I consciously never learned how to type. This was entirely intentional. I refused to learn how to type. I may be the only person on Earth who can “hunt and peck” at 60 words per minute.
Today and tomorrow, I am live blogging from the BlogHer Business Conference. Rita Ahrens, a talented and successful blogger, is submitting beautifully formatted live blog posts at 120 wpm without a typo. I’m submitting mine MUCH slower and in a slightly more overwhelmed fashion. She’s a professional, I get it. Editing and writing are her job. Still, I look at her perfect formatting in record time, capturing word for word what’s happening, and wish I could do that, too. Maybe learning how to type wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all.
Did you see the movie “While You Were Sleeping”? Corny chick flick, yes, but for me Sandra Bullock’s character was all too familiar. I’ve gone through most of my adult life trying to keep from being her portrayal of the “L” token taker in Chicago. I didn’t want to feel downtrodden by a system. I wanted to CREATE the system.
I watched my mom struggle to raise a family on an admin salary, and there was no way I was going to disappoint her by having any excuse to follow that same route. She wanted more for me and I want more for me, too. So I figured if I didn’t learn to type, I couldn’t be someone’s admin. Now as a blogger, that seems rather foolish. I could be much faster and much more effective if I had learned to type properly.
Still, every time I begin my hunt and peck routine I am reminded of the goals I have ahead of me. It’s sort of my form of rebellion, and a little reminder to keep dreaming bigger and bigger.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
I consciously never learned how to type. This was entirely intentional. I refused to learn how to type. I may be the only person on Earth who can “hunt and peck” at 60 words per minute. 
