Amy Jussel
Founder
Executive Director
Shaping Youth
Amy has a unique understanding of the industry lens gleaned from the inside out, having worked as a creative director, writer/producer and former ad agency pro prior to launching Shaping Youth’s nonprofit, nonpartisan consortium.
The ability to mine data and leverage research skill sets advocating for children on multiple media platforms has spanned over two decades of print and broadcast journalism and admittedly come in handy as a passionista and youth advocate in the realm of children’s health and education.
Amy Jussel was honored to represent the United States as one of the chosen delegates for Women Leaders for the World in 2007, through the Global Women’s Leadership Network, (GWLN.org) earn a coveted global semifinalist spot for the Echoing Green Fellowship in 2008, contribute as an author in the 3-book global collaboration Age of Conversation series to benefit Variety, The Children’s Charity, and a guest contribution to the new 2014 release Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween.
Amy has also presented a wide array of hands-on media life skills/workshops to youth & teens and served as guest panelist and presenter for professional orgs, most recently at the National Association of Media Literacy Educators 2013. (other events like Girls Economic Power Day for 13-17 year olds, Girls For A Change national teen summit on “Squashing Stereotypes in Media” parent/community education Lucile Packard Children’s Health Foundation/Kaiser Permanente, etc.) And has been a writer and guest in the early days of Common Sense Media, Daughters.com, Childhood Matters Radio, CCFC, and other media advocacy orgs.
Currently, Amy is serving as a film adviser to the new 2014 documentary The Illusionists, about beauty, body image and globalization, and is an advisory board member of Global Girl Media, and Qeyno Labs startups in Oakland. Affiliated partner organizations include Reach and Teach, New Moon Girls, and the Brave Girls Alliance.
Prior to Shaping Youth in 2006…
Amy spent over 20+ years as a writer/producer in print, broadcast and film, (e.g. cable, travel documentaries for Reader’s Digest/Sunset Films, etc.) She began in television news writing for the ABC affiliate in Honolulu (KITV), wrote/produced a public affairs radio show at KCSB, Santa Barbara (Women’s Radio Forum), freelanced for international media magazines & print pubs (inc. Condé Nast’s Mademoiselle/guest editor program) and shifted into advertising to become an award-winning copywriter and creative director. She opened her own business, Copy/Concepts in 1984.
