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As part of his promotion for his debut album “Montero,” Lil Nas X partnered with The Artemis Agency and Gilead Sciences’ COMPASS Initiative to create a baby registry—raising nearly $500,000 for 16 grassroots HIV/AIDS advocacy groups in the Southern United States. The registry listed an organization fans could donate to for each song on the album instead of traditional baby shower gifts. We spoke with The Artemis Agency to dive deeper into the initiative and explore what it took to develop this partnership. 

Discover the elements that made this campaign impactful and what it took to raise awareness and funds for the people working tirelessly to create change. To amplify your cause and advocacy work, enter the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards before the Extended Entry Deadline on October 15, 2023! 

For those who are unfamiliar, please tell us a bit about The Artemis Agency and the work that you do.
The Artemis Agency is a full-service social impact organization that lives at the intersection of entertainment and doing good. Using our connections and creativity, we amplify important causes to drive meaningful change.

What motivated and moved your work with Gilead Sciences & the COMPASS Initiative?
Stigma, outdated laws, and lack of knowledge prevent people from getting tested or treated for HIV, which means that people are still dying from a virus that – while not curable – is completely treatable and preventable. Through our experience working in this space with other impactful organizations, Artemis has committed to breaking the stigma around HIV/AIDS and has come to realize the powerful role that storytelling and amplification has in that mission. We were happy to join Gilead Sciences and the COMPASS Initiative in their work to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US South, an area that continues to be greatly impacted by this issue. 

What inspired the partnership between Lil Nas X & the COMPASS Initiative? What was the goal driving the campaign?
The US South has a greater number of new HIV diagnoses in both suburban and rural areas than anywhere else in the country. The COMPASS Initiative partners have been working tirelessly to fight HIV stigma and provide critical resources in the Southern United States, but they were looking for a unique activation to raise awareness and educate the public. Being one of music’s most celebrated young stars, an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate and a native Georgian, we knew Lil Nas X was the perfect voice to amplify the work of the COMPASS partners, elevate the issue of HIV/AIDS in the South and inspire change in the conversation surrounding it. 

This year, The Anthem Awards is putting a spotlight on how change is a chain reaction. What intersecting areas does the campaign speak to and address?
The campaign worked to raise awareness about HIV stigma in the Southern US, an issue that touches many different societal and systemic challenges including racial injustice, LGBTQ+ prejudice, lack of access to healthcare, and low health literacy. In addition, the Gilead COMPASS initiative and this specific campaign addresses the crucial role that faith-based communities hold in this conversation. 

As impact work is to continue building off the overall community’s efforts, what projects or initiatives inspired the campaign?
The campaign itself was inspired by the local community organizations in the US South that collaborate with the Gilead COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Centers to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US South. Their grassroots efforts built the groundwork and, with Lil Nas X’s dynamic authenticity and artistry, their work was given the spotlight they deserve. 

What insights have you gained while advocating for increased HIV/AIDS awareness and resources from your scope of work that other actors in this space should make note of?
HIV/AIDS is a complex issue and so are human beings – one of the best ways to elevate the issue and break the stigma is to illuminate the stories of those impacted. Whether it’s by elevating organizations on the ground or amplifying the number of PLHIV in the South on the VMA stage, humanizing this issue helps people listen and engage. 

In what ways has your Anthem recognition impacted your work?
This appreciated recognition highlights the validity of engaging talent to use their voices and platforms in supporting the causes and people they care about. This Anthem Award also underlines the importance of creativity and storytelling in the social impact space.

What hopes do you have for the future of HIV/AIDS prevention and advocacy? What work is left to do to increase awareness following up on the campaign?
There is still a lot of work to be done. However, we have hope in the individuals working daily to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS in the US and around the world. We hope that more individuals are given the opportunity to share their stories and, in turn, break the stigma that surrounds the issue. 

How has your larger work evolved through this project?
This campaign further fueled our desire to think outside the box when it comes to impact – creativity and collaboration are key ingredients to creating change and there is never too much of either. 

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects that we should keep an eye out for?
Our continued work with Gilead Sciences and many of their programs remains an important initiative for the Artemis Agency,  We’re also working to amplify campaigns with Pharrell Williams and his education nonprofit Yellow and his Black Ambition initiative, Glenn Close and her mental health organization Bring Change to Mind, Usher’s New Look and other important social impact causes like the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship and their mission of financial competence.

What does winning an Anthem Award mean to you?
While being recognized for our work is an amazing accomplishment, it really is the meaningful changes being made, in small part by our efforts, that really is the prize. The Anthem Awards have proven to our team that we’re doing work that matters, and they inspire us to continue making a change. The awards also continue to amplify the organizations we work with and give much-needed exposure to celebrate their important work as well.

Entering the Anthem Awards champions your work, showing that you have had a significant impact by solving critical issues and raising awareness in the community. You also spotlight your cause, increasing people’s attention and interest in taking action for communities worldwide.

If you’re creating purpose and mission-driven initiatives to transform our world, your work belongs at The Anthem Awards. Enter before the Final Entry Deadline on September 15!