Sozo Artists

Sozo Artists SOZO is an international contemporary arts agency and incubator at the intersection of social impact, innovation, and culture. https://linktr.ee/sozoartists

Our portfolio of trailblazing artistic productions and initiatives cultivates equitable and liberatory creative ecosystems.

SOZO is honored to join Doris Duke Foundation’s Creative Labor, Creative Conditions — a national initiative advancing mo...
05/01/2026

SOZO is honored to join Doris Duke Foundation’s Creative Labor, Creative Conditions — a national initiative advancing more sustainable conditions for artistic labor and stronger ecosystems for artists to thrive. In collaboration with Doris Duke and a growing network of philanthropic and corporate partners, SOZO’s vision as a global cultural impact hub brings together artist incubation, creative production, and an impact accelerator under one roof.

While our work spans artists, partners, and projects internationally, the Bay Area remains an essential home for local investment, experimentation, and convening. Two upcoming gatherings reflect this commitment:

SOZO Forum: Room for Light
June 2026
A convening of artists, culture workers, and cross-sector leaders shaping the future of creative work, in partnership with .

Western Arts Alliance (WAA) Conference
September 2026
A strategic partnership with amplifying national conversations around innovation, sustainability, and creative labor within the touring marketplace.

🚨 Applications are officially OPEN for SOZO Fellowship 2026!! A groundbreaking 6-month virtual coaching experience (June...
03/09/2026

🚨 Applications are officially OPEN for SOZO Fellowship 2026!! A groundbreaking 6-month virtual coaching experience (June–Dec 2026) designed for busy, full-time, mid-career independent artists ready to level up their sustainability, entrepreneurship and impact. Check eligibility and apply now via 🔗 in bio — and yes, it’s a paid fellowship 💸✨

💻 www.sozofellowship.com

02/19/2026

SOZO is honored to serve as Executive Producers on this intersectional environmental short film & music video exploring what we take for granted, with none other than Pattie Gonia, Imogen Heap, and our very own BANDALOOP.

Funding support from Pattie Gonia Community
In association with Ford Foundation JustFilms
Additional support provided by InMaat Foundation, Oil Change International, Sozo Artists, Rika Iino, Wondercamp

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‘Have You Considered?’ OUT NOW. WATCH full music video on YouTube and LISTEN on all streaming platforms.

Pattie Gonia, Imogen Heap and BANDALOOP believe that social justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked and require action now.

The artists teamed up to create ‘Have You Considered?’ - a song and music video about what we take for granted. Have we considered if we couldn’t have each other?…If we couldn’t have our planet? The three artists met in The Eastern Sierra (land of the Kootzaduka’a people) to create the music video using sounds found in the Sierra throughout the song to feature nature as an artist.

CREDITS

Artists
Pattie Gonia
Imogen Heap
BANDALOOP
Boreta

Dancers
Jose Abad
Wailana Simcock
B. Dean
Rose Huey
Sarah Keeney
Damara Ganley

Executive Producers
Jenny Dugan
Thomas Cavanagh
Rika Iino

Production Co: Wondercamp
Director: Tim Kressin
Producers: Davis Love & Katie Graham
Cinematographer: Mitchell Overton

Specialty Cam Op: Samuel Crossley
1st Asst Camera: Ethan Scoma
2nd Asst Camera: Makenna Wall
Photographer: Greg Balkin
BTS Photographer: Taylor Gerlach
Production Assistants: Stephen Bento, Lucca Necci
Hair & Make Up: Katie Nash
Catering: Davey Johnson, Jack Obrock, Kate Alves

Editor: Makenna Wall
Colorist: Sam Howells

Imogen Production Asst: Alexis Michallek & Karen Carne
Imogen Hair Cut & Color: Davide Salierno Hair
Pattie Strategic Advisor: Jeff Lersh
Pattie Production Asst: Grace Kaiser

Bandaloop
Choreographer/Artistic Director: Melecio Estrella
Associate Choreographer: Damara Ganley
Exec Producer/Geomancer: Thomas Cavanagh

Head Rigger/Rigging Design: Basil Tsimoyianis
Riggers/Climb Guides:
Mija Pedreros
Winter Ramos
Miranda Oakley
Costume Design & Styling: Sara Estrella
Development Director: Jeanne Pfeffer
SOZO Impact Associate Producer: Dana Greenfield

Song Credits

Songwriters:
Imogen Heap
Pattie Gonia
Tyler Chester
Tyson Motsenbocker

Instrumentation: Imogen Heap

Synth and Drum Programming:
Damian Taylor
Boreta
Imogen Heap

BANDALOOP
Boreta

Cello: Zoe Keating

Song Asst. Engineer: Luca Ruscica

Recording Studio Engineers: Tristan Mercer, Petra Randewijk

Music Producers:
Imogen Heap
Boreta
Tyler Chester

Mix & Addt. Production | Damian Taylor
Mastering Engineer: Emily Lazar

Funding support from Pattie Gonia Community

In association with Ford Foundation JustFilms | Ford Foundation

Additional support from:
InMaat Foundation
Oil Change International
Sozo Artists
Rika Iino
Wondercamp

🆕 SOZO Expands As A Cultural Impact HubToday, SOZO Impact Inc. introduces a first-of-its-kind integrated nonprofit model...
01/12/2026

🆕 SOZO Expands As A Cultural Impact Hub

Today, SOZO Impact Inc. introduces a first-of-its-kind integrated nonprofit model that brings together artist incubation, global representation, and an impact accelerator under one roof. Built on more than a decade of strategic growth and artist-centered practice, SOZO aligns a business-forward track record with a public mission to ensure that artist empowerment and cultural innovation move in lockstep.

“The real question is what can empowered artists make possible? Our responsibility is to build the infrastructure that supports their labor, leadership, and imagination toward positive social outcomes.” –Rika Iino, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Over the past ten years, SOZO has supported more than 1,000 artist engagements and generated 150 commissioned works in 300+ cities globally, with over $17 million paid directly to artists.

“As SOZO enters its second decade, we’re continuing to produce ambitious artistic ventures—projects with aesthetic rigor and cultural consequence—while building economic models that artists can actually rely on.” –Ichun Yeh, Chief of Revenue & Creative Ventures

This expansion coincides with the formation of an executive leadership team:
● Rika Iino, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
● Ichun Yeh, Chief of Revenue & Creative Ventures
● Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Chief of Impact

“Under Rika Iino’s leadership, I feel moved to both make art that imagines empathy as a civic technology and also create strategic modules that position creatives as leaders of the post-fear economy.” –Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Chief of Impact

SOZO Impact Inc. is a nonprofit global impact hub headquartered in Oakland and New York City. Through artist incubation, global representation, and impact initiatives, SOZO propels artists as leaders shaping the cultural landscape of the future.

Read the full press release 👉 https://sozomedia.com/news/sozo-expands-as-a-cultural-impact-hub

📸 Photo by Nino Fernandez

12/30/2025

SOZO is an international contemporary arts agency and incubator at the intersection of social impact, innovation, and culture. We believe that healing requires imagining a different world and creating it.

OUR IMPACT Since 2014…
1,000+ engagements
150+ new work commissions
300+ cities globally
$17M+ in artist payouts
100+ artists served
100% of SOZO projects are led by artists of the global majority and women

Support our mission today and help build the next generation of cultural infrastructure—artist-powered, systems-focused, and technology-enabled.

Make a donation 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMGUwmET
(We’re less than $5k away from our goal!)

SOZO's artists, fellows, staff, board and allies... it takes a village to co-create futures. Join our collective. Make a...
12/19/2025

SOZO's artists, fellows, staff, board and allies... it takes a village to co-create futures. Join our collective. Make a financial gift this season: https://tiny.cc/sozoyearend25

12/19/2025

For the first time, we are calling on our community of friends and allies to help us build capacity for abundant artist support. SOZO is investing in the holistic arc of an artist’s journey—advancing pathways where empowered artists flourish and culture becomes fertile ground for empathy, inspiration, and transformation. With new initiatives underway—expanding our fellowship, diversifying our portfolio at the intersection of art and technology, and launching multi-year place-based impact programs—we invite you to join us by making a tax-deductible gift to shape what a regenerative, artist-forward ecosystem can truly make possible. — Rika Iino, Founder & CEO

Tap here 👉 https://tiny.cc/sozoyearend25
(We’ve already hit over 40% of our goal!)

08/27/2025

🆕 Limón Dance Company joins SOZO!

Limon Dance Company channels movement as a force for cultural dialogue, revealing the connections that transcend difference and shape a transformative future. Founded in 1946 by Mexican-born José Limón with Doris Humphrey, the Company became the first modern dance repertory company in the U.S. and remains at the vanguard of the form. Today, under Artistic Director Dante Puleio, the Company carries forward that ethos by commissioning works from both critically acclaimed and emerging international voices, including artists such as Diego Vega Solorza. The Company’s 80th Anniversary Season honors Limón’s timeless legacy while engaging deeply with today’s cultural lens, exploring themes of masculinity, identity, queerness, and cultural lineage.

https://sozomedia.com/limon

🚨 Now accepting applications for SOZO Fellowship 2025!! A groundbreaking 6-month virtual coaching program (June-Dec 2025...
03/19/2025

🚨 Now accepting applications for SOZO Fellowship 2025!! A groundbreaking 6-month virtual coaching program (June-Dec 2025) designed for busy, full-time, mid-career independent artists.

Check eligibility and apply before April 18 via www.sozofellowship.com.

This is a paid fellowship‼️

01/26/2025

Congrats to BANDALOOP for their vertical debut on Broadway!

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Telephone

+1 9177913680

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