Discussion
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
Hi! I’m Michael Skolnik, a social justice activist, entrepreneur and proud father. I’ve participated in many national conversations about young people and the emergence of a New America. After running a business for Russell Simmons for the past seven years, I just started a new creative agency focusing on social impact campaigns. I’m excited to be here - ask away!
Andrew Ettinger
@andrewett · Product Marketing, Twitter (ex-PH)
Your bio says entrepreneur and activist. Is there a conflict of interest/tradeoff in being an entrepreneur, while also trying to solve a bigger social issue?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@andrewett I hope that all entrepreneurs have an activist heart. We are disrupters by nature, so there is no reason why we can't do both. We must disrupt business as much as disrupt social problems.
Andrew Ettinger
@andrewett · Product Marketing, Twitter (ex-PH)
I remember the day I started following you on Twitter (Boston Marathon Bombing) - that might actually be the first time I fell in love iwth Twitter - you were posting what was happening almost an hour before the news was reporting it. The evolution of your content since then has changed, but has been equally compelling.
Was there one single event in your life that helped shape your passion/activism?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@andrewett Thank you Andrew -- that was a remarkable time. I stayed up 36 hours straight to cover those events -- it was wild. I have always been passionate about activism, since I was a child, when I use to go around the small town I grew up in and ask people for donations for my walk for the March of Dimes. My parents were very influential in teaching me about compassion -- which led me to a life of curiosity about all people and how they lived.
LF III
@geeknstereo · Social Media Manager, SOZE
How do you see tech and activism merging in the next five years?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@geeknstereo LF III -- one of the my favorite people on the planet!!! how is suite 19???!?!? As one of the leaders of the Ferguson protests, you taught us so much about how tech and activism can merge. Your crew, DeRay, Netta, Brittany, Alexis, Tef and so many others who were on the front lines telling the story of the American protest that was Ferguson changed our generation forever. And for that, we are incredibly grateful, as you taught us how to better communicate with each other, and how to keep an issue at the forefront of the American conversation, ultimately forcing politicians to address these issues. If it wasn't for those phones in your hands, we may have never known the truth. And that truth has inspired millions around the world to stand up and be heard.
@MichaelSkolnik you wrote about why you created the #ObamaAndKids hashtag in a Medium post. Can you share a little more about what made it go viral?
I assume it wasn't my tweet. 😊
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@nivo0o0 Well, you got 41 likes, so that ain't bad! Definitely appreciate you joining in the fun that was #ObamaAndKids -- that day was really wild because I did not plan it or think it would become a worldwide trending topic. I was literally on my couch with my 3 year old on my lap when I sent out the first tweet. By the time it started to spread, I was at an indoor playground with my son running through tunnels and going down slides -- with limited cell phone service. The only time I could get service was at the top of the slide, so I kept telling my son that we should go down the slide, so I could see how many people were tweeting about it. When the White House tweeted, it went nuts. One of the funnest days of my life.
Harry Stebbings
@harrystebbings · Podcast Host @ The Twenty Minute VC
@MichaelSkolnik when story telling with a blank canvas from the start. What does the ideation process look like for you? Would love to hear the thoughts on this one.
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@harrystebbings I listen to A LOT of music. I will listen to the same song over and over again for hours. It drives people around me crazy, but it is a way to tap into what's in my heart. Right now I am listening to Florence and the Machine - "Only If For A Night" - this is probably the 17th time I have listened to this song today. Music is a big part of how I move through life.
Theoharis Dimarhos
@theo_dimarhos · Marketing+Biz Dev at AngelouEconomics
Hey Michael. You're known to be very well networked in multiple sectors. How do you go about meeting people, gaining their trust and getting them to join your causes, espescially when they are busy?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@theo_dimarhos Hi Theo! I believe in showing up. I believe in doing the work. And I think that people recognize that and they see that I have been showing up for decades. I am consistent in my work and I have never let up.
Bridget McGraw
@mcgrawbridget · Enchanted Book Inventor
Hi @MichaelSkolnik. Thanks for being here. Do you have any thoughts about Code for America and how they might become more like the WPA? I.e., how might they weave more storytelling and art-making into their work?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@mcgrawbridget Hi Bridget -- I don't know enough about Code for America, but what I do know is that there is a massive movement to teach coding to young people from across the country and around the world. My niece was part of Girls Who Code, an organization founded by my dear friend Reshma Saujani. I would love to see more artists get involved with tech/coding and find ways to collaborate. The young people will figure it out, I am sure.
Eric E. Garvin
@ericegarvin
Hey Michael. Can you lay out how your new creative agency (SOZE)'s work product will differ from your work product at Global Grind?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@ericegarvin What's up Eazy-E!! Our new company is very different than GlobalGrind. At the core of what we are building is a creative agency that designs and executes large-scale social impact campaigns for non-profits and triple bottom line companies. GlobalGrind is a entertainment/music website for millennials. I felt after 7 years at GlobalGrind, it was time for me to try something new --- the same mission though -- to tell stories, just a different medium. Keep doing great Eric.
Theoharis Dimarhos
@theo_dimarhos · Marketing+Biz Dev at AngelouEconomics
What are the elements that you have found make a story be shared / talked about the most? How do you try to infuse them in your social campaigns?
M
Michael Skolnik
@michaelskolnik · CEO of SOZE
@theo_dimarhos authenticity and passion. I have to believe that you believe it. If you hit us with some bullshit, our generation can smell it from a mile away. Tell a story from your heart. Tell the real story. Let those who are directly impacted have the mic.