Testimonials
Lizz Winstead
Co-Creator of
The Daily Show
I worked with Julie Gillis when I spoke at the 2015 Texas Observer annual fundraiser the Rabble Rouser and was so happy to have her assist with the ongoing V to Shining V fundraising and community building events in Austin, Texas. She’s a fantastic emcee and host who is able to create and hold space with humor and fierce compassion, while raising money for important causes.
She’s worked onstage and off with her consulting and is committed to supporting progressive actions/causes all while helping the activists and groups she works with tell their story. She brings it, totally, to the cause and to working with her clients.
Ebony Stewart
Poet and Activist
Julie Gillis is a trusted friend and ally. No matter the setting, Julie is always sensitive to the needs of humanity no matter race, gender, or economic status.
She is loud and inclusive about what is right. Her stories are always humorous as well as honest. Any opportunity I have had to work alongside Julie Gillis has benefited me.
Lisa Hickey
CEO, The Good Men Project
Julie is remarkable. You know, that elusive quality that makes you want to say positive things about her, over and over, to everyone you know. Julie is a listener, a peacemaker, a community-builder. She listens. She is thoughtful. She is filled with respect for all humanity. And yet she is as funny and engaging as anyone I’ve met.
I have no doubt that working with Julie Gillis in any capacity will be a good thing. Feel free to ask me specifics:
lisa@goodmenproject.com
Mo Daviau
author and performer
Every Anxious Wave
I have known Julie for thirteen years. She is a uniter and a visionary and brings joy, empathy, and gloriously positive energy to her work with clients.
Having watched Bedpost Confessions grow from a tiny show to the big, beloved Austin institution it has become (with shows growing nationally), I can say that the lucky people who work with her find out her commitment to honesty, bravery, and compassion has never been stronger.
Kim TallBear
Associate Professor,
University of Alberta and Producer, Tipi Confessions
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Julie Gillis provides the Tipi Confessions producers generous, hands-on guidance as we produce an indigenized Confessions show in Edmonton, and take it to cities across Canada. When I lived in Austin I witnessed the transformational performance technology created by the women at Bedpost Confessions. Julie and her co-producers have generously shared their know-how, with Julie taking the lead role in guiding our Edmonton-based team through show production, artist outreach, and venue contracts.
As Tipi Confessions has taken shape since December 2015, Julie has worked with us through a few growing pains with her self-confident but non-hierarchical mentoring style. Her commitments to anti-racism, feminism, and collaborative learning are compatible with our Indigenous-feminist approach to sexy storytelling. I look forward to a long working relationship with the whole Bedpost Confessions team and especially with Julie Gillis.
Andrea Grimes
Traitor Radio,
Resistance Kitchen
Julie is a brilliant thinker who works in an exceedingly collaborative manner. She has a knack for getting to the heart of a project with just a few questions, and offers insights that value the art and the artist first.
Her generosity of spirit and enthusiastic disposition, coupled with her dedication and reliability, make her an indispensable resource for people looking to launch new projects or get new ideas off the ground.
Holly Lorka
Storyteller and Author
Handsome
I used to be a comedian, and began to feel like a phony on stage. I felt like a puppet whose only job was to say things to get people to laugh. I decided that I was going to try writing something real; something that might make an actual difference in the world. I contacted Julie and told her I wanted to write a piece for BedPost, and she encouraged me.
The night I told my first story at Bedpost was the most powerful one of my life. That experience drove me to write more of my stories for their show, and for myself. And I’m now turning them into a book and a one-woman show.
[Here's that book: Handsome]