Ariana Austin Makonnen is a writer, producer, and cultural strategist whose work spans media, philanthropy, and the arts.

She is the Co-Founder of Wax & Gold Media, a Los-Angeles based media and entertainment company dedicated to telling powerful Black stories. Through Wax & Gold, she has produced brand campaigns and original video series for institutions such as LACMA, developed a podcast and resource hub for creators, and led multi-regional teams across the U.S., Africa, and Europe.

Previously, Ariana led narrative strategy for The Executives’ Alliance at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors where she worked with 40+ foundation CEOs to align investments around racial justice. In that role, she designed national convenings, advised on communications campaigns, and championed emerging filmmakers and journalists—helping to move more than $1 million annually to narrative change-makers across the U.S. She also serves as an ambassador for Studio Samuel, an Ethiopia-based nonprofit focused on girls’ education and empowerment.

Her commitment to public art and civic culture has shaped multiple citywide initiatives. She founded Art All Night, Washington, DC’s largest arts festival, which reimagined public spaces across all eight wards and grew to attract over 100,000 attendees annually before being adopted by the city’s arts commission. In New York, she co-developed DrawNYC, an award-winning public art project that deployed over 500 drawing studios across New York neighborhoods. She also spearheaded programming for Camden Night Gardens, a festival that transformed the site of a former prison into a stage for community, poetry, and performance. 

Ariana began her career as a Paris-based journalist writing for The Washington Post, Marie Claire, and TRACE. Her work and projects have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, People, and other international outlets. A graduate of Harvard, she is working on her debut book.