Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Invites Fans to Participate in Social Campaign to Raise $100K for Firefighters
PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire
Feb. 13, 2018, 05:34 PM
CULVER CITY, Calif., Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- To help support brave firefighters like those depicted in the film Only the Brave, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is teaming with the social change platform Pixhug™ to raise up to $100K for the Granite Mountain Fund, an organization that drives donations to support firefighters. Pixhug and their sponsor, TheBayFestival.org, kicked off the nationwide initiative with a $50K donation. In an effort to double the donation, fans are invited to turn their "likes" into money to support firefighters. Fans can like Jeff Bridges'Facebook post to help!
"With the inspiring and heroic effort to battle recent horrific wildfires and mudslides in California, we are thankful for organizations such as the Granite Mountain Fund that offer support for firefighters, first responders, and their families," says Hans Koch, Executive Producer of TheBayFestival.org. "Only the Brave is an emotionally captivating film that speaks to the dangers of the brave firefighters the Granite Mountain Fund hopes to support with this important social campaign."
Pixhug is a social change platform that connects social media with social responsibility by uniting people with causes and the companies that support them. The app turns "likes" into donations, giving everyone the power to make a difference simply by sharing and liking photos and videos. With every photo posted to the Pixhug™ social platform users can then choose a charitable campaign to donate all their likes to, such as the Granite Mountain Fund. Every like is worth 10 cents, and the money is donated by TheBayFestival.org.
"We have reached an exciting point in time where a powerful story, like the one told in Only the Brave, not only depicts a real-life event but, through Pixhug, allows its audience to engage with and support the cause alongside the stars of the movie," says Mido DeSanti, Founder, CEO of PixHug.
To use the Pixhug app to support the Granite Mountain Fund:
- Download the Pixhug app from the iTunes store or Google Play
- Select the "ONLY THE BRAVE" campaign
- Tap "Support this cause"
- Take a photo and post it on Pixhug and Facebook and the sponsor will donate 10 cents for every like you get!
- Granite Mountain Fund, the philanthropic initiative of the film Only the Brave, drives donations to support firefighting as well as the towns and families connected to and impacted by hotshots and their work. Donations for The Granite Mountain Fund will benefit the following organizations: Wildland Firefighter Foundation, Eric Marsh Foundation, Kevin Woyjeck Explorers Foundation, Prescott Firefighter's Charities, California Fire Foundation and Carry The Load. The Granite Mountain Fund is partnered with the Tides Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. 98.5% of the donations raised through the Tides Foundation will go directly to the charities the fund supports. Tides will receive a 1.5% administrative fee.
Based on the true American story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots that gave their lives to protect their community, ONLY THE BRAVE is an intense tale of brotherhood, sacrifice and inspiration. ONLY THE BRAVE was shot and mastered in 4K and debuts on digital and 4K digital with HDR* January 23 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 6 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Certified "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, the acclaimed ensemble cast includes Academy Award® nominee Josh Brolin(Best Supporting Actor, Milk, 2008), Miles Teller (Whiplash), Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges (Best Actor, Crazy Heart, 2009), James Badge Dale (The Departed), with Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights") and Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly (Best Supporting Actress, A Beautiful Mind, 2001). The Blu-ray and DVD also include digital versions of the movie, redeemable via the all-new Movies Anywhere App.
Synopsis:
ONLY THE BRAVE, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of a team of local firefighters who – through hope, determination and sacrifice – become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the nation. Starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Taylor Kitsch, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale and Jennifer Connelly, the firefighters forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus as they fight a fateful fire to protect our lives, our homes and everything we hold dear.
Based on the GQ article "No Exit" by Sean Flynn, ONLY THE BRAVEwas directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer. The film was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Menchel, Erik Howsam, Molly Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Dawn Ostroff and Jeremy Steckler and executive produced by Ellen H. Schwartz.
Bonus Materials Include:- Deleted Scenes
- Feature Audio Commentary with Director Joseph Kosinski and Josh Brolin
- Featurettes:
- "Honoring the Heroes: The True Stories"
- "Behind the Brotherhood: The Characters"
- "Boot Camp: Becoming a Hotshot"
- Dierks Bentley featuring S. Carey's "Hold The Light" Music Video & Featurette
The Movies Anywhere Digital App simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-ray™ and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere is available only in the United States.
Academy Award® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
*4K Digital with HDR Available at Select Digital Retailers
ABOUT SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE's Motion Picture Group includes film labels Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com
Social-change platform Pixhug fights cyber-bullying and hate speech by sponsoring "A Common Good Project"
October 2nd 2017
Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, CA -- Pixhug, an online social-change platform that turns "slacktivism" into activism, is supporting National Bullying Prevention Month by sponsoring "A Common Good Project" (ACGP), a non-profit that combats online abuse, hate-speech, and bullying.
Pixhug is a two year old photo-sharing app that turns social actions such as likes and posts on social platforms into 10-cent donations to charities. Pixhug partners with corporate sponsors who fund the charities, which enables everyone with a smartphone to become a social activist and philanthropist without making a monetary contribution. The sponsors' donations are contributed to benefit specific charities or causes so that anyone who posts or likes a photo in the campaign helps to maximize the donations of the corporate sponsor.
“We know that the most active demographic on social media wants to support causes but doesn’t necessarily have the financial means," Mido DeSanti, Pixhug co-founder, added. "So we built Pixhug to allow them to participate in charitable giving, facilitating random acts of kindness on social media.”
“We are delighted to harness the cyber-power of social media to fuel ACGP's innovative tools to combat cyber-bullying," said Mia Rajkovic, Pixhug co-founder.
A Common Good Project is a non-profit on a mission to stop cyber bullying and online harassment. ACGP offers legal support to victims of cyber bullying who are financially unable to advocate for themselves, and will be releasing free software tools to protect individuals from abusive behaviour online. "We are committed to ending the cycle of hate speech and cyber harassment that affects our Internet on a global scale," said Flynn Adams. "These funds will also help to provide legal support for those who lack the resources to combat the suffering endured from both civil and criminal cyber-harassment.”
“We are calling on other brands to join Pixhug to match this sponsorship in the fight against cyber-bullying and inviting everyone to support this initiative by downloading the Pixhug iOS app,” DeSanti said. “Our own company was the victim of corporate cyber-bullying, and our goal is to help prevent this experience from happening to others. Technology has created the problem of cyber-bullying, and we need technology to help solve it, while giving people the tools to be socially active and supporting causes of all kinds via the Pixhug platform.”
About Pixhug
Pixhug is an app that was created to elevate awareness of charitable causes, support philanthropy, and make giving easier and more effective than ever before. By harnessing the power of social media and photo sharing, Pixhug brings charities and sponsors together through a unique and fun user engagement. Pixhug is online at https://www.pixhug.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pixhug/. The app is available from Apple’s App Store for iOS devices.
About A Common Good Project
Founded in 2017 by technology veterans Flynn Adams and James Thomason, A Common Good Project (ACGP) is a nonprofit based in California that is dedicated to solving the worldwide problem of cyber bullying and online harassment. ACGP advocates for victims of abuse, by raising awareness and sponsoring new legislation and emerging technology to protect individuals from harmful behaviour online. Website: http://aCommonGoodProject.com
About National Bullying Prevention Month
National Bullying Prevention Month, founded by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Centre, is a campaign in the United States held during the month of October. It unites communities nationwide to educate, and to raise awareness of bullying prevention. National Bullying Prevention Month is recognized in communities across the U.S., with hundreds of schools and organizations as partners. PACER is a registered non-profit agency. (http://www.pacer.org/about/PACERfacts.asp)
For further information, contact:
Maryam Marissen at 1-604-559-2484
ABOUT PIXHUG'S TEAM
Mido DeSanti - Co-Founder
Both a social entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mido DeSanti's pursuit of happiness revolves around helping others, leading him to start Pixhug, a social media platform that “enables everyone with a smartphone to become a philanthropist.” DeSanti has spoken on the importance of social entrepreneurship at McGill University in Montreal and Columbia Business School in New York City. He sits on the board of Julian Lennon's The White Feather Foundation and is an executive adviser to The Walking School Bus, a Canadian charity removing obstacles to education in rural Uganda.
Mia Rajkovic - Co-Founder
Mia Rajkovic was born in Croatia, and experienced civil war in this multi-confessional and multicultural state. As civil society broke down in her home country, she eventually moved to Austria to study. Following her education in psychology and marketing, Rajkovic embarked on a professional career in public relations, which saw her rise to a senior executive position at Mercedes Benz. Rajkovic decided, along with her partner, to found Pixhug Media Inc. in 2012. Starting with the idea of the "Like," the goal behind the creation of Pixhug was to "monetize the 'Like' and other social actions for good causes”.
Richard Cooperstein - Executive Advisor
Richard Cooperstein has been an executive advisor of the company since 2016. He is Senior Managing Partner of Media Investment Group, a global investment and advisory firm, experts in the media and technology sectors. Mr. Cooperstein was the original head of international business development and strategy at Facebook. He was also a former senior executive and/or special advisor to Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, Paramount Pictures and HBO International. Functioning in a role similar to that of an executive chair, Mr. Cooperstein is responsible for establishing Pixhug’s strategy, and helping recruit the team and execute its business plan. As a globally recognized, experienced executive, and entrepreneur, Mr. Cooperstein was drawn to Pixhug specifically because of its overriding ambition to create tools that help generate more extensive and vibrant corporate charitable giving on the social Internet.
Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, CA -- Pixhug, an online social-change platform that turns "slacktivism" into activism, is supporting National Bullying Prevention Month by sponsoring "A Common Good Project" (ACGP), a non-profit that combats online abuse, hate-speech, and bullying.
Pixhug is a two year old photo-sharing app that turns social actions such as likes and posts on social platforms into 10-cent donations to charities. Pixhug partners with corporate sponsors who fund the charities, which enables everyone with a smartphone to become a social activist and philanthropist without making a monetary contribution. The sponsors' donations are contributed to benefit specific charities or causes so that anyone who posts or likes a photo in the campaign helps to maximize the donations of the corporate sponsor.
“We know that the most active demographic on social media wants to support causes but doesn’t necessarily have the financial means," Mido DeSanti, Pixhug co-founder, added. "So we built Pixhug to allow them to participate in charitable giving, facilitating random acts of kindness on social media.”
“We are delighted to harness the cyber-power of social media to fuel ACGP's innovative tools to combat cyber-bullying," said Mia Rajkovic, Pixhug co-founder.
A Common Good Project is a non-profit on a mission to stop cyber bullying and online harassment. ACGP offers legal support to victims of cyber bullying who are financially unable to advocate for themselves, and will be releasing free software tools to protect individuals from abusive behaviour online. "We are committed to ending the cycle of hate speech and cyber harassment that affects our Internet on a global scale," said Flynn Adams. "These funds will also help to provide legal support for those who lack the resources to combat the suffering endured from both civil and criminal cyber-harassment.”
“We are calling on other brands to join Pixhug to match this sponsorship in the fight against cyber-bullying and inviting everyone to support this initiative by downloading the Pixhug iOS app,” DeSanti said. “Our own company was the victim of corporate cyber-bullying, and our goal is to help prevent this experience from happening to others. Technology has created the problem of cyber-bullying, and we need technology to help solve it, while giving people the tools to be socially active and supporting causes of all kinds via the Pixhug platform.”
About Pixhug
Pixhug is an app that was created to elevate awareness of charitable causes, support philanthropy, and make giving easier and more effective than ever before. By harnessing the power of social media and photo sharing, Pixhug brings charities and sponsors together through a unique and fun user engagement. Pixhug is online at https://www.pixhug.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pixhug/. The app is available from Apple’s App Store for iOS devices.
About A Common Good Project
Founded in 2017 by technology veterans Flynn Adams and James Thomason, A Common Good Project (ACGP) is a nonprofit based in California that is dedicated to solving the worldwide problem of cyber bullying and online harassment. ACGP advocates for victims of abuse, by raising awareness and sponsoring new legislation and emerging technology to protect individuals from harmful behaviour online. Website: http://aCommonGoodProject.com
About National Bullying Prevention Month
National Bullying Prevention Month, founded by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Centre, is a campaign in the United States held during the month of October. It unites communities nationwide to educate, and to raise awareness of bullying prevention. National Bullying Prevention Month is recognized in communities across the U.S., with hundreds of schools and organizations as partners. PACER is a registered non-profit agency. (http://www.pacer.org/about/PACERfacts.asp)
For further information, contact:
Maryam Marissen at 1-604-559-2484
ABOUT PIXHUG'S TEAM
Mido DeSanti - Co-Founder
Both a social entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mido DeSanti's pursuit of happiness revolves around helping others, leading him to start Pixhug, a social media platform that “enables everyone with a smartphone to become a philanthropist.” DeSanti has spoken on the importance of social entrepreneurship at McGill University in Montreal and Columbia Business School in New York City. He sits on the board of Julian Lennon's The White Feather Foundation and is an executive adviser to The Walking School Bus, a Canadian charity removing obstacles to education in rural Uganda.
Mia Rajkovic - Co-Founder
Mia Rajkovic was born in Croatia, and experienced civil war in this multi-confessional and multicultural state. As civil society broke down in her home country, she eventually moved to Austria to study. Following her education in psychology and marketing, Rajkovic embarked on a professional career in public relations, which saw her rise to a senior executive position at Mercedes Benz. Rajkovic decided, along with her partner, to found Pixhug Media Inc. in 2012. Starting with the idea of the "Like," the goal behind the creation of Pixhug was to "monetize the 'Like' and other social actions for good causes”.
Richard Cooperstein - Executive Advisor
Richard Cooperstein has been an executive advisor of the company since 2016. He is Senior Managing Partner of Media Investment Group, a global investment and advisory firm, experts in the media and technology sectors. Mr. Cooperstein was the original head of international business development and strategy at Facebook. He was also a former senior executive and/or special advisor to Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, Paramount Pictures and HBO International. Functioning in a role similar to that of an executive chair, Mr. Cooperstein is responsible for establishing Pixhug’s strategy, and helping recruit the team and execute its business plan. As a globally recognized, experienced executive, and entrepreneur, Mr. Cooperstein was drawn to Pixhug specifically because of its overriding ambition to create tools that help generate more extensive and vibrant corporate charitable giving on the social Internet.