Heidi Nel, SVP of Digital at FitzGibbon Media, builds social action campaigns that leverage digital media, entertainment and marketing communications to impact policy initiatives and create cultural change.
Her recent work includes: Invisible NO More, the campaign arm of the award-winning documentary The Invisible War, which exposes the epidemic of rape within the US Military; Home Is Where the Vote Is, a multimedia campaign from The New Bottom Line that uplifts the voices of underwater homeowners; and Food MythBusters, a new film series by bestselling author expert Anna Lappe that tells the real story about world hunger, food security and sustainability.
Before joining the FitzGibbon team, Heidi was a Senior Associate at Dewey Square Group, a leading national public affairs firm specializing in grassroots communications. She led business development for DSG’s Digital Practice and developed tech-based civic engagement and social accountability campaigns for non-profits, Fortune 50s, start-ups, and social enterprises.
Prior to DSG, Heidi was a Marketing Manager at Lions Gate Entertainment, where she oversaw marketing strategy for an annual slate of 30 films under the Grindstone Entertainment label. She made her first foray into digital media working for Ghost House Pictures, Sam Raimi’s (Spider-Man franchise, The Evil Dead) production company, where she produced three original series for Comcast’s digital and cable TV network.
Originally from South Africa, Heidi grew up in Colorado and is an alumna of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She spent her entire career in Los Angeles, CA before moving to Washington, DC in 2010. Heidi serves as the Co-Director of the New Leaders Council DC Chapter—a leadership institute that recruits young women and men from outside the traditional power structure and equips them with the skills necessary to be civic leaders in their communities—and is a member of Step Up Women’s Network, a national network of women dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls.
