Scott McPherson

Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Scott began his career in New York City. Once just a hobby, he began working professionally in graphic design, landing his first job designing for The Out Traveler magazine. A year later, the magazine's parent company, Here Media, asked him to join the team at The Advocate in Los Angeles as the Associate Art Director. In 2011, Scott was named Creative Director of the Advocate group, overseeing the photography and design in both The Advocate and HIV Plus magazines. Only 25 at the time, he was the youngest Creative Director in the magazine's 48 year history. His redesign of both publications earned The Advocate three nominations for Cover of the Year by the American Society of Magazine Editors, one of which was named in TIME magazine's Top 10 covers of the year. In January of 2012, a friend of Scott's disclosed that he was HIV-positive. Originally just lending a hand with a logo for the friend, Scott discovered a disconnect between HIV/AIDS messaging and general education on the subject. Together the two founded The Stigma Project as a result of their different personal experiences with the virus and stigma. The organization's momentum has grown exponentially since and continues to provide a fresh marketing approach to help combat stigma and the lack of awareness around modern-day HIV & AIDS.