The second annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will serve to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region.

At the event, taking place on August 27, 2021, Conrad Benner will be one of the 40 honorees. He is the Founder of StreetsDept.com.

Conrad Benner is a photo-blogger, curator, podcaster and the founder of StreetsDept.com. Benner’s work explores art, our public space, and the creative minds shaping the world around us. His blog has been named one of the 'Best Blogs for Travellers' by The Guardian, and his photography highlighted by Mashable and Instagram, as well as printed in Time Magazine and the Encyclopedia Britannica. Benner has also won a number of awards, including the Philadelphia Geek Award for ‘Geek Culture Journalism’ in 2011, ‘Best Art Curator’ award by Philadelphia Magazine in 2014, and was named one of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia’ by Philadelphia Magazine in 2017. 

On the larger scale it's how to make a blog sustainable with advertising, direct reader support, and experiences in a constantly shifting landscape. Smaller scale it's time management. 

I think in both the media/journalism world and in the arts, organizations should hire outside consultants to regularly audit and evaluate their diversity and workplace culture and hold them accountable publically. If, in a city like Philadelphia that's majority non-white, your arts or news organization is mostly white people then you're doing our city and its people a big disservice. 

Listening. 

I'd love to continue to grow Streets Dept and eventually hire some staff to help me cover the public space and public art conversations in this city more widely.