This week, we distill insights around the Participant Media model of using powerful stories and social advocacy platform TakePart to inspire and energize people to take social action. 100+ thinkers and planners within MSLGROUP share and discuss inspiring projects on social data, crowdsourcing, storytelling and citizenship on the MSLGROUP Insights Network. Every week, we pick up one project and do a deep dive into conversations around it -- on the MSLGROUP Insights Network itself but also on the broader social web -- to distill insights and foresights. We share these insights and foresights with you on our People’s Insights blog and compile the best insights from the network and the blog in the iPad-friendly People’s Lab Quarterly Magazine, as a showcase of our capabilities. For more, see: http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com

1. crowdsourcing | storytelling | citizenship | social data
People’s Insights Volume 2, Issue 8
Participant Media +
TakePart

2. People’s Insights
100+ thinkers and planners within MSL- In 2013, we continue to track inspiring
GROUP share and discuss inspiring proj- projects at the intersection of social data,
ects on social data, crowdsourcing, story- crowdsourcing and storytelling, with a fo-
telling and citizenship on the MSLGROUP cus on projects that are shaping the Future
Insights Network. Every week, we pick up of Citizenship.
one project and curate the conversations
Do subscribe to receive our weekly insights
around it — on the MSLGROUP Insights
reports, quarterly magazines, and annual
Network itself but also on the broader
reports, and do share your tips and com-
social web — into a weekly insights report.
ments with us at @PeoplesLab on Twitter.
Every quarter, we compile these insights,
along with original research and insights
from the MSLGROUP global network, into
the People’s Insights Quarterly Magazine.
We have synthesized the insights from our
year-long endeavor throughout 2012 to
provide foresights for business leaders and
changemakers — in the ten-part People’s
Insights Annual Report titled Now & Next:
Ten Frontiers for the Future of Engage-
ment.
People’s Insights People’s Insights People’s Insights
weekly report quarterly magazines Annual Report
Volume 2, Issue 8, Future of Participant Media +
January - March, 2013 Citizenship TakePart

3. What is Participant Media?
Founded by former eBay president Jeff Skoll, “When you hear a story, or when you connect with
Participant Media is a production house that something, you’re perspective can really change.
uses powerful stories to inspire and energize You’re allowed to see the world through their eyes,
people to take social action. The company has and that really builds empathy and understanding
produced documentaries and films including which is critical in confronting a lot of the issues we
An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc., A Place at the see in the world today.”
Table and Waiting for Superman which tackle
meaningful causes including global warming, Participant Media typically partners with non-
quality of food and state of education in the profit organizations that share the same passion
U.S.After attracting viewers, Participant Media for each film’s cause. These organizations
mobilizes them to act through social action support the promotion efforts of the film, and
campaigns, which live on the studio’s digital Participant Media encourages viewers to support
platform TakePart. the organizations’ initiatives.
Good.is blogger Bekah Wright noted: Huffington Post blogger Dr. Lloyd Sederer noted:
“A film can have the power to spur conversation “Each Participant film is accompanied by a social
and spark an audience’s empathy, passion, and action campaign to propagate the film’s message
curiosity. For Los Angeles-based Participant by enabling viewers to become involved. Each
Media, the visual storytelling power of movies is an film has a small group of selected social sector
invaluable tool to create meaningful impact… organizations whose values and activities resonate
with the film and who themselves are making
“Continuously gaining momentum, Participant change happen. Courage needs fellow travelers,
focuses on three elements for each of its film and Participant Media picks theirs carefully.”
projects: quality, well-told stories, commercial
potential, and social relevance.” Fast Co.CREATE’s Ari Karpel noted:
“Participant’s social action campaigns begin
months in advance of a movie’s release, with
screenings for people who are the experts. That
helps to build word-of-mouth within the industries
affected; often those groups will bring their
stakeholders to theaters on opening night and
Participant will sponsor conversations and invite
the media.”
TakePart makes it easy for viewers and first time
activists to get involved, by offering a ladder of
actions – from simple online pledges to offline
actions such as volunteering or contacting local
authorities. These social advocacy actions are
curated and promoted on TakePart.
Source: documentary.org
As is mentioned on the Race2BHuman blog:
Film critic Joseph Jon Lanthier pointed out: “TakePart not only moves these discussions
forward through the social activism propagated by
“Unique to Participant’s model is its devotion to the films they promote, but also provides direction
content that entertains first and compels social on what you can do for almost any aspect of your
change second, a prioritization that speaks less life to live healthier, more aware, and more a part of
to the commercial nature of the company than to positive change in our country.”
the order in which audiences are inspired to get
involved.”
Michael Reynolds, Executive Director of the
Center for Digital Storytelling in Canada, explains
why storytelling is an effective tool in inspiring
action:
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4. TakePart – social advocacy
platform
TakePart provides a stream of original Most blog posts are accompanied with a “Take
content – blog posts and videos – on issues Action” button:
aroundenvironment and wildlife, health and
“Just think: Every day, millions of people read
food, culture and social justice. The platform also
stories around the web that make them wish
curates content around the same topics.
they could do something about the issue they
just learned about. That’s where the TakePart
Take Action button comes in. It matches inspiring
content to relevant and credible actions you can
take to make a difference. We’ve partnered with the
leading organizations across dozens of fields to
deliver trustworthy actions intended for real good.”
As an example, here are the actions linked
to a blog post on captivity and mistreatment
of marine wildlife – also the subject of the
Participant Media production The Cove:
Source: takepart.com
Source: takepart.com
TakePart pledges are structurally similar to crowdfunding campaigns, displaying amount of time left to
raise support and progress made towards the goal. The “Take Action” section of the website provides an
overview of all ongoing pledges and petition.
Volume 2, Issue 8, Future of Participant Media +
January - March, 2013 Citizenship TakePart

5. Source: http://www.takepart.com/actions/sign-keep-promise-aids-pledge
Another interesting aspect of the TakePart platform is the Impact Dashboard, which lets people keep
track of their actions:
“The Impact Dashboard is where you can track
the progress of all the actions you take, discover
new actions, and find recent news and information
related to important causes.”
Source: takepart.com/cove/takeaction
The Action Center for A Place at the Table
shows the faces and stories of people who have
benefitted from food assistance, mobilizes
people to sign a petition, call their local
congressman and offers resources for people in
need of help. People can also stay up to date via
email newsletter and SMS.
Source: dashboard.takepart.com
TakePart – action centers
TakePart also creates a microsite or “action
center” for each film it promotes. For instance,
the Action Center for The Cove provides
background around the issue and lists the steps
people can take to contribute to a solution.
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6. Source: actioncenter.takepart.com/apatt
Some TakePart campaigns use elements
of transmedia storytelling to create a more
interactive and social experience. About.com’s
Kristina Duda describes the action center for the
film Contagion:
“If you visit Take Part’s website, you can find a
wealth of information about pandemics. You
will see interactive maps about where disease
outbreaks are occurring in the world. You can
take a quiz to discover how much you know about
pandemic diseases. You can learn about “Virus
Hunters” - the people who track the viruses that
have the potential to develop into pandemics and
work tirelessly to prevent that from happening. You Source: deadline.com
can even track Patient X through Facebook and
discover a whole new meaning to the term “going Participant Media also recently announced the
viral.” upcoming launch of Pivot – a TV channel aimed
at millennials – in August 2013.
Next steps - Reaching out to
AdAge’s Maureen Maurrison noted:
millennials
“Media companies, too, are catering to millennials.
In October 2012, Participant Media launched Participant Media, the company behind films like
YouTube channel TakePartTV to expand its “Lincoln” and “The Help,” is launching a cable
social reach. The channel features original video network targeting the demographic this summer
content and shows such as daily news show Brain positioned as a vehicle for content that inspires
Food Daily, and American Savage featuring Dan social change. Participant believes the generation
Savage (founder of It Gets Better). has the strong desire and capacity to help change
the world.”
Volume 2, Issue 8, Future of Participant Media +
January - March, 2013 Citizenship TakePart

7. Not only does the company need to prove its
impact on driving real change, it also needs to
prove its model is financially sustainable.
As Forbes’ Kerry Dolan noted:
“The financial success of the Participant Network
is far from guaranteed, particularly given the
difficulties that Oprah Winfrey has had with OWN,
the Oprah Winfrey Network. Skoll has deep
pockets, though, and is passionate about using
Source: What is Pivot? media to influence change.”
While some thinkers are skeptical about After a conversation with Participant Media CEO
Participant Media’s foray into entertainment Jim Berk, NY Times journalist Michael Cieply
platforms, others believe that disruptive video noted:
will be a game-changer for brands in 2013.
“In measuring its success, Participant sometimes
Deadline.com’s David Lieberman wrote: resorts to an unusual standard: On losers, the
company assesses whether Mr. Skoll could have
“The mission is admirable. But after seeing Current
exerted more impact simply by spending his money
TV’s struggles, I wonder whether the socially
philanthropically.”
conscious film and TV production company can
attract many young YouTube viewers to a channel
that focuses on weighty subjects including
the elections, the environment, sexism and
homelessness.”
Forbes contributor Kare Anderson speculated on
opportunities for brands to partner with TakePart
TV:
“Your organization might co-sponsor a
crowdsourcing campaign to spur action related
to the movie’s message, or crowdfunding of
related project. Alternatively it could be co-hosting
premieres, or your products as prizes for those with
proof of advance ticket purchase to bring a group of
their friends to the movie, the first week it is out. Or
co-host a part of the TakePart TV YouTube channel
for people to post their short videos of what they
most liked about the movie and the action they will
take as a consequence of seeing it.”
Measuring success
Participant Media, like othersocial good
campaigns, faces a challenge when it comes to
measuring success.
Participant Media’s EVP of social action and
advocacy Chad Boettcher commented:
“We’re moving more towards measuring outcomes.
Did the film actually move towards impact? One
of the keywords we’re looking at now is ‘shift.’ What
shifted from before the film to after? And can
we maintain that shift? It’s great if we can make
change in the short term, but how do we sustain
it?”
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8. People’s Lab:
Crowdsourcing Innovation & Insights
People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary comment on other people’s content and
crowdsourcing platform and approach that collaborate to find innovative solutions.
helps organizations tap into people’s insights for
innovation, storytelling and change. The People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform
and approach forms the core of our distinctive
The People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform insights and foresight approach, which consists
helps organizations build and nurture public of four elements: organic conversation analysis,
or private, web or mobile, hosted or white MSLGROUP’s own insight communities, client-
label communities around four pre-configured specific insights communities, and ethnographic
application areas: Expertise Request Network, deep dives into these communities. The People’s
Innovation Challenge Network, Research & Insights Quarterly Magazines showcase our
Insights Network and Contest & Activation capability in crowdsourcing and analyzing
Network. Our community and gaming features insights from conversations and communities.
encourage people to share rich content, vote/
Learn more about us at:
peopleslab.mslgroup.com | twitter.com/peopleslab

9. For People’s Lab solutions, contact
pascal.beucler@mslgroup.com