Behind the Scenes of the Blue Planet Run

 

The team of partners making it happen

The Blue Planet Run Foundation has many partners to thank for shaping the different parts of the puzzle allowing us to put on the first ever around-the-world relay run and bring safe drinking water to the world.

Rick Smolan and Against All Odds Productions • Book and Media Production
In order to document, extend and broaden the Run’s reach and keep the momentum going past the finish line, the Blue Planet Run Foundation teamed up with Rick Smolan and Against All Odds Productions to create a media platform aimed at generating 300 million media impressions and helping the Blue Planet Run Foundation raise tens of million dollars in public donations. This organization with world-class editorial and logistical capability developed Blue Planet Run: The Race To Provide Safe Drinking Water To The World, a cross media platform based around a large format illustrated book, with the potential for a TV program, traveling museum exhibits, portable exhibits for schools and public spaces plus extensive worldwide publicity.

For 25 years photojournalist Rick Smolan and his company Against All Odds Productions have created global projects that put a human face on geopolitical entities and global industries ranging from medicine, to semiconductors to the Internet. These projects, which have collectively generated billions of millions of media impressions worldwide, combine state-of-the-art technology with creative story telling and result in award-winning illustrated books, TV shows, videos, interactive CD’s, websites and exhibits. His projects appear frequently on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Fortune, U.S. News & World Report and similar publications around the world. More than five million copies of Smolan’s books are in print and four of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, including the #1 best seller, A Day in the Life of America, the largest-selling photography book in history.

NBS • Fulfillment and Customer Service
Nonprofit Business Solutions (NBS) offers managed outsourced operational services exclusively for nonprofits. Services include donation processing, warehousing, fulfillment, 24/7 call center, e-commerce and donation acknowledgment processing. NBS provides Nonprofits better, faster and less expensive operational services by combining the needs of many nonprofits into a common infrastructure. Nonprofits that work with NBS gain immediate access to enhanced operational capabilities without significant capital investment, without minimum monthly fees and without having to manage multiple vendors. www.consultnbs.com • 877-313-1069

The North Face • Desert Grand Slam Partner
The North Face® is dedicated to supporting the people and communities where we and our athletes explore. As many of these communities are much less fortunate than us, we take responsibility in helping to provide them with the basics for human health & prosperity. Ensuring communities have clean drinking water is at the core of community needs. Therefore, partnering with the Blue Planet Run Foundation's peer water exchange program provides us the vehicle to efficiently and effectively fund clean water delivery systems to these communities. We are thrilled to provide a $5000 matching grant that will ultimately effect several projects. We encourage you to think about your water use and then contribute to this important cause. www.thenorthface.com

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati • Legal Counsel
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is the premier provider of legal services to technology, life science, and growth enterprises worldwide. The firm's broad range of services and legal disciplines is focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in corporate governance, public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, securities class action litigation, employment law, intellectual property litigation, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and technology licensing and other intellectual property transactions. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin, New York, Reston, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. In addition, the firm plans to open an office in Shanghai, China in late 2006, as well as relocate its Reston office to Washington, DC in early 2007. For additional information please visit www.wsgr.com.

Flair Films • Video and Photography
Polly Green and Chris Emerick were part of the crew for the entire run, filming and editing daily from the Boot Camp until the finish line. Their photos and videos, often edited from vans or cafes, can be seen throughout the run section of the web site and supplied the media around the world including ABC for its report by Mike Cerre.

Flair Films mission statement is to create films that inspire, empower and help bring positive change in the world. Their focus is on telling stories of people who are pursuing their passion and who also see an avenue for making a difference. Flair Films produced the award winning documentary Nomads, which showcases elite women whitewater kayakers helping to eradicate the deadly disease of malaria in Uganda. Both Chris and Polly have spent much of the last 10 years circling the globe, shooting, producing and paddling with projects and expeditions for National Geographic, The Associated Press, and The Discovery Channel. For more info, visit www.flairfilms.com.

ignition, Inc • Executive Producers Blue Planet Run 2007
All the logistics for the 2007 run were organized by ignition-inc, an event production company based in Atlanta that is well known for producing global events, including numerous Olympic Torch relays runs. Every detail of the Run, down to the exact time runners will pass through exchange points, and the precise roads they will run on, has been mapped out in advance. A small number of staff vehicles will accompany the runners, to address any issues along the way that could affect the Run. For more than a decade, ignition has produced and managed global marketing tours for clients with worldwide audiences. When the brand can reach across nationalities, ignition brings that brand to life.

In 2006, ignition produced two worldwide tours simultaneously when it organized and managed the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour and the 2006 Olympic Torch Relay. www.ignition-inc.com

Mortensen Design, Inc. • Graphic Design
Gordon Mortensen and his team designed the Blue Planet Run water drop star logo and many of the elements and printed materials used for the Run and exchange points.

Dedicated to the design and development of brand identity systems, the team of design specialists has earned the loyalty and respect of both clients and peers. In the process the firm has won hundreds of awards and recognition from both national and international exhibitions.

One & Co. • Baton and Plaque Industrial Design
Jonah Becker and the crew at One & Co. took on the challenge of developing a design for the baton that the 20 runners of the Blue Planet Run take around the world. Their task was to create something beautiful, symbolic and rugged that would contain our message about water. A limited edition baton will be given to the first donors during the Run.

This San Francisco Industrial Design firm uses innovative creative sessions and a unique form, ergonomic and modeling processes to produce award winning, compelling product design solutions.

Gage and Gage Productions • Documentary production and global film footage
George and Beth Gage helped the foundation early on with media and marketing planning. They filmed the first introduction short for the Run that was shown at festivals in 2004 and the documentary Water: A Clear Solution which is still being shown by many environmental and adventure film festivals around the country. The footage that the Gages captured has proven hugely valuable, being used in almost all of the video and film coverage promoting the run.

Beth is a screenwriter and producer bringing over 35 years of experience in documentaries, TV commercials, set and costumer design, and dancing. George is a director and cameraman with 40 years experience in advertising, directing over 2000 commercials, and documentaries and films. Their works include Fear in a Handful of Dust, Skateboard, Troubled Waters, and the award-winning Fire on the Mountain