Jeff Skoll's Remarks at ‘The New Heroes’ Premiere

Hosted by Community Foundation Silicon Valley - June 20, 2005

Thank you very much, Bob [Redford], for the inspirational words and for all that you are doing. I’m also deeply appreciative that you signed this program for me]. It means a lot and should fetch quite a few dollars when I list it on eBay. Just kidding!

I’d like to thank everyone for joining us here tonight for our little TV house party. Unlike Desperate Housewives, The OC and American Idol, though, we are going to raise the content level a few notches. Battlebots and Monty Python notwithstanding (and I know this is Silicon Valley), we believe that The New Heroes is the finest program to come to TV in a long time.

I especially owe thanks to Robert Redford. Bob is a Hollywood legend and a national treasure; he’s a tremendous actor, director and producer and also one of this country’s leading activists, someone who has worked his entire life at the intersection of the arts, the environment and civic life. As the visionary entrepreneur of Sundance, he has given voice to independent filmmakers throughout the world, and in so doing, revitalized an entire industry. Bob was “The Natural” choice as the host of The New Heroes, so I was deeply appreciative when he said “yes.” Thank you, Bob, for your starring role as host of The New Heroes, and for the star power you've brought to this event.

I also want to thank Peter Hero and our friends at the Community Foundation Silicon Valley for hosting tonight’s celebration. Peter, you have been a wonderful mentor to me and so many others in Silicon Valley over the years. I think if you had not embraced the “crazy idea” of the eBay Foundation seven years ago, many things would not have happened, including this night. As a special thanks, Peter Hero, we named the series after you. Well, kind of.

The New Heroes would not have been possible without the support of Pat Mitchell and PBS. Pat, it is most fitting that you are here tonight as you have been a champion at every stage of The New Heroes, and it likely would not have seen the light of day if not for you. Moreover, if you pledge now to approve season two, I will send you a free set of Ginsu knives!

Finally, I would like to recognize the Skoll Foundation team both for making the show a reality and for organizing the launch events. Sandy Herz and the marketing team have worked tirelessly, and literally every member of the Skoll Foundation staff has contributed to making tonight a success. And of course, none of this would have happened without the leadership of the remarkable, Sally Osberg. I’d get you all Ginsu knives, too, but I’m not sure I really want two dozen people around the office brandishing knives when I come up with ideas that aren’t quite as wonderful as The New Heroes.

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Looking out over this audience, I see many familiar faces, people behind the innovations for which this great Valley is famous, innovations which have changed the ways we communicate, access information, deliver health care and carry out business. In much the same way, social entrepreneurs are a force for change – but their bottom line is social change.

The Skoll Foundation supports social entrepreneurs for many reasons. To me, it's not about altruism. It's about a new kind of philanthropy that derives its strength from empowering others, especially those who are dedicated to tackling the most formidable problems that we face in the world.

I believe that the growing inequity between rich and the poor is at the root of many of our greatest challenges: environmental problems, war, drugs, terrorism. Social entrepreneurs work to decrease that inequity. A great social entrepreneur is someone who empowers others and makes a difference at scale, who doesn't just affect a small number of people, but who shifts the entire landscape.

We have some great social entrepreneurs with us in this theater, including those whose stories you are about to see. They have traveled here from as far as India and “Out of Africa”; they’ve even come to us from remote and mysterious places such as San Francisco. Please join me in recognizing three “new heroes” whose work you will see described in our screening tonight: Kailash Satyarthi, Martin Fisher and David Green. They may not be household names today, but I believe that is about to change.

And it's a special pleasure for me to acknowledge a number of Skoll Awards recipients, remarkable social entrepreneurs from around the world who have traveled from near and far to be here tonight. I'd like them to stand as I read their names, but please hold your applause: Victoria Hale of the Institute for OneWorld Health; Paul Rice of TransFair USA; Dennis Whittle of GlobalGiving; Jim Fruchterman of Benetech; William Foote of Ecologic Finance; Nina Smith of Rugmark USA; Raj Vinnakota of the Seed School; Eric Weaver of Lenders for Community Development; John Wood of Room to Read; and Martin Burt of Fundacion Paraguaya.

We’re also pleased to recognize Bill Drayton of Ashoka, just back from Brazil.

Please join me in a round of applause for these extraordinary people.

At the Skoll Foundation, celebrating is vital to our work; it’s the best way we think for individuals to experience their own personal inflection point, a moment when a person says, “Aha! I see why this problem matters to me. I see there is something I can do. I see that my personal self-interest is connected to yours, and to theirs, and to people in places I may never see, but I now know matter to me and to the future of my children.”

The New Heroes is a great example of the Skoll Foundation's Celebrate agenda. The series will air June 28th and July 5th on PBS. I believe that it's going to be the one of the most powerful programs on TV.

The show is a reality because of the extraordinary efforts of a number of people. Many of them are here tonight. Again, please hold your applause as I ask each of them to stand: Series Producers Mike Malone and Bob Grove of Malone-Grove Productions; Dave Davis and Jack Galmiche of Oregon Public Broadcasting; series filmmakers Carl Byker and Mitch Wilson of Red Hill Productions; Bonni Cohen and John Shenk of Actual Films; and Charles Stuart of Stuart Productions; as well as the Series soundtrack composer Christopher Hedge, who created the compelling music you're hearing tonight, along with world-renowned musicians Paul Horn and Titos Sampa.

When I watch The New Heroes, I'm inspired not only by the social entrepreneurs, but also by the artistry and dedication of everyone who has been involved in the project. Please join me in giving them all a big round of applause.

This project, I’m told, has already changed lives. Just as an example, Christopher Hedge not only released an album based on the soundtrack, he is also donating the proceeds back to the New Heroes organizations. And he has convinced the record label to do the same, proving the power of social entrepreneurs and their stories to inspire others and to bring about change.

I hope you will enjoy tonight’s premiere, that it will help you see how something that's wrong can be made right, and how you can become part of the solution. After the screening, you'll have an opportunity to meet the social entrepreneurs whose stories you are about to see. To Kailash, Martin and David, and all the rest of you whose stories remain to be told, it's an honor to be among the new heroes of our time.

But as Rob Reiner says in This is Spinal Tap, enough of my yakking, let’s watch the show!