Block Party, Supply & Demand among other productions. Currently represents Meyhem Lauren, Taboo (Black Eyed Peas) and Fat Joe. Previously represented DMX, Lil’ Kim, Big Pun, LMFAO among others.
Technical Director
Chase Varga - a marketer, designer, and techy born in the music industry trenches. She is the co-founder of Ratfoot Experimental, an agency focused on helping artists promote themselves through the latest tech and groundbreaking live events at locations across the country. She was also the co-founder of Engine Driver Presents, a music promotions company that produced over 500 shows from Los Angeles to Seattle with artists such as Questlove, Floetry, Ingrid Michelson, Jay Electronica, Dirty Vegas, and more..
Chief Animating Officer
Jonathan Ashley is a Brooklyn-based illustrator, filmmaker, and playwright from Arizona. He studied fine art at Boston's Museum School, and filmmaking at New York University. His film Notes from the Acrid Plain won 3rd Prize at The Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He helped found New York’s The Shelter Theatre Company in 2009. In 2018, he wrote and illustrated Lily & Kosmo, a children’s novel from Simon & Schuster.
Partnership Director
Abigail Edgecliffe-Johnson is a hardware inventor, confectionery roboticist and a PhD anthropologist. After closing her own EdTech startup, she launched The ShutDown, a project to help other founders navigate the complex business of closing a business. In this, and every election, her driving principle is that high quality education should be available to everyone, no matter who they are or in what zip code they happen to be born.
Advisor - James Slezak - is CEO and Co-Founder at Swayable, a media metrics technology company backed by Y Combinator, Higher Ground Labs, New Media Ventures and Lowercase Capital. Formally, he was the vice president and chief of operations of NYT Global at The New York Times.
Advisor - William Ruggiero - Mentor and inspiration for The Voter Party. William Ruggiero was the developer/partner of Jay Condo in Brooklyn, a 33 story building in DUMBO Brooklyn. Was was director of housing development at the People’s Firehouse, a North Brooklyn-based, non-profit organ ization with 40 years of service to Tenants Rights, Affordable Housing and Fire Protection/Public Safety issues of concern to the residents of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Advisor - Zach Fang - National Organizing Director for Yang 2020; National Distributed Director for Let America Vote in 2018. Was statewide Field Director for Bernie Sanders in 2016. He was also instrumental in bringing P2P text messaging to the Democratic Party and took Hustle from 0 to 48 Democratic State Party clients.