San Francisco, CA, Bay Area + Remote
consulting
I help grassroots organizations and founders turn scattered ideas, information, and workflows into systems and stories they can actually use. I build alongside you, not above you.
I’m a systems and creative strategist who also curates, writes, and runs the newsletters. If the work is getting buried in admin, or the idea is stuck, that’s where I come in.
Updated November 2026
for artists to get paid after a sale, down from up to 2 weeks, once I built EA OS
manual steps for each sale. It now logs and creates tasks on its own
a weekly leadership digest that writes and sends itself every Monday
What I do
I’m De’jon Joy, a systems and creative strategist in San Francisco. I work with small teams doing real work with limited time, money, and staff.
I help figure out what’s stuck, build the tools and public presence to move it forward, and make sure your team can run it without me. That might be a workflow, a website, a campaign, an exhibition, or a story.
I’m the Director of Creative Liberation at Empowerment Avenue Society, where I designed and led the build of EA OS, our operating system, and the organization’s website.
Why this matters
Most of us are doing direct service. We shouldn’t be burning out on admin.
The people I work with show up for other people all day, then spend nights and weekends copying information from one spreadsheet to another. That’s how good people get overwhelmed and burn out, especially on the front lines.
I’ve lived it. At Empowerment Avenue, one artwork sale used to mean five manual steps across spreadsheets, email, and Asana, and artists could wait up to two weeks to be paid. Now it happens automatically, and artists are paid within three days. My team got hours back every cycle.
Tools shouldn’t be the thing that wears you down. They should give you the room to do the work only people can do. That’s what this consulting is for.
Four ways to work together
These are ways in, not a menu you have to pick from. Tell me where it hurts and we’ll start there.
Find the starting point
Have an idea but aren’t sure where to begin? Let’s spend 30 minutes talking through what you need, what’s possible, and where I might be able to help.
Build the system
“Everything lives in different places, and we keep doing the same steps by hand.”
Intake forms, contact and project tracking, connected workflows, automations, dashboards, and plain-language staff guidance.
This is the kind of work behind EA OS.
Build the public presence
“Our website and communications don’t explain what we do or help people act.”
Website strategy and design, messaging, content structure, newsletter and social strategy, and a publishing workflow your team can run.
Good for organizations that need a site people can understand and in-house team members who can update it.
Shape a creative project
“We have a story, campaign, exhibition, or gathering to bring to life.”
Creative direction, graphic design, storytelling, co-curation, facilitation, and project coordination.
From first idea to opening night.
I lead strategy and design and build what’s in my practice. When a project needs specialized engineering or production, I bring in collaborators I trust and tell you up front.
Arts and culture
I also work in arts and culture: curating shows, shaping ideas, and keeping the stories going.
Curation and co-curation. I’ve curated shows. I can help you find the idea, choose the work, plan the room, and write the wall text, from first sketch to opening night.
Ideating. Stuck on what’s next? I’m good at getting from a rough thought to a clear series, campaign, or event, with your team in the room.
Newsletters. Strategy, planning, writing, and running them, so the newsletter goes out every time without eating your week.
Content writing. Artist features, bios and statements, web copy, and social posts in a voice that sounds like you.
Film, TV, and acting
I also consult on stories about incarceration, reentry, and the systems around them.
For filmmakers and writers: story and systems consulting so the people, culture, and details on screen are true to life.
For actors, one-on-one: sessions while you’re preparing a role, about how these systems work, what they do to people, and the culture around them.
For scenes with healing and accountability: guidance on how interventions and restorative justice circles really run, from someone who facilitates them.
How I work
Simple, and always with your team in the room.
Listen first
I talk with the people who do the work every day, not only leadership. They know where it gets stuck.
Map what’s really happening
We lay out how information and tasks actually move, including the workarounds nobody wrote down.
Build the smallest useful version
Something real your team can try quickly. We test it, fix it, and only then add more.
Hand it off
Clear documentation and training so your team owns it and can keep it running without me.
Being honest
Good design and good collaboration take time and patience. The first version won’t be right, and that’s part of the process. You tell me what doesn’t fit, I change it, and we go again.
I’d rather build something that fits how your team really works than hand you something polished that nobody uses. Expect honest check-ins, plain language, and no pressure to have it all figured out before we start.
Who I work with
Grassroots groups and nonprofits
Small teams doing direct service with limited time, money, and staff.
First-time founders
Especially low-income and first-generation founders with an idea and no clear next step.
Incubators, foundations, and programs
Support for a whole cohort, so every founder doesn’t have to fund the work alone.
Arts and culture organizations
Galleries, programs, and collectives that need help with shows, programming, and getting the word out.
Writers and publications
Help planning, writing, and running newsletters and content that keeps going.
Filmmakers, writers, and actors
Stories about incarceration, reentry, justice, and the systems around them.
Selected work
EA OS
An operating system for a small nonprofit: artwork and sales, artist payouts, compliance deadlines, and a weekly digest in one place.
EA Web
A bold, on-brand website and online store the whole team can update, fed directly by EA OS.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to work with you?
It depends on the scope. I currently offer a free 30-minute consultation to hear what you’re working on, what’s getting in the way, and what your budget looks like. From there, I’ll recommend a starting point and give you a clear quote.
Can you work with a small budget?
Yes. I care about working with people who don’t have much money. Some of that work can be funded by an incubator, foundation, or community program that brings in a whole cohort, so each founder doesn’t have to pay for a large project alone.
Do you build everything yourself?
I lead strategy and design and I build what’s in my practice, like websites, intake forms, connected workflows, and dashboards. If a project needs specialized engineering or production, I bring in collaborators I trust and tell you up front.
What tools do you work with?
Mostly tools your team can keep running: Lovable, Supabase, n8n, Asana, Google Workspace, and Webflow (including moving a site off it). I pick the simplest tool that fits your people, not the fanciest one.
Do you consult on films and for actors?
Yes. I work with writers, directors, and producers on stories about incarceration, reentry, and the justice system, and I work one-on-one with actors preparing for roles that touch systems, impact, or culture. My background includes interventions and facilitating restorative justice.
Where are you based, and do you work remotely?
I’m based in San Francisco, California, and I work with teams in person in the Bay Area and remotely anywhere.
Do you help with newsletters, writing, and curating shows?
Yes. I’ve curated shows, and I help with ideating, planning and running newsletters, and content writing like artist features, bios, web copy, and social posts. I can do it as a project or as ongoing support.