I’ve always loved film to tell an emotional story. A documentary was at the heart of my first cause program for the Rockport Shoe Company, that eventually launched the walking movement in the US. How can you excite people about something as seemingly lackluster as walking? Follow a walking evangelist Robert Sweetgall who took a year and travelled alone - 11,208 miles - to spread the word about the health benefits of walking. An engineer by birth, Sweetgall lost three members of his immediate family to heart disease. In response to what could have been a preventable losses, he quit his job at Dupont and became a one man walking health missionary.
Rob was a Forrest Gump-type character, setting out on his journey with sheer determination to make a difference. The film galvanized what was then an unheard of activity, walking for health and fitness.
My next venture (adventure?) into film was the creation of a syndicated TV package for Heinz about saving the modern American family. Following that, a riveting psa series on childhood hunger for ConAgra Foods' Feeding Children Better childhood hunger campaign.
So when I was asked to attend the Good Pitch UK 2010 on behalf of Edelman, it was easy to jump at the chance.
The Good Pitch brings together filmmakers, ngos, foundations, corporations, government, media and philanthropists to discuss leading social issues and create coalitions and campaigns that benefit society, filmmakers and partners.
Now in its third year, the Good Pitch has screened over 60 films at events in London, Oxford, New York, Washington, Toronto and San Francisco. During that time, more than 700 organizations have attended. Think of it as a fantastically hopeful networking event, that has already seen dramatic outcomes with films igniting significant social justice campaigns with definitive results. One film, The End of the Line, is a story about the imminent death of the global bluefin tuna population. which has influenced the fish sourcing of one of the UK’s largest retail chains, Sainsbury's.
The Good Pitch is the brainchild of UK’s Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation, supported by The Sundance Institute, Edelman and PUMA.Creative. The mission of the Good Pitch is to: “Empower documentary filmmaking by enabling great films with global ambition, by brokering new partnerships and by building new models for filmmakers to deploy.”
Some of their awardwinning films include: The End of the Line, Afgan Star, Black Gold and The Yes Men Fix the World.
Channel 4 BRITDOC sees itself as a broker for change. The social justice documentaries it supports powerfully advocate for social impact in many different ways: as classroom tools, support for governmental advocacy, altering the buying and influence of brands, as well as being used at the center of social justice campaigns to create movements for action.
The UK Good Pitch hosted 8 films in a “pitch” type format that has been rigorously crafted by the Foundation. Filmmakers have seven minutes to present their work, in words and via a trailer. Then for the next 20 minutes they get peppered with commentary/questions from up to eight experts from post-production to communications, government and ngo specialists. (Think an intellectual version of the judges' commentary from American Idol). The 300+ in the audience listened raptly throughout the session, with great cheers for each carefully constructed pitch. That group was a potentially rich network of various types of partners for each presenter.
My two favorite films were A Small Act and Ping Pong. A Small Act deals with an action we all do: sending donations to faraway places and then questioning whether our actions makes any difference at all. In the film, a Swedish benefactor, “adopts” a poor Kenyan village boy, enabling him to finish his primary education. He goes on to become a Harvard educated lawyer fighting for human rights. The film unites the donor, Hilde Back with Chris Mburu and their unique link – she escaped the Holocaust, and he becomes a human rights lawyer fighting ethnic violence in Kenya. Can one person make a difference? The characters in this film inspire each of us to do our small acts.
Ping Pong, the last film of the day, took my breath away. It follows nine octogenarians around the world to the World over 80s Table Tennis Championships in Inner Mongolia. The Film with great humor and sensitivity is a life affirming adventure into another generation that examines the hope, passion, prejudice and immediacy of growing old. Ping Pong provides a wonderful juxtaposition of an international sporting competition for seniors, filled with rivalries between avid players from around the globe. Throughout the film filmmakers Hugh and Anson Hartford, 34 and 28, deftly challenge the expectations of life as people age.
In my new role leading the Brand & Corporate Citizenship unit at Edelman, I can see opportunities for forward thinking CSR companies to partner with either of these films. A Small Act, would fit with any organization that believe in the power of one individual to make an impact in the world. Ping Pong, is perhaps the best ammunition for an organization that wants to align with aging baby boomers who desire to stay forever young, utilizing the film as the centerpiece of a celebration of aging with dignity and panache.
Edelman supports the Good Pitch because we believe that people, organizations and brands can act together to effect positive social change for mutual benefit.
I made some wonderful new friends at the Good Pitch and plan to support these visionary and dedicated filmmakers to ignite powerful social movements.
As Robert Redford said, “Filmmaking is an art of hope.”
