Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions signs on as Partner of the Oceanic Preservation Society for new film 'Racing Extinction' by Academy Award® winning director Louie Psihoyos

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Vulcan Productions, Paul G. Allen's award-winning media company, has signed on as a partner of the Oceanic Preservation Society's (OPS) unprecedented and innovative documentary Racing Extinction by Academy-Award^®-winning director Louie Psihoyos (The Cove). Vulcan will oversee all aspects of a global social impact campaign to engage and activate audiences to see the film and take action on mass species extinction and climate change. The partnership will ensure the mass audience reach of the film by creating a multi-faceted digital and social media platform, educational tools, impact measurement and partner outreach.

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On September 20, in a historic visual event, images of endangered species and habitats were projected on the United Nations headquarters building during the 2014 UN General Assembly. The 30-story-high projection delivered a revolutionary call for citizens of the world to demand action from their leaders to protect the world's ecosystems by addressing issues of illegal wildlife trade, mass species extinction, ocean acidification and climate change. Psihoyos and the filmmaking team filmed the event, which will become a climactic part of the final film.

View and embed video of the event here on Vimeo: 

By partnering with Racing Extinction, Vulcan continues its commitment to producing large scale cause campaigns and content around powerful stories that educate and inspire audiences to respond to the world's greatest challenges and to make lasting, meaningful positive change in the world. The campaign for Racing Extinction is part of Vulcan's mission to fund bold programs that leverage storytelling, science and technology to create a better understanding of how humans affect the climate, in order to ignite action. 

Racing Extinction will premiere with distribution across theatrical, broadcast and digital platforms in 2015, with details to be announced in the coming months.

Carole Tomko, Creative Director and General Manager of Vulcan Productions, states, "Racing Extinction is a documentary thriller, unlike anything you've ever seen before that tells a fast paced story of our mass extinction and it's drivers.  The campaign picks up where the film leaves off, giving audiences the tools they need to make change in their backyard and building a movement of inspired, activated fans united to make a difference.  Vulcan Productions is committed to using media to make a difference and this film will do just that."

Director Louie Psihoyos, Executive Director of the OPS, states, "My whole career has been about trying to make indelible images that make it impossible for people to forget. If you have a life-sized frog on the Guggenheim building, that will be an image that somebody will never forget. And then it begs the question: Why is that frog there? Because there's only one left." He continues, "With this film I want to tackle the most important problem the world has ever faced, the epic loss of biodiversity. By creating a compelling film and a groundbreaking activation campaign, we want to create a movement that inspires the masses. Humanity is one step away from greatness or disaster and it could be that a film helps save us, but we will need the support of Vulcan to achieve this goal. We are energized and grateful for Vulcan's serious and indispensable support of the deployment of this film – and this movement. We'll need them to really make a difference."

Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, Oscar^®-winner Louie Psihoyos assembles a team of artists and activists intent on showing the world never-before-seen images that expose issues of endangered species and mass extinction.  Whether infiltrating notorious black markets with guerilla-style tactics or exploring the scientific causes affecting changes to the environment, RACING EXTINCTION will change the way we see the world and our role within it. 

More About the Film

Scientists predict we may lose half the species on the planet by the end of the century. They believe we have entered the sixth major extinction event in Earth's history. Number five took out the dinosaurs. This era is called the Anthropocene, or "Age of Man," because the evidence shows that humanity has sparked this catastrophic loss.  We are the only ones who can stop it as well.

The Oceanic Preservation Society, the group behind the Academy Award^®-winning film The Cove, is back. Along with new innovators, OPS will bring a voice to the thousands of species on the very edge of life.

An unlikely team of activists is out to expose the two worlds endangering species across the globe. The first threat to the wild comes from the international trade of wildlife. Bogus markets are being created at the expense of creatures who have survived on this planet for millions of years. The other threat is all around us, hiding in plain sight. There's a hidden world that the oil and gas companies don't want the rest of us to see.

Director Louie Psihoyos has concocted an ambitious mission to call attention to our impact on the planet, while inspiring others to embrace the solutions that will ensure a thriving planet for future generations.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/racingextinction

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/extinction_ops

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/racingextinction 

www.racingextinction.com
#racingextinction
#projectingchange

About VULCAN PRODUCTIONS

Founded by Paul G. Allen and Jody Allen, Vulcan Productions produces compelling series, specials, features and digital content and creates outreach initiatives designed to explore critical issues and inspire people to take action. Vulcan Productions is committed to projects of significance that ignite progress and motivate audiences to have measurable impact on the world. Its projects have won numerous awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Emmy Award, the Grammy Award, and the Wildscreen Panda Award. Acclaimed films and series from the documentary group include Pandora's Promise, Girl Rising, Success at the Core, Hard Candy and The Blues. 

About THE OCEANIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) is a non-profit organization that creates film, photography and media, inspiring people to save the oceans. Founded in 2005 by renowned photographer and avid diver Louie Psihoyos, OPS is headquartered in Boulder, CO, conveniently between two oceans.

OPS's first film, The Cove, has won dozens of awards around the world, including the Oscar^® for Best Documentary in 2009, and inspired over a million people to action.

Oceanic Preservation Society is compromised of two separate entities - a 501(c)(3) public charity and a 501(c)(3) private foundation (The OPS Foundation). Both entities are registered with the State of Colorado. 

Media Contact: Julia Pacetti, JMP Verdant, [email protected], (718) 399-0400

SOURCE Vulcan Productions