The American Revival is a new traveling festival of hope and connection, created by filmmaker Nicholas Ma, that brings people together across divides, political, cultural, and spiritual, through a powerful three-day experience.
Each stop on the tour is uniquely tailored to its host city, but every Revival shares one purpose: to move people from curiosity to commitment, through purpose, relationships, and service. Featuring voices like Nicholas Ma and Yo-Yo Ma, Valerie June, Alfre Woodard, and leading minds from science and faith, the Revival blends art, storytelling, dialogue, and hands-on service to forge lasting bridges across difference. With community dinners, film screenings, collaborative workshops, and city-wide celebrations of local helpers, American Revival is more than a festival; it's a national cultural movement built on local transformation.
our team
is the President of Ernest Lyford LLC and an award-winning director, writer, and producer based in Brooklyn. He produced the acclaimed documentary WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (Sundance, 2018), about the life of Fred Rogers, and UNFINISHED BUSINESS on the WNBA (Tribeca, 2022). Most recently, he directed LEAP OF FAITH (Heartland, 2024) on the struggles of Christian pastors in Grand Rapids and MABEL (San Francisco, 2024), about a twelve-year-old girl, whose best friend is a potted plant. He has created work for global brands, including Rolex and Apple.
Before his career in film, he spent a decade in business and politics. On the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he covered global economic policy for Chairman John Kerry, from the recapitalization of the IMF, World Bank, and regional development banks to the design of the economic engine of the cap-and-trade bill. He also worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York and Shanghai leading engagements with corporations, cities, and governments around the world, from Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the President of South Korea. He received his M.F.A. from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is a graduate of Harvard College.
is the National Impact Producer at Ernest Lyford. Rooted in a passion for social justice, she has built an extensive track record of managing high-impact programs that leverage the arts to deepen our capacity for love and equity.
Kathy brings deep expertise in fundraising, communications, management, and execution in private, non-profit, and government settings. She has worked with some of the nation's leading organizations and institutions, including the Atlantic Council, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Gates Foundation, and Google. From 2019-2022, Kathy was Executive Director of Silkroad, the unique transnational arts collaborative founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Prior to her work there, she was Director of Creative Leadership Initiatives at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Before joining the Kennedy Center, Kathy co-founded the White House program, Turnaround Arts, under First Lady Michelle Obama, which used high-quality and integrated arts education to address the toughest educational challenges in our country.
Kathy led its expansion from a pilot project in eight schools to a national program at over 100 schools. Kathy and her husband also founded All Our Kids (AOK Arts), a non-profit that supports and encourages young artists of color.
is a media and events producer with a background in travel, logistics, policy, and community building. Her career began in Havana, Cuba as a producer and programmer of cultural exchanges, large events, educational programs, and over a dozen United States Congressional delegations. She has worked in communications and managed external affairs for nonprofits involved in diplomacy, global human rights, and migration policy. While completing her MA, she spent a year managing public events, community programming and local business relations for the Business Improvement District in Greenwich Village.
She holds an MA in American Studies from Columbia University, a BA in International Development from McGill University in Montreal, and a certificate of Documentary Storytelling from the Maine College of Art.
is the National Impact Coordinator at Ernest Lyford. Teddy graduated from Emerson College with a B.S. in Journalism and a minor in Political Communications. He has a passion for multimedia storytelling, highlighting the ubiquity of human creativity.
Teddy joined the Ernest Lyford team during the Leap of Faith premiere tour, promoting the film and engaging audiences through community events. Prior to his position at Ernest Lyford, Teddy was a Field Manager at MASS PIRG, ensuring smooth operations in a grassroots fundraising office, and was a communications intern at Generation Patient, creating content to advocate for young people living with chronic illness.
