The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund is one of the world’s preeminent organizations dedicated to improving the lot of at-risk youth and, as such, it carries the burden of such an important mission while also highlighting just how difficult the struggle for global equity can be.
To propel this mission forward, events such as the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala Cannes, held at the internationally-recognized and renowned Cannes Film Festival in France, is an example of the kinds of powerful intersections of art and celebrity that the organization leverages to achieve its worldwide mission.
At the heart of this process is Rachel Chanel Clarke, Founder and CEO of Trigo Networks.
Dedicated to providing entertainment services for organizations like the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to help them meet fundraising and awareness goals, Trigo Networks uses a global outlook and worldwide reach to help its clients succeed.
Focusing on charitable endeavors in particular, Clarke reminds us that these projects have the added ancillary benefits of helping others while also bringing clients’ projects to life. For many event planners, the task of bringing dreams into reality is daunting in and of itself but when you add the complication of needing to create a collaborative environment that underscores and references an organization’s broader values, the challenge is another one all unto itself.
Referencing the Cannes Film Festival specifically, Clarke notes that the “synergies” between the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and attendees are organic and self-perpetuating, citing prominent philanthropists like Richard Branson and Hollywood luminaries such as Denzel Washington who both attend the festival and also support the Children’s Fund’s mission as an organization. Citing recent work on a collaborative textbook entitled “Managing Festivals for Destination Marketing and Branding,” Rachel Chanel Clarke points out that the key to connecting an organization’s mission with a broader group rests in the ability to correlate various external factors in order to facilitate synergies during the event itself. Using the broad goal of protecting and providing for vulnerable children as an example, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala unites attendees in a shared mission that is commonly understood, clearly outlined, and delineated through actionable end goals and processes.
A critical foundational aspect of this process is a focus on the energy of the process itself or, in this case, keeping things positive and upbeat. In a world driven by social media virality and controversy, many people find this drive towards the positive and uplifting to be a breath of fresh air in a marketplace stale with scandal. Referencing Trigo’s work for the Ministry of Culture in Columbia for the country’s Petronio Alvarez Festival, Clarke underscores the importance of unified, clear messaging, and a rallying cry under which people can take positive energy and move forward with that same purpose. Reminding us of Trigo’s understanding that it “needs” to do good in this world, Clarke quickly walks us through the process of taking a local event live internationally and domestically as well as the various benefits certain strategies brought during the process.
Rachel, your Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala Cannes will be held at the Cannes Film Festival this May. Please tell us about the event and the reason for holding it at the world-famous film festival.
Over the past few years, we have been a part of some incredible events during the Festival de Cannes and wanted to create something that was dedicated to advocacy for children and child talent. The goal is to rally our constituents in philanthropy, government, and the film and tv industry to increase focus and support of our youth within media and entertainment. We had been speaking with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (“the Fund”) about different alliances and as we were preparing for events during Festival de Cannes this year, the synergies were innate to have this event benefit the Fund.
What inspires you and Trigo Networks to work with charity groups to raise funds?
Trigo Networks provide entertainment services for entities that are intentional in the services they provide, and the communities served. Nearly all our events, tv and film projects, the clients that we advise, including governmental entities, focus on a charitable or humanitarian component. Raising funds for a charity group is just an added benefit to the outcomes of the work that we do.
Why was the Cannes Film Festival chosen for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala Cannes? What makes the festival the best event to hold a charity festival?
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund has a deep connection to the film industry, President Mandela founded the organization with massive support from actors, actresses, and other stakeholders such as Denzel Washington and Sir Richard Branson. Additionally, for the 28 years that the Fund has been in existence, it has been the beneficiary of dozens of similar events, so this is very indicative of the type of event that would support the Fund. I am a contributing author of a new textbook entitled “Managing Festivals for Destination Marketing and Branding”, and in the book I discuss one great way to enhance a festival is by noticing the correlation between external factors and the festival itself. What you will notice about the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala Cannes is that everyone is united with a sincere dedication to protecting children and ensuring a better future for them, where it be in government policy, a safe workplace for child talent, tv and film products, providing of health care, or funds established to support vulnerable communities. The compatibility is organic.
Trigo’s focus on positive content feels like a breath of fresh air in today’s social media-driven world. How does Trigo Networks create its content, and how does its target audience engage with it?
Trigo Networks, with our international partners, is committed to taking every product and service and creating thoughtful experiences and products that serve humanity. For instance, we were sought by the Ministry of Culture for the Government of Colombia to support one of the most important music and culture festivals for Afro-Latinx heritage with over 150,000 attendees, the Petronio Alvarez Festival. We took this opportunity to promote the unity of the diversity within the Afro-Latina community around the globe, recognize some incredible women, and tell the story of how that relates to the messaging of Petronio Alvarez. We organized coverage in international press. Trigo Networks has been blessed to be a part of so many extraordinary projects and in the words of Jesus, “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. Consequently, we have an obligation to do good with our work.
To learn more about Rachel Chanel Clarke and Trigo Networks please visit https://www.trigonetworks.com