Purpose’s Simon Duncan-Watt Speaks on Story Week Panel

In honor of the Tribeca Film Festival, Purpose joined a group of partners, including Finneas Media, Impact Hub NYC, Picture Motion, and Already Alive to host the Impact Story Salon on Thursday, April 23rd.  The event took place at the Impact Hub NYC and brought together a diverse group of social impact leaders, filmmakers, and storytellers.  It featured a panel of storytelling thought leaders, one of which was Purpose’s very own Content Director, Simon Duncan-Watt.  Simon said of the evening, “It was really exciting to see a huge group of creative powerhouses – producers, directors, curators, campaigners – coming together to talk innovation, problem solve, and design the future of impact filmmaking.”

Panelists included:

• Jason Sondhi, Sr. Manager, Curation, Vimeo
• Darcy Heusel, Sr. Director of Strategy, Picture Motion
• Justin Rambert, Producer, The Cycle 
• Simon Duncan-Watt, Content Director, Purpose

Each one of these changemakers believes deeply in the power of story and brought that to life through pieces they showcased during the panel. Through these examples and insights, the panelists illustrated how story can lead to tangible social change.  

Simon Duncan-Watt shared his thoughts on what it was like to participate in the discussion: “There was an electric energy in the room, so many creative people talking about the power of filmmaking to enact change in the world. The common theme that kept surfacing was the power of storytelling at the heart of successful, engaging campaigning. I was particularly struck by fellow panelist Justin Rambert’s work on ‘The Cycle’, a film he described as a tool to inspire important dialogue about the cycle of violence and fear that affects our communities.”