The NonProfit Times - August 1, 2008 - (Page 12)

MR. BILL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Continued from page 10 offer him a full-time job, he was “flying by the seat of my pants.” But,Williams had the seat of his pants firmly in the director’s chair for the MasterCard commercials. “They (MasterCard) came up with the idea,” Williams said. “I came up to New York for a creative meeting and agreed to do it. I directed it.” Williams was involved in each stage of the commercial, including seeing the final version, and said he is pleased with it. He also confirmed that it is strictly a licensing arrangement he has with MasterCard, not an affinity deal. The undisclosed amount Williams receives from the arrangement helps to support his awareness-raising efforts for restoring lost wetlands around New Orleans and helping the city try to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. He does this through his filmmaking, such as public service announcements for wetlands restoration and hurricane protection. Because of this, Williams was reluctant to discuss monetary figures for any of his work. “I’m not a fundraiser,” he said, noting that his efforts are devoted to his filmmaking, much of which is aimed at awareness efforts. After living in New York and Los Angeles pursuing his career, Williams moved back to New Orleans in 2001 to raise awareness about the destruction of wet- It is possible Mr. Bill will be uttering another high-pitched “Oh noooo!” or two in the cause of coastal restoration. lands around the city. He also made a PBS documentary in 2002, New Orleans: The Natural History. He has been active with a group named the Gulf Restoration Network, a coalition of environmental, social justice and citizens’ groups and individuals committed to restoring the Gulf of Mexico ecologically and biologically, which was formed in 1994. Williams estimated that since 1930 Louisiana has lost 2,1000 square miles of coast, more than the size of the state of Delaware, a loss he blames on the effects of oil and gas companies’ equipment, such as pipelines. He is making a film Restoring Our Coast to show what damage has been done and what can be done to rectify the problem. One of the public service announce- ments Williams made showed Mr. Bill standing on the roof of a flooded-out house in New Orleans – and he made that piece a year before Katrina hit. That spot was part of Williams’ consciousness-raising endeavors: spreading word that wetlands provide a buffer that can substantially mitigate the effects of a hurricane by reducing the swelling of the ocean above its normal level. He maintains that sufficient wetlands in place when Katrina arrived would have prevented it from becoming the disaster it was, making it not much more than a bad windstorm with some rain. To further increase awareness of his efforts, Williams created a set of clay creatures to accompany Mr. Bill, an alligator, a water moccasin, a dolphin, a starfish, an eagle, a raccoon, a mudcat (catfish) and a shrimp. Although the Mr. Bill MasterCard ads are not directly connected to Williams’ efforts to restore the Louisiana coast,Williams said that it is possible Mr.Bill will be uttering another high-pitched “Oh noooo!” or two in the cause of coastal restoration. He believes that even if oil companies agree to pay the $50 billion or more that will be needed to restore coastal land, it will take years, and the New Orleans area doesn’t have much time. “I’m trying to use Mr. Bill to make as much noise as I can,” he said.“I’m desperate to do something quickly.” NPT WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU DECIDED TO CHANGE THE WORLD? Sri Lanka, 1975. A train winds slowly through the jungle. Passengers, mostly Westerners, crowd the front car. They are sitting on wood benches, leaning against lead-glass windows. The tropical heat and motion of the train lull them to sleep. Minutes pass. Hours. Finally, the train approaches a small village. The conductor ambles down the aisle and stirs the passengers from their slumber, handing each a small box lunch. The train exhales steam. Then stops. Instantly, it is surrounded. Outside are throngs of children. All have the hollow stare and gaunt body that are unmistakable signs of starvation. The passengers are stunned. “For God’s sake do something!” a woman pleads. The Matale Line is the name of the track that train was on. One of its passengers, a 13-year-old boy, went on to found a communications agency solely to help nonproﬁts. It is called The Matale Line. The Matale Line is a collection of communications experts, versed in a range of disciplines, from strategy, branding and fundraising to advertising, interactive and PR. Each of us believes that good intentions are never enough. That nothing in the world will ever change until an organization convinces a critical mass of the right people to commit to that change. Our purpose is to help you become that organization. Every organization has a story. Told right, yours can change the world. Let’s talk. Call Bill, The Matale Line’s founder, at 206.343.9000. Or email bill.toliver@mataleline.com. Frantically, the passengers collect their box lunches to give to the children. The conductor objects. They hand out their lunches anyway. A feeling of relief sweeps through the train. Disaster, it seems, has been averted. “Lunches!” a man implores. “We need more lunches!” There are no more. The children burst into a violent riot. With sticks, rocks, even bare hands, the stronger children strike down the weaker children, and take their food. As the passengers stare, paralyzed with disbelief, the train slowly begins to pull away, leaving many small girls and boys lying on the ground. Lifeless. P ro g re ssiv e c o mmu nic atio ns fo r no npro fits. mataleline.com 12 house ad 070908.indd Matale 1 AUGUST 1, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com 7/10/08 4:59:47 PM http://mataleline.com http://www.nptimes.com

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The NonProfit Times - August 1, 2008 Demonstration Permits Frustrate Groups Green Universities Helping To Produce Greener Pastures Mr. Bill Doesn’t Say ‘NOOOO’ To Awareness Campaign Contents Who...When...Where...How...What? On Dangerous Ground Association Management Travel Nightmare The 2008 NPT Power & Influence Top 50 Leaderless Unusual Special Events On The Move Lost: The Donors Consistent Messaging New UK Standards Business Briefs National Movement Calendar NPT Jobs Resource Directory

The NonProfit Times - August 1, 2008

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