ABOUT US

GET OFF THE GRID FEST is produced by a team of like-minded folk who believe everyone should have a little power in their lives.

As a biennial festival that tours the southeast, the organizational structure of GET OFF THE GRID FEST is designed to serve as a catalyst for change. A core team of producers are joined by locals handpicked for their background, expertise and commitment to advocating an “off-grid” lifestyle. This structure helps ensure that each iteration of GOTGF is integrated within its host community, increasing the likelihood that the seeds planted during Festival planning and implementation continue to grow beyond the reach of each individual event.

WATCH OUR 2021 AFTERMOVIE →

BILL FLEMING

Co-founder & co-producer

Bill Fleming is an accomplished pedal steel guitar player, activist, and community focalizer. He and his partner, Jacquelyn, built an off-the-grid house and founded the Heartwood community on a land trust they steward in the mountains of north Georgia. Bill’s conviction that off-grid living is a community endeavor to rebalance the planet/people relationship rather than preparing to survive a global meltdown led him to establish GET OFF THE GRID FEST, along with Ed Witkin, in 2015. “The festival is my connection to the world at large,” says Bill. “I’m called to help create space for folks to live into their possibilities.”



ED WITKIN

Co-founder

Ed Witkin is a solar pioneer who’s been designing and installing solar systems since 1987. In the late 80s, Ed converted a Volkswagen bus so it could run on solar power. The vehicle impressed Bill Fleming and inspired the pair to produce the Alternative Energy Festival in Atlanta, GA in 1989. The bus provided power for the stage and music at that festival. This was the origin of GET OFF THE GRID FEST which led to its official creation in 2015. Ed and his family live in Chapel Hill, NC where he is the owner of Carrboro Solar Works and is a founding member of United Solar Initiative.



Laurel askue

Co-producer

Laurel is a lover of dance and steward of the Earth. She fell into the world of event production over 20 yrs ago when she spearheaded organizing a professional rave on her college campus in response to no electronic dance music being offered during their annual spring festival. Laurel now runs The Dream Doula, a network of healers, artists and creatives who support people to birth their dreams into reality. Through her healing practice and event work, Laurel is called to create transformative spaces where people can reconnect to the freedom, love and joy that is their true nature.

