Our founder, Jeff Skoll, just wrote an essay on Forbes reporter Kerry Dolan’s page about the power of a good story. An excerpt:
“When I was a kid, I read a lot. By the time I was a teenager I formed a view that the world of the future might not be pleasant, with overpopulation, competition for resources and terrible new weapons and wars. I wanted to be a writer and tell stories to get people interested in the big issues. I didn’t think that would be the best way to make a living, though, so I decided to become an entrepreneur. Fortunately I was the first full-time employee and president of eBay. When the company went public in 1998, I suddenly had more resources than I could imagine.
A few years later I revisited my childhood dream of telling stories that would change the world. I realized I didn’t have to write them myself but could hire writers and, better still, turn stories into movies, TV shows and other forms.
In 2004 I started Participant Media to tell stories to inspire and compel social change. I was met with encouraging remarks like, ‘The streets of Hollywood are littered with the carcasses of people who thought they were going to make movies in this town.” Or, “The surest way to become a millionaire is to start as a billionaire and go into the movie business.”
In 2005 we released our first four movies: Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, Murderball and North Country. They earned 11 Oscar nominations.”
Read the rest: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2013/11/13/participant-media-founder-jeff-skoll-on-the-power-of-a-good-story/
