The Placial Project
Founded in 2021, The Placial Project is an independent, ecumenical, direct-to-consumer media company that shapes the vision for placemaking within Christian theology. We believe that by understanding God’s intent for creation through a placial hermeneutic, we can better understand our place in it.
Our team
David Larsen, PhD
CEO and Senior Research Fellow
For 25 years (1990–2015), David founded and managed an award-winning international consulting company, servicing the hotel industry in which his clients represented over 3,000 four- and five-star hotels in 106 countries. After retiring, David completed a PhD in Theology at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, UK, in 2020, advancing placial hermeneutics and the mission of place. Craig Bartholomew was his external examiner. David is also a Senior Research Fellow for the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology in Cambridge, and has been married for 42 years, has three children, and eight grandchildren.
Brandon Giella
CMO and Research Fellow
Brandon Giella is the owner of Snapmarket.co, a hyper-efficient content, design, and product service to support and scale your business. He earned an MA in biblical studies and an MBA in finance. He publishes his ideas in an economics column for Common Good Magazine (commongoodmag.com), a newsletter at brandongiella.com, and a podcast called Working Theology (workingtheology.com). Brandon is also an Associate Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge (kirbylaingcentre.co.uk), working on book projects on theology, economics, placemaking, and more. Follow him on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brandongiella) and at goodreads.com/brandongiella. He lives with his wife and daughter in Fort Worth, TX.
Reach out to the team and get the scoop.
Let’s talk about how placemaking can help you know more about God’s world today.