Initiative For Debate And Action To Change Corporate Control

Since the film's inception almost 8 years ago, Katherine Dodds (who is featured on Disc 1 talking about grassroots marketing) has been spearheading the initiatives to connect with individuals and organizations working on the issues raised within the film. She is the force behind our website. Kat is a "social issue marketer" and my conversations with her about the potential impact of films, media, and the web began what seems like eons ago in relation to my previous film, "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" (made with Peter Wintonick). That film has continued to inspire activism and debate for over a decade and we hope The Corporation will have same kind of lifespan. Kat has, for many years, put issues before income and with her small team at Good Company Communications she continues to be dedicated to the mission to see that this film actually has an impact on the corporate institution itself. But I'll let Kat explain her current Corporation DVD House Party campaign... All the best - Mark Achbar PS. If you just want to buy the DVD - buying it from www.HelloCoolStuff.com (a recipient of "The Corporation Seal Of Approval") linked off TheCorporation.com homepage will support this, and other grassroots campaigns! CORPORATION DVD HOUSE PARTIES AND DEBATE: HARNESSING MOMENTUM TO BUILD A MOVEMENT Dear friends, As I am sure you all know the DVD is out!! And we don't need your help to sell it, because it seems to be flying off the shelves. We do need your help to ensure that this film has an impact where it is really needed - something that can't be measured by box office and sales reports! We need you to gather around the DVD, in your homes, (or offices) and decide what should be done about this far too powerful institution. By participating in a house party you'll also get the best deal on offer for a copy of the DVD. (Cheaper than Amazon.com) Cheap enough to give away to those you think who might need to see it! The beauty of the house party model is that it's fun, easy to organize, and we hope effective in making a difference. I've jokingly described house parties as "the new Tupperware" - and the metaphor is appropriate to an ironic twist on corporate strategies. But this time, it's not a pyramid scheme in terms of profit motives. It's more akin to the old fashioned phone-tree, with the newer power of the web to network, to connect, and to provide an opportunity for feedback. If we can generate 1000 house parties across North America, and they have on average 10 people attending - then we have 10,000 people brainstorming about what we can do to effect change. If each of those 10,000 people forward the email about our campaign to 10 more...well you get the picture! But we aren't merely interested in proving that we can throw a great party! I am also personally committed to taking all the feedback from the house parties and creating a feed-forward loop - shaping the ideas that are generated and shape them into a "Framework For Action" document, leading to a campaign to reduce corporate harm. We will be collecting online feedback from partygoers to this end. We are also in this process building an online grassroots network through http://www.HelloCoolWorld.com, which we hope will be a useful service for this campaign, and many others to come. We'd like you to see this as YOUR network - registering allows you to choose the kinds of info you'd like to receive in future, which films and campaigns you'd like to hear about, and what level of involvement you'd like to have. MAY 7, 2005 IS THE DAY TO PARTY! While party hosts are free to pick any date that works for them, we have designated May 7, 2005 as the "official" collaborative rethink and "Debate The Corporation Day." We encourage people to host or attend a party that day, and tune in to a special live online forum on what we should do with the corporate form. Representatives of the three "official" positions (Reform, Regulate, Rewrite) will each pitch their case. If you don't want to be part of an actual party you can join in or observe the online debate by registering on the HelloCoolWorld.com Grassroots network. Check out www.thecorporation,com/debate for info and updates and how to log in. This is a terrific opportunity to consolidate the momentum from The Corporation's release onto DVD into a campaign, and this is our diabolical scheme. (That would be "diabolical" in the angel/devil corporation logo sense!) We truly hope that we can launch a collaborative, creative process - worldwide - to rethink what the corporation means, and how to diminish its power over people and the planet. Please join us in this project! Cheers, Katherine Dodds Campaign Strategist INFO ABOUT THE DVD HOUSE PARTY CAMPAIGN & DEBATE AT: http://www.TheCorporation.com/DEBATE Find all this and more! Check out our DVD House Party Public Service Announcement Join the DVD House Parties! We are inviting individuals & organizations from all across North America to host and attend Corporation DVD House Parties to discuss solutions to the problems of corporate misrule. Rethink The Corporation DEBATE Saturday May 7th is the official DEBATE THE CORPORATION DAY. At 10PM EST/ 7PM PST we are you to visit http://www.TheCorporation.com/DEBATE to view an online debate on whether we should REWRITE, REGULATE or REFORM the corporation. Volunteer to spread the word! Read about our debate sponsors like Amnesty International USA! For further info on house parties, feel free to check out our last newsletter: http://thecorporation.com/index.php?page_id=60 Regards from The Corporation Grassroots team