Larissa May (Larz) is a global marketing guru and founder of #HalfTheStory (HTS), a non-profit dedicated to empowering the next generation’s relationship with social media. In 2020, Larz was named one of Business Insider’s Rising Stars in Brand Marketing for her role in launching multiple million dollar ventures (Otherland and Kin Euphorics). She also created a grassroots community that pioneered a nationwide conversation about the importance of digital wellbeing for youth.
Larz founded the Global Day of Unplugging, an internationally recognized day every August that encourages divesting from technology to plug back into life. Larz has been dubbed a digital wellness activist by Time, Forbes, Refinery29, Good Morning America, and NBC. To date, #HalfTheStory has become a leading youth 501(c)3, receiving over 30,000 stories of youth relating to the cause from 99 countries around the world. From political figures, to leaders in technology, Larz’s work has permeated all facets of life and business.
As a public speaker, she has presented to universities, corporations, and institutions such as Sundance Film Festival, L’Oreal, Samsung, Healthline Chronicon, and top universities across the globe. Her voice carries a new generation of digital activists, and yet, her work doesn’t stop with activism. Now based in San Francisco, Larz virtually travels for speaking engagements at schools and conferences across the United States. Her workshops include social storytelling, life-tech harmony, digital wellness in the workplace, and trend reports on the future of Gen-Z.
