The My Hero Project Celebrates 20 Years Of Honoring Heroes

Co-founder/Director MY HERO

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The evening began with an acknowledgement of the three mothers who founded MY HERO online in 1995.  Jeanne Meyers, Rita Stern Milch and Karen Pritzker wanted to use media to shine a light on those working to address real problems with innovative solutions, compassion and courage.

 

The result was myhero.com, an interactive, non-profit, educational website where visitors of all ages could share and discover stories, art, films and music celebrating the best of humanity. MY HERO became a safe haven on the Internet, a place where students and adults could share stories of hope and inspiration. Today, MY HERO is a trusted global educational online destination used by teachers, students and adults in 197 countries.

MY HERO presented the 2015 Media Award to Vulcan Productions.  The company, founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, uses the power of stories to change minds and ignite action through meaningful projects that help people understand the world around them and to inspire them to make a difference.  “Paul Allen’s commitment to using media to educate and inspire through Vulcan productions is work that MY HERO respects and honors,” said Meyers.  “We applaud their mission and the outstanding quality of their work."

 

Vulcan Productions' latest project, “Racing Extinction,” will air on Discovery Channel this December.  Directed by Academy Award Winner, Louie Psihoyos ("The Cove"), "Racing Extinction" brings attention to the role of humans in the dramatic loss of species.  Ted Richane, Director of Engagement and Impact for Vulcan, accepted the award.  “The film...tells a story about how this mass extinction is upon us, about how mankind is causing it but it also tells a story about some things we can do to stop it.  And it includes a number of people, a number of heroes, who are putting aside their careers and are planning their lives around saving mantas, saving elephants, saving sharks, saving all these species.”

 

Richane also gave a shout out to youth activist and filmmaker, Slater Jewell Kemker, whose environmental work has been featured on MY HERO for years. She was saluted in a short video tribute as part of the 20th Anniversary Celebration.  Richane remarked, “Racing Extinction" is about people like Slater, whom I’ve never met but that film was unbelievable to watch. There’s also a role for every one of us to play, no matter who you are, what you do, where you live. There are things that you can do and actions you can take.  We all need to be heroes if we’re going to turn this ship around.”

 

The MY HERO Best of Fest and Relationship First Award“ went to “The Future of our Species,” by director Tiffany Shlain.  The short film takes a look at 'Leonardo's Brain,' a book by Shlain’s father, best-selling author Leonard Shlain. He finished writing the book days before he passed away. Shlain builds on her father's idea that Leonardo da Vinci is a modern example of an evolved human being.

 

“One Woman Roadblock,” a documentary by the Mill Valley Film Group is the winner of the Environmental Hero Award, The film tells the story of a former tribal chief, Marilyn Baptiste, who led her native community in battling proposed gold and copper mines that would have destroyed Fish Lake, a source of livelihood and spiritual identity for her people. Filmmaker Will Parrinello of the Mill Valley Group was on hand to accept the award and read a statement from Baptiste.

 

“Project Syria: An immersive Journalism Experience” is the first winner of the MY HERO Immersive Storytelling Award to those who use new technology to foster empathy and compassion.  Director Nonny de la Pena, uses virtual reality and 3-Dimensional environments to convey the sights, sounds and feelings that surround the civil war in Syria, which has displaced nearly half the country’s 23 million people.  More than three million refugees have been forced from homes and into camps and makeshift housing.  More than half of these refugees are children. Wendy Milette, Director of the MY HERO International Film Festival commented, “Nonny’s brilliant use of actual sound from historic events takes this innovative form of storytelling to a completely different level. I found myself personally engaged in concern for the children and women in the story and I wanted to help.”