Hello friends & collaborators, Hope you're well! We're writing with a few important mid-year reflections and updates. If you see opportunities for collaboration, please reach out to us. Looking back over the past three years, we're proud of what we've built together. The 100% volunteer-driven Media Rise has awarded more than $8,000 in cash prizes, plus countless hours and dollars of pro bono consultation and in-kind support, to people who are using media for social good. We have convened more than 3,000 people to build meaningful connections for future collaborations and projects. We produced 13 videos to support local D.C. nonprofits. And we ventured beyond our D.C. hub to host the "Early Rise" speaker series, inspiring people in London, Chicago, Austin, Chennai and Singapore to unleash the power of media to accelerate social change. None of this would have been possible without your encouragement and support. As our organization evolves, here are a few updates from our co-founders: Erica is transitioning off the leadership team of Media Rise. She continues to focus on mission-driven client work as a full-time strategist at Huge, a digital agency, and sharing her expertise on driving social impact through storytelling and design through her blog and consultancy Benevolent Media. Since March this year, Mandar has been producing a documentary film that focuses on the journey of healing and transformation of six Americans, including a single parent from the Sandy Hook school massacre, a gang leader from Los Angeles and two Black Lives Matter activists from Oakland, through their pilgrimage to India. He is looking for help with post-production (editing) and distribution of the film. Srivi recently returned from a memorable first trip to Japan, where she gave several talks on media literacy and cultural diversity at the International Communication Association, attended by more than 2,500 scholar-educators from over 80 countries. She recently published an essay about building meaningful partnerships between media educators and activists for youth advocacy, which features Media Risers Gabriel "Asheru" Benn, co-founder of Guerilla Arts Ink in D.C., and Sriram Ayer, founder of Nalanda Way in India, among others. Stay tuned for more information about our 2016 projects and activities.
Rise with us! - Erica, Mandar & Srivi