Over the weekend I went to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum to see Design USA, an exhibit honoring the winners of the National Design Awards for the last 10 years. I love the mix of simple and complex innovations, the great variety of industries represented, and the many pains their innovations look to remedy. What they all had in common was a very basic insight into human behavior and emotion. Many of them tapped needs that we think about every day.
I’ve been thinking about building products for most of my life. When I was very young, I was obsessed with clean water. I was always very concerned that eventually we would run out of it. I have always loved libraries and librarians, and fondly remember the librarian at my elementary school, Mr. Compenino. He was a very kind, very large man. He was teaching us about nutrition one day and shared his weight loss story. In order to lose a lot of weight quickly, he went on a 30-day fast when he drank only water. I couldn’t imagine this. How does someone go for 30 days without eating, and live to tell about it? Mr. Compenino told us that people can survive for a long time without food, though only a few days without water. My fear of not having enough clean water was cemented in my mind in that moment.
On the nightly news, I would see parts of the world like Ethiopia that were plagued by drought and others like islands in the Caribbean that experienced frequent flooding. I began to think about a way to take water from places that had too much and give it to places that didn’t have enough. Then everything could be happily in balance and everyone could have exactly the amount of water they needed. I imagined a giant underground system of pipes that every city in the world could just turn off and on depending upon how much water they needed. Wouldn’t it be great if I could build that?
It’s this invention that got me interested in science and in engineering. I originally was admitted to Penn as an engineering student, and when my phsyics and calculus professors told me I didn’t have any aptitude for the field, I believed them. I became a history and economics major, a decision that of course I’m happy I made, though there is always a part of me that wonders what would have happened to my life if I had graduated from Penn as an engineer.
My way of compensating for this thought is by being a product developer. I take simple, basic needs and think of products and services that help to serve that need. I’m doing exactly what I did in that elementary school library. It’s a very logical basis for a career. People who care about innovation and invention want to be helpful. It’s the greatest aspect of design – once you are deeply involved in it, you begin to see how profound an impact you can have in the world.
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
How profound and insightful! You continuously inspire me.
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Back at ya! š
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