Participant Media

A well told story can make a difference.

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:49:00 -0700

A well told story can make a difference.

julia-lavigne: Happy Earth Day!Do something nice today for...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:18:08 -0700

julia-lavigne:

Happy Earth Day!
Do something nice today for Mother Earth and appreciate how beautiful our planet is.

Happy Earth Day everyone! Earth’s future looks dim and...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:16:29 -0700

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Earth’s future looks dim and you’re the reason why. Film critic for Crave Online William Bibbiani talks 3 films that warn us about Earth’s future.

Boston Marathon Explosions: How You Can Help

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:55:34 -0700

Boston Marathon Explosions: How You Can Help:

Find out how you can help those injured in the Boston Marathon explosions.

Updates on how you can help victim’s of The Boston Marathon explosions. via TakePart.com

by Jonathan Harris

A series of explosions less than 50 yards from the finish line of the Boston Marathon has left three people dead and over 170 more injured. If you have photos or video from the scene that you think might be helpful to investigators, call 1-800-494-TIPS. Authorities are still investigating who set the bombs and why, but there are several things you can do right now to help in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy.

(We’ll be listing more ways you can provide help to those involved in the Boston Marathon explosions, so check back to this page in the coming days.)

UPDATES: 4/16

*TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good), a project of the Boston technology community, has set up a fund in support of victims. All donations will go to the Red Cross, the Boston Children’s Hospital, and other groups working with victims of the explosions. Donate here.

*The RYOT Foundation has set up a Boston Marathon Victims Fund to support victims and their families. Donate here.

*Support the Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services. If you’re looking for a secular way to support relief, Atheists Giving Aid has set up a victims’ fund.

*As she did after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, Ann Curry is asking individuals to perform random acts of kindness for Bostonians. If you’re in, tweet your support with #26Acts2.

4/15 - Initial Ways to Help

*Concerned about a runner in the marathon? You can see his/her last check in on the Boston Marathon site. You can also track down a loved one through Google’s Person Finder if you’re concerned they might have been involved in the explosions.

*If you were in the area during the explosions, register your current status on the Red Cross Safe and Well site. This way, anyone looking for you can see that you’re alive and well. (Also, if you’re in downtown Boston right now, text message loved ones instead of calling. In this critical moment, it’s important to keep as much cell phone bandwidth open as possible.)

*Donate blood. It’s important, not just now, but always. You can make sure your city has enough blood in the event of a disaster by donating regularly. (In Boston? Here’s where you go.) Right now, there is plenty of donated blood in Boston to meet demand, according to the American Red Cross.

*The Boston Mayor’s 24-hour hotline is 617-635-4500. That’s the number to call for information about first responders. If you were in the area during the Boston Marathon explosions and saw anything, and feel like you might have information that’s helpful to investigators, call 1-800-494-TIPS.

*In you live in Boston and have extra space in your home, consider providing temporary lodging for those in the area who are stranded due to the bombing. You can fill out this form if you’re stuck in Boston and need a place to stay, as well.

*The Salvation Army is providing food and counseling to first responders in Boston. Donate to their efforts.

*One of the bombs was reportedly detonated near a VIP area for families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. You can still make a donation to the Newtown Memorial Fund as families work to recover from that tragedy. Here are some other ways to support Newtown families. (Note: It is unclear if the Newtown families were in any way targeted during the Boston Marathon explosions.)

The screenwriters of X-Men First Class and Thor, Ashley Miller...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:56:36 -0700

The screenwriters of X-Men First Class and Thor, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz, talk about re-creating the Cuban Missile Crisis with super heroes in this interview with Marisha Ray.

takepart: Wings gone wild? Here’s why today’s chicken wings are...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:01:13 -0700

takepart:

Wings gone wild? Here’s why today’s chicken wings are downright GINORMOUS.

gardensinunexpectedplaces: urbanhedgerow: The beginnings of a...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:39:37 -0700

gardensinunexpectedplaces:

urbanhedgerow:

The beginnings of a school bus conversion into a mobile garden!

I’m a sucker for mobile gardens. And creative reuses for cars and buses.

What is pivot? It’s your turn!

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:37:34 -0700

What is pivot? It’s your turn!

takepart: Participant Media Launches pivot, New TV Network for...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:27:12 -0700

takepart:

Participant Media Launches pivot, New TV Network for Millennials.

And these are just a few of the faces you’ll see August 21.

Learn more about pivot here!

hitrecordjoe: Hit RECord On TV! BIG NEWS: We’re gonna be on...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:23:48 -0700

hitrecordjoe:

Hit RECord On TV!

BIG NEWS: We’re gonna be on TV!

“Hit RECord on TV” is gonna be a new kind of variety show. I’ll host the show and also direct our global online community to create short films, live performances, music, animation, conversation, and of course, more! Each episode will be focused on a different theme. And like always, anybody with an internet connection is invited to contribute.

I’m super excited to get started!

Are you RECording?

J

Welcome to the team!

AD AGE STORY ON MCDONALD’S AND MILLENNIALS MENTIONS PARTICIPANT

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:15:52 -0700

AD AGE STORY ON MCDONALD’S AND MILLENNIALS MENTIONS PARTICIPANT:

Aside from being socially conscious, Participant Media said the millennial demographic is the one that pay-TV providers are most at risk of losing, and it believes the network could provide a new way to watch TV.

affrm: The Heineken Affinity Award celebrates the work of 10...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:48:15 -0700

affrm:

The Heineken Affinity Award celebrates the work of 10 filmmakers of African descent and will reward one with $20,000 during the Tribeca Film Festival. Right now Ava is in 3rd place. Can you help push her to the top? We only have a few days left but as they say #togetherwearestrong. You can vote EVERYDAY here: http://affinity.strutta.com/entry/1205618

“Long Time Gone” by The Civil Wars and T Bone...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:31:14 -0700

“Long Time Gone” by The Civil Wars and T Bone Burnett from the A Place At The Table soundtrack.

Documentarians Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson have created...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:06:00 -0700

Documentarians Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson have created a new documentary on hunger in the United States called “A Place at the Table.” They speak about what they learned while making the film and connect America’s hunger and obesity issues.

Participant Media hopes more filmgoers will get its messages

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:21:00 -0700

Participant Media hopes more filmgoers will get its messages :

In “Snitch,” a thriller set in the dangerous drug world, Dwayne Johnson plays a father who goes to work as a drug informant to free his jailed son.

The PG-13 film from Participant Media features a street fight, a car chase and a gun battle — high-octane action aimed at attracting the coveted young adult male audience.

It’s not the kind of movie ordinarily associated with Participant, which has built its reputation on films with social messages, including the global warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and “The Help,” about racism in the 1960s South.

But “Snitch” is already a moderate success. It’s an inexpensive movie that has made more in three weeks than some of the Beverly Hills company’s high-minded films have made over their entire runs. And Participant plans to produce more movies like it.

It’s a bold move, away from the well-meaning adult movies that have put the 9-year-old movie company on the map. But there’s also great potential reward in burying the message inside an action package.

A Place at the Table: It’s Not a Film, But a Transmedia Project

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:33:51 -0800

A Place at the Table: It’s Not a Film, But a Transmedia Project:

My family and I just viewed A Place at the Table, and it is one of the most exceptional documentaries we have seen in recent times. The film should be celebrated not only for its striking portrayal of hunger in the United States, but also for its innovative use of networked and social media.

A Place at the Table was simultaneously released in theaters, iTunes and On Demand. It was in the last format that we were able to view it. The producers’ innovative approach does not end here. At the end of the film viewers are invited to text “food” to 77177. We did and we quickly received a couple of text messages. The first explained that more messages with updates on the project would be sent unless one texts “stop.” The second message asked to take action by learning more about hunger in one’s locality. This can be done by entering a zip code, which is then followed by a text that provides the number of people affected by hunger in one’s state. We live in Pennsylvania, so we received a message stating that 1,850,140 individuals don’t always have enough to eat in the state. In the same message a link is available to the website http://actioncenter.takepart.com, which we visited and learned more about the project.

Using Moviemaking to Change the World, Both Inside Theaters and Out

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:47:00 -0800

Using Moviemaking to Change the World, Both Inside Theaters and Out:

By Peter Osnos
The Atlantic.com

The stories told by these documentaries are meant to incite action, but the same goes for the marketing, social-media, and distribution efforts of their creators.

Films, especially documentaries, with potent social messages seem to be having a greater cultural effect in recent years. That may be in part because of filmmakers’ newly ambitious plans for citizen action to spotlight the issues and drive change. Three recent films come to mind as examples of the work of dedicated journalists and producers whose commitment extends beyond the subjects they cover to include far-reaching strategies for distribution and follow-up activities.

takepart: Volunteers try to clear a dam which is filled with...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:01:14 -0800

takepart:

Volunteers try to clear a dam which is filled with discarded plastic bottles and other garbage, blocking Vacha Dam, near the town of Krichim in southern Bulgaria on April 25, 2009.

takeparttv: BFD examines the NO MAS campaign’s past and future...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:01:07 -0800

takeparttv:

BFD examines the NO MAS campaign’s past and future on today’s episode. How are you supporting change?

takeparttv: Colorful crafts for change? Find out how women...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:30:51 -0800

takeparttv:

Colorful crafts for change? Find out how women fought the Pinochet dictatorship on today’s BFD from the Museum of Tolerance.