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Carol Atwood
Carol Atwood is the President and CEO of Spartacus Media Enterprises (SME) and Executive Producer of "Investing in Media that Matters - A Gathering at Sundance Village".
In 2000, Carol Atwood founded Spartacus Media Enterprises (SME), a social mission media company committed to incubating new projects and ventures, as well as facilitating a link between investors and the media industry. Prior to this, she was President and CEO of TMG, a premiere New York-headquartered sales and marketing outsourcing company that represented the Fortune 500. During her 17-year tenure with the firm, she employed over 5,000 employees in six offices.
Carol is the recipient of many highly regarded awards, including "NYC Entrepreneur of the Year" sponsored by NASDAQ, USA Today, and Ernst and Young. Additionally, TMG was named "Company of the Year" by the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies. TMG was also ranked among the top 100 women-owned businesses by Working Woman magazine (placing between Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey).
Carol is active with many organizations, including Renaissance Weekend, the Social Venture Network (a social mission entrepreneurs organization), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum (a network of investors and early stage companies), Investors' Circle (a social mission for profit companies investment organization), and Social Venture Partners (a group of individual philanthropists who have pooled their money and talent to help the non-profit community).
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Spartacus Media Enterprisessm
Mission
To enhance the public's awareness of the power of media to inspire positive societal change. To promote social change by stimulating creative thinking and incubating action-oriented initiatives across all media platforms. To generate growing momentum that results in a "tipping point" in favor of more mass media with social mission messages and themes.
The Opportunity
"Erin Brockovich is one of those films that prove you can make an entertaining and financially successful Hollywood movie that is both socially and environmentally relevant."
Carla Shamberg, Executive Producer, Erin Brockovich
Today's media has tremendous power to promote social themes through entertainment so that we can change society for the better. Yet this potential has been largely untapped. Spartacus Media Enterprises decided to executive produce a special gathering at Sundance Village to begin to tap this potential. Co-hosted with Investors' Circle (IC) and the Environmental Media Association (EMA), "Investing in Media that Matters" brought together like-minded professionals in the entertainment and funding communities who had the opportunity to:
- brainstorm in a dynamic, non-partisan setting on ways to create entertainment that addresses themes such as sustainable energy, respect for diversity, better health care and inclusion of underserved communities;
- examine case histories of socially responsible entertainment;
- begin a process for developing more collaborative pooling of funds and development of highly entertaining shows (film/TV) that include themes that help transform society; and,
- network with industry leaders committed to social change through entertainment.
The Value of Media's Positive Influences
On September 27, 1977 millions of kids watching Happy Days see the Fonz take out a library card. In the days that follow, according to the series creator, Garry Marshall, requests for library cards grow by more than 500% nationwide.*
A decade later, members of The Harvard Alcohol Project go to Hollywood with a new idea: the "designated driver". After asking writers and producers to introduce this new concept to the public, starting in November 1988, over 160 prime time episodes include subplots, scenes, or dialogue telling viewers that it is okay to party as long as someone stays sober for the drive home. One year later, a Gallup poll finds 67% of adults surveyed recognize the term "designated driver". In 1991 this new idea appears in Webster's College Dictionary.* These encouraging examples are but a few that demonstrate the powerful role that the entertainment world can play in both educating and eliciting action for important social issues.
It is time to formalize a process to increase the impact that this powerful medium can have on the future of society. "Investing in Media that Matters" is our maiden effort to begin this formalizing process.
*Examples courtesy of Norman Lear and the Environmental Media Association
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