U.S. Green Building Council President, CEO & Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi today declared that the neighborhood being built by Make It Right New Orleans, the post-Katrina housing initiative launched by actor Brad Pitt, is the “largest and greenest community of single-family homes in the world” at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York.

Make It Right, which was announced as a “commitment” at the 2007 CGI meeting, has already LEED Platinum certified 13 homes and is building at least 150 sustainable, storm-resistant LEED Platinum homes in a Lower 9th Ward neighborhood of New Orleans wiped out by the Hurricane Katrina and that
was nearest to the disastrous breech of the Industrial Canal levee.

“Through Make It Right we are reminded that our work is not about buildings, but rather about the people within them,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “In facing our nation’s unprecedented economic and environmental crises, we must change the way the
places in which we live, work, learn and play are built and operated. What we’re seeing with green building goes beyond energy-efficiency to a transformation of entire communities – and the lives of the people who live there. Make It Right has proved that green building can be both affordable and high performing.”

After the presentation of the award, President Clinton, Brad Pitt, Rick Fedrizzi, Make It Right Executive Director Tom Darden, Architect William McDonough and Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, Director of Sustainability, Masdar City, UAE International, addressed the progress Make It Right has made, as well as how green building should play a role in revitalizing the nation’s economy and tackling environmental challenges, in a session moderated by White House Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes.

Tags: Brad Pitt, CGI, Chad Griffin, Clinton Global Initiative, LEED, Make it Right, Melody Barnes, Rick Fedrizzi, U.S. Green Building Council, William McDonough, Yusef Robb

Griffin|Schake client, Chris Albrecht, will be developing an hourlong drama for Starz set in the New York fashion world. The show will follow a high-fashion photographer as she makes her way.

Albrecht told Daily Variety: “I pitched them my idea for the character. They really keyed in on the things I thought were most interesting about the show.”

The lead character and setting “offer us a way into the world of fashion, and it’s a way in to look at the life of this new breed of young women who don’t need anyone other than themselves.”

The drama will be the debut scripted project from Albrecht’s Foresee Entertainment.

>> To read the full Variety story, go here.

Tags: Chris Albrecht, Daily Variety, Foresee Entertainment, Starz

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama joined California First Lady Maria Shriver and 350 volunteers for a playground building service project at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco to encourage Americans to to serve their communities. Together, along with 350 volunteers, they constructed the first fully volunteer-built “intergenerational playground” in the nation.

Griffin|Schake coordinated logistics with the White House Press and Advance Teams and oversaw media relations for the event.

This event served as the official kick-off for the 2009 National Conference for Volunteering and Service and marked Shriver’s 31st playground build throughout California. With 4,500 expected attendees, the conference is the largest gathering in the world of leaders of the service and volunteering sector.

The project was sponsored by CaliforniaVolunteers, the California state office charged with increasing the number of Californians who volunteer, led by the nation’s first state cabinet secretary dedicated to service, Karen Baker. Shriver serves as the honorary chair of the organization.

“Real change doesn’t come from the top down, it comes from the bottom up – from citizens organizing and mobilizing and serving the nation that they love…service has the power to transform individuals, communities, and this country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.

“This is more than a play space, this is a testament to the fact that Californians of any age can unite around the concept of play, serve their communities and create an inclusive environment that transcends age diversity,” said First Lady Maria Shriver. “This trailblazing play space truly embraces the philosophy that playground lessons last a lifetime and we never outgrow play.”

This play space marks the first fully intergenerational volunteer-build playground, with kids, parents, seniors and Alzheimer’s experts engaged in every step of the planning and construction process. An edible garden will feature a farmer’s market stand, allowing kids and seniors from the community to create a micro enterprise, sell vegetables and raise money for the school.

>> For more background, read the articles in the LA Times, the New York Times, and USA Today.

Tags: CaliforniaVolunteers, Griffin|Schake, KaBoom!, Kristina Schake, Maria Shriver, Marissa Moss, Matthew diGirolamo, Media Strategy & Relations, Michelle Obama, National Conference on Volunteering & Service, San Francisco, Service & Volunteerism, White House

Chad Griffin and Kristina Schake were each named today to the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American.

Actor/director Rob Reiner, children’s advocate Michelle Singer Reiner, producer Bruce Cohen and writer and director Dustin Lance Black were also named to the Board. Griffin will serve as the organization’s first Board President.

The Foundation’s first project is a federal court challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which eliminated marriage rights for same sex couples. Led by attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, two of the nation’s most preeminent constitutional lawyers, the suit states that Proposition 8 creates a class of “second-class citizens” and thereby violates the U.S. Constitution.

>> Click here to read about the announcement in Variety or The Advocate.

Tags: American Foundation for Equal Rights, Bruce Cohen, Chad Griffin, David Boies, Dustin Lance Black, Kristina Schake, Michelle Singer Reiner, Proposition 8, Rob Reiner, Ted Olson, The Advocate, Variety

A lawsuit first filed in federal district court last Friday, May 22, states that Proposition 8 — which eliminated the right of same sex couples to marry in California — creates a class of “second-class citizens” and thereby violates the U.S. Constitution. The suit also calls for an injunction against Proposition 8 until the case is resolved, which would immediately reinstate marriage rights to same sex couples.

The suit was filed by two same-sex couples who wish to be married but, because of Proposition 8, have been denied marriage licenses. The plaintiffs are represented by Theodore B. Olson and David Boies. Olson, a former U.S. Solicitor General, represented George W. Bush in 2000’s Bush v. Gore, which decided the presidential election. Boies represented Al Gore in that case. Olson, widely regarded as one of the nation’s preeminent constitutional lawyers, has argued 54 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. Boies ranks as one of the leading trial lawyers of his generation, having secured landmark victories for clients in numerous areas of the law. This is the first time they have served alongside each other as co-counsel.

The plaintiffs and attorneys will be announcing the case at a press conference in Los Angeles today.

“Yesterday, the California Supreme Court said that the California Constitution compels the State to discriminate against gay men and lesbians who have the temerity to wish to express their love and commitment to one another by getting married,” Olson said. “These are our neighbors, co-workers, teachers, friends, and family, and, courtesy of Prop 8, California now prohibits them from exercising this basic, fundamental right of humanity. Whatever discrimination California law now might permit, I can assure you, the United States Constitution does not.”

“Mr. Olson and I are from different ends of the political spectrum, but we are fighting this case together because Proposition 8 clearly and fundamentally violates the freedoms guaranteed to all of us by the Constitution,” Boies said. “Every American has a right to full equality under the law. Same sex couples are entitled to the same marriage rights as straight couples. Any alternative is separate and unequal and relegates gays and lesbians to a second class status.”

The plaintiffs in the case are Kris Perry & Sandy Stier, and Paul Katami & Jeff Zarrillo. They issued the following joint statement today: “We and our relationships should be treated equally under the law. Our goal is to advance the cause of equality for all Americans, which is the promise that makes this nation so great.”

The case is a project of the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Watch the press conference live (and on replay) here:

Tags: American Foundation for Equal Rights, California Supreme Court, Chad Griffin, David Boies, Discrimination, Equal Rights, Griffin|Schake, Jeff Zarrillo, Kris Perry, Kristina Schake, Matthew diGirolamo, Paul Katami, Proposition 8, Sandy Stier, Ted Olson, Yusef Robb

Maria Shriver is the executive producer of HBO’s The Alzheimer’s Project, a multi-platform 4-part series that takes a close look at groundbreaking discoveries made by the country’s leading scientists, as well as the effects of this debilitating and fatal disease both on those with Alzheimer’s and on their families.

The first of the four documentaries in The Alzheimer’s Project is “The Memory Loss Tapes” (debuting May 10), which provides an up-close and personal look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer’s, across the full spectrum of the progression of the disease.

“Momentum In Science” (May 11 and 12) is a two-part state-of-the-science film that takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 25 leading scientists and physicians, revealing some of the most cutting-edge research advances.

“‘Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?’ with Maria Shriver” (May 11), which is based on Shriver’s best-selling book, captures what it means to be a child or grandchild of one with Alzheimer’s, while “Caregivers” (May 12) highlights the sacrifices and successes of people who experience their loved one’s descent into dementia.

You can honor a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer’s by contributing to the Tribute Wall on Facebook.

>> Watch Shriver’s visit today with “Morning Joe” on MSNBC:

Tags: Alzheimer's, HBO, Kristina Schake, Maria Shriver, The Alzheimer's Project

The documentary “Outrage,” which is being directed by Academy Award-nominated Kirby Dick and executive produced by our very own Chad Griffin, premiered tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“Outrage” takes on the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Boldly revealing the hidden lives of some of the United States’ most powerful policymakers, the documentary takes a comprehensive look at the harm they’ve inflicted by keeping their secrets.

The movie opens in theaters on May 8.

>> Watch the film’s trailer here:

Tags: Chad Griffin, Kirby Dick, LGBT, Magnolia Pictures, Outrage

Today, Maria Shriver launched a multifaceted project in partnership with the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.

TIME magazine will also be involved in research and reporting, as well as co-presenting discussions and roundtables around the country.

The project, A Woman’s Nation, will take a new, empirical look at American women who for the first time in our nation’s history make up fully half of all workers and are becoming the primary breadwinners in more families than ever before.

The project will include the Shriver Report, which will combine the work of economists and academics to address the consequences of women’s more prominent economic status in the institutions that matter most in American life, including government, business, faith, education, and health. The report will also include data from research and on-the-ground reporting around the country, looking especially at the interplay between women and men in our society today.

“We will take a hard look at how women are doing in the United States today and consider the central question of the role government, business, and faith organizations, as well as individual women and men should play in supporting women’s role now in the workforce and the U.S. economy,“ said John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress. “We look forward to teaming up with Maria Shriver on this important work.”

The last expansive government project centered on women was conducted under the presidency of John F. Kennedy, who appointed Eleanor Roosevelt in 1961 to chair a commission to report on the status of women. A Woman’s Nation will report its findings to the nation, Congress, and President Obama, who recently signed an executive order to establish a council to coordinate the federal government’s efforts to address the needs of women and girls.

“As a reporter by trade, I look forward to working with CAP and our other partners to take a factual look at the consequences of today’s economic realties,” said Maria Shriver. “The world has changed dramatically since my uncle launched his commission in 1961, and the fact is we need a new portrait of the American woman so we can better understand what she needs to be successful in this complicated world. The truth is, we are now what I like to call, ‘A Woman’s Nation’.”

A Woman’s Nation will include roundtables, a national poll, and interviews with icons of the women’s movement and other prominent leaders. The preliminary report will be released in the fall, to be followed by a book.

>> Read Shriver’s piece in The Huffington Post here.

Tags: A Woman's Nation, Center for American Progress, Griffin|Schake, John Podesta, Kristina Schake, Maria Shriver, Marissa Moss, Media Strategy & Relations, The Huffington Post, TIME Magazine, Valerie Jarrett

Chad Griffin is executive producing a documentary that will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 24th and be distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

In the film, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick will cast “a spotlight on the massive hypocrisy that allows powerful people to work against the rights of a minority when they hide their personal lives while enjoying the spoils of power.”

The official movie poster was released this week with the tag line “Do Ask. Do Tell.”

>> Read the indieWIRE piece here.

>> Read Variety’s Wilshire & Washington blog here.

Tags: Chad Griffin, Kirby Dick, Magnolia Pictures, Outrage, Tribeca Film Festival, Variety

Chad Griffin was quoted in today’s LA Times column on Kal Penn’s new role as Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

“Appointing Kal Penn is a wise and strategic move that should foster a strong and productive relationship between the White House and Hollywood,” said industry political advisor Chad Griffin. “Not only is it beneficial that the White House liaison to the creative community is a member of that community, Penn is very smart and well-versed on policy and politics.”

Griffin added: “He combines the advantages of having access and of being able to clearly and convincingly communicate the White House’s and the industry’s priorities.”

Read the entire piece here.

Tags: Chad Griffin, Hollywood, Kal Penn, LA Times

Two weeks ago, Kristina Schake and Marissa Moss travelled to Washington, D.C. to accompany California First Lady Maria Shriver as she testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging and participated in Alzheimer’s Public Policy Week. They witnessed four days of incredible hope and dedication to an issue that so closely impacts many people’s lives.

The week began with a breakfast at the Hay Adams, where we introduced Maria’s film “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I am?” The special premieres Monday, May 11th on HBO, and is geared toward children and young teens coping with a grandparent’s illness. When the lights flickered on as the credits rolled, there was nary a dry eye in the room. A Public Policy forum luncheon followed, and the next day found us on Capitol Hill at Maria’s testimony, which can be viewed here.

Speaking along with Speaker Newt Gingrich, the honorable Sandra Day O’Connor and Senator Bob Kerrey, Maria’s testimony was a heartbreaking but hopeful narrative on the impact her father’s illness has on her family and her life. Alzheimer’s is a disease suffering from a public relations dilemma — there are no survivors to promote the cause, no champions to run races, no ribbons for anything but families searching for a memory of their loved one. But the scientific community is hopeful, and Maria’s testimony urged us to be too: “I am convinced that we baby boomers will be the generation who tells our grandchildren that believe it or not, there once was a time when there was no cure for Alzheimer’s.” Judging by the standing ovation in the Senate room, perhaps that dilemma is on its way to being solved.

You can watch Good Morning America’s moving piece here.

This week, on the opposite side of the map, Governor Schwarzenegger made an exciting announcement regarding Maria’s WE Connect Campaign. States including Illinois, Kansas, New York and Iowa have joined with us in a groundbreaking effort to extend the new federal WEb Connector tool across the country. Right now, anyone from anywhere can go to www.weconnect.net to find out what they are eligible for. With tax day around the corner, this is truly a unique effort to empower taxpayers and join up our national leaders in a way that truly works best - together, and for the benefit of the working people.

Of course, we are also fast at work planning The Women’s Conference 2009. We can’t divulge the lineup until July – but next week, Maria will be making an extremely exciting announcement I’m looking forward to sharing on Monday.

Tags: Alzheimer's, Governor Schwarzenegger, Kristina Schake, Maria Shriver, Marissa Moss, Media Strategy & Relations, The Women's Conference, WE Connect