Lance Avery Morgan
Brains, Wit & Blueprints With A Texas Twist And For A Noble Cause
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a Texas humorist marries a whip-smart creative dynamo with a heart the size of Africa, look no further than Turk and Christy Pipkin. Together, they’re the powerhouse behind The Nobelity Project, an Austin-based nonprofit with a global reach, a can-do spirit, and a sense of humor that’s refreshingly contagious. Think of them as the dynamic duo of do-goodery, who swap out capes for compassion and spreadsheets for school blueprints, according to our own Lance Avery Morgan, who learns more about the Pipkiin’s latest accomplishments.
Turk Pipkin, once a comedy writer and actor (yes, that Turk Pipkin from The Sopranos and Friday Night Lights), could have coasted on punchlines and publishing deals. But instead, he pointed his lens, and his life, toward purpose. Alongside his wife, Christy Pipkin, who brings both creative genius and steel-trap organization to the mission, they launched The Nobelity Project in 2005 after interviewing nine Nobel Laureates about solutions to global problems. The conversations were inspiring, but the Pipkins are more about action than admiration.
So, what began as a documentary project evolved into a global movement. Under their guidance, The Nobelity Project has built or improved over 100 schools in Kenya and Latin America, installed clean water systems, supported libraries, and funded scholarships for students whose dreams just needed a nudge, and a new roof.
But don’t let their saintly résumé fool you. The Pipkins are equal parts heart and hilarity. At any given moment, Turk might be cracking a joke on stage at their annual fundraiser Feed the Peace, while Christy is orchestrating logistics with the efficiency of a NASA launch director and the charm of a Texas hostess. Together, they’ve turned altruism into a lifestyle and brought the Austin ethos of creativity, inclusion, and grit into the global development space.
In a world often darkened by doubt and dysfunction, the Pipkins keep flipping the light switch on, school by school, child by child. They may not have Nobel Prizes themselves (yet), but they’re making sure the next generation might. And if their legacy teaches us anything, it’s that kindness is a strategy, humor is a tool, and doing good is the ultimate plot twist.
Can you share the inspiration behind founding The Nobelity Project and what motivated you to focus on Africa?
Christy Pipkin and I came to this work as filmmakers, with Christy producing and me directing our feature documentary, Nobelity, which offers a unique perspective on the world’s problems through the eyes of Nobel laureates. As we learned more from the work and words, Peace at a Time, which focused on solutions, a common theme in creating peace and prosperity was the basic need for education. As we focused on taking direct action, our third feature film was Building Hope, which chronicled our efforts to build the first high school in a remote area of rural Kenya. All three films had world premieres at the SXSW Film Festival, and all won awards at film festivals around the world.
What are some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced while working on development projects in Africa, and how have you overcome them?
Sometimes development work can feel overwhelming, but Turk had already benefited from the learning experience of documenting and working on projects with Architecture for Humanity and other global development groups. We approach all our projects as partnerships, not just with aligned organizations, but also with the communities in which we work. The Kenyan government operates Kenya’s public schools, but, especially when our work began, rural schools had extremely limited infrastructure: old or repurposed buildings, no water sources, no electricity, open fire kitchens, pit toilets, and no access to high schools. Meeting that fundamental need meant building new preschools, primary and secondary classes, water systems, libraries, science labs, kitchens, and dining halls, and more. We utilize Kenyan contractors and laborers, and we receive local community support to help them meet these challenges. They benefit in the short term from employment and in the long term from significantly improved educational prospects for their children. The schools belong to these local communities, and their pride is key in all aspects of their operation.
How do you measure the impact of your initiatives in the communities you work with? Can you share any success stories or memorable moments?
We’ve built all or some of over 60 rural public schools in Kenya, with enrollment ranging from 200 to 1,000 students at each school every year. Christy keeps records on every project, but it’s difficult for specific numbers to indicate success when you consider that these projects will last for decades. From a numbers point of view, many of the schools had a tiny enrollment or were new schools, and all of them have seen massive enrollment increases. When we began, for many kids in rural Kenya, education ended after the 8th grade. Secondary education (high school) is now a global right and requirement for all students in Kenya, and our five main high school partners graduate hundreds of students each year. Students at these five high schools compete for a Nobelity University Scholarship, which is awarded to the top-scoring graduate in each school. One of our college students completed his architecture degree and has just finished working for over 16 months at Dick Clark Associates in Austin. One of our more recent graduates from Mahiga Hope High School is now back at Mahiga teaching Junior Secondary (middle school). Given a chance, these kids have the will and the talents to thrive.
The Nobelity Project emphasizes sustainable development. What strategies do you employ to ensure your projects have long-lasting benefits for local communities?
The long-term key is community ownership and community pride. These are not our schools. They belong to local communities that fully understand that well-built permanent infrastructure can serve their families for generations to come.
Could you describe a typical day or week while you’re on the ground in Africa? What are some of the activities and interactions that define your work?
After over 50 working trips to Kenya, one of Turk’s key jobs has always been to determine where and what help is most needed, then formulate a plan with the schools and contractors to select projects. Construction on one project or another is generally ongoing throughout the year, and that oversight can be done from home, but planning and funding are the hard part. The fun part is celebrating the opening of new projects – a preschool, a computer lab, or a library – with the kids and often with their parents. The joy is almost indescribable.
Collaboration is key in development work. How do you engage with local stakeholders and communities to ensure your projects are culturally sensitive and relevant?
These are public schools with a curriculum established and run by the Kenyan Education Ministry. There are many local languages, tribal cultures, and customs in the country, but the education system is relatively uniform throughout, with classes in Kiswahili and English introduced at an early age and progressing almost entirely into English as children grow. We share in their love of education and appreciate their heritage and culture. Girls now constitute approximately 50% of enrollment in most parts of the nation, a tremendous accomplishment in two decades.
In your experience, what are the key factors that contribute to the success of a development project? Are there any lessons you’ve learned that have shaped your approach over the years?
Listen. Plan. Complete. In the early years, we’d visit schools and tell them that we’d do our best to help. When we returned to build or open new projects, the thing we heard so often was a wonderful compliment: “You came back.” They’d all heard empty promises, so we vowed never to make one.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for The Nobelity Project.
While Kenya has been the primary focus and the most recognized work, we’ve done additional work in Latin America and in Texas, where we were a key partner in replanting Bastrop State Park (busing Central Texas high school students and seeing them work at planting tens of thousands of trees is still among our most incredible memories. We’ve partnered with The Paramount Theatre to connect Austin kids with kids in Kenya and supported many other projects. There is a need everywhere. Twenty years after it all began, we’re currently formulating a plan to continue making a lasting impact. Economic development in Kenya has enabled many communities to do the work that we’ve focused on. Most kids graduate from high school, but opportunities for college and the long-term career advantages that come with it are still key. In Kenya and Texas, we believe in education for all, and for most of us, that education is a lifelong process.
Courtesy of Christy Pipkin
The best career advice I’ve received is…
Funny, I’m not sure I’ve had a career at all. Almost all of my work over the past fifty years has been about dreaming of what I could do next – from my work as an entertainer and actor, to being the author of fifteen fiction and nonfiction books, to being a filmmaker, and as co-founder with Christy of The Nobelity Project. So maybe Christy gave me the best advice 30 years ago when we moved back to Austin from Los Angeles. Many of my friends in comedy – Harry Anderson, Gary Shandling, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Nealon, and more-had become incredibly successful. Many of my other friends, like myself, had careers in comedy but weren’t becoming successful stars. “Maybe it’s time,” Christy suggested, “that you dream up something new.”
Three qualities that got me where I am today are…
Hard work, a great memory, and… I can’t remember the third one..
Easiest career decision I ever made is…
Making the Navy the last job I ever had.
What is influencing me creatively right now is…
Desperation.
How I made my first dollar…
Picking up pecans and selling them in San Angelo.
First music I bought was…
Meet the Beatles, but it was Kris Kristofferson’s The Silver Tongue Devil and I, purchased at Inner Sanctum Records the day it was released, that changed my life. God, I miss Kris.
Last thing I binge/marathon watched…
Your Friends and Neighbors.
Book that left a lasting impression on me…
Fahrenheit 451.
On that note, my favorite fictional character is…
I’d be a fool not to say Aaron Arkaway, the born-again, narcoleptic I played on The Sopranos.
My real-life hero has got to be…
Willie.
If I lived in a foreign city, it would be…
I truly loved living in Rome in the 70s, but I’m not sure that’s in the cards for my wonderful family.
If I had a superpower, I’d want it to be…
Love.
A simple way to get people to laugh is easy. Just…
Laugh. But in general, you can’t be funny by trying to be funny. As Chaplin said in his film, Limelight, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”
A phrase I might overuse would be…
I hesitate to say, but it involves ducks and copulation.
My motto? Easy. It is…
Love wins.
The last meal that truly impressed me was…
Two weeks ago, at Trout Tree Restaurant, which is built in a massive tree. Grilled trout from the Mt. Kenya glacier runoff flowing through the hatchery ponds below, with beautiful (and big) Black and White Colobus Monkeys looking for an opportunity to swoop in and grab a bread roll..
In my fridge, you will always find…
Blueberries and HEB fresh-squeezed OJ.
My perfect day would end…
With Christy.
The title of my autobiography will likely be…
If I could write it after I’m gone, I’d love for the title and my last word to be, “Beautiful.” I guess it would need a period, I mean, considering.
