Financial Pledges for “Stand In My Shoes” Launches on Kickstarter
Sydney Australia, September 12, 2012….
The question of corporate empathy” is a key focus area in new social change film “Stand In My Shoes”, which has launched today on international crowd-funding platform, www.kickstarter.com. To be directed by long time Michael Moore collaborator Kurt Engfehr, (Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Yes Men; Fat Sick and Nearly Dead) the film’s financial pledge launch comes on the eve of Apple’s release of the iPhone 5 and The New York Times reports of continued un-empathic practices at Apple’s outsourced operation, Fox Conn.
Apple’s is one company which socially conscious film-makers Anna Reeves, Elizabeth Nakano and Vivienne Somers, hope to capture in their film “Stand In My Shoes”, a 90 minute crowd-fuelled film exposing the world’s empathy deficit and how a new counter-movement of social change leaders are using empathy to transform lives.
The team is exploring an innovative approach to improve corporate empathy at Apple with Dr James Stoxen, Chiropractor to the stars, including Anthony Field (the Blue Wiggle), Cirque De Soleil, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West. Dr Stoxen wants to help to re-design shoes for the Apple/Fox Conn workers to help alleviate their physical suffering as a first step.
“Having worked with thousands of patients who spend long hours on their feet, I can say with confidence I have seen incredible improvements in their overall wellbeing by recommending different footwear to improve alignment. I believe this is a positive practical solution which could help reduce overall fatigue, chronic foot inflammation and pain that could alleviate some of their suffering to a degree. It would also show that companies like Apple are prepared to practice empathy for everyone in their supply chain who are contributing to their global success” said Dr James Stoxen.
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, Founder and President, of www.SumOfUs.org which ran a 200,000 supporter strong nationwide campaign calling for Apple to create the world’s first ethical iPhone, remains unsure, citing reports of unethical worker treatment. http://ethicaliphone.org/img/china-labor-watch-report.pdf “The issues are ongoing,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman before going on to pledge support for “Stand In My Shoes”.
“This is an interesting time for corporate structures. Corporations, like humans, have a mind (board of directors) and a body (shareholders) but unlike humans, they have no limbic system – the part of us that makes us wired to care. Increasingly due to social media, they are being required to interact with us socially, which is redefining our relationship with them” said the film’s makers.
In an age of transparency, corporations have greater social responsibility, says high profile interviewee in the film, Craig Davis, former COO of J Walter Thompson Global and founder of www.Brandkarma.org – a ground-breaking start-up, which rates brands behaviour in the marketplace.
“Companies like Apple are massively powerful, many have more economic muscle than entire countries. With that comes a great responsibility to look into the impacts that they are having on communities, cultures and the physical environment. Everything’s on the record and there’s nowhere to hide. Comfortable or not, companies have to put themselves in other people’s shoes.”
For the team of filmmakers – the question of whether true corporate empathy can be achieved may lie in understanding the science of empathy. They are the first film crew to follow a unique pilot study into empathy, led by acclaimed neuroscientist, Professor William Mobley. He has recently established the Science & Education Centre for Empathy and Compassion at the University of California, San Diego, which will be conducting some of the world’s first cognitive empathy experiments, with the aim of creating the tools for positive human behavioural change.
“Imagine if our governments and corporations were more informed by empathy and compassion. I think empathy and compassion research could give us the ability to enhance these centres in the brain which could change the world” said Professor William Mobley.
Funds committed via www.Kickstarter.com will go towards an innovative online storytelling platform, developed specifically for the film to capture stories of social change leaders in communities from all over the world – a form of empathy in action.
Already slated for premiere in January 2014, “Stand In My Shoes” will have a multi-platform online release at Sundance with theatrical planned for both Australia and the US in the same year. A portion of the film’s proceeds will go toward the research work for the Science & Education Center for Empathy and Compassion, founded by Professor William Mobley.
VIEW TRAILER AND PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT ON KICKSTARTER: