Movies have the power to make social change. I strongly believe this. Participant Media has been at the forefront of making feature films that make a difference.
Jeff Skoll (who you may know as the first president of eBay) founded Participant Media in 2004 with the mission of producing "entertainment that inspires social change." The people in Hollywood told him that his idealism would not be sustainable.
In 2005 the company released: "Murderball," "Syriana," "Goodnight and Goodluck," and "North Country." These films led to eleven Oscar nominations. The company later released such films as, "Charlie Wilson's War," "An Inconvenient Truth," and "Fast Food Nation," to name a few.
The ability to entertain and inform is not an easy feat. Participant medias ability to inform through award-winning films allows the information to reach a broad audience in a way that I believe has not been done before. They then continue to engage the audience with social sector partners on advocacy campaigns that can be accessed online at www.participate.net.
Skoll raises a fascinating point: Movies do not necessarily need to do well at the box office to make a social impact. Despite "North Country's" poor attendance at the box office, the film went on to have a strong impact on policy. The film came out when congress was debating the renewal of the violence against women act. By having screenings on the hill and working with social sector partners such as NOW, the film was widely credited with the successful renewal of the act.
