The 2013 Media Rise Festival is a weeklong series of events in Washington, D.C. that celebrates how storytelling, design, art and media can contribute to a peaceful, just and sustainable world. The festival is organized along three main themes:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Pitch Night

Time: 7:30pm-9pm
Location: pop-up gallery, 1805 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

An evening showcase, giving media creators a chance to give their pitches and proposals in captivating 5-minute presentations, for a chance to win cash prizes from supportive funders and donors.

Meet the judges:
Nicole Aguirre, CEO, Worn Creative
Darius Graham, Founder and Director, DC Social Innovation Project
Kate Watts, Managing Director, Huge DC

Opening Party

Time: 9pm-12am
Location: pop-up gallery, 1805 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Our Pitch Night will be immediately followed by the Media Rise Festival Opening Party, hosted against a beautiful backdrop of meaningful visual art and music contributed by cause-oriented creatives.

The party coincides with the Grand Opening of The 25 Project, a pop-up art exhibition and fundraiser, presented by No Kings Collective in support of The District of Columbia Arts Center.

Highlights:

Food from &pizza

Music and Dancing by Maracuyeah

“Doc in a Day” 48-Hour Video Challenge Launch, a weekend competition, presented by Stone Soup Films and sponsored by pivot, inviting filmmakers to create high-impact, high-quality videos for local nonprofits in just two days.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Forum

Time: 9am-5:30pm
Location: 1776, 1133 15th St. NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005

A daylong series of inspiring talks, thought-provoking presentations and workshops, convening people from across the world who are passionate about creating positive change through news and entertainment media and communications. The forum is designed for information-sharing on case studies, best practices, and requests for collaboration in the media and social impact sectors.

Session Topics:

• Innovation & Leadership in Media
• Peace, Equality & Social Justice
• Policy & Civic Innovation
• Empathy & Altruism
• Community Development & Sustainability

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
“The Match” Brunch

Time: 9:30am-12pm
Location: Sri Sri Center for Peace and Meditation, 2401 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

A data-driven, curated “speed-dating” event for storytellers, designers, scholars, social enterprises and scholars to cultivate longer-term, strategic relationships that further their collective reach and impact. Participants will reconnect, get refreshed and follow-up from the Forum events. They will convene to co-create a vision for sustaining the Media Rise momentum toward actionable ideas. “The Match” is powered by Art in Praxis, a social practice laboratory dedicated to inquiry and building experiments at the intersections of community, art and change.

Youth Media Rise

Time: 12pm-6pm
Location: Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St NW Washington, DC 20009

A festival-within-a-festival for youth (ages 13 to 18), media educators and engaged parents. Workshops for youth will focus on digital storytelling, social media, theater and creative movement. Workshops for media educators and parents will focus on media literacy and innovative technologies. The day will include performances, studio spaces, a visual art showcase, and interactive lounges to enhance the curiosity and creative expression of young people in meaningful ways.

"Doc in a Day" 48-Hour Video Challenge Screening

Time: 6:30pm-8pm
Location: Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St NW Washington, DC 20009

Film screenings, including an awards ceremony to acknowledge the winning filmmakers.