PARTICIPANT CREATES IMPACT ADVISORY COUNCIL AND ANNOUNCES FIRST MEMBERS

Council features a coalition of five leaders in the impact and entertainment spaces including: Ai-jen Poo, DeVon Franklin, Fatima Goss Graves, Juan Devis, and Mindy Lubber.

Los Angeles, CA (July 12, 2022) — Participant, the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that stands at the intersection of art and activism, today announced the creation of the Impact Advisory Council, which will provide vital feedback and recommendations on Participant’s social impact strategy around Participant’s campaigns and strengthen connections to allies who can accelerate shared impact goals.

The Impact Advisory Council includes a coalition of five leaders in the impact and entertainment space, whose invaluable expertise in advancing social issues will inform their guidance on Participant’s impact work throughout their 2-year term. The first-ever Impact Advisory Council members include:

Ai-jen Poo – President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Director of Caring Across Generations
DeVon Franklin – President and CEO of Franklin Entertainment, Governor-At-Large, AMPAS
Fatima Goss Graves – President of the National Women’s Law Center
Juan Devis – Executive Producer
Mindy Lubber – President and CEO of Ceres

“Participant’s consistent mandate for 18 years is to create work centered on the union of art and activism – high quality, trailblazing, multi-layered content that compels positive social change, which is as important as ever right now,” said David Linde, CEO of Participant. “We’re thrilled to embark on a new chapter with these incredible leaders who are bringing their unique experiences and perspectives to enhance our work and strengthen our ability to offer audiences a bridge to participation.”

“I am excited to support Participant as they develop their social impact strategy and strengthen our collective efforts to spur change across the globe,” said Mindy Lubber, Ceres CEO and President. “At Ceres, we’ve spent decades driving equitable market- and policy-based solutions throughout the economy to address the climate crisis and water scarcity and pollution. Participant’s mission and award-winning films have helped bring the much-needed awareness to these great environmental and social challenges and have inspired real action. I am looking forward to partnering with them as they write this next chapter and working together to build a more just and sustainable future.”

“The entertainment industry has the unique opportunity to transform how domestic workers are perceived in the media,” said Ai-jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “Through the Impact Advisory Council, we can change how representation is centered in Participant content and take a human-centered approach to storytelling the vital work that domestic workers provide. Every day, domestic workers and caregivers provide essential services and life-saving care to communities throughout the country. Their portrayal on-screen must always focus on their experiences in an accurate and meaningful way.”

“Now more than ever before there’s a need for Hollywood to make a meaningful impact in the communities it depends on for its success,” said DeVon Franklin, President and CEO of Franklin Entertainment. “Participant’s commitment to content creation and social impact is unparalleled. As a producer, I’m committed to uplifting the human spirit through entertainment so the opportunity to serve on Participant’s Impact Council is truly an honor. “

“Through their film, television and digital output, Participant has curated an unparalleled body of work that questions the structures and assumptions we sit upon, in pursuit of policy, programmatic and narrative change,” said Juan Devis, Executive Producer. “It is therefore my privilege to be working with them to find narrative opportunities and impact frameworks that can articulate a transformative vision, grounded on principles of equity and access, acknowledgement and belonging.”

“The work to further justice in our communities is fueled by our laws and policies being in constant conversation with our culture,” said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of National Women’s Law Center. “And in order to make our culture work for all of us, the stories that pervade our society and shape how we understand the human condition must truly be representative of each and every one of us – especially women and girls. Participant’s inclusive filmmaking and social impact strategy is so needed right now to shift how we do this critical work, and I’m proud to be a part of this important group.”

If you would like to know more about Participant’s long-standing impact work, please contact participant@sunshinesachs.com

###

ABOUT PARTICIPANT
Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll and under the leadership of CEO David Linde, Participant (http://www.participant.com/http://www.participant.com/) combines the power of a good story well told with real world impact and awareness around today’s most vital issues. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing the well over 2 billion consumers compelled to make meaningful content a priority focus.

As an industry content leader, Participant annually produces up to six narrative feature films, six documentary films, three episodic television series, and more than 20 hours of digital short form programming. Participant’s more than 100 films have collectively earned 85 Academy Award® nominations and 21 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight and Green Book; Best Documentary Feature for An Inconvenient Truth, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and American Factory; and Best Foreign Language Film for Roma and A Fantastic Woman. Participant also has earned 44 Emmy® Award nominations and 11 wins, including two wins for the groundbreaking When They See Us. Follow Participant on Twitter (@Participant) and on Facebook and Instagram.