Community Update: DREAM, GIRL Film

Last August, I stumbled upon a Kickstarter campaign and instantly fell in love.It was for a documentary film called Dream, Girl by Erin Bagwell, aiming to redefine what it means to be a boss by telling the stories of female entrepreneurs. If you missed it, you can catch it right here.From the moment I saw that video, I knew I wanted to be involved and lend whatever support I could to make sure this powerful project would be brought to life.Because the unfortunate truth is that mainstream media doesn’t celebrate strong, successful women. And narratives about women in the media are less than 40% of all content.The mission of this film is to give women and girls a more complex, diverse and honest look at what it takes to be a leader into today’s business world. It’s not just about telling them to dream big, it’s about showing them how it’s done.While you know my work is not gender specific, I’m a proud advocate for girls’ and women's rights.They’re the most underserved and undervalued resource in the world - making up over 70% of the world’s poor and earning only 10% of its income, despite producing over half its food.And research shows that women and girls reinvest an average of 90% of their income in their families (compared to a 30-40% reinvestment rate for men). So making sure women continue to rise benefits us all.

Here’s Exactly How Powerful You AreWe emailed out about this film and we received an avalanche of passionate letters back from you, our incredible community.Our team was moved to tears by the support that came rushing back, and I was blown away by how quickly we rallied together.I always love a little “behind the scenes” action, so I wanted to share with you exactly how this went down.

• On August 28th Erin had raised $38,564 dollars for her Kickstarter campaign.
• On August 29th, we mailed out to you, our beloved community at 10:00am.
• By 12:54pm that same day -- less than 3 hours later --- we fully funded the campaign goal of $57K.
• Within a few short hours the campaign hit $71,301.
• The kickstarter ended on September 5th at $104,157, nearly doubling the initial goal.

Meaningful media is vital in today’s world, and I could not be more thrilled that together -- we’re helping to bring that to life.I’ve been in touch with Erin over this journey and she wanted to share a bit of her experience and gratitude with you, so I’ll turn it over to her.A Personal Note To You From Erin Bagwell, The Filmmaker“When you know in your heart something is right, there is a little light inside of you that grows brighter. This light lit up like a Christmas tree the first time I talked to Marie on the phone. She had seen my Kickstarter video for the documentary film I wanted to produce about female entrepreneurs called “Dream, Girl”, and she was eager to support the film.I was truly blown away with her authenticity, her kindness, and her story. I had spoken to over fifty entrepreneurs during my hunt for women to be featured in the film, but no one’s journey was like Marie’s. Her intuition, dedication to women, and animated personality are contagious and I knew in my heart I wanted her to share her story in the film. She agreed to be part of the documentary, and agreed to share it with her community in her newsletter last August.When her newsletter went out the next morning, my phone exploded with notifications. My heart skipped a beat as the number of Kickstarter backers grew as support from her community barreled in. It was like an avalanche of girl power. I was overwhelmed at the love and support we were being given by this incredible community. I cried on the phone with her as I realized that this tiny dream of mine was coming true.I still get chills when I think about the amazing impact her network has had over the trajectory of my life. Just a year ago I was working at a suffocating corporate job. Today, not only am I making this film full time, but I was able to hire an amazing team of female filmmakers and producers to help me execute this project. Everyday is challenging and terrifying, but honestly I’ve never been happier.The gratitude I feel for Marie and her community can not truly be expressed in words, which is why I wanted to share with you for the first time the trailer of the film you have made happen.This is the world premiere of the Dream, Girl documentary trailer that your donations and support brought to life.This film is for all the girls who dream big. Dream, Girl.”

Since you were instrumental in bringing this project to life, Erin wanted to make sure that you would be the first to see the film’s new trailer.On this International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future...I want you to know what an incredible impact you have (and are having) on this world.The film is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2015 and we’ll keep you up to date on where and how it’ll be distributed.This post is proof of our collective power.We have the power to direct our voices and financial resources to things that truly express and support what we believe in. And, with every action we take, we’re one step closer to creating the world we envision.Thank you for being a part of my life and for continuing to take a stand for social change, meaningful progress and possibility for all.P.S. How cool is it that the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #MakeItHappen. Fitting for us, eh?With all my love and deepest gratitude,XO