Participant Media Launches TakePart TV, First Impact-Driven Channel in YouTube’s Original 100 Lineup

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 2, 2012) – Participant Media, the company behind 40 films including Food, Inc., The Cove, Good Night, and Good Luck, An Inconvenient Truth and The Help, today announced the launch of TakePart TV, a socially-relevant channel on YouTube that delivers a diverse mix of original programming including daily news, short-form comedy, animation and non-fiction series. Announced by Evan Shapiro, President of Participant Television, TakePart TV will be a creator and curator of clever, eye-opening and optimistic content around big issues that face our planet.

“Millennials are the first generation of digital natives,” said Shapiro, “In a very real way, they will dictate the future – so it’s important to create a channel that speaks their language. Our goal is to bridge the gap between heartfelt idealism and slap-stick humor by bringing provocative programming that will engage dialogue and, better yet, give viewers a way to take action on the issues that they care most about.” According to comScore*, more than 75 percent of the Internet’s audience ages 18 to 34 visits YouTube each month, with more than 29.6 million daily visits in this age group who spend on average 14 minutes per visit.

The high levels of engagement from these Millennials provide a fertile ground for TakePart TV to interact with a generation universally identified as cause-minded. Celebrities passionate about social issues such as Dan Savage, Henry Rollins, Alison Sudol and Kobe Bryant will shine a light on current topics as diverse as the elections, the environment, sexism or homelessness.

Web series premiering on TakePart TV include:

Capitalism: On the campaign trail with a two-month tour hitting all 50 state capitals and wrapping up on the eve of the Presidential election, Henry Rollins’ latest talking tour offers not so much a voting guide as an outside viewpoint – and an unflinching quest for truth that’s sadly lacking in the profit-driven American mass media.
Story of Pines: Alison Sudol, aka A Fine Frenzy, allows her songs to set the tone for the short animated film Story of Pines. This whimsical and charming tale accompanies her third studio album launch and reminds her audience about the importance of the environment and that yes, every tree has a story.
American Savage: Fans of Savage’s will get to see Dan sounding off about everything from religion, sex ed, LGBT rights, politics and all things in between. Viewers can expect more one-on-one debates like Savage’s recent dinner with NOM’s Brian Brown and roving reporter-style pieces like those Savage has previously done on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Mission: In Mission, Kobe Bryant takes to the streets of Los Angeles to shed light on the issue of homelessness.

“American Savage is going to explore controversial topics, spark conversation and incite action,” said Savage. “Participant and TakePart TV are ideal partners for us because they know how to connect with viewers in an authentic way that not only entertains but also inspires change.”

TakePart TV’s flagship show, BFD: Brain Food Daily, will provide an irreverent take on underreported stories missed by the ‘Mainstream Internets.’ The daily series will look at the world through a lens of Power, Sex, Media, Mind and Planet. First week episodes will include:

Guidos, Gypsies and Rednecks: Is reality TV Racist?
Price of Vice: Making Money by Legalizing Sex, Drugs and Gambling
Banned On The Run: 10 “Foods” the Government Really Should Ban
Five Worst Hells: Countdown of the World’s Worst Afterlives
Does America Hate Vaginas?

Brain Food Daily premieres October 2 on TakePart TV, located at www.youtube.com/takepart and will be prominently featured throughout TakePart.com at www.takepart.com/video.

About TakePart TV

TakePart TV is a newly launched impact-focused channel on YouTube that delivers an eclectic mix of original programming including daily short-form shows, animations, and high-quality series about the big issues facing our planet. Founded by Participant Media, TakePart TV adopted the ethos “a story well told can change the world” as the driving force behind the brand. TakePart TV’s programming can be found at youtube.com/takepart.

About Participant Media

Participant Media (participantmedia.com) is an entertainment company that focuses on documentary and non-documentary feature films, television, publishing and digital content about the real issues that shape our lives. For each of itsprojects, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Participant’s online division and Social Action Network is TakePart (takepart.com). Founded by Jeff Skoll in 2004, Jim Berk serves as CEO. Participant’s films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War, An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck, The Visitor, Food, Inc., TheCove, The Crazies, Countdown to Zero, Waiting for “Superman,” Fair Game, PAGE ONE: Inside The New York Times, The Help, Contagion, Last Call at the Oasis, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lincoln and Promised Land. *comScore Media Matrix data, August 2012