@TEDx Pomotac
We recently were proud to help produce a TEDx presentation by Frances Moore Lappé that tackled one of the central questions of our age. (Note: we did not produce the video itself)
Watch:
Latest Entries
The Secret History of the Original Tea Party
We’re proud to announce the launch of the first in a series of viral web shorts we’re producing around the new book by author (and founder’s mom) Frances Moore Lappé, Getting a Grip 2. What were the original Teabaggers fighting against? What is the Coffee Party and how are they trying to change the conversation? How can you find out more about bipartisan, citizen solutions to our fractured democracy? Watch this, for starters:
The video was on the Huffington Post, the Coffee Party web site and aired as part of Frances’ appearance on Laura Flanders’ GritTV. Watch here.
HolyWars Premieres
We’re proud to announce the premiere of HolyWars, the new film from director Stephen Marshall. Marshall was a partner with Invisible Hand’s Anthony Lappé at GNN. Together they made BattleGround, the award-winning Showtime doc about Iraq. Over four years in the making HolyWars follows two men on a mission from God – an Irish jihadist and an American Christian fundamentalist. The film took Marshall to Iran, the UK, Lebanon, the bible-thumping American Midwest and Taliban-ridden northwestern Pakistan. When the two men’s worlds collide, one has a paradigm-shifting transformation. It’s a powerful and timely film. Lappé was honored to play a role as an informal advisor on the film, hosting a special screening at his home of an early cut.
Helping to do Good by Doing Good
Great article by the Times David Gonzalez on Somos Arte, a design firm doing in print what we strive to do in video. They designed the beautiful site for my sister’s last book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen.
Clinton, Cameron, Sedona, Iran and OLE
It’s been a busy week here at the Hand. Anthony Lappé attended a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative on Haiti as a representative of client OLE. Producer Pete Demas is in Arizona at the Sedona Film Festival with his multiple-award-winning documentary film, War Against the Weak. We’re excited to report that new client Access Now was featured in the International Herald Tribune. Environmental activist Han Shan writes in the Huffington Post about some cryptic advice we recently gave him. And we are proud to release our latest video, the second in a series of shorts for friends at the Open Learning Exchange highlighting their global network of social entrepreneurs:
Finally, here’s an animation of the Access Now logo we did as part of a larger project for that important and groundbreaking organization that’s working to secure digital freedom in countries like Iran:
New video release: The OLE Nepal Story
INVISIBLE HAND is proud to announce the release of a new documentary short featuring the work of two amazing organizations, The Open Learning Exchange (OLE) and the UN World Food Program Nepal (WFP). The film tells the story of how OLE’s innovative educational project in Nepal is transforming the life of one girl, and thousands like her, in some of that country’s most remote villages. OLE has helped thousands of poor students across Nepal get laptops made by the One Laptop Per Child organization. But getting the laptops was just the first step. OLE Nepal realized that hardware without engaging software is dead weight. So they went to work creating open source educational exercises that would both educate and inspire Nepali kids. They teamed up with the government of Nepal to ensure their exercises were helping teachers teach required subjects, not distracting from them. They also teamed up with the World Food Program, in a groundbreaking partnership to deploy the laptops to some of the most remote areas in Nepal (when you say “remote” in Nepal, they really mean remote!). Recently, the One Laptop Per Child program has been criticized by educational experts and the media for failing to live up to its promise. This project may prove to be a model to how the program can move forward.
In producing this outreach video, the first for OLE, we worked closely with the organization’s leadership team to find a story that illustrated their unique, country-based approach that relies on local talent and knowledge to get the best results for kids in their country.
The primary targets for this video are governments, potential organizational partners and educators, as well as potential funding sources.
The film is a joint production with the WFP, which provided air and ground transportation, production support and translation services.
This is the first video in a long-term partnership with OLE that will include promos and additional documentary shorts.
Watch the video:
Simple messages, for good and evil
Here’s an example of how a simple message can be incredibly powerful. This direct plea to the CEO of Chevron Texaco from the people of Ecuador was produced by our friends at Rickshaw Films.
And here’s another example of effective messaging, this time from the friendly people behind high fructose corn syrup: Sweetsurprise.com
Notice how the first Sweetsurprise video plays off the racial dynamic of the white liberal know-it-all being called out by the authentic, down-to-earth black woman.
An INVISIBLE HAND Manifesto (of sorts)
Everyone loves to credit Adam Smith as the godfather of capitalism. He is, but not in the way you might think. Smith’s Wealth of Nations, as my friend Doug Rushkoff writes in his new book, Life Inc., was actually an attack on crown-chartered behemoths like the East India Trading Company – the harbingers of today’s Halliburtons. His “invisible hand” of self-interest was not the unfettered greed of today’s Wall Street “fat cats” sucking money out of the productive economy and into their yachts. As Rushkoff writes, Smith dreamed of “an economy dominated by local, independently run farms and businesses.” Smith was “against the unfair practices of early transnational corporations, which were operating on a level completely removed from the real affairs of people and the proper stewardship of resources.” Sounds familiar, eh?
Capitalism can kill. But it can also breed incredible innovation and creativity. Web 2.0 technologies are leveling the playing field more and more every day between the mega-corporations who once seemed to have a stranglehold on everything we read, watch and hear and the rest of us. There has never been a more exciting time to be in the business of creating media.
Here at INVISIBLE HAND, we believe that to do good, you need to tell your story. You can’t rely on the sanctity of your mission or the cuteness of baby seals. Most of you already know this. But unfortunately when resources are scare it can be difficult to find a media firm that can live up to your noble purpose. That’s why we created INVISIBLE HAND. We’re lean. We’re hungry. And we’re here to help progressives like yourselves compete (yes, we use that word around here) in the increasingly free market of ideas. Smith would be proud.
Welcome!
Welcome to INVISIBLE HAND, a new digital production company based in downtown Manhattan. This is the Beta launch of our site. We hope you enjoyed our reel. To read more about who we are and what we’re up to, go to our About page.
Note our reel compilation includes the principals’ previous work in addition to our most recent INVISIBLE HAND projects. Here’s a breakdown of what you see:
Motion graphics/Animation:
Various projects, including Avaaz TV spots, branding for Science Channel, War Against the Weak documentary
Advocacy:
“Obama Peace Plan,” Avaaz, Web/TV ad. Aired on all major American broadcast networks during Sunday morning news talk shows.
“The OLE Nepal Project,” Open Learning Learning Exchange, United Nations World Food Programm, Web short
“Faith in Exile,” Milarepa Fund/Tibetan Freedom Concert, Web short
“Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America,” IAVA, Web short/Live presentation
Feature Documentary:
“BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire’s Edge,” Showtime
“War Against the Weak,” Sale pending
“Third Wave,” Limited theatrical release
Promos:
“Viva Bond,” AMC
“Shooting War,” Grand Central Publishing, Online book promo
Non-fiction Television:
“Brink: Astronaut Training,” CBS News Productions for the Science Channel
“Soundtrack to Your Life: Sofia’s Story,” MMUSA (later known as Fuse)
For more information on each project, see our Work page.
