We All Have a Story to Tell.
This One is Ours.
For nearly 2 million years, campfires have brought us together — providing protection from danger, nourishing our most fundamental needs, and creating a space where bonds are built from nothing more than the warmth and the stories we share.
Spaces like this are critical, but today, they’re exceptionally rare.
We created Campfire events, classes, and workshops to bring that kind of community back to the world. To facilitate spaces where people can find their voice, own their story, and shape what happens next.
In the light of a Campfire, everything else fades away. We find meaning in the experiences of others. Empathy that previously didn’t exist. Security we didn’t know we had. We discover real, human connection. And it’s in these moments that something magical happens: we’re illuminated by our collective wisdom and uplifted by our shared humanity; what we take away is also what we give in return.
And when the Campfire is over, there’s a feeling that outlasts the experience — a warmth we can bring back to the world.
Campfire. Gather around.
OUR VALUES
What drives the campfire® org.
Support
Strength-Based Approach
We work to nurture the natural storyteller, public speaker, and facilitator in each of us. With that, we are committed to supporting our storytellers, clients, and audience members through all phases of their experience.
Accessibility
focused on sharing with all
No one is left out or behind. We think of accessibility in terms of cost, ability, identity, and learning style. Our goal is for our events, classes, training, and workshops to be open to all, in action and not just words.
Grace
the assumption of good
The work we do within Campfire is personal. It requires us to dig deep. When we do that it means we might stumble. We share things that may not be quite up to personal standards. We believe that each of us is doing the best we can and that we are never done growing.
Agency
ownership of stories
To us, agency means that you own your story and that you will always have control over it. We do not make decisions for you on how to tell your story and we look to you for consent when we want to amplify it. Our team considers it a privilege to share in your story.
THE PROS BEHIND THE PROSE.
Meet the campfire team
STEVEN HAROWITZ
He/Him
Executive Director
Steven Harowitz grew up on a dirt road in the small community of Palm City, Florida where he learned that everything around us is human made and that means it can be changed. He has been a life-long creator in theatre, TV production, and was even an event and roller rink DJ in high school. Today, he is the founder and Executive Director of Campfire, where he has the privilege and honor to work alongside talented and kind teammates. Steven believes deeply in Arthur Ashe’s wisdom that you must “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
EMAIL STEVEN >
Kim Mennemeier
She/Her
Client Engagement Manager
Kim has loved stories since she was young. In the beginning it was their ability to transport her to far off places. As she got older, stories empowered her to be brave and reach outside of her comfort zone. This led Kim to earn her Master’s degree from UMSL and help small businesses achieve their goals for over 15 years. Today, Kim is inspired by the power of owning and sharing one’s story. She is thrilled and honored to be a part of the Campfire team, and can’t wait to see where her love of stories takes her next.
EMAIL KIM >
MARIAH BYRNE
She/Her
Special Projects Lead
As a lover of stories told through books, podcasts, and long life chats, Mariah makes sure that the Campfire values translate into meaningful experiences for our audiences. Originally from Orlando, Mariah made her way through Washington D.C. and San Diego before landing in St. Louis for graduate school in social work and business administration. When not staffing a Campfire live event, Mariah hopes to be found hiking, exploring one of St. Louis’ many free arts and cultural events/institutions, or wrapped in a blanket.
Nokie Rae
They/Any
Facilitator
Nokie Rae is a multimedia artist with a background in computer and cognitive science. After school, Nokie co-taught K-5 art classes before leaving to build educational games with grants from NASA, PBS, and the NIEHS. Before joining Campfire, they spent over a decade working with startups to develop state of the art technologies in travel, advertising, and machine learning. Over the years, they’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on large, interactive art installations, and was awarded a scholarship from Meta to build accessible storytelling tools for Virtual Reality. Outside of the classroom, you can probably spot Nokie in the middle of state park with a tent and a kayak.
Kaliice Walker
She/Her
Multimedia Producer
Kaliice Walker is constantly captivated by humans and what motivates their behaviors. She is a storyteller and possess a knack for what is most compelling about how organizations express themselves to the audiences they serve. She was the producer of the More Human Podcast sponsored by the Be Human Project, a St. Louis nonprofit that emboldens leaders to experiment with ways to make their organizations more human. She currently produces the Leadership Pundit Podcast and projects with Campfire. She is often is tasked with taking what is fundamentally most unique about a brand, a person or an idea and converting that essence into audio and video expression. Her background includes a comprehensive track record of film production, and she holds bachelor of arts degree in film, animation, video, and new genres with a minor in journalism at the Peck School of the Arts.
Amma Marfo
She/Her
Writer and Content Strategist
Amma is a writer, editor and user experience professional based in Boston, MA. She aims for her care for people, sense of humor, and excitement about story to shine through in her writing – making her a great addition to the Campfire family. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, exploring arts and culture available around the country, or performing as a stand-up comedian.
Jeff Allen
He/Him
Multimedia Producer
Jeff is an audio and video engineer, editor, and production technician. He prides himself on taking a client’s vision and making it a reality through the use of a/v technology and media creation. He specializes in audio recording, a/v system design and maintenance, video production, and landscape and wildlife photography and videography. Jeff has been serving the audio and video production needs of artists in the St. Louis area for almost 2 decades.
Adam Flores
He/Him
Facilitator
Adam Flores is a theatre maker and educator working in the St. Louis region for over 20 years. He is passionate about amplifying the voices of those most often unheard through the art of storytelling in all its forms.
Analisa Ortiz
She/her
Facilitator
Luckily, Analisa learned early on that it’s more fun to be interested than to worry about being interesting. Her particular interests in human behavior and communities led her to earn degrees in psychology, sociology, and education. Since then, she’s found her strengths in cultivating meaningful connections, process improvement, and helping others embrace their own stories. You can probably find her around St. Louis teaching a yoga class, planning a trip, trying to talk herself out of a new hobby, or hanging out with her dog Leo.
Jessica Gazzola
She/her
Facilitator
A quiet and observant child, Jessica Gazzola found solace in nature and books. Through stories, she learned to explore vast worlds within herself. In the 4th grade, through a school poetry competition, her mother taught her that it’s not only WHAT we say, but HOW we say it that creates an impact. From that moment on, Jessica found acceptance and attention through public speaking leading her into public ministry as a pastor. However, along the way, she lost the wisdom of the child – trading her own inner-knowing for external validation. Abandoning her public role in 2014, she journeyed to rediscover the magic of stories and how they communicate the beauty of ordinary life. Now, In her family and her work, everyday becomes an opportunity to play and create from the heart.
