Cause Beautiful is a not-for-profit organization that empowers photography as a catalyst for social change.
On Any Given Day We Are
- Empowering urban youth to use visual storytelling as a catalyst for change through The W.H.Y. Project.
- Providing support for photographers to enable them to make a difference.
- Utilizing mobile technology to expand our definition of what is beautiful.
- Spotlighting visual storytellers who are holding society accountable through their stories.
- Creating partnerships with organizations that have their thumb on the heartbeat of social issues within their communities.
- Actively taking a stand for what is just, and encouraging others to stand with us.
“The thing about photography is that you want to compose very strictly, but life isn’t composed like that.”
Meet Our Team
Luanne Dietz
Director of All Things Good and executive director
Luanne is an Emmy Award winning visual storyteller. Before joining our team she was a photo editor and multimedia producer at the San Francisco Chronicle. She has worked in various aspects of the journalism industry including editorial, international documentary, inner-city media education, non profit and movie production. Her endeavors have taken her around the globe, including extended periods of time in Europe and the Middle East. She is rarely seen without a smile on her face.
Justin Warren
Director of Education Strategy
Justin is an interdisciplinary design activist, strategist, and digital media maker. He specializes in project-based education design and brand storytelling. Currently he is the Strategic Initiatives Director at Life Learning Academy, where he crafts systems and experiences that spur teacher innovation and spark student engagement. He has a bachelor degree in Anthropology and Afro-American studies from UCLA.
Marshall Murray
Outreach and Development
Marshall has set out to make the world better. He has a knack for establishing new opportunities and creating ways to empower human development. His dedication to making the world feel smaller through personal connections has provided him the expertise needed to expand global reach. In 2010 he founded a non-profit called More Than a Game, which brings youth baseball to developing countries around the world. Marshall was voted best to be stranded on a deserted island with by his high school class.
Heather Charles
Oakland Site-Leader
Heather is an award-winning multimedia photojournalist. She grew up in Baltimore and studied photojournalism at Ohio University in the hopes of documenting the lives of the undeserved. Before joining the CB team she worked at the Chicago Tribune as a multimedia photojournalist. She currently works with the Media Enterprise Alliance teaching photography and video production to students throughout Oakland where she lives with her husband and their dog, Chance.
Lucas Buick
President
Lucas is a graphic designer turned entrepreneur. In 2006, he founded Synthetic Corp. with his best friend, Ryan, which focused mostly on design, brand and web consulting. In 2009, Synthetic Corp.'s focus shifted to mobile software. That pivot, coupled with Lucas' passion for shooting on his Polaroid SX-70, resulted in the birth of Hipstamatic. Today, Lucas continues to dedicate his work to helping people beautifully capture their lives based on his belief that art and visual storytelling can change the world.
Ryan Dorshorst
Vice President
Ryan was born and raised in the corn fields and cranberry bogs of Wisconsin. After graduating from Stevens Point with a BFA in Graphic Design he moved to Minneapolis where he ran a design and branding shop out of the side of a snowbank with Lucas for several years. After launching Hipstamatic he decided it was time to move to a warmer locale and began a journey west that ended in San Francisco. In his spare time he enjoys building Legos and playing N64. He also cooks a pretty mean lasagna.
Melissa Lyttle
Board Member
Melissa is a staff photographer for the Tampa Bay Times and is committed to documenting the lives of people in her community, and finding an interesting way to tell their story. Her work has been recognized by UNICEF, the Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism, POYi, the NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Southern Short Course, and the Alexia Foundation. In 2001, she started an online community of photographers called A Photo A Day, which has since then grown to over 2,100 members around the world.
Richard 'Koci' Hernandez
Board Member
Richard is an Emmy Award winning visual journalist who worked as a photographer at the San Jose Mercury News for 15 years. He is the creative brain behind the MultimediaShooter blog. His work for the Mercury News has earned him two Pulitzer Prize nominations along with a national Emmy award for the New Approaches to Documentary category for his work on the film, Uprooted. Since then he has joined the faculty at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism where he teaches various New Media courses, including Mobile Reporting. He can often be found chasing a hat into good light.
Mario Estrada
Board Member
Mario is a lover of today. Designer of life. Mario studied at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point where he double majored in Graphic Design/Spanish and minored in Photography/Art History. He worked for years as a Designer and Art Director before joining Synthetic to handle their active community. He is currently the V.P. of Special projects at Hipstamatic. He's Called the Director of Fun for short. Essentially, Mario went from showing people to telling people and he likes it.
Graham Rees
Board Member
Graham is a founding member and program developer of Study Edge, a Y-Combinator company. Through in-person and virtual lectures, study hours and exam reviews, Study Edge educates and trains high school and collegiate students. Graham utilizes online platforms and multimedia to reach a wide range of students through Facebook and social media. Graham is also an attorney currently practicing civil litigation in New Orleans, LA. He also really loves to take selfies.