#79 - That One Time We Saved Burning Man | Marian Goodell (The Burning Man Project)

This is a big one for Life is a Festival. Today I’m releasing an interview I conducted a few weeks ago with Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man.  On the show, we talk about whether Burning Man is—as is fervently contested—a festival or if we should protect the unique event from that label. We spend the first 20 minutes talking about Marian’s life and how she first came to the Black Rock Desert. We discuss Burning Man’s cultural course correction, how radical inclusivity must now be proactive racial inclusivity, and Burning Man’s 2030 Sustainability Roadmap which has been accelerated by taking a year off from the desert. The most important aspect of our conversation focuses on the financial needs of the Burning Man Project, and how we as a community and global culture can pitch in to keep Black Rock City alive. Marian is one of Burning Man’s 6 cofounders and currently serves as CEO of the nonprofit. Her previous roles with the organization include Director of Business and Communications and head of the Black Rock City Department of Public Works. Marian received a BA in Creative Writing from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland and an MFA in photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She first came to Burning Man as a participant in 1995. LINKS Burning Man: https://burningman.org/ Buy Your Burning Man ticket: https://donate.burningman.org/ Kindling: https://kindling.burningman.org/ Marian on the Math & Magic Podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-math-magic-31150153/episode/marian-goodell-in-this-day-and-56225719/ Is Burning Man Over? An Interview with the CEO of Burning Man - Marian Goodell (Burn.life): https://www.burn.life/blog/interview-with-the-ceo-of-burning-man-marian-goodell Black Burner Project: https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-burner-project TIMESTAMPS :06 - Is Burning Man a festival? :14 - How Marian was first drawn to Burning Man after seeing a photo :20 - How Marian learned fiscal responsibility from her Republican father :26 - The state of Burning Man’s finances :36 - How we can support Burning Man right now :48 - Why Burning Man issued a “Cultural Course Correction” in 2018 :55 - Radical racial inclusivity from the perfect of the Burning Man organization, the event, and the global culture. 1:12 - Burning Man’s Environmental Sustainability Roadmap 1:19 - The Multiverse isn’t Black Rock City but it is an enormous opportunity for Burners. 1:29 - Marian believes festival culture is part of what will save society because they teach us to trust each other 1:35 - How’d the podcast go?