Echoinggreen.org

2010
Anna Elliot
Bamyan Media
http://bamyan.org/
Community Improvement & Economic Development, Education & Youth Leadership
The Bold Idea:
Bold Idea: Produce reality TV competitions in developing countries to celebrate social entrepreneurs and educate millions of viewers on what it takes to build successful social ventures.
Who dreams of a future as a social entrepreneur? Creative innovators and entrepreneurs around the world have found breakthrough solutions to pressing issues of poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation—but the majority of youth in developing countries have never heard of a "social enterprise," let alone imagined starting one. How ordinary citizens manage to overcome financial and social barriers to begin new ventures is little understood, especially in communities that stand to gain the most from greater employment and civic engagement. Increasingly, governments and NGOs are recognizing the importance of these entrepreneurial innovators in creating sustainable ventures that drive lasting social change; they lay the foundation for a more engaged, responsive civil society. Bamyan Media was founded to globally distribute and co-produce an original Reality TV competition that rewards the courage and initiative of social entrepreneurs, while teaching the skills needed to lead a successful business. They seek to harness the power of mass media to inspire the next cohort of youth leaders and accelerate the spread of social innovation. Through popular TV, Bamyan works to make social entrepreneurship a heroic yet realistic aspiration for all.

Biography:
Anna Elliot produced the pilot program, “Dream & Achieve,” in Afghanistan, where it aired on the largest national TV channel and became the #1 surprise hit. An estimated 7 million Afghan viewers watched contestants pitch and launch their ventures, and voted for their favorites with SMS messaging. Thousands of participants were linked to practical, local resources for help with finance, training, and business development.
Moment of Obligation: What experiences led to the desire to start your own organization?I had been working and visiting Afghanistan on and off for a few years, and it had become increasingly clear to me that peace-building was inextricably linked to economic opportunity. I spent quite a bit of time watching the amazingly popular national pop idol contest with my Afghan colleagues, and I began to imagine an entertaining TV competition that would inspire ordinary Afghans to rebuild their country using social enterprise. I pitched the concept to the main TV network and potential sponsors, and amazingly enough everyone loved the idea. We soon began production on the series, Dream & Achieve. After a whirlwind nationwide launch, 2 months later with the top 20 semifinalists gathered in the studio, the real power of the series struck me. On that very day, the headlines announced $21 billion was pledged at a donor conference in Paris to “rebuild Afghanistan.” Yet before me stood the most dignified and promising men and women who, against all odds, were doing just that: recycling plastic, building low-cost housing, employing ex-combatants, and growing (unbelievably flavorful and organic!) produce. United by a desire to learn and change, they were determined to see their country emerge from the endless cycle of war and poverty, and to rebuild communities with their own hands and ingenuity. I realized then that this series could be a key to unleashing social entrepreneurship on a massive scale. A year later I founded Bamyan Media to bring the model to other countries.Gall to Think Big: What has given you the ability to dream big and take on deeply entrenched social and difficult problems? (Such as experiences, skills, events, etc.)This is a tricky question. I mean, don’t we all dream big? I think it might be more about the (potential) execution of the dream—and in my case, that has had a lot to do with privilege, hard work, a bit of insanity, and being open to the fortuitous opportunities that have been sprinkled along my path. In terms of commitment to social change, that is not something that happens overnight, but for me has been a process of continually finding myself drawn to situations of injustice—and coming face to face with the resilience and dignity of people who suffer daily in prisons, slums, reservations, and war-zones. The great irony is that when you meet someone who owns two goats and a teapot and who can crack more jokes than you, laugh harder, and dance longer—then you tend to call into question all your notions of “development,” “happiness,” “civilization,” and “progress.” And if anyone else comes from a dysfunctional family—well, then you know just how difficult and intractable problems can be, and just how much potential there is for healing, transformation and hope! This outlook has probably carried into my work as well.New and Untested: What's innovative about your new idea for social change?Bamyan Media's essential innovation brings together two powerful trends: the coming-of-age of social entrepreneurship, and the extraordinary worldwide popularity of Reality TV. As a medium, TV has always offered the promise of widespread educational and social benefits, but the airwaves remain overwhelmed by profit-driven entertainment that ignores social impact. Bamyan Media has found a viable way to use reality TV for good, enabling the creation of content that is profitable, entertaining to audiences in the developing world, and responsive to the pressing need for local economic innovation. We also address a vital need in the development community, which is to identify, reach and enable the next generation of would-be entrepreneurs.Seeing Possibilities: What are the most important qualities to be a successful social entrepreneur?Integrity. An ability to live by your values and transmit them, inspiring others by your actions to do the same... Easier said than done! Increasingly, however, there is room for many qualities on the social entrepreneurship boat. It needs shy people, diligent people, academics, and accountants. It needs people who can change the tax code! So there is lots of room for all sorts of qualities that we don’t typically associate with the “bold and courageous, determined, passionate, innovative, social entrepreneur.” Upending entire world paradigms is no small task! It’s a team sport, and the more we get different players involved, the more exciting it will become.Which musical artists/albums get you going and keep you inspired?I love it all. I really mean that. Mongolian long songs, 70’s Mexican pop, Italo disco, early Hip-Hop, Corsican polyphonic singing!, Old-Time & bluegrass, Scandinavian fiddle, anything from BRAZIL, Kora music, French crooners & ballades, Afrobeat, Shakira’s take on disco, and my friends’ music (Nohow On, Rustybelle, Fear & Fancy, Julia Read!). Afghan music is a bit hard on the ears, except for Ahmad Zaher. And the 80’s will forever have my musical heart.What books do you recommend (pleasure, work and anything in between)?Anything by Joseph Campbell. Paul Hawkin. Arundhati Roy. Hafez! The great Russian authors. Mythology in general. Mount Analogue by Rene Daumal. Mullah Nasruddin, Anansi, Coyote & other tales of tricksters and wise fools. And oral stories from real people—those are the best.Which websites do you visit often (work and/or personal)?I tend to get sucked into the YouTube & Tumblr treasure troves of humanity’s strange and hilarious presence on the internet pretty regularly.What advice or quote do you keep close to your heart as a social change leader?A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him. He said: 'I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek a certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. 'I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.' The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation, and finally they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king. The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: This, too, will pass. --Idries Shah in The Way of The Sufi *Lots of cultures have similar versions of this story.

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Anna Elliot featured in the New York Times