Activating a Generation: From Live Aid to the Ice Bucket Challenge
- Sr. Producer:
- Bonnie Bertram
- Producer:
- Jonathan Gruber
- Associate Producer:
- Noah Madoff
- Editors:
- Anne Checler
- Karen J. Brenner
In the summer of 1985, Bob Geldof staged a dual-venue rock concert called “Live Aid” that changed the face of charity fundraising. A glittering lineup of rock stars and celebrities raised millions to feed starving children in Ethiopia, and established a model that would eventually aid victims of everything from hurricanes to Third World debt. But thirty years later, the Ice Bucket Challenge has scrambled fundraising paradigms, and raised a pressing question: how to turn social media into meaningful philanthropy?
More Like This
How NASA Sold Us a Trip to the Moon
To launch its lunar landing project, NASA had to find ways to convince the American public that the costly, audacious pursuit was essential. One lasting result: Tang breakfast drink.
Future of Gaming
As gaming becomes the dominant form of entertainment this century, game developers increasingly track player behavior to tailor experiences that will keep people playing longer and spending more money.
A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback
How do some companies regain public trust after something goes seriously wrong, while others fail? A look at how Tylenol responded after someone spiked its pills with poison in the 1980s sheds some light.
Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate
Retro Report explores decades of conspiracy theories -- from the John F. Kennedy assassination to Pizzagate -- and what they can tell us about how we view the world today.