Eric Morse is an activist.
Activism can be defined in many ways.
Marching in the street? Been there, done that, got the tear gas scars to prove it. Organizing events and rallying a community? Yep. Building coalitions to affect positive policy change? Mobilizing masses of people online? Crafting messaging and ads for maximum persuasion and saturation, parsing data to ensure the right people see the right message at the right time? Now you're playing in the big leagues. Call it activism or call it advocacy. It's the demand of participatory democracy.
Eric is a digital-first communications strategist with a passion for empowering people.
MEDIA DIRECTOR, BROOKLYN FOR BARACK
As an early supporter of Senator Obama's race for the nomination, Eric joined Brooklyn for Barack as Media Director. He built and managed the website and all digital communications, fielded media requests, and managed messaging to the fast-growing lists of thousands of local supporters. The rest, as they say, is history.
FOUNDER, 5 MINUTES OF ACTION
Eric created 5 Minutes of Action in 2019, as a response to a growing wave of activism fatigue. People wanted change, but weren't sure how to create it. 5 Minutes of Action is a weekly newsletter and website that provides 3-5 actions per week, which take no more than five minutes to perform (often more like two). Together, the 5 Minutes of Action Army petitioned Senators to protect Dreamers, passed support for WIC benefits and school meals, boosted gun legislation in VA, and stopped the passage of inhumane laws. To date, thousands of armchair activists were activated in the service of common sense, bi-partisan causes.
CO-FOUNDER, 20CHILDREN
In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, one of the most powerful grassroots movements of modern US history emerged. Eric helped organize a diverse group of founders that included representatives from grassroots activism, high-end philanthropy, and White House veterans to create 20 Children, a gun safety policy advocacy movement of thousands of people. 20 Children hosted events and online organizing and partnered with allied groups, such as Moms Demand Action.
CO-HOST, THE ANIMAL CRACKERS PODCAST
Launched during the Trump Administration's infancy, The Animal Crackers Podcast became an outlet for listeners in search of insights, perspectives, levity, and answers about the insanity and inanity of the world around us. Animal Crackers never sought to be a hard news source, but it did break some important stories of its day, including a racial scandal at a central Florida middle school and, in the middle of the #metoo movement, the bombshell story of former New Hampshire governor John Sununu, Sr.'s alleged sexual assault of an intern while at CNN.
CONSULTANT, THE LONG LEAF PINE SLATE
The Long Leaf Pine Slate is a group dedicated to restoring Democracy to the great state of North Carolina. Once deemed by the global, non-partisan Electoral Integrity Project as no longer meeting the definition of a functioning democracy, North Carolina became Ground Zero in the fight to restore voting rights, strike down gerrymandering, and field quality candidates up and down the ballot. Eric was enlisted to help grow LLP's profile nationally and into major media markets.
HOST: MESSAGE, MEDIA, MOVEMENT PODCAST
As the host of the Message, Media, Movement podcast, Eric brought together luminaries from the world of brand marketing and political/advocacy communications to discuss strategies and tactics involved in building and mobilizing large movements of people. Guests included Elizabeth Spiers, Founding Editor of Gawker and the founder of The Insurrection, Jonathan Kopp, veteran of the Clinton Administration War Room and Managing Director at Glover Park Group, Stacy McCarthy DeRiso, COO at PHD, Joel Barkin, Exec. Dir., Progressive States Network, and others.
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, SOMA ACTION
When the grassroots group SOMA Action sprouted in northern NJ, it was hard to predict the impact it would have. Originally focused on local community issues, the membership grew rapidly and a number of active and effective committees began hosting events, rallies, protests, canvassing parties, etc. In 2018, when Mikie Sherrill and Tom Malinowski both challenged deep-rooted GOP incumbents for nearby Congressional seats, SOMA Action became a powerful force that propelled them both to victory. Eric was a Digital Communications Consultant for SOMA Action, helping them establish effective online messaging and communications strategies, as well as sitting on the Racial Justice committee.
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONSS CONSULTANT, DR. AKIL KHALFANI FOR CONGRESS
