YAY FOR PEPSI REFRESHHHHHHHHH

After 4 months of trying, we FINALLY got accepted into the Pepsi Refresh Grant cycle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Molly and I were traveling home from speakin in Boston today so Vegard (finding kind editor) submitted for us while we were in the air heading back to LA. You have to submit at 9pm (westcoast time) on the 1st of every month. Getting into the voting cycle is basically a lottery. Insane amounts of people all over the country press SUBMIT at the exact same time and just hope and pray that their application will make it into one of the first 1,000. Believe me, I have almost chucked my computer over the balcony the last 4 times I tried--watching the server crash and the cycle close within ONE minute because of how many people submit. But this time it's KIND CAMPAIGNS turn!!!! I cannot even begin to describe the excitement running through me right now. Right when we landed, Molly and I had an email from Vegard letting us know that the application made it through and we were in a state of shock.

HOWEVER, although being in the cycle is awesome, we still have to await the approval on our application from Pepsi and THEN on August 1st, the one month voting cycle begins. That is where YOU come in!!! The grant is only received if you receive the most votes. We are going to need your help with this but we have faith that we can make this happen!!!!

This money would finish the post-production on the documentary and fund so many projects such as our upcoming 3 months Fall KC school assembly tour, Kind Clubs, website development, merch...the list goes on and on but you will see our budget breakdown on our profile :)

We will keep you updated and remind you when the voting begins!!!!

LOVE WINSSSS.

Lauren

Westcoastinnnn

This week I re-wrote and re-recorded all of my voice over for the documentary. I am so awkward when I do voiceovers haha. Vegard and I were laughing yesterday because he was saying he could make a pretty interesting reel out of all my out-takes while recording...its true...some of the things that come out of my mouth. wow. its pretty interesting. Ill have to have him put that reel together so you can hear.

Its so strange to listen to yourself talk like that. This time I was excited to record though because the new VO really tells the story. I feel really proud of it and how this doc is coming together. I see an end to this post production madness and its getting me excited! I've had some new ideas this week that I brought into the edit and they are translating really nicely...love when that happens. To the left is where I sit everyday-- with Vegard (our editor), staring at those screens. It's actually really fun. I LOVE post production.

Molly and I have been meeting with a group of people, getting together a pitch that is happening on the 28th of this month. Its with a HUGE network and if the pitch goes, it could take KC to a crazy new level. Part of this deal is for them to distribute the documentary which would be INSANNNNEEEEE. I feel really confident about what we are presenting so keep your fingers crossed! That is all I want to say for now because I dont want to jinx anything. We will let you know who the network is and more details after the pitch meeting :)

KC has been rooting the LAKERS on and I can proudly say that TONIGHT they kicked some Celtic bootayyyy!!!!!!! Watching them win was quite a phenomenal experience. I was at a bar on melrose with a bunch of friends and let me just say that the city (los angeles) went crazy in those last 10 seconds. People were stopping and getting out of their cars and dancing around. So fun :)

These are some pics from game 5

Molly left today to go to Denver to speak at her sororities national convention about Kind Campaign. She will update you about her experience when she returns! Keep her in your thoughts! I know she will be amazing!

LOVE WINS.

lauren

Design For Humanity

Last week we attended Billabong's Design for Humanity event supporting Invisible Children. I have mentioned the organization and some of my friends who are on staff in previous posts. The people who run Invisible Children are amazing-- so creative and passionate about what they do. Just to refresh you in case you dont remember, Invisible Children started with a documentary shot by three guys who traveled to Uganda and exposed the world to the longest running war in Africa.

Taken from their website (CLICK HERE to check the site out):

The war in northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today. For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians caught in the middle. The GoU's attempt to protect its citizens from this rebel militia has largely failed, resulting in an entire generation of youth that has never known peace.

The event was so cool. It was held at the New York stage at the Paramount lot in LA and tons of people showed up. There was live art, a fashion show, a concert by Fischerspooner, a performance by LXD and more. Seriously one of the coolest events I have seen and we were so happy to be a part of it to support these amazing people and the revolutionary work they are doing!

love wins.

Lauren

Updates

The KC world is moving...fast...and we are just trying to get everything together and catch up so that the vision for this project comes together how we hope it will. 

the doc is still tuckin along-- we've been communicating with an animator, color correctors, sound people, music people...lots of people.  but they are people who believe in the project and will use their wonderful talents to complete this film.

Molly and I had a wonderful meeting/coaching session with the lovely Amy Swift and Whitney Roberts of SMARTY.  They provided us with so much helpful information and advice for how to keep KC moving.  They also advised us to put together a Board of Directors.  We are proud to announce a portion of our board:  Whitney Roberts, Marty Stevens-Heebner, Debra Parsekian, Tetia Stroud, Debbie Angle and Samantha Marq.  There are a couple of other people we are talking to and we will let you know when they are confirmed :)  Once we have the board in tact, will we start to meet to determine who can bring what to the table to help further this whole operation.  

We met with Nick Mason of ErroThree yesterday to talk about updating our website.  He showed us his idea for a new layout and I must say....its INCREDIBLE.  The new website will have cool new interactive features, and will be really easy to navigate.  Its fresh and it pops.  We think you will be really stoked on the new ideas.

I really want you to check out Amanda Tysons new Kind Campaign bracelet!! She has a wonderful business going and she decided to create a custom KC bracelet, donating 100% of the proceeds to us!  I am wearing mine right now!  They are super cute 

and a lot of people have been ordering.  They are only 10 dollars and all the money will help finish the film and bring us into schools.  Here is a pic of the bracelet to the right and here is the link to order yours today:  Bracelets by Amanda Leigh.

We are so excited to announce our next fundraiser on June 25th 7-9pm!!! It will be held at Rock & Revolution in Malibu, CA.  Check out their BLOG too! The wonderful Cece Abel, owner of Rock & Revolution, is helping spread KIND by putting up another KC installation and throwing us an awareness night and fundraiser.  Click HERE to check out the fundraiser invite page. We would love to see you there! 

Well, off to a lunch meeting and back into the edit!!  Speaking of meetings, Molly and I had a VERYYYYYYYYY exciting meeting yesterday but we are going to keep it hush hush until things are more set in stone. Just know that there may be something HUGE around the corner and we are very excited about the prospect.  We will keep you updated.  

Have a wonderful rest of your week and check back for a new addition to our blog where we will be updating you via video messages :)  Coming soon!

xo

LOVE WINS.

Lauren

Telluride 3.0

Mountainfilm i love thee.  everyday is a new adventure. everyday is a new idea. everyday is meeting new people. everyday is new. 

Last week I was in Telluride Colorado at the MountainFilm Festival.  This is my third year traveling to that festival with Tom Shadyac and the crew...the crew being just the most amazing group of people--movers, thinkers, artists...good good people with huge hearts. I love my Telluride family.  

The whole week was full of good films, good people, good conversation, good food,  laughter,

inspiration...everything you need.   Toms documentary, I Am, premiered at the festival and it was so amazing to be a part of that moment.  Him, Dagan Handy, Jackie Zampella and Nikki Pritchett have been working so hard on the film and they had all their family and friends behind them with love and support.  The doc is simply amazing.  You walk away truly wanting to be a better person. You walk away feeling changed and aware of the way you interact with other people.  I cannot wait for you all to see it.  Check out the I AM website.  The film won the student choice award and the audience choice award and they deserved it.  SO exciting.  Some other docs that really moved me that week were: Wasteland,  Bag It, Music By Prudence, Somewhere Near Tapachula and Sons of Perdition.  Check them out! 

I feel so lucky to have been a part of that festival for the last 3 years.  Each year, I come back feeling refreshed and ready for something new.  The first year I came back with the inspiration to finally take my idea of doing something about Girl World and put it into something tangible-- into a doc, into a movement.  Although I always knew I would do something about this issue, I can honestly say that without the opportunity to travel to that festival three years ago and without the life changing experience it provided, Kind Campaign and this doc probably wouldn't exist.  It literally altered my life.  It called me to action.  Thats why I am so excited to hopefully bring Finding Kind to MountainFilm next year... because that is where this whole thing was born.  It was born among the mountains and the trees and a group of incredible people who have changed my life and inspired me in so many ways. I will forever be grateful for that place and those relationships :) 

LOVE WINS.

Lauren