RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Fund 2011 Application Cover Sheet

Team leaders to complete this cover sheet and submit it with your entry. Applications will only be accepted with a cover sheet. Please note Team leaders must be currently enrolled RMIT students

PROJECT WORKING TITLE: WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT TEAM LEADERS PREFERRED NAME: JEN RAE NAMES OF TEAM MEMBERS IN GROUP: JEN RAE, DANIELLE KARALUS, KIM FARRANT

TEAM LEADER CONTACT DETAILS FIRST NAME: JEN LAST NAME: RAE CONTACT PHONE: PREFERRED EMAIL: STUDENT NUMBER: PROGRAM/COURSE: PhD, Fine Art FULL TIME/ PART TIME: Full time

Applications can be submitted by email to [email protected]

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 22nd AUGUST 2011

EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

Every 11 hours, a man in Australia commits suicide. Every man has a story. And every story has the potential to free men from emotional isolation. What Men Really Think About gives men a new way to communicate.

THE IDEA – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT • What Men Really Think About (WMRTA) is a transmedia1 social enterprise business that aims to redefine contemporary masculinity. We create experiential and safe environments to men discuss publicly issues that are normally taboo. Through positive male role models we teach men (and women) how to engage in emotionally articulate communication and build resilience through meaningful interaction in a way that will transform their lives. • Topics including love, body image, purpose in life, intimacy in long term relationships, career and status, sex, mental health, suicide, fatherhood, death, porn and many more. • The transmedia modes enable one core idea to be communicated across various outlets to enable maximum audience reach and engagement. The primary modes are: live public forums, interactive website and TV series. The secondary modes are an iPhone application, storytelling, story writing, video, podcasts, and outreach programs. • The centrepiece activity is the public forums. We invite high-profile men to write personal stories on a topic to share publicly with a live audience under the guidance of an expert host. • Pilot public forums currently run in to identify the target market, gage interest, explore the format, test the technology and to create a brand that will enable us to source partner organisations. Once fully tested and researched, the program will be extended to all Australian capital cities and regional centres, and then diversify to women and teenager forums. • The website is an education and information hub. It contains interactive and multimedia content that explores the topic further; videos of forums, transcript stories of the male panellists and the opportunity for viewers to submit their own stories, as well as links to professional support organisations who can assist people who may need help. • The TV series is our ‘pie in the sky’ project that will ensure maximum reach.

1 Transmedia refers to audience engagement of a storytelling process that integrates a wide variety of platforms, devices and media streams. Transmedia storytelling is about immersion, participation & experiences in an authored environment which will not only attract existing readers, but bring new audiences and modes of fragmentation.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

The Business So Far WMRTA is currently in the initial testing and research stage to inform the format and content, to analyse audience demographics and to begin developing demographic-specific transmedia modes.

Pilot forums: • WMRTA has conducted two forums thus far on The Body and Love. Male panellists who participated include: Harry O’Brien (AFL footballer), Tim Rogers (You Am I rock star), Barry Heard (Vietnam veteran and author), Bobby Morley (actor), John Chaplin-Fleming (comedian). A third forum is scheduled for 3rd November at the Wheeler Centre on the topic of ‘Intimacy in Long Term Relationships’. Website: • Preliminary website has been launched: www.whatmenreallythinkabout.com Partner Organisations Secured: • Wheeler Centre: Melbourne public forum partner with a charter to promote literature and ideas. They manage Melbourne and Victorian Regional WMRTA forum events with venue, staff, ticketing. o The WMRTA forum will be listed in the new Wheeler Centre program (8000 copies released 6th September 2012), emailed to 13,000 subscribers, and similar circulation for twitter, facebook. The program events will feature in a newspaper lift out on Saturday 10th September (275,000 circulation). • Renegade Films: Joe and Ken Connor have partnered with WMRTA as Executive Producers for the WMRTA TV series, bringing vast experience and networks. Renegade also supply camera equipment and staff. Renegade have produced TV series such as Rockwiz, Wilfred and Immigration Nation. • Atticus Media: Video and audio production company. Suppliers of camera equipment, post-production facilities and office space. • Slow TV: WMRTA media partner run a free Internet TV channel delivering interviews, debates, conversations and public lectures about Australia's key political, social and cultural issues. o Over 25,000 subscribers on monthly email list. Minimum 10,000 views per week.

What issue is it addressing? WMRTA addresses numerous social issues with the aim of educating and instigating positive change.

Communication: • WMRTA forums facilitate emotionally honest communication that is usually only witnessed behind closed doors (or not at all). The audience experiences men who have transformed stereotypical masculine responses of anger, hostility, bravado, toughness and jokes to vulnerability, grief, fears, desires, failings, pain, remorse, adoration, humility and self reflective insight. • We aim to help men find their own emotionally articulate voice and how to reach out, which may lead to a reduction in feelings of isolation. Through the complex topics discussed, we aim to build resilience so there is a significant shift, reducing male suicide rates, divorce and mental health issues. Essentially, we aim to provide a tool kit for men to more effectively communicate complex emotions to family, friends and their extended work and social networks. • WMRTA uses storytelling and narrative through a trusted messenger to make behavioural change. o Effective communication “must be actively communicated with appropriate language, metaphor, and analogy; combined with narrative storytelling; made vivid through visual imagery and experiential scenarios; balanced with scientific information; and delivered 2 through trusted messengers in group settings”. Suicide: • WMRTA aims to reduce male isolation and suicide. A common cause of suicide is a lack of emotional communication and support resulting in depression with a generalised feeling of a lack of meaning and connectedness to others and society as a whole. Preventable deaths point to individuals who may be less connected to support networks or may be less inclined to seek help or be less intimately associated with people who can assist them.

2 Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions, 2009.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

• In 2008 male suicide rates were three times higher than females in Australia. Suicide accounts for almost one quarter of all deaths among men in Australia under the age of 25 3. Mental health: • A sense of community is a key ingredient to psychological health, a sense of purpose and belonging. Emotional isolation is detrimental to mental health. The sharing of complex, deep emotions on challenging contemporary issues promotes discourse of free emotional exchange being the new norm fosters an environment of openness and support and shows men they are not alone. Masculinity and identity: • Modern social constructs of masculinity create obstacles to men to seek help and often men endure crucial psychological issues alone. This causes not only problems on the home front with sexual relationships, domestic violence and with childrearing but also in the workforce and greater world. Cultural Stereotypes: • “Men in Western cultures (and many other cultures too) are socialised to hide their emotions, be self- reliant, and ‘act’ rather than feel. These notions are embodied in the cultural stereotypes of the heroic male, so often represented in film and television.” 4 • The high profile male panelists of the forums break these stereotypes and act as positive role models.

Who will benefit and what is known about them? Primary Target: • Men of all ages and backgrounds, cultures, socio-economics, especially those who struggle to connect with loved ones as a result of emotional suppression. Men who feel trapped in the dominant male paradigm of toughness and masculinity. • Male panellists who have learned new skills in communicating who use their status to inform work colleagues and fans.

Secondary and Teriary Targets: • (2nd) Females who want to find new ways to communicate with their male partners and understand them. • Social networks, family and work colleagues of men who utilise a more emotionally articulate voice for communicating. • The children of men and women who learn from behavioural changes in their parents.

THE IMPACT Social: A reduction in male aggressiveness with less domestic violence, less sexual violence, less fighting, less drug abuse, less binge drinking, longer engagement and greater fulfilment in relationships/marriages. It can address current trends in male dominated environments (i.e. football culture) Cultural: A shift in concepts around masculinity and identity, and changes in male culture stereotypes to one that is more emotionally available, stable and empowered. Political: Increase in government funding for awareness programs in men’s health, suicide, mental health. More communication rather than more legislation. Technological: A transmedia approach ensures maximum reach to our audience for men to engage on the platform that they feel most comfortable.

Measuring the Benefits for Success With the two initial pilot forums, WMRTA has established that there is an interest from both participants and audience. The next phase of research is to evaluate the benefits, methods and engage the right people.

Forum Attendance • Willingness of male panellists to participate: So far every one contacted has unequivocally agreed. • Willingness of male panellists to become WMRTA ongoing patrons. • Increase of male attendance in audience. Currently audience is skewed to women 80:20. We can do a staggered ticket release and target specific markets before general release.

3 Australian Bureau of Statistics, and 2011 Report on Suicide by the House of Representatives Committee on Health and Ageing. 4 MensLine Australia: Crisis support services for men.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

• Audience attendance: ‘The Body’ forum was an invite-only audience. However, the ‘Love’ forum was a public audience with 300 seats selling out in two days, from a twitter/facebook only advertising. Partner organisations: • Interest from supporting organisations including commercial sponsors, event partners, equipment and resource partners, government (federal, state, local), NGOs, men’s health organisations, philanthropists. Wheeler Centre has already expressed interest in larger venue and a regional tour. • Engagement by men’s organisations to become patrons of the forums, i.e. AFL and NRL league. • Engagement by educational organisations (secondary and tertiary). Surveys: • Evaluation surveys from audience members immediately after the event (online laptops at venue, cards on audience seat), and email evaluation to all attendees. This will provide feedback on the content, impact and benefits. Transmedia Hits • Website hits: Analyse the number of unique hits to the site, and time spent on each page. • Website engagement: Analyse the quality and regularity of audience contribution to content. • Website subscription: Gage the number of subscriptions registered, and analysis of the demographic breakdown of subscribers to see if they become more male skewed. • Live streaming of forums: Analyse national and international engagement. • Media partners: Analysis of hits of video / audio content viewed on media partner sites. • IPhone App: Number and regularity of downloads of the application. Application will encourage regular visits with regularly updated material. See Savage Love application as example. • TV Series: Ratings for Australian TV, and interest by international licensors. • Sales of associated products: School curriculum kits, DVDs, books. Media Coverage • Interest from Media: Analyse media interest for the brand and each forum (TV, radio, print, online) on the back of a marketing campaign. Currently media has included (two programs). Diversification • Interest in licensing format from international buyers (UK and USA). • Interest from partner organisations/panellists/schools in diversification into forums covering women and teenagers. Employment Opportunities • Engage the services of a RMIT social scientist to assist with methods for benefit analysis. • Engage other staff for market research, marketing & publicity and sponsorship.

THE MODEL Business Model WMRTA currently is 100% funded as a Contributed Income Model from on in-kind donations of time, equipment and resources from the WMRTA team, partner organisations and volunteers.

In the coming year, WMRTA will transform into a legal Pty Ltd company or trust and operate as a Hybrid Income Model based on a mixture of an earned income and contributed income models. WMRTA’s future expected revenues will come from a variety of sources, as listed below:

Earned Income Model • Pay for product (fees for attending live forums, purchasing DVDs, books, subscription fee for additional online content) • Pre-sales of the TV series from broadcasters (ABC or SBS or cable networks) • Licensing revenue (sale of business concept license and separate TV series to international markets)

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

Third-party Earned Income Model • Funding by government NGO men’s health organisations and philanthropists. • Development and production funding through government organisations (i.e. Screen Australia, Film ). Contributed Income Model through Partnerships • Donations and gifts from indirect beneficiaries in the form of cash, goods and services . Partner organisations covering costs of live event equipment, staff, venues, ticketing, AV equipment, camera/audio equipment and crew – for each state. • Cash donations from sponsoring companies • Cash donations from philanthropic organisations • Cash donations from individual donors

Note: An additional sustainable funding model is available to WMRTA allowing cash donations to be 100% tax deductable through registration with Documentary Australia Foundation for companies, philanthropic organisations and individual donors.

Organisational Structure Level 1: o Key WMRTA team. o Support by Admin, Researchers, Marketing & publicity, sponsorship. o Company support by brand sponsors/partners. Level 2: o Forums. Event partners/sponsors in each location. Media partners for each event. o Interactive. Web interaction, iphone application. Video and audio. Partners/sponsors for each mode. o TV Series. Executive Producer and production partner. Broadcaster. Government funding bodies.

Governance and Strategies of the Business Decision Making: The key WMRTA team oversee all creative content, strategic decisions for the brand and associations to other organisations to ensure the business stays true to it’s mission statement and philosophy. Risk Management: WMRTA will be created into a Pty Ltd company or trust to remove legal liability of directors. Legals: Release forms are completed and signed by all participants in the forum and for all recordings (video, audio, photo) for use by WMRTA to promote and distribute content worldwide.

Business Model Operation and Business Process WMRTA team each have clear and defined roles of responsibilities. They are briefly noted below:

Jen Rae – Artist, Researcher, Technical Advisor and Cultural Producer Jen is the research and technical producer on the WMRTA project to enhance community engagement and interactivity through online and mobile platforms, as well as provide resource support and access to her networks in the university and social enterprise sector.

Kim Farrant - Founder, Host, Researcher, Documentary Interviewer Kim is the creative force behind WMRTA. Kim creates content, researches the forums, sources panellists working with them and their stories before hosting the live forum event. Kim also provides access to national and international film networks.

Danielle Karalus – Founder, Event and Film Producer, Interactive Engagement Danielle is the cogs in the machine for WMRTA. Danielle organises all aspects of events from film crews to marketing and promotion, and working with the partner organisations to ensure everything works smoothly. Danielle creates the video and audio content for the various transmedia outlets. Danielle provides access to her large film and production networks, and forges the relationships with partners and sponsors.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

THE TEAM The WMRTA team brings over 30 years experience and broad collaborative networks across diverse areas of social and community engagement, social research, large scale event management and film production, interactive and online engagement.

Jen Rae – Artist, Researcher, Technical Advisor and Cultural Producer Jen is a PhD candidate in the Art & Environmental Sustainability Research Cluster at RMIT University. Jen’s research and practice explores cultural adaptation to climate change and related environmental and social issues, through interdisciplinary collaboration, collective action and public art. Jen is a Directors and Co-founders of The Riparian Project (a 2010 recipient of an RMIT SEEDS award) and the Producer of TippingPoint Canada. Each of the projects focuses on creative ways to engage diverse audiences on complex issues.

Kim Farrant - Founder, Host, Researcher, Documentary Interviewer Kim is an experienced documentary, drama and commercial film director. Kim’s practice focuses on engaging storytelling and exploring issues on the complexities of humanity. Trained as an actor before getting an MA Honours degree in Directing (AFTRS), Kim’s award winning films have screened and sold to major networks worldwide (including Australia), and screened at a plethora of festivals including the majors at Cannes, New York, London and Toronto: Naked on the Inside, The Secret Side of Me, Alias, Sammy Blue, Beloved and Bombshell. Kim has also directed Australian drama series Rush and has two international feature films in development and teaches film and television at Australian film schools.

Danielle Karalus – Founder, Event and Film Producer, Interactive Engagement Danielle is a creative producer who works across TV, film, multi-platform media with documentaries, TV series, corporate videos and web products. Inspired by great ideas, collaboration and telling important stories, Danielle has large film and event production experience, including directing and producing a 10 part series for ABC2, Warehouse Comedy Festival, 2010. Educated with a Bachelor of Business (UTS, Sydney) and Graduate Diploma in Film and Interactive Media (VCA, Melbourne University). Her education, passion for life and entrepreneurial tendencies has had Danielle create a travel publishing company, a variety of language education businesses, and her current video production company (Atticus Media) as well as exhibiting around Australia and internationally as an artist and filmmaker.

Partners: Wheeler Centre, Renegade Films, Atticus Media, Slow TV Descriptions have been previously provided.

THE MARKET Primary Market: Education and Communication - The primary market is individual education in communication skills, which can also be utilized by wider educational organizations and programs.

Secondary Market: Personal Development and Health Services - The secondary market is self help and development for the individual. - On par is also providing additional support to health services in self esteem, mental health, physical health, suicide prevention.

Tertiary Market: Literature - Writing skills and storytelling through literature.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

Customers The best way to describe the customers is to describe the WMRTA panelists. They represent the maximum demographic variation so we appeal to a broad audience and to encourage collaboration and communication across different groups. The cross section will include: - Age groups: Men from 20 to 70 including gen Y, X and baby boomers. - Professions: Men from lawyers to soldiers, rock stars to footballers, academics to artists. - Religion: All religions represented including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Atheist - Sexuality: From heterosexual to homosexual, including celibate and sex addicted. - Also variations in marital status, socio-economic status, health, cultures, and more.

Note: Women who are interested in understanding how men think and communicate are a major customer.

Competitive Advantage Unique Content: - The content of WMRTA is unique, utilizing proven formats to maximize the market reach. Public forums and TV talk shows are popular formats in Australia, however most are from the perspective of ‘experts’ and theoretical dissertations of a topic. WMRTA is non-judgmental, experiential and collegial exchange. Nothing currently exists on this scale that speaks to this in-depth honesty and emotion. WMRTA works with developing the story content prior to public airing, rather than the panelist delivering a lecture or simple interview. Denton’s Enough Rope and The Late Sessions with are no longer broadcast. Q&A, Insight, Writers Festivals and Women of Letters also operate on a more cerebral and less personal level. None use storytelling, except Women of Letters.

Networks: - The WMRTA team and associated partners have extensive experience across event management, film and documentary production with Australian broadcasters and international markets, and storytelling; and connections with publically known figures.

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RMIT SEEDS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUND 2011 APPLICATION – WHAT MEN REALLY THINK ABOUT (WMRTA)

THE NUMBERS Investment to date All investments to date have been self funded, in-kind or partner funded. The following is indicative of dollar value in time, equipment and resources, not actual cost.

Investment Description Source In Kind Actual Research Forum research (idea, venue, partners) WMRTA 5000 Pilot Forums - Administration Participant research, story writing WMRTA 1500 - Venue Venue, programming, ticketing, Wheeler Centre 6000 event staff Madman 500 - Equipment HD Video cameras & audio recording Various 4300 (WMRTA, Renegade, Atticus, Johnston) - Crew Camera operators, director, audio 3300 Editing Video Studio and editor WMRTA 5000 Audio Studio and mixer Atticus Media 1600 Website Preliminary website build and hosting WMRTA 2000 Catering Participant catering WMRTA 200 Accom & Travel Participant travel & accom (Love Forum) Wheeler Centre 300 TOTAL 29500 300 # Actual out of pocket expenses to date to the WMRTA project is $200 for catering.

Budget 12 months and 24 month projection – actual costs Investment Description Source 1 yr 1 yr 2 yr 2 yr in-kind actual in-kind actual REVENUE * Ticket sales Forum tickets Audience 20,000 120,000 * Pre-sales TV series broadcaster pre-sale ABC 400,000 * Production funding TV series pre & production funding Screen Aust 400,000 Film Victoria 100,000 * Sponsorship Cash partner contributions Partners 50,000 200,000 * RMIT Seeds RMIT Seeds 25,000 TOTAL 95,000 1,220,000 EXPENSES Salaries WMRTA key staff WMRTA 45,000 120,000 Pilot Forums * Venue Venue, programming, ticketing Partner 30,000 20,000 45,000 * Equipment hire Video cameras (3) Partner 2,500 2,000 12,000 Multi-track audio recording Partner 2,500 2,500 12,000 * Crew Camera ops, audio (4) Partner 2,000 2,000 10,000 TV Series 6 part series (all expenses separate ABC 900,000 to the forums & fully contained) Editing Video Studio and editor Partner 3,500 4,000 15,000 Audio Studio and mixer Partner 2,500 2,500 12,000 Travel Various 5,000 15,000 Equipment purchase Hard drives, laptops for events Various 2,000 2,000 10,000 Website Website re-build and maintenance WMRTA 8,000 12,000 Office space Includes admin Atticus 10600 5,000 15,600 Legal Company setup and other legal TBC 4000 6000 Insurance Includes public liability 20M TBC 2500 5000 Tax Company, super, holiday pay, etc ATO 6,000 20,000 Misc 4,500 10,400 TOTAL 95,000 1,220,000

Assumptions - 12 Months: Forums - 3 in Melbourne (one for free) and pilot events in 2 other capital cities. - 24 Months: Forums - 3 in Melbourne, 2 in Sydney, 1 in Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Hobart. Regional tour in Victoria to 3 locations. Production ready for 6 part TV series.

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