DANNA GALLEGOS
She/Her pronouns.
It all started with a teenage immigrant's angst, a fascination with technology, and a deep desire to connect with people through storytelling.
Photograph taken by Edgar Mercado-Estrada, ig @edmevisuals
As a 14-year-old, Mexican newcomer to the United States, I struggled starting a life in a different country while overwhelmed by culture shock, a language barrier, and financial instability.
Unfortunately, the US education system failed to recognize the type of support I needed, relegating me to the special education program at my school. Not knowing of other avenues to learn English, I found a place in a fascinating and growing online community where I was able to teach it to myself and practice it:
TWITTER.COM
It was then on a scorching summer day, in the stifling heat of an attic, that I made my utmost favorite mistake: creating my twitter handle, I intended to fuse my name with a word filled with power and magnificence, to reclaim the confidence I had lost in our hasty migration. Although I intended to use the word “magnificent”, I accidentally confused it for "magnification".
By the time I realized my mistake, dannaification was already pivotal to my journey.
As I gradually made progress with the English language, I found solace in the strength of images and sounds to express myself and connect with others—to build and grow movements. Through the lens of my camera, the power of multimedia, and the countless feelings and ideas that were yet to be expressed, I found my voice. And with each click of the shutter, video clip, sound effect, word, and frequency vibration behind them all, I learned to amplify my message to the world.
I graduated from Stanford University with a B.A in Communication with a focus on the following areas:
Media Studies Research: Sitting at the mouth of Silicon Valley increased my fascination for the media studies side of technology and drove me to focus on its complex intersection with the mind, politics, and society. I studied and researched media-adjacent topics such as the politics of algorithms, personality psychology, democracy, deception, race, body, culture, ethnicity, censorship, and propaganda. This has given me a deep understanding of how media can and is shaping our world, and I bring this insight to all of my work.
Marketing: Conducted market research and used data analysis to determine the most effective marketing strategies in a tech-focused society. I understand the importance of personal and corporate branding, and I am skilled in crafting compelling content that resonates with their target audiences.
Documentary Filmmaking: Had the opportunity to apply my multimedia background and knowledge of journalism law to amplify and redirect stories across the United States and Latin America. Assisting different demographics to better package and deliver their stories is a process deeply meaningful to me.
At Stanford, I discovered that the art of storytelling is not just an invaluable life-skill, but a powerful tool for building movements that create lasting impact. Crafting a story that resonates with your audience, selecting the perfect medium to convey your message, and delivering it to a carefully chosen audience is not only an art, but a science which I built a framework around.
MY STORYTELLING FRAMEWORK
MY STORYTELLING FRAMEWORK
“THINK OF ENERGY as the Language of the Universe and frequency as the “data” that drives its evolution.
Storytelling is thus the art of energy exchange, and I am the conduit your brand needs to reach new heights.”