Last week, our CEO Ben Keesey spoke on behalf on Invisible Children at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. The panel was part of the Media that Moves Millions conference and included several other prominent individuals whose campaigns have sparked massive international support. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff and United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin were among the panelists. After presenting a recap of MOVE:DC, Ben spoke of the progress that’s been made and the focus moving forward:
“In the last two years, killings by the LRA have decreased 67%. It’s a story of progress but it’s not done yet. There are few moments in our lives or in the space of humanitarian affairs and international justice where you can see concrete successes. The LRA is a chance for that. We can see Joseph Kony captured and the permanent end of LRA violence. We can get it to zero. Zero is a powerful number. Successful completion provides momentum that we can build on. We talk a lot about momentum and positivity because we believe that nothing is more motivating than progress.”
When asked if the context of documentary storytelling was changing, Nicholas Kristoff credited Invisible Children with getting it right:
“People who are selling a product know that they have to focus in incredible storytelling. People who are involved in an issue that is really important tend to think that ‘this is really important, so I don’t need to worry about making something that’s interesting or engaging.’ People don’t sell malaria nets with the same professionalism that they sell Coca-Cola, even though it is so much more important. One of the things that’s striking about KONY 2012 is the professionalism of it.”
You can view the panel in its entirety here:
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