Television premiere: documentary based on book Half the Sky

I still haven't read the book Half the Sky, but I've been to a Half the Sky Book Club held at an independent book store on Haight Street, attended a panel discussion with author Sheryl WuDunn ... and am looking forward to the TV broadcast of the four-hour long documentary based on the book!

Half the Sky filmed in 10 countries, following Kristof, WuDunn, and celebrity activists America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde on a journey to tell the stories of inspiring, courageous individuals. Across the globe oppression is being confronted, and real meaningful solutions are being fashioned through health care, education, and economic empowerment for women and girls. The linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality — which needlessly claim one woman every 90 seconds — present to us the single most vital opportunity of our time: the opportunity to make a change. All over the world women are seizing this opportunity.

Trailer:


Premieres on PBS program Independent Lens
Part 1 (2 hours): Monday, Oct 1
Part 2 (2 hours): Tuesday, Oct 2
Check your local PBS local listings for information on channel number and time.

If you're in one of these cities then you can see the film before the PBS premiere date at a free screening followed by a lively panel discussion.

If you miss the TV broadcast then I'm sure you'll be able to watch it online after the broadcast dates.

Another TV series : The New Heroes

THE NEW HEROES is a four-hour PBS series that aired in June and July 2010, hosted by Robert Redford, which told the dramatic stories of twelve social entrepreneurs who bring innovative, empowering solutions to the most intractable social problems around the world.


Check out the the 12 social entrepreneurs' stories on the website (people like Mohammad Yunus), but the videos aren't archived in one place. I found some by doing a "google video" search for "The New Heroes", including this one.

Recap of Yesterday's Live YouTube Chat with BP Exec

PBS promo spot for yesterday's chat that provides the scoop for how it worked:



The full transcript of the chat:



To read it in print, instead of the above video, go here.

Unmistaken Child :: Now on PBS

Yes! This documentary is now airing on PBS. Check your local listings. I'll be watching it next week in San Francisco on KQED on either Wed April 7 at 10:30pm or Thurs April 8 at 9:30pm.

To find out where/when it's playing on your local TV network, go here.

UNMISTAKEN CHILD by Nati Baratz

Are some people born natural leaders? When one of Tibet’s greatest monks passes away, his shy and gifted disciple must complete a monumental task he did not seek — to find his reincarnated master in the form of a child. Plagued by doubt, he goes on a journey to find the next spiritual leader as thousands of followers and the Dalai Lama await his discovery.



I just read an interview with the filmmaker Nati Baratz, and liked this:

PBS Independent Lens: Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.

NB: When the parents agree to give away the child to the monastery, and the father says, “For the benefit of sentient beings I can give up my child, otherwise who can give his child for nothing.” This altruistic attitude is a great inspiration for me and a key element of the film and of Tibetan Buddhism in general: Benefiting others is the greatest thing you can do for yourself.

Strange Days on Earth :: Dirty Secrets

Sea Studios Foundation is wrapping up their "Think Beyond Plastics Southern California education tour", in partnership with Sealife Conservation from Watsonville, CA.

The tour is a component of the Sea Studios outreach program Think Beyond Plastics, an ongoing collaborative effort to educate the public on the dangers plastic pollution, and to inspire people to eliminate single-use containers and plastic items. The campaign recently won Best 360 Campaign at the 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

At tour stops throughout So Cal, people have been watching the PBS film "Strange Days on Planet Earth: Dirty Secrets", a Sea Studios co-production with National Geographic, hosted by Edward Norton in community-based settings. Then they can attend a panel discussion featuring experts on plastics pollution, and attend an educational presentation aboard the SeaLife marine research vessel Derek M. Baylis, featuring David Robinson, Managing Director of Sealife Conservation.

"Dirty Secrets" will be screened at the November 18th Surfrider SD Chapter Meeting:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Forum Hall - by the University Town Center Shopping Mall, 4315 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA.

Also check out this interview with Edward Norton --

The Week's Best Ads, Websites, and Promo Launches

source: MediaPost Amy Corr's "Out to Launch" 12/10/08 e-newsletter:

Titus Bikes -- The ads are running in all major mountain biking magazines, except Mountain Bike Action, which refused the creative. TDA Advertising & Design created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.






Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise program --Ocean Wise reaches out to participating restaurants and helps them make environmentally friendly seafood purchases. Diners who order the special meals, highlighted on the menu, are doing their part in keeping ocean life healthy and plentiful. Creative matches images of recognizable environmentalists like Jane Goodall, Bob Hunter and Paul Watson with average people eating seafood at a restaurant. TAXI Vancouver created the campaign.










PBS' six-part documentary, "Make em laugh: The funny business of America" -a nationwide TV spot with Jim Lehrer, created by MGH.




HP's TouchSmart desktop PC and Pavilion dv5 Entertainment Notebook PC - a holiday campaign including TV and viral ads, created by McCann Worldgroup San Francisco.

TV ad -



Viral ads -








IKEA Canada's outdoor holiday campaign -- online and outdoor holiday campaign using IKEA pieces to spell out holiday wishes in English, and French. Includes a 3-D installation on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto that spells out joy using actual, not photographed, pieces of furniture. Online ads are running on HGTV.ca, StyleatHome.ca, CanadianHouseandHome.com and DecorMag.com. Zig created the campaign and Mindshare Canada handled the media buy.









AARP's real-life stories about average Americans who had to declare bankruptcy due to healthcare-related costs. Both TV ads direct viewers to a website that houses more stories, educational articles and resources about the "Divided We Fail" platform. GSD&M Idea City created the campaign and handled the media buy.



This is from a different series, but I really liked this one --




iPod Touch launched an online version of the TV ad "funnest" that's running this week on Yahoo Games. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the ad.




Brand Jordan's "Simple Math" -- football ad. Created by Wieden+Kennedy New York.