Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Steve Zukerman of Soapbox Media Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
As far as the social impact causes I’m working on right now, they are made up of great people and organizations whose stories I am working hard to share with as many people as possible. The hope is to inspire the current and next generation of young people to join their efforts, and to promote the positive action that they are creating with their work. I am most proud of my two current film projects: one based on the work of Dr. Kathleen Ruddy and her colleague’s tireless effort to cure breast cancer by preventing it in the first place and the other that shares the story of the founder of Habitat for Humanity and the sacrifices it’s founder Millard Fuller was willing to make to build homes for the poor.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Zukerman.
Steve Zukerman is an independent film director and social media marketer who has made it his mission to amplify voices and elevate causes that create an impact both locally and on a global stage. His primary goal is to speak to the rise of today’s increasingly engaged audiences while bringing awareness and action to today’s most vital issues. Steve believes we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do everything in our power to assist in improving the well-being of those who are suffering or are in need.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
My career really started when I was a young child, as funny as that might sound. I grew up in the midwest in Indianapolis, Indiana and as I watched my father run his advertising agency, I was fascinated by the writing, the art, and all of the creative elements that were brought together to promote a product or service for a client.
One thing that stood out to me, in particular, was my father‘s willingness to always go out of his way to support his clients in such a personal way. To him, they weren’t just clients, they were partners and they very often became friends. I believe it’s that level of care and personal attention that made him successful and so well-liked among his peers. Anybody he ever came in contact with always knew they could count on him to do his very best for them because he put himself in their shoes. It was that level of selflessness that rubbed off on me and my career. I have since worked with both my father and others in supporting clients and incorporating “cause marketing” campaigns that in some way give back to their patrons and the communities they serve.
Ultimately, I saw the film medium as an opportunity to reach a large audience and further the idea of giving back, by concentrating on and developing projects that have the ability to make a solid social impact, and truly uplift lives.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
So many interesting things have happened — it’s hard to narrow it down to just one story to share!
I have a film in post-production based on the life of Millard Fuller, who was the co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International. The component of the project we are completing now is really just the first chapter in the larger story, but It’s been a labor of love and an incredible process developing that project. In the course of working on it I’ve had the opportunity to meet with and interview President Carter. I can tell you that it’s intimidating to sit down with a former president, but it was certainly an honor. Carter goes on to tell me the story of how he came to be the face of Habitat for Humanity. Apparently, Millard Fuller had sent him multiple letters looking for his support while he was still in the White House. However, he received no reply because as Carter tells it, he was getting nearly 30,000 letters per day while president, and of course couldn’t look at every single one and respond to them.
Having received no reply after multiple attempts, Millard then took it upon himself to go tell a local newspaper reporter in President Carter‘s hometown of Plains Georgia that President Carter didn’t care about poor people. (I believe that may have been the literal headline in the newspaper.) When it came to Carter’s attention, he and his wife Rosalyn agreed to meet with Millard to see what he wanted. Perturbed by the news piece, he told Rosalyn that under no circumstances should they promise this man anything. Millard showed up to their meeting with 30 things he wanted Carter to do on a pad of paper. By the end of their meeting, Carter agreed to do them all.
Essentially, it was Carter’s involvement with Millard that led to the growth of Habitat for Humanity which has built homes in over 100 countries for over 1 million people to date. I was blown away by the perseverance and passion that Millard must have exemplified to the Carters to convince them to get behind Habitat. Millard refused to quit, and it was his sincere faith and belief in what he was called to do that drove him forward. That’s the same sort of passion that drives me as well, no matter what hurdles I face.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
As aforementioned, it was an absolute honor to sit down with President Carter and tell the story of his involvement in Habitat for Humanity, and the connection to Millard Fuller.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Currently, I’m working on the production of the film, The Pink Virus. It is based on a nearly 100-year history of evidence of the discovery of a virus that has been found to be the cause of up to 94% of all breast cancer cases in humans. Believe me, I was just as astounded to confront that statistic as you probably are.
I’m working with Dr. Kathleen Ruddy who is an internationally acclaimed breast cancer surgeon and author. Our project is based on her book “The End of Breast Cancer”, which chronicles her own discovery of this research, her current work as a surgeon and researcher, and her crusade to discover the causes of breast cancer and eradicate it through means of prevention. It’s truly an amazing project, and very unsettling to learn about the existence of a virus, and that only a small percentage, somewhere near 2% of all the $20 billion “industry” that is breast cancer is spent on preventative medicine.
Our hope is to blow the lid off this cancer “business” and force a seismic shift in the way we approach the disease.
If three functional vaccines can be developed for Covid-19 in less than a year, then why can’t we develop a vaccine to prevent a sizable amount of breast cancer based on this research that has existed since 1936? It’s truly baffling, and I believe it all comes down to the almighty dollar. There is already one vaccine in development, but it is not yet available to the public, and it has been a very slow process full of hurdles that shouldn’t exist. There’s no reason why this should not be moving faster.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
There are so many people that have inspired me. I named my company Soapbox as an homage to the little man, fighting to be heard. From fictional characters like Jimmy Stewart‘s character Jefferson Smith from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, to well-known change-makers like MLK, Malcolm X, and Che Guevara, I’m inspired by each of them and their willingness to sacrifice everything and dedicate themselves to “righting the wrongs” for the good of so many who haven’t been able to stand up for themselves.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
When it comes to the very idea of what we call success, I feel like I’ve been very lucky. I owe that to a lot of incredible people.
Sure, there’s a lot of hard work that goes into creating projects and reaching an audience, but I thank my parents, family, and good friends for their endless support and confidence. They are the people that have truly allowed me to even bring goodness to the world. It can be a struggle that requires a lot of energy, commitment, and time, but I have been blessed to have the support of so many who have allowed me the freedom to go after my dreams.
As far as the social impact causes I’m working on right now, they are made up of great people and organizations whose stories I am working hard to share with as many people as possible. The hope is to inspire the current and next generation of young people to join their efforts, and to promote the positive action that they are creating with their work. I am most proud of my two current film projects: one based on the work of Dr. Kathleen Ruddy and her colleague’s tireless effort to cure breast cancer by preventing it in the first place and the other that shares the story of the founder of Habitat for Humanity and the sacrifices it’s founder Millard Fuller was willing to make to build homes for the poor.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
There have been so many small “Aha” moments throughout my experience. Every single moment that I have witnessed a selfless act by an individual has truly affected me. Every time I see somebody do what they do for the good of somebody else, and honestly for the good of someone else where they personally may get no fanfare or recognition for it, I am deeply inspired.
I wouldn’t say there was just one event that triggered my devotion to storytelling these specific stories, though I was very inspired by the story of Millard Fuller, and how he came to realize that his pursuit of becoming rich was ruining his life and threatening his family from breaking apart. He made a huge decision literally to give all of his riches away and make himself poor on purpose to “see what God wanted him to do.” His willingness to take a risk and move forward based on faith alone blew me away. There are so many great causes out there that could use help, and I would love to give a voice to all of them if I could. There’s just not enough time in the day!
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
This is a tough question to answer for unconventional and strange reasons: I’ve been blessed to have a great number of people thank me for what I’m doing, but while I appreciate it, I don’t think it’s about me. The stories I am telling are not my stories, thus I feel like I’m just a tool or a conduit to help spread the stories of the great work of others. So in a way, I suppose I am guilty of not truly taking in their kind words and recognizing the difference I may have made. I also feel as though I haven’t yet accomplished everything that I would like to accomplish for them all, so I really have stayed focused on furthering the work. I just hope I have impacted a great number of people and I hope to impact a great number more.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
My biggest challenge as a storyteller and an independent filmmaker is to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible and inspire each of those people to actually take action based on what they see. Individuals and organizations that get behind what I’m doing help dramatically by assisting in the production and distribution of these stories so they can make maximum impact. That’s where I can always use more help.
The first step is finishing these projects, which takes both financial and physical resources. From there, individuals can demand that both local and national government representatives take action and use their power to reallocate resources to help further these important causes. If those representatives are unwilling to do that, then the people need to vote in new representatives.
Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, was known to advocate that we have the ability to provide housing for everybody on this planet, all that’s missing is the willingness to do it. It’s the same for breast cancer. We have undeniable proof of a virus that has existed since 1936, and the money raised towards a vaccination program has been grossly disproportionate to the amount of money that is being spent on treatment, and that’s for one simple reason: it’s much more profitable to treat a disease than it is to prevent it. We need to take a look at ourselves in the mirror and change the paradigm. It’s high time that we value human lives, and the experience of ALL HUMANS over dollars and cents.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Money makes the world go round. You would think that would be an obvious statement, but I was incredibly surprised to see how people tend to sacrifice their true beliefs, or even their dreams, for the pursuit of money. In many ways it’s unavoidable, but I just think that we can all do better, and should be taking a look at the problems money has caused us, and trying to shift our priorities.
- It’s often going to take a long time from beginning to end to get a project finished. The two film projects that I’ve been developing have each taken nearly a decade to get to the point where we are now. There are many reasons for that, but when I started each of them, I had this idea that I would get them done quickly, and that’s just not realistic when you’re operating independently and having to rally the crowd around your vision.
- The importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals, people that share your passion and belief in the vision, and a team you can trust, is incredibly important. When you’re working on nothing but large, multifaceted projects, it’s not for the faint at heart. It requires a great deal of patience. The chemistry that you have with that team is vital to its success. I would have saved a lot of time if I would have understood how important that was from the beginning on all my projects.
- Your mother and father were right about everything. I say that somewhat jokingly because we certainly don’t agree on everything, but there is some real truth behind htis statement. Though working with or sharing your innermost feelings with family can sometimes be difficult, having somebody close to you to tell you the truth and not sugarcoat things is so important. It often helps you look at what you’re doing in another way, providing a perspective that can drive you forward in ways that you never thought of before.
- There are going to be many days where you second-guess yourself and wonder if you made the right choices. These are the times when no matter who you talk to, they are not going to have the answer for you. You must look deep within yourself to decide what you’re made of, and what truly drives you. There comes a time when other people don’t have the answers for you, and you yourself don’t have the answers. While we all may not be religious, I think there is a spirituality to what we are all dealing with on a daily basis and it’s important that we understand how to tap into that and harness the leader inside ourselves. We should trust our own decisions, no matter what other people say. Very often people are looking for somebody to take the lead and take the reins since, as I have found, we are all a little bit lost. If you can tap into that strength and be that leader, you’ll find that many people will appreciate and support you.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that the greatest rewards come from realizing that you have helped others. While we get satisfaction from doing things for ourselves, the level of peace and happiness that comes from assisting other people is unparalleled. We spend so much time trying to accomplish what we set out as our personal goals, but I think we often find that what we may have envisioned as the definition of “success” is somewhat selfish, and the feeling of self-satisfaction that we are searching for is elusive until we have assisted others. That’s when the real joy and peace come.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
I have learned about so many celebrities that have utilized their status to be of assistance to others. I’m so impressed by that because they could certainly just ride off into the sunset and enjoy their riches for themselves and their immediate family only.
People I am most inspired by, to name a few:
Matthew McConaughey and his foundation that help educate children worldwide. Keanu Reeves and the way that he quietly donates millions to children’s hospitals. Leonardo DiCaprio and the foundation he established for Environmental activism and protecting the rights of indigenous communities. Angelina Jolie and all of the field missions that she has done in support of refugees in a great number of countries. Oprah Winfrey of course and the Leadership Academy Foundation she established in South Africa. Bono and his Global humanitarian relief. Matt Damon and his work to help provide clean water supplies for countries in need. There really is some unbelievable work being done by these folks, and I admire each and everyone of them.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There’s certainly more than one, but in my process of making my film about Millard Fuller, said, “What the poor need is not charity but capital, not caseworkers but coworkers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance.”
I don’t want to get into a political argument about what rich people should do with their money, but I think this just speaks to the idea that people need a “hand up” and not a “hand out”. That actually comes back around to connect to a quote that I love by Keanu Reeves: “The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.”
I think the hardest part for all of us is slowing down in our lives to where we actually pay attention to people. The ones in our own lives that we correspond with regularly could always be paid more attention, let alone others outside of our circles that we don’t personally know. Again, perhaps that connects back to how we spend so much time working to make money to pay for all the things that we think we need. I think it does a disservice to us, to our families and friends, and to our larger global family, when we don’t spend enough time truly paying attention to what people need. Rather, we should try to genuinely assist them rather than just throw money at a problem. Once we all are able to slow down and truly listen to one another, I think we will be in a better place to make a real difference.
How can our readers follow you online?
Pink Virus Film Website: https://pinkvirusfilm.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkvirusfilm/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkvirusfilm
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Steve Zukerman of Soapbox Media Is Helping To Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.