Appalachia Spotlight
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE BY SHANNON HOLBROOK
K
entucky is well known for horses, bourbon, and bluegrass. But what about the people? When you picture Kentuckians, do you envision NASA engineers? World-renowned ballet dancers? Nobel or Pulitzer Prize winners? The Commonwealth has them all in spades, with plenty of visionaries on the horizon: award-winning chefs, authors, actors, Olympians, poet laureates, and presidents of worldwide companies from every corner of the Commonwealth. Kentucky to the World (KTW), a Louisville-based nonprofit created to impact the way the world views Kentucky, shares stories of extraordinary people like these through live programs, multimedia platforms, and student educational programs. Their team of creatives and thought leaders develop short-form documentaries about successful Kentuckians and their innovations. Its founder, Shelly Zegart — world-renowned for her work with American quilts — was inspired to start KTW upon seeing influential Kentuckians frequently appearing on the national stage. “We have some of the most amazing people, and we need to use that as ammunition to tell the story of this state,” she said.
Shelly Zegart (left) and Sam Ford (right) collaborate to tell Kentucky stories.
30 The Mountain SPIRIT
An example is Sam Ford, executive director of AccelerateKY. The Ohio County native, MIT graduate, media innovator, and strategist is a catalyst for economic and workforce development in Kentucky. He collaborated with KTW to develop “Kentucky: Resilience in the Face of Economic Change,” a series that shares stories of Kentucky innovators and discusses the realities of and opportunities for its evolving economy.