Jordan Reeves

Nearly twenty-five years ago, I decided to be different from everything the world expected of me. I decided to be myself.

As a result, I was estranged from my family.

Over the years, I've explored what allows people to find one another across lines of difference. I've come to believe that it’s not just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about creating the conditions that make repair possible.

I grew up in Hueytown, Alabama. I'm no longer Southern Baptist, but growing up there taught me that profound love and profound misunderstanding often exist at the same time. That was true in my family, church, and community.

A few years ago, my mom texted me. She had cancer, and it was terminal. They didn’t give her very long to live. It had been twenty years since I tried to have a relationship with my family. Should I go back to Alabama?

Experience taught me what it means to live inside brokenness. It also taught me that repair is possible if we do the work. For me, sometimes that work happened around a kitchen table. Sometimes it happened in a classroom. Sometimes it happened inside nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies, or communities navigating change together.

I've helped launch global education initiatives at TED and Understood.org, led a national storytelling nonprofit, produced more than 500 mini-documentaries about LGBTQ+ lives across the United States, and advised organizations ranging from grassroots movements to Google. Through it all, I've kept returning to the same question.

But more than anything in my career, I’m most proud that I did move back to Alabama. Together, my family and I created the conditions that made repair possible. We found each other again. Before she died, my mom and I were able to experience the closeness we lost so many years ago. But only because we were both committed to creating the conditions for repair.

I believe relationships are our greatest challenges.

I also believe they are our greatest hope.

Kindness Party

Creator, Artist, Community Organizer

Kindness Party is an ongoing public art and community-building project exploring what allows people to find one another again after conflict, division, or harm. Each gathering transforms public space into a participatory experience where storytelling, shared meals, creative practice, and conversation become tools for repair. Since 2017, Kindness Party has partnered with neighborhoods and institutions to strengthen connection through collective acts of belonging.

Question: How do communities repair?

SpeakOut

Event Producer

I produced dynamic, monthly live events spotlighting storytellers who share their most compelling stories in 10 minutes or less. These events are designed to foster connection through shared humanity, highlighting diverse experiences and perspectives. The stories are then shared with community organizations, including LGBTQ+ centers, mutual aid initiatives, and grassroots movements, amplifying advocacy efforts and strengthening community bonds.

Question: How do strangers connect?

The Queer History of The South

VideoOut

Producer, Story Consultant

This video combats misinformation surrounding the LGBTQ+ experience, starting with the fact that one third of the entire LGBTQ+ population in the U. S. lives in the South. It highlights some heroes, events, and places important to the movement.

Question: How does historical truth create belonging?

Fellow Travelers

Fremantle / Paramount / Showtime

Dramaturgical Consultant

I presented historical context about LGBTQ+ history, The Lavender Scare, McCarthyism, and the AIDS crisis ensuring the cast, crew, and production team understood the real-world impact of these social, political, and public health phenomenon on the people who lived through them.

Question: How do stories honor lived experience?

LGBTQIA+ Glossary

VideoOut, Google, Hearst Magazines (Men’s Health)

Project Concept / Executive Producer

As language evolves in and out of use, what does that mean for the meaning of the words themselves. VideoOut partnered with Google to bring this project to life. We hired linguists from all over the world to help us define words, both then and now, and how those words have been used since Google started tracking that data. Words like homosexual and faggot may surprise you.

Check it out here.

Question: How does language help us communicate more effectively?

Examining Prejudice

TED

Producer, Host

A miniature TED session around the theme “Examining Prejudice” that explored issues of discrimination and homophobia. It also veered to some unexpected places — like some people’s dislike of Brussels sprouts.

Check it out in TED’s blog.

Question: How do conversations bridge difference?

Love Calls Back

Verizon + PFLAG

Producer, Story Consultant

This video shows estranged LGBTQ+ folks reconnecting with their family members.

It’s never too late for love to call back. Verizon and PFLAG are committed to connecting and reconnecting all families. Find support for LGBTQ families at pflag.org

Question: How do families reconcile?

A Living History of the LGBT Movement

AARP + NextDayBetter

Producer, Writer, Historical Researcher

In collaboration with AARP, we present "A #LivingHistory of the LGBT Movement" powered by AARP - a storytelling series honoring past, present and future heroes of the LGBT movement. We know that the history of the LGBT movement is still being written. By understanding our history, we can create a better future for everyone, especially for our aging LGBT older adults.

Question: How does collective memory strengthen community?

National Coming Out Day

Grey + VideoOut

Producer

What does it mean to bring your whole self to work? Created for National Coming Out Day, this series explores how LGBTQ+ employees navigate identity, authenticity, and belonging in the workplace. Through personal stories, participants reflect on the impact of being seen—not just for who they are, but for what becomes possible when they no longer have to hide.

Question: What becomes possible when people feel safe enough to be themselves?

LGBTQ+ Visibility Matters

Hulu + VideoOut

Producer

What role does visibility play in creating belonging? In partnership with Hulu, LGBTQ+ employees share stories about identity, representation, and finding a workplace where authenticity is valued. Together, their stories explore how being seen can strengthen not only individuals, but entire communities.

Question: How does being seen change the way we relate to one another?

TED-Ed

As part of TED-Ed's founding team, I helped shape one of the world's largest educational storytelling platforms. TED-Ed lessons explore music, science, dance, and creativity. More than just information, the lessons invite people into new ways of seeing the world.

Question: How does curiosity help us understand one another?