Brittney McDonald
Founder of BLANK
Multidisciplinary company, BLANK, aims to bridge the gap between sustainable solutions and creative expression, specifically within art, food and fashion. Its founder, Brittney McDonald, explains how and what she’s learned along the way.
“What I’ve learned is that you have to trust your gut and really believe in yourself. You will know what feels right and what’s best for your business.”
On her journey and how she’s gotten to where she is today.
“I worked in advertising and creative agencies for almost a decade. Prior to that, I had worked at a start-up in Boston but decided to leave the start-up world and took a massive pay cut in order to break into advertising. I worked at some of the biggest agencies in the U.S. and in London and traveled the world [for work]. But, I wanted a change so I moved to L.A. on a whim and got a job at an independent agency. I quickly realized that, while advertising is really fun, there was no deep purpose behind some of the work that I was doing. I really loved the creative process but I wasn’t fulfilled. So, I went to work at the start-up, FNDR. During my time at FNDR, I worked and met with so many founders and felt so inspired intellectually. I was constantly learning something new everyday. [FNDR] was almost an incubator for brand narrative.
When I was twenty-five and working in the thick of it, I thought that I was going to work my way to the top. Ultimately, I wanted to own my own agency or become a Chief Marketing Officer. It wasn’t until I worked at FNDR that I was exposed to the idea of doing something outside of the agency realm. Whether it was the newest car sharing app, or electric bikes, or a new agriculture company, you were exposed to so many different brands and founders.
I remember there was a working session that I sat in on with a company based in Cambridge that focused on agriculture. There was a provocative statement written on the wall that read “We are at war with nature.” The minute we started to talk about that [statement], I had my “Aha!” moment. I decided that I had to be part of that conversation. I wanted to do something that helped to create a narrative and momentum around the climate crisis, leading to real and tangible impact.“
On starting her company during the pandemic and what she hopes to achieve through BLANK.
“When we were in the middle of the pandemic, I realized that I could either be one of those people to sit back and go through a pandemic or use the down time to kickstart and create a company. So, I started BLANK.
I’m the type of person who needs to be out and about. I get my inspiration from travel, art and food. I really immerse myself in culture and to not be able to do that at the height of COVID-19 was terrible for my psyche. I’m a believer in the power of culture and it’s influence on people. While I was at FNDR, I saw so many amazing companies try to figure out how to find their place in the world and all of them had an angle on how to be more sustainable but none of them were talking to each other. It made me realize that they operated in silos or solely in the B2B space. So, how do you bring [the topic of sustainability] to the forefront and start to amplify all of these solutions that are being created, at the onset of a business’ development and showcase that to the world in a way that people enjoy and are familiar with. To me that format was dinner, food, fashion shows, fashion brands and art. It’s about introducing the new in the familiar. The new are these companies in their infancy or that not well known, and introducing them in a way that’s familiar. We all go to dinner, we all go to fashion shows, we all go to art exhibits and we all like that. So if I can just infuse [the theme of sustainability] into these existing formats and structures [e.g. dinners, art exhibits, fashion shows], then maybe I can educate someone so that when you have a decision to go with a brand that’s sustainably responsible and one that’s not, it’s inevitable that you choose the more sustainable one. I always want to bring awareness without preaching.”
On how BLANK is different from other companies and organizations whose core mission is to solve the climate crisis.
“There are a lot of organizations that are very radical [in their climate crisis ethos], which is great for PR and shock value but I don’t want to scare people. I want people to opt in and want be a part of this conversation and part of the momentum, by always offering a solution or alternative. And our big thing is always making solutions obtainable, and we show it in a tangible form [through food, fashion and art] but it always needs to be obtainable.”
On what she hopes will be the impact of BLANK and how she views that impact so far.
“With our recent event in London, I felt like we had impact in terms of people understanding what we are trying to achieve. Unless you already work in art, fashion or food, what we are trying to do can sometimes come off as abstract to someone not [familiar with or working] in those industries. What was reassuring was that people walked away that evening saying ‘I get it’. The big thing for us is educating people and highlighting solutions.
[Additionally], we track our carbon footprint from the onset [of an exhibit], including water, utilities, waste, food sourcing and transportation. We are tracking our footprint for every exhibit that we put together. The real impact there will be if we can start to lower our [carbon] footprint in every exhibit that we create. This is really about holding ourselves accountable. We are doing the same thing with organizations that we partner with. I am in the process of talking to every single founder and every single brand that we’ll be putting forward as a solution [in upcoming events], trying to understand their sustainability story so that I can track all of it. Ultimately, I would love for us to have a certification that classifies you as sustainable. Any festival or conference or exhibit - whatever you’re building - would be BLANK-approved, certifying the output is as sustainable as can be and that you’re doing you’re best efforts to track your carbon.”
According to the UN, 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. And yet, gender parity in climate leadership is estimated to be achieved only in 2068 according to the UNFCCC. On what BLANK is doing to address the lack of diversity and/or faster a more comprehensive approach / thinking / solutions to address the climate crisis.
“I didn’t know those statistics were so startling. What I am trying to do is to encourage other women-led companies to really try to find their voice. All I want is to be that platform for those and really all companies to thrive on. Anyone who works in sustainability and says they have competition is duping themselves. You shouldn’t be in competition with anyone else. It should be a collaborative effort and industry. Sustainability isn’t a business problem, it’s a human problem. Businesses and innovations can help drive solutions forward, but this shouldn’t be about making more money than the next person. That’s the wrong thinking. BLANK is a for-profit but I don’t find us to be competitive to anyone. I want to be complementary and be that platform that other businesses can do well on, while also collectively addressing the climate crisis. I just want to support businesses that do great things for all people.”
On leaders who have inspired her along the way.
“The founder of Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya. I saw him speak in 2019 and I remember thinking that he was and is a compassionate being who puts his people first over business. A lot of people get that wrong.”
On following your path.
“BLANK is still very much a journey for me. What I’ve learned is that you have to trust your gut and really believe in yourself. You will know what feels right and what’s best for your business. I also always hear everyone out. I always take a meeting, even if I’m exhausted.. it’s always those meetings that have resulted in opportunities for building long term relationships.”
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
