Press ReleasesElement Series Brings “Big Picture” Issues to MTV European Viewers
(April 4, 2007) Element, a new series of programs which aims to bring "big picture" issues – climate change, poverty, discrimination – to MTV viewers across Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, has been launched by The Element Partnership, in co-operation with leading media partners Television Trust for the Environment (TVE), Internews Europe and the One World Broadcasting Trust. The series opens with the story of Emmanuel Jal who was using AK-47s by the time he was eight. Once a child soldier in Sudan, he is now an internationally acclaimed performer who uses his music to inspire fellow refugees and promote global disarmament. Element also introduces Nigerian sisters Ifie and Tina—who drive each other crazy, but are united in the campaign against the oil industry’s devastation in the Niger Delta and its effect on climate change. And it tells the story of Craig, who at the age of 12 started the world’s largest network of young people, as he helps rebuild Sri Lankan schools destroyed by the 2005 tsunami. Element, which can be viewed at www.mtv.tv/element, blends high-end trailers and graphics from some of London’s most talented editors and commercials directors. The stories are told against the backdrop of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally agreed upon goals to halve poverty by 2015 that inspired the Live 8 concerts and the "Make Poverty History" campaign in 2005. "The Element series highlights a positive standpoint on serious global issues and we are confident that it will inspire and engage viewers across all our channels and digital platforms,” commented Matt Graff, Senior Producer, MTVNI Emerging Markets. “We are proud to be featuring Element on MTV European.” For Internews, Element presents an opportunity to work with a new TV format geared towards viewing video and getting feedback on it via the web. “We have had good feedback from MTV on Element - MTV Israel and Turkey requested the series for their new digital channels as soon as they saw it,” says Internews’ Mark Harvey, co-founder of the Element strand with Emily McDowell, a former MTV news producer. Launched on MTV European on March 19, Element has already drawn strong interest from other MTV channels interested in offering a localized version to their viewers. Element is planning to produce a program on climate change for “Live Earth,” a 24-hour concert on July 7 across all seven continents and involving more than 100 of the world’s top musical acts. The effort, spearheaded by Al Gore, is designed to help trigger a global movement to combat the climate crisis. The first Element series of six programs was made with the support of Oxfam Novib, the National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO), the UN Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the European Union. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Mark Harvey, Co- Director, The Element Partnership; Director of Development, Internews Europe |
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