Hi there, I’m Hilary
I help purpose-driven teams share their ideas and move people to meaningful action
As a multimedia journalist and communications specialist, I’ve worked with non-profit organizations and universities in 20+ countries.
Teams typically bring me on board when they’re stuck on two things:
They want to place peoples’ stories at the heart of a project but don’t know how to do it.
They need to translate complex ideas or topics in a compelling, clear way.
My writing chops, solutions-oriented mindset, and listening skills are here to help. At my core, I’m a problem solver who believes that storytelling and empathy-building are key to tackling our planet’s many challenges.
I’m based in Ottawa, Canada, on unceded Algonquin territory, and remote-collaborate with folks around the world.
Here are some recent projects that make me proud:
Planetary Health Case Studies
The Planetary Health Alliance at Harvard University was looking for a journalist to write stories about the connection between human health and man-made environmental change.
Travelling from Madagascar to Fiji, Chile to Sri Lanka, I spent 14 months creating these educational case studies for a Harvard University undergraduate course.
The 10 case studies are a marriage of scientific data and storytelling, ensuring students have not only the academic background but also the empathy and understanding to think about the urgent challenges facing our planet.
Media Reference Guide - The 519
In early 2022 I had the chance to interview more than a dozen staff and community members with The 519, a Toronto-based organization that offers services and programs for 2SLGBTQ+ folks (and does tons of other incredible work!).
The project: create a media reference guide to support journalists and other communicators in reporting on and alongside trans and gender-diverse folks in a way that values dignity, inclusion, accuracy, and respect. Shaped by these conversations, I wrote the content for the site below.
Impact Storytelling: Laidlaw Foundation
The teams I support do incredible work, but don’t always have the capacity to showcase it. Drawing on my experience as a journalist, I write stories and profiles that illustrate the impact organizations have on their communities and our shared planet.
For Laidlaw Foundation, I wrote about the Georgian Bay Anishinaabek Youth (GBAY), an Indigenous youth-led initiative that received Laidlaw funding. (Photo: Delina Rice)
Protecting Ottawa’s Greenspaces
Environmental activism is an important part of my life. That’s why I organized an event to protest a road through a public park in my neighbourhood. The event drew a crowd of 150 people, secured over 750 petition signatures, and accomplished its aim of having the developer revise its site plans.
Photo Essay: Thru-Paddling the Rideau Canal
In summer 2021 I set off on a 10-day kayak-camp of Canada’s historic Rideau Canal. By myself. In a foldable kayak. The 202 kilometre trip was a memorable adventure in nearby nature and a wonderful way to reconnect with myself and the world at the tail-end of the pandemic.
