Scott McPherson is the CMO & Founder of The Stigma Project. A South Florida native, Scott moved to New York City in 2005 to attend Hunter College for Film and Media. Upon graduating he landed a job designing layouts for Out and The Out Traveler magazines.

 

In 2008 he made the move to Los Angeles to become the associate art director of The Advocate magazine where he quickly rose up the art department's ladder with his award-winning and nominated magazine covers and layouts, including one featured in TIME magazine's "Top Ten Covers of the Year." In 2011, Scott was named the youngest creative director in the publication's 45-year history. At that time he also took on the same role with sister magazine HIV Plus, which he redesigned and rebranded to a roaring success. During his extensive layout and design work for HIV Plus, Scott read every article and developed an updated, modern understanding of HIV and AIDS, and what it meant to be HIV-positive. It was then, upon his friend Chris Richey's disclosure of his positive status, that he realized something had to be done to effectively educate the public on all the advances and progress made in the realm of HIV. This led the way to founding The Stigma Project in February 2012.

 

The hundreds of designs Scott created has helped the organization reach millions around the globe and received a variety of accolades from high profile HIV & LGBT organizations and individuals, and bringing the project international media coverage. One of his proudest honors was being awarded the 'Key to the City' of West Hollywood in October of last year, for his work in ending HIV stigma.

 

2013 turned out to be quite the year for TSP, who in July was invited to the White House, where Scott took part in a panel discussion that followed President Obama’s signing of the Executive Order implementing the HIV Care Continuum Initiative. Later that year, Gilead Sciences, the world's leading HIV pharmaceutical company partnered with TSP to create the ‘Engage’ Campaign, where the ENGAGE Lab booth was a major attraction at the 2013 United States Conference on AIDS and the 2014 Creating Change conference in January. Scott occasionally likes to freelance for a wide variety of graphic and web design clients, including his former company The Advocate, VH1 television, and Balboa Press.

 

Scott currently lives in West Hollywood, California with his dog-like cat Butler.