Wreath at 9/11 Memorial, NYC. Photo by Christa Avampato.
It’s my tradition to visit the 9/11 Memorial on September 12th to honor all of the challenges our city has faced every day since that tragic day. Though many people are always there, it often maintains a quiet that can be hard to find in that area of NYC. People put their hands on the names etched into the panels surrounding the pools of water flowing into the ground outlining the footprints of the 2 towers.
Last week, I read a piece where a teenager insightfully said he believes people who were alive during 9/11 look at that memorial and see something that’s no longer there, existing only in their memories. It’s such a true and beautiful observation.
I am always surprised when I go to that area now because it’s never how I imagine it. When I think of that area, I recall the many, many years it was an open pit with construction crews facing numerous hurdles while building the memorial and museum that honors everyone we lost and everyone impacted by 9/11. I worked at American Express for 4 years, and every day I walked over a footbridge that crossed that construction site. All of that is gone now, but it continues to live in my mind from those formative years of my career.
Every year, I’m reminded of how powerful memory is. How memory is often just as alive, if not more so, than what physically exists in the present. I think about how much these beloved people have missed. How much they are missed. How much they will always be missed. I think about how many people are still impacted by illnesses caused by that terrible day and the many days after. And how all of them, and all who love them, deserve justice and are still waiting for it.
Photos of the 9/11 Memorial, the Oculus, and the light beams symbolizing the towers blazing toward the sky last week from the roof of my apartment building in Brooklyn. Photos 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
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