It's nice to have you here! My name is Andrew Rodriguez Calderón. My parents moved to the United States from Colombia in the 70s, and I basically grew up in New York City.
I like to be surrounded by trees, read books, and my friends say that I'm a curious person who puts others at ease (I have great friends). I speak spanish, french, and am learning mandarin.
I have dabbled in many disciplines: I went from my parents' woodworking business to senior legal writing, to copywriting, book editing, brand writing and eventually wound my way to journalism, teaching and program development. I started as a data journalist and eventually leveled up my skills to do software development, ai engineering, and product design.
After a decade in journalism, I became disenchanted with how often I was instructed to keep sources at bay, not involving them in my reporting or product design. It felt extractive, impersonal, and ineffective, especially as mistrust in the media boiled over.
I began practicing, advocating for and eventually teaching community engagement journalism. I steeped myself in participatory design research, learning about regenerative ways that designers create products and services with & for people rather than at them.
Today, my practice uses technology, design research, and deep listening to join hands with the people we are trying to serve to create better... whatever you want: products, stories, tools, resources, courses, programs, organizations. You name it!
I like to bring together disparate perspectives, create from the heart & mind, and make it exciting to not know the answer. I call what I do design companionship.
So, before we talk about your audience, social media, or website, I will get to know you and your organization. We will sit down, block out distractions and just talk about your mission, your history, your anxieties and what's holding you back. I want to know about your team, how you work, and what holds you all together.
Once we have found our footing, we will get down to business.
We often are too close to the source to see what's possible. Explore and unearth new ideas or direction in a supportive and collaborative companionship. This can be for individuals or for groups.
Deepen your understanding of the people that you serve. A structured approach that often generates insights, more audience trust, and clarity of service.
Work through a series of design loops to identify an evidence-based audience need and develop a product/media/program strategy that balances resource constraints, service, distribution, and sustainability.
Build an online or in-person course that is accessible, inclusive, mission-aligned and potentially increases revenue streams.
For more on my experience, check out my LinkedIn.