Amanda Narcisi resigns from PGH Museums Board
Amanda Narcisi resigns from PGH Museums Board
by Brian Crawford
Occasionally, when you are starting to launch a new project, you get one of those messages that lets you know, ‘hey, I’ve got a great idea’. Early 2019 Amanda Narcisi sent me one of those messages when she texted me that she had learned about a museum project I was working on and that she was interested in getting involved. I remember the instant jolt of excitement that message sent straight to my heart as I realized this thing, PGH Museums, had a chance. I received a similar sensation, yet out of panic this time, when she told me three years later-this winter, she would be resigning from PGH Museums.
Amanda speaks at Pittsburgh PodCamp livestream
Amanda Narcisi is a titan in the Pittsburgh blogging scene. She’s worked countless events with her popular blog, BOLD Pittsburgh, has helped run conferences in the podcasting world, has worked behind the scenes putting her mark on the city through graphic design, and so much more. It’s easy to see why bringing her on board was such a win for my efforts with making PGH Museums a reality. We wouldn’t be here today without her work.
Amanda was one of the original volunteers who put in the groundwork to get PGH Museums running. Despite a crazy schedule between her full-time job, freelance work, BOLD Pittsburgh and more, she found time to help build our directory, organize our operations, work on marketing designs, and offer invaluable advice. When PGH Museums organized into a 501(c)(3), she, along with her longtime friend Missy Sorg, became founding members of our board of directors. Missy is a co-owner of Sidekick Media Services which works with businesses on social media, multi-media, and web design. She designed the PGH Museums website.
Design by Amanda Narcisi for PGH Museums Launch Party in November 2019
Missy met Amanda in 2008 and, to no one’s surprise, they met through a project building the media scene in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PodCamp. Pittsburgh PodCamp was an educational new media conference which educated people on how to be effective in podcasting, blogging, social media and more. Missy told me that Amanda was one of the primary organizers of the conference, and taught courses in blogging, social media, and video. She, having worked with the original PodCamp in Boston, came to Pittsburgh knee deep in connections, a ton of ideas, and a lot of passion. The two have since worked on several photography projects, different podcasts such as Sorgatron Media’s tech podcast, AwesomeCast, and co-hosted a video series for BOLD Pittsburgh.
BOLD Pittsburgh has likely been Amanda’s biggest tool to highlight the region and influence our community. BOLD, an idea inspired by PodCamp, launched in 2014 as an online magazine which morphed into a blog covering, arts, food, beer, and more. In 2021 an article of hers appeared on the cover of the 2021 Visit Pittsburgh magazine that could be found in hotels across the city and was the only local blogger invited to a Visit Pittsburgh bloggers tour. She, along with her partner Steve Fernald, have been to and reviewed more restaurants and community establishments than most of us ever knew existed.
Amanda and Steve are leaving for the West Coast. Leaving our cloudy skies and steep hills for sun and sand to accommodate Amanda’s promotion with her full-time employer. Steve says the idea of the move is growing on him due to the “60 to 80 degrees all year round and proximity to the beach.” I asked him how long it will take Amanda to dominate the blog scene in San Diego, the way she has in Pittsburgh. He told me she, “won’t dive right into it because the job is very intense” but, “there’s not a lot of blogs in the area” and you “definitely won’t see the last of her.”
Logo to BOLD Pittsburgh podcast
Missy, who has relatives in California, will miss her friend but plans to take opportunities, while visiting her family who live out west, to head south and visit. Expressing her feelings on Amanda, she said, “Amanda is one of the most creative and kindhearted individuals that I know. Legitimately. She’s usually the first one to try to jump into a project and she always has these great ideas and the capacity to follow through with them as well. She brings a lot to the table with an organization but she’s also a great friend. She’s someone I can call to hang out with if I just want to get coffee and just hang out type of thing. and I’m really going to miss her.”
The board of directors for PGH Museums want to thank Amanda for her work with our organization. Amanda Narcisi may physically be moving out of Pittsburgh, but through the impact of her writing, design work for Pittsburgh staples like the Barrel and Flow fest, and of course her work in creating PGH Museums, her mark on this city is everlasting.
You can follow Amanda Narcisi’s adventures in San Diego on Instagram at @Steeltownadv