Jeff Skoll Makes Movies That Matter

I chose Jeffrey Skoll’s TED Talk, in which he describes his independent film company, Participant Media. Participant produces films and documentaries that attempt to make a difference in the world by raising awareness about particular events or issues, historical or contemporary. A few of the more significant films it has produced are The Informant!, An Inconvenient Truth, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Visitor, Good Night, and Good Luck., and Syriana. This Talk interested me because I hope to work in the film industry and I thought this was the most interesting film-related Talk. Skoll’s description of his goals and his explanation of how Participant Media got started were fascinating and inspiring because of the way he was able to very successfully blend film, social awareness, and philanthropy.

Skoll was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1965. When he was fourteen, his father was diagnosed with cancer. It was at this point that his father told him that he regretted not having accomplished all his goals in life—a sentiment which has driven Skoll ever since. In his TED Talk, he cites his father’s regret as being instrumental to the perseverance he has in business and in life.

In 1987, Skoll graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program. After travelling for a while, he started two companies in Toronto: Skoll Engineering and Micros on the Move Ltd. In 1993, he enrolled in Stanford Business School and after graduating in 1995 he worked at Knight-Ridder for about a year. In 1996, he met Pierre Omidyar—the founder of eBay—who subsequently hired him as president of the company and Skoll created the company’s business plan. He remained president of eBay until 1998. Six years later, he founded Participant Productions (now called Participant Media) with the goal of producing socially relevant films with wide commercial appeal. The company has since earned 11 Oscar nominations in addition to raising awareness of several social issues. For example, An Inconvenient Truth has expanded the discussion of global warming and is now screened in schools around the world. North Country, starring Charlize Theron and released in 2005, was a relative commercial failure but is nevertheless credited with rallying support in Washington for the renewal of the 2005 Violence Against Women Act.

Skoll’s life and choices display an enormous amount of determination, courage, creativity, and resourcefulness. He has routinely invested in, as he puts it, “good people doing good things” and that philosophy has paid off. As he says in his Talk, Hollywood is a ruthless business environment, but he was willing and able to successfully build a company that is not only financially prosperous, but also culturally significant. His generosity and intelligence have allowed him to make a difference in the world through film, which is truly incredible.

In college, I hope to major in Media and Cultural Studies (with a focus in Film Studies), International Studies, and/or Political Science. I would love to intern or work at a film company or a newspaper/publication of some sort during college because I’m interested in film, writing, and politics. The first job I would apply for would also be in one of those fields, but I am not sure what that would be. To be honest, I don’t know enough about the film industry or my own talents to know specifically what I’d like to do in film. My main goal in college is really learning about things that I enjoy, not training myself for a specific job. I am also considering going to law school because my experience with the Mock Trial team at Saint Francis as well as my Government class this semester have gotten me interested in law and politics. I realize, though, that all these plans are tentative because a lot of people’s interests change in their first couple years of college; all I know at this point is that I want to end up doing a job that I really love.

Allison Foraker - Jeff Skoll Makes Movies That Matter

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jeff_skoll_makes_movies_that_make_change.html

In his TED Talk, Jeff Skoll addresses his how he has approached his life in order to make a difference throughout the world. From a teenager, Jeff knew that he wanted to make an impact on the global community, but he did not know how he was going to go about this. After several years of trying to start his own companies, Jeff realized that he needed to go back to school. Once he received his new degree, he was approached to be apart of another startup company, eBay. He soon rose to the top and became president. After finally making the money he needed to make a difference, Jeff Skoll transitioned to Hollywood. He began a movie production company, Participant Productions. He defied the doubters, who believed he would not make it in the movie business, as he rolled out films such like An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc., and Waiting for Superman. He chooses to produce movies that will promote social change and make a difference in the world. His goal was to tell stories that would make people want to act differently through widespread viewing. Skoll wanted people to not only watch the movies but to want to get involved. They were able to join the advocacy groups that accompanied the movies and become involved. I think that Jeff Skoll’s idea is incredibly interesting as I have been an active volunteer and have an interest in film and media. Skoll was able to combine my two passions in order to enlighten people about world issues and provoke change. In the world today, it is hard for people to make a living on just giving back to the community. That’s why I find it inspiring how Jeff Skoll was able to make enough money to support his passion before solely dedicating himself to making such films. He was able to make it all work.

Jeff Skoll was the first president of eBay.com. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1987 after studying electrical engineering. After creating many start-up companies and failing, Skoll decided to attend Stanford Business School. He graduated with his MBA in 1995 and met Pierre Omidyar, the man with whom he would create eBay with, in 1996. The Two created eBay.com and Skoll remained the president until Meg Whitman took over. After funding the Skoll Foundation for social entrepreneurship, Jeff became interested in moving to Hollywood to start a career in the film industry. He then created the Participant Productions film company. Skoll definitely jumped from being a business executive to a film producer wanting to make a change in the world. These careers have crossovers with finance but otherwise they are at two ends of the spectrum. However, Jeff Skoll used his creativity to make the jump from business to film. Skoll is the Executive Producer of Participant Productions, which now has made twenty-six films. His compassion for humanity has lead him to expose issues in order to try and change the world.

I chose this TED talk because I am fascinated with how Jeff Skoll is making a difference in the world. In the fall of 2011, I will be attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Tulane I am going to study communications with a focus in media and film studies. I also hope to minor in environmental studies as I feel that the environmental and becoming more ecologically sustainable is the future for our world. Also, at Tulane I will be required to fulfill forty hours of community service each year with an organization related to my major. I plan on volunteering for the New Orleans Film Society by working and being involved with the annual film festival. This was one of the driving forces of why I chose to attend Tulane over the other options that I had. I hope to one day be involved with broadcasting or working at a widely read magazine, such as The Rolling Stone. I want to be able to be in a position where I have enough power to spread a message and encourage social change in order to make the world a more peaceful place.