Futures Without Violence & The Representation Project Use “The Big Game” as Backdrop for Innovative Public Campaign: #BeAModelMan
Obscura Digital Teams Up with Bay Area Nonprofits to Use Mobile Projector Mounted on a Tesla To Inspire Healthy Images of Masculinity
NFL Legend Ronnie Lott Offers Support: “A real man knows real respect.
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1 February 2016 — San Francisco, CA: Don’t call it the “Big Game. ” For two Bay Area nonprofits working to end violence against women and children and promote healthy definitions of masculinity, this isn’t a game, but serious business. During the height of Super Bowl 50 celebrations, Futures Without Violence (www.futureswithoutviolence.org) and The Representation Project (www.therepresentationproject.org) are taking their message to the streets — and the façades of buildings — via a mobile, high tech projection system from Obscura Digital to provoke the question: what does it mean to #BeAModelMan www.BeAModelMan.org
“We’re challenging the NFL, sports associations, and fans to encourage boys and men to embrace a healthier definition of masculinity, ” says Jennifer Siebel Newsom, founder and CEO of The Representation Project and filmmaker of the acclaimed documentary The Mask You Live In. “Imagine how we could uplift the call to ‘Be a Man’ in the world. ”
“With Super Bowl 50 here in our town, we want to raise awareness about the critical role that men must play in raising a healthy, less violent future generation,” says Esta Soler, Founder and President of Futures Without Violence. “How do you coach boys into men? By talking to them early about respect for women.”
Newsom and Soler are making their point through an innovative campaign that will be, literally, in your face. At various times throughout Super Bowl Week, a one-of-a-kind Tesla electric car equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile projector, will pop up at sites around the Bay Area using the sides of buildings to display a variety of images and messages that promote healthy masculinity and violence prevention. The technology and creative engine driving the campaign is San Francisco’s Obscura Digital (www.obscuradigital.com), internationally known for such efforts as projecting powerful images of endangered species onto the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and on the Empire State Building to raise awareness of species threatened by extinction.
“Our job is to project change,” says Travis Threlkel, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of Obscura Digital. “The #BeAModelMan effort is a unique, immersive, and mobile experience that will change the way you think about how to be a man in the world At Obscura, we are passionate about collaborating with visionaries and proud to help The Representation Project and Futures Without Violence advance this dialogue.”
The effort has garnered championship support.
“A real man knows real respect,” said NFL legend Ronnie Lott who is adding his name to the effort. “We have to do a better job providing positive role models, on and off the field. With adults modeling healthy masculinity, it shows boys that winning isn’t everything, and treating women and girls with respect is part of being a man. I’m proud to stand up and call on men to do more with Futures Without Violence and The Representation Project. ”
About Futures Without Violence:
For more than a decade, FUTURES has worked in partnership with the Advertising Council to educate and engage men in positive solutions to end and prevent violence against women and girls. We are a health and social justice nonprofit known for our public policy initiatives, public education campaigns, leadership training, and community mobilization efforts. We continue to reach new audiences and improve the way health care providers, coaches and teachers, law enforcement, employers, and others respond to violence and abuse. Providing leadership from offices in San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Boston, we have established a state-of-the-art Center for Leadership and Action in the Presidio of San Francisco to foster ongoing dialogue about gender-based violence and child abuse. To learn more, www.futureswithoutviolence.org.
About The Representation Project:
Using film as a catalyst for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge and overcome limiting stereotypes so that everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, or circumstance, can fulfill their human potential. Jennifer Siebel Newsom founded The Representation Project (a 501c3) in 2011 in response to the overwhelming public demand for ongoing education and social action in support of her first film, Miss Representation. Since then, The Representation Project has released Newsom’s second directorial film, The Mask You Live In, and become well known for creating popular campaigns such as #NotBuyingIt and #AskHerMore. Learn more at therepresentationproject.org.
About Obscura Digital:
Founded in 2000, Obscura is a creative studio located in San Francisco that creates one-of-a-kind immersive experiences across the globe. Obscura works with the world’s most forward-thinking companies and public institutions to reimagine how they interact with their audiences. Obscura’s diverse team of 65 artists and technologists collaborates to produce award-winning experiences that transform physical spaces and deeply engage audiences. For more information, visit www.obscuradigital.com.
