We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Eker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Yes, Sum of Us started because we NEED other options for safe spaces. The LGBTQ+ community has historically met in secret, after hours in bars and nightclubs, so it makes sense that we would still be meeting there. In the not-so-recent past, there were no other options for spaces, and currently, we are still facing discrimination around the globe.

70+ jurisdictions still criminalize same-sex activity, 11 of which impose the death penalty, and conversation therapy remains legal in many parts of the US. We want to give our community a chance to evolve outside of bars by creating other places to call a safe space.

Sum of Us is a reimagined space where conscious community members can meet friends on a deeper level, find connections based on shared passions, and most importantly, learn about themselves together.

Sum of Us is a live festival, and over the past year: two virtual festivals and ongoing weekly healing sessions. In all places, you can connect with like-minded individuals and become your truest and best self.

Beyond this, over this past year, we have continued to build safe spaces within organizations and corporate environments by providing much-needed diversity, equity, and inclusion training for companies striving to create a safer and happier workplace. We teach various allyship seminars to build bridges and progress understanding and actionable steps.

Sum of Us creates safe spaces so that marginalized communities are empowered to be their authentic and truest selves.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

We had a pandemic pivot: We put 2 years of planning and production into the live festival. To say that the 2020 live festival cancelation was devastating is an understatement. Not only because of the losses we accrued but because the original safe space that we dreamt of and needed wasn’t going to happen.

As mental health issues skyrocketed during the Covid 19 Pandemic (LGBTQ+ women were twice as likely to cite mental health issues being their number one challenge during the pandemic. -2020’s Women in the Workplace Study) we knew that we needed to keep our community together somehow. We went searching for virtual options.

We decided to put on a Virtual Festival. Although nothing could replace being with each other physically, the virtual fest was extremely successful! We were able to expand our community nationally all across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Attendees described their virtual fest weekend as ‘life-changing, life-saving, and a place they never knew existed filled with, love, joy, and hope.”

Although extremely challenging, pivoting to virtual was incredibly fortuitous for us. We started helping other events and festivals transform their live event to virtual. We also expanded to build safe spaces within organizations and corporate environments by providing much-needed diversity, equity, and inclusion training for companies striving to create a safer and happier workplace. We teach various allyship seminars to build bridges and progress understanding and actionable steps.

Since we have been named the leading producers of diverse and inclusive events in North America.

What happens now?

We are continuing to providing much-needed allyship seminars within companies and organizations. Some of the workshops that we offer are “LGBTQ+ Allyship in the Workplace,’ ‘Indigenous Fundamentals and Allyship,’ ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training’ and much more.

Look out for our live festival in Spring 2022.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my incredible partner, Nadia. I was with Nadia when Sum of Us was FIRST conceptualized. I ran out of the shower with a towel on my head and said to her, “I know what I’m meant to do!” Since that moment, she has supported me EVERY step of the way. Nadia was there for me when I was alone trying to create something out of nothing. She built our first website, she was our first Social Media Manager, she helped me hand out flyers and write down e-mail addresses at events, traveled with me to speaking engagements, understood when I had to work late nights and weekends, comforted me when I was at my low points, and celebrated with me at the high points. She always had faith in me!

Website: www.sumofus.co and www.sumofusfest.com

Instagram: @sumofusfest

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-eker-5448a7196

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madison.eker.9

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi1HtECAX0eKlc5YRrThCyw

Other: Festival questions and Inquiries: Contact@SumOfUsFest.com Virtual Event Production, Diversity & Inclusion, and Corporate Wellness: Hello@SumOfUs.co

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.