Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Clark.
Hi Amanda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I got started over 12 years ago, I was working for a local architecture firm and volunteering as an architectural history tour guide on the weekends. I loved giving tours and believed in the organization, but I saw that St. Louis had a real need for tours that didn’t just focus on the touristy parts of town and on the same tired narratives – but showed the real St. Louis in all of its beauty and complexity. A friend asked if I could do a bus tour, which I had never done, and although I was terrified – I said yes. Even though I felt like I had no clue what I was doing, people loved the unscripted and honest approach I took to mixing the history with the present. Out of this, Renegade STL was born – with the dream of providing creative touring experiences featuring more diverse voices – and ultimately to bust up the tour scene in St. Louis. After a few years of fits and starts, I had the fortune to bring on some really amazing partners and Renegade grew exponentially from there. We debuted our hit “Whole Damn City” bus tour, followed up by the “Badass Babes” bus tour – and there was no going back. Despite its success and potential, changes were on the horizon – and in 2019 Renegade closed and I took the program to the Missouri History Museum, where I am now. This all sounds so simplified – when in reality it was over a decade of hard work by an amazing team that believed in Renegade’s potential to change the narrative being shared about St. Louis with tourists and locals.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The path to my current position, which is literally a dream job, has included so many challenges and obstacles on professional and personal levels. Growing a business in a field you have absolutely no experience in was daunting but incredibly exciting as the momentum began to pick up. Along the way, I had to fight my own self-confidence issues, overcome major disruptions in my personal life, and ultimately learn to tell myself every day that the worst thing that could happen is I fail…and few people get to fail at their dream jobs.
The decision to close Renegade in 2019, at the height of its success and rapid growth, and move to the Missouri Historical Society was one of the hardest personal decisions I’ve ever had to make. It meant leaving behind the amazing team that had built Renegade alongside me and also leaving the freedom of entrepreneurship. In exchange, I have the backing of an amazing institution that I had always wanted to be part of and one that shares my passion for finding innovative ways to share St. Louis’s history.
Even though I’ve fallen on my face more than once, I’m incredibly proud of the chances I took that led me down this very unconventional path.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s so hard to categorize what I do – and I have so many seemingly random experiences that have led me to where I am now. I’ve been a manager, a Public Relations coordinator, a co-founder of a non-profit, and a marketing director. My experiences have played out within two very different industries, in the architecture/design field, and in the bookstore/publishing world. Now that my hobbies (architectural history and storytelling) are my full-time job, I have to constantly remind myself that the things I used to do for fun are now work…and that studying history isn’t goofing around anymore.
Currently, I’m most proud of our private tours that take educators throughout north and south St. Louis to explore the concept of the Delmar Divide and what it means today. These experiences blend history and current events in a way that makes everything real and helps people see a side of the city they rarely do.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m excited to continue growing the See STL Tours program at the Missouri History Museum and continue busting up the traditional tour model. In 2022 we’ll be continuing to add tours that explore St. Louis’ complex history and find innovative applications for tours like this. I’d also love for See STL to be an invaluable resource for recruiters and companies looking to sell people on this beautiful, although complicated, and amazing city.
Contact Info:
- Email: aclark@mohistory.org
- Website: mohistory.org/see-stl
- Instagram: @renegadestl
