Agency's latest collaboration with New York Philharmonic to benefit Rotary International

NEW YORK, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Commit Media, the New York-based cause entertainment agency founded by former Jive Records executive and co producer of Billboard No:1 soundtrack album "Twilight," Paul Katz, is harnessing the power of the entertainment industry to advance the missions, causes, and programs of non-profits nationwide. The latest fruit of the agency's labor comes with the announcement of the December 2nd "Concert to End Polio," presented by the New York Philharmonic and featuring world-famous violinist Itzhak Perlman, to benefit Rotary International's work to eradicate the disease. Commit Media will serve as the co-producer of the concert, a mutually-beneficial collaboration involving two of Commit Media's client partners.

"Commit Media successfully bridges the worlds of entertainment and non-profit because we work in both worlds, and this allows us to match the best celebrity spokespeople with non-profits causes that resonate," says Katz, "and we work from the inside out to connect a cause or campaign with the right audiences and best spokespeople to create impact for the organization and its work."

Through projects ranging from the Environmental Defense Fund's Hetch Hetchy campaign led by Harrison Ford to work with Albert Pujols and the American Dental Association's "Give Kids a Smile" campaign, Commit Media utilizes a tremendous network of connections in entertainment to benefit charitable causes nationwide. For "The Concert to End Polio," Katz saw an opportunity to create an awareness-building event that focuses on Rotary International's campaign to end polio while simultaneously promoting the name and charitable work of another partner organization, the New York Philharmonic. Commit Media then raised the bar by connecting the event and its beneficiaries with the incomparable Itzhak Perlman.

The collaboration further highlights one of Commit Media's core strengths--building strategic, successful, high-level alliances between non-profit and celebrity.

Commit Media recognized that the goal of polio eradication would resonate strongly with Mr. Perlman, who contracted the disease at age four and overcame serious physical challenges to become one of the world's most celebrated musicians.

The historic, one-night-only performance--Perlman's first with the New York Philharmonic in four years--will help Rotary in its effort to raise $200 million toward a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the resulting $555 million will fund critical eradication activities in developing countries where polio still threatens children.

"Commit Media went beyond its role on a specific campaign to lead Rotary to an excellent opportunity to increase awareness and funding for our effort to end polio worldwide," said Kathy Kessenich, General Manager of Communications for Rotary International. "Our partnership with Commit Media continues to be an invaluable asset for us."

Rotary, along with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, ending polio has been Rotary's top priority, resulting in tremendous progress. The wild poliovirus now remains endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Worldwide, the number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent, preventing five million cases of childhood paralysis and 250,000 deaths. However, the final one percent of cases is the most difficult and expensive to prevent, which is why support for Rotary's End Polio Now campaign is crucial to the initiative's success.

"The Concert to End Polio" will take place on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City. A private reception with Mr. Perlman will follow the concert. Tickets range from $70-$200 and a premium concert seat and admission to the reception is offered at a package price of $500. For more information on the polio eradication effort and how to support it, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio. Tickets for the event are available for purchase at nyphil.org.

Founded in 2005, Commit Media is the leader in "cause entertainment," working with clients in areas of celebrity matching, cultivation, and relationship management, entertainment consulting--including strategic marketing and brand development--celebrity advocacy, and earned income generation. To learn more about Commit Media and its work, go to www.commitmedia.com or call 212.645.8070 for more information.

Editor's Notes--

About Paul Katz. Paul Katz, the entertainment industry executive and social entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Commit Media LLC, which opened its doors for business in the fall of 2005. A lawyer by training and a D.J. by choice, Paul spent more than two decades in the entertainment industry, working primarily in music and film. As a senior executive at Jive Records for 20 years, Paul was an essential part of the world's most successful independent record and music group and thereafter created and headed SONYBMG's worldwide visual media division, working with artists including Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Donnie McClurkin, and Pink.

Paul also acted as executive producer on "P!nk: Live in Europe," a PPV TV concert and DVD, and ran Zomba Films ("Crossroads" starring Britney Spears - $100m worldwide). His recent films include the international hit "Twilight" - where Paul oversaw all music related matters and produced, along with Alex Patsavas, the number one Billboard album (3 million sales worldwide) and the soundtrack for the upcoming sequel "New Moon." Paul has served on a variety of industry and non-profit boards, including human rights organization Witness, the Recording Academy (Grammys), and the New York International Children's Film Festival. Originally from the UK, Paul lives in New York with his wife and family.

About Rotary International. Rotary is an international humanitarian service organization made up of more than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas, with a total membership of 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders. In addition to fighting polio, Rotary clubs carry out an array of humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange projects and activities that address the underlying causes of conflict, such as poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, and lack of clean water.

About the New York Philharmonic. Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. Since its inception, it has played a leading role in American musical life, championing and commissioning the music of its time. The Orchestra is also renowned around the globe, having appeared in 425 cities in 59 countries on five continents. The Philharmonic's concerts are broadcast nationally on the weekly syndicated radio program, The New York Philharmonic This Week, streamed on the Orchestra's website, nyphil.org, and carried on Sirius XM Radio. The Philharmonic has made nearly 2,000 recordings since 1917 and in 2006 became the first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live and available on iTunes. Alan Gilbert becomes Music Director in September 2009, succeeding Lorin Maazel in a distinguished line of musical giants. Credit Suisse is the New York Philharmonic's exclusive Global Sponsor.

SOURCE Commit Media

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.commitmedia.com/
www.rotary.org/endpolio
http://nyphil.org/