screwtheman - savetheworld

GOODBYE NEED?

2009-09-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

GOODBYE NEED? NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!

So far we have not gained the subscriptions and investment needed to continue. Instead of disappearing we are using this as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves.

We need your help to make this happen.

Take this short survey to inform us how to become better and more effective.

>> Take the survey

NEED Concert Raises $5,000 for Street Kids

2009-09-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Film Crew & Sound: Lisa Walker, Mark Hentges, Zach Nelson, Lance Lundstrom, Chase Hentges, Nate Peterson

NEED’s first-ever music event proved an event worth repeating. The concert brought together NEED readers, music lovers and 12 bands. This unique night of music yielded nearly $5,000 in donations to help street kids in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Although inclement weather resulted in a last-minute venue change from Peavey Plaza to Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis, turnout and energy remained high. Undeterred, Twin Cities musicians performed back-to-back sets of acoustic and a cappella music. The Hell’s Kitchen staff was extremely accommodating in allowing all the musical acts onto their stage and housing the large crowd that attended.

The eclectic sounds of the evening ranged from the soulful vocals of Sounds of Blackness to Wookiefoot’s Mark Murphy’s quirky acoustics. Along with raising awareness and donations for street kids, the event provided a great opportunity for local musicians to get their music heard by a spirited audience.

Those who attended had a chance to pick up free copies of NEED magazine and to donate to the Nurani Insani School for Street Kids. To add to the atmosphere, children from Youth Performance Company dressed as street children. Following a bagpiper as he paraded around downtown, the children handed out flyers for the event and then milled around Hell’s Kitchen accepting donations in cups. Hell’s Kitchen served a beverage called “Jakarta River Water.” A portion of the drink’s sales were donated to the Nurani Insani school.

Online donations to the Nurani Insani school will be accepted until September 22.
>> more info about the event, the Nurani Insani school and how to donate

Please check back for upcoming events. We’d love to see you there!

Thank You! | Street Music for Street Kids

2009-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Billy Johnson. photo | Steve Floyd

The Street Music for Street Kids event on Thursday, August 20th was an amazing success. The one-night street music festival that was scheduled to be held outside at Peavey Plaza had to be moved inside due to substantial rain. The fantastic staff at Hell’s Kitchen were overly gracious in welcoming the entire event onto their stage and the large crowd into their seats. People were standing in the aisles, crowding booths, and sitting on any patch of space they could find on seats or on the stairs. The mass of people that braved the weather were rewarded with show like no other. Twelve great local bands put aside their amplifiers and electronics and played back-to-back sets of beautiful acoustic music. The event raised nearly $5000 in one night for a school helping to educate street kids in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mark Murphy from Wookiefoot. photo | Steve Floyd

We at NEED are extremely grateful for the relentless support of so many who helped us put this event together from the city of Minneapolis, Peavey Plaza, Hell’s Kitchen, Lisa Walker and the film crew, and all the musicians who came out in support of street kids. We have many more photos and video to come!

Sounds of Blackness. photo | Steve Floyd

If you can, go out and support these local musicians at their next shows here in the Twin Cities.

Sounds of Blackness – CD Release Party at the Mall of America Rotunda. Tuesday , August 25 6:30 pm Free and open to the public

Aby Wolf – Late Night at Barbette. Monday, August 31, 10:00 pm

Hyland – Benefit show at The Crossing. Saturday, August 29, 7:15 pm

Enchanted Ape – Downtime Bar. Friday, August 28, 9:30 pm. $5 cover

Billy Johnson – Crave. Thursday, August 27, 8:00 pm & – JJ’s Dry Dock Friday, August 28, 5:00

The Get-Rites – Acadia Café. Friday, September 12, 9:00 pm

Ada Jane – University of Duluth. Tuesday, November 17, 9:30 pm

Wookiefoot – Harvest Fest. Friday, September 11-Saturday, September 12

NEED on KFAI Radio

2009-08-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

NEED co-founder Kelly Kinnunen was featured on Twin Cities radio station KFAI on August 18 at 8 AM to talk about NEED’s upcoming music festival. Interviewed by Pam Hill Kroyer, Kelly described plans for the event, who it will benefit, and how listeners could get involved. This was a great opportunity for NEED to get the word out about the Street Music for Street Kids benefit concert, which will be held in Minneapolis at Peavey Plaza on August 20 from 6 to 8 PM. Kelly told the KFAI audience about the struggle plaguing the street children of Jakarta, and of the hope that the event’s beneficiary, the Nurani Insani School for Street Children in Jakarta, strengthens in them.

Listen to the program on KFAI website

Sounds of Blackness: Inspire and Deliver

2009-08-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sounds of Blackness have been making music since the early 1970s. They have performed on the world’s largest stages, including the opening ceremonies for the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics. They have sold millions of records, won three Grammys, and been nominated for awards ranging from The Emmys to the NAACP Image Awards. Sounds of Blackness are more than a band, they are a movement. With melodic melodies they draw upon genres of jazz, gospel and field hollers to celebrate African and African American culture. Becoming a voice for both comfort and inspiration, they speak to the problems of the world, and uplift their audiences with messages of hope and acts of service.

Building upon this foundation, Sounds of Blackness are ready to release their new album “The 3rd Gift: Story, Song & Spirit.” Their CD release celebration, free and open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, August 25 at 6:30 pm at the Mall of America rotunda. Recently I got a chance to speak with the band’s music director and producer, Gary D. Hines. He explained that the title of their new album comes from the prolific civil rights activist W.E.B DuBois, who “pointed out the countless contributions that people of African descent have made to the world and American culture, a notion that at the time was largely dismissed. But in addition to all of those things [DuBois] said, we have brought our three greatest gifts, the gifts of story, song and spirit.” A clear example of how Sounds of Blackness stays cognizant of the past while keeping an eye on the future.

Like W.E.B DuBois, Sounds of Blackness are unafraid to tackle social or political injustices. “We have always been directly and clearly out in front of political/social issues in our music and in our message,” Hines explains. “In our forthcoming album we address the war, the economy, racism, sexism, etcetera, and do our best to offer solutions.” The band uses music to get involved in the solutions they envision. For example, they have helped many organizations on a global level, such as the United Nations, and in their community of Minneapolis with Children’s HeartLink. On their new album they have recorded a few songs regarding domestic violence. Hines explains, “We not only address the problem of domestic violence, but we put our music tangibly to work by partnering with The Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community. We have songs that are not only about domestic violence, but are utilized by domestic violence agencies in their treatment programs and in their struggle against domestic violence.” Their music both delivers a message and helps offer a solution. “We not only address issues, but we get into the fight,” Hines adds.

Sounds of Blackness have offered to “put their music to work” once again at the upcoming event Street Music For Street Kids, which will take place on Thursday, August 20 from 6 to 8 pm at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis. The evening is part of NEED’s Your Powers for Good event series, and will feature free music by artists such as Aby Wolf, Mighty Fairly, and of course Sounds of Blackness. The beneficiaries of the event are street children in Jakarta, Indonesia, many of whom beg using music to help support themselves and their families. All donations will go to the Nurani Insani School for Street Children in Jakarta, a refuge for street children to learn, eat and interact in safety.

Come out on August 20 and watch Sounds of Blackness do what they’ve been doing since 1971: inspire hope, and deliver change. Maybe you will be moved to do the same.

Download an MP3 of Optimistic, the first single from the forthcoming “THE 3RD GIFT: STORY, SONG & SPIRIT” CD.

Sounds of Blackness

STREET MUSIC FOR STREET KIDS

2009-08-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

photo | Bronson Enriquez

THU. August 20th 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Peavey Plaza 1111 Nicollet Mall, Downtown Minneapolis

Enjoy an evening of FREE music dedicated to helping street children.

Street Music for Street Kids is a unique and dynamic free event to raise support for the Nurani Insani School for Street Children and to raise awareness of street children around the world. A series of musical acts will perform a cappella and unplugged.

Featuring
Sounds of Blackness • Aby Wolf • Mighty Fairly • Wookiefoot's Mark Murphy • Innocent • Ada Jane • Semeron
and more.

Street Music for Street Kids is a unique and dynamic free event to raise support for the Nurani Insani School for Street Children and to raise awareness of street children around the world. A series of musical acts will perform a cappella and unplugged.

Street children in Jakarta, Indonesia beg using music to help support themselves and their families. The Nurani Insani Foundation School was started to educate the street children and break the cycle of poverty.

Donations will be accepted at the event and the afterparty, and through the microsite. Wookiefoot will be matching donations up to $2,000. 100% of all donations will go to the Nurani Insani School for Street Children.

Visit events calendar for details

>> Watch more video
>> Download PDF of story
>> View images

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-08-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Girls watching women weave baskets in Sherpur, Bangladesh.
photo | Guy Martorana
organization | The Institute of Integrated Rural Development

Family carries aid supplies back to their camp in Menik Farm.
photo | Ryan Hudock
organization | Worldwide Shelters and IOM

The sweetest little girl on the side of the road in Kenya.
photo | Tina Brown

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

Meet & Greet Take 2

2009-08-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

photos | Madeline Buck

Thanks to all of you who came to support NEED at our second Meet & Greet of the summer. This time around, we traded in the sleek and classy feel of Spill the Wine for the quirky, cool setting of the Kitty Cat Klub.

As friends and veterans of NEED found spots on oversized couches, good conversation began to fill the room. We all agreed it is great to say hello to long-time supporters, and chat with new fans of the magazine.

Thanks again to all who made NEED’s second Meet & Greet an enjoyable way to spend our Wednesday night. Hope to see you at the next one!

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-07-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

La Oroya Antigua, one of the 10 most polluted cities in the world.
photo | Giuliano Koren

The Cradle of Civilization. Pyramids of Giza.
photo | Andrea Darrington

Future of all Galapagos' animals rests in the hands of children.
photo | Buffy Redsecker
organization | Animal Balance

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-07-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Children learning the alphabet using water and mud.
photo | Liz Cantu
organization | Christian Reformed World Relief Committee

Hathe, a local root, is revered for its medicinal properties. Jumla, Nepal
photo | Kiran Ambwani
organization | Centre d’etudes et cooperation internationale (CECI)

If you can spend $4.25 on coffee, then surely you can spare me a dollar!
photo | Lindsey Brunsman

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

NEED CONTRIBUTERS SPEAK OUT – TAKE TWO

2009-07-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Kyra Gibson, Liz Werner and Timon Bondo present at The Beat Coffee House

As I looked around the Beat Coffeehouse last night and saw a room full of NEED supporters and friends I felt a rush of energy. This could have been partly due to the vanilla latte I just drank, but mostly it was wonderful to see people come together for a socially-minded event.

This is the second NEED contributors event we’ve hosted this summer and it went just as well as the first. The three speakers were Kyra Gibson, Liz Werner and Timon Bondo.

Timon started the evening by describing what it was like to grow up in Rabondo, Kenya. As Liz asked more questions about Timon’s nonprofit work, a quiet respect seemed to fill the room. Personally, I’m always inspired by the good works of the Rabondo Community Project USA.

The next speaker was just as moving. Kyra Gibson spoke about her experience in Nepal, where she spent seven weeks in a home for girls rescued from the sex trade. The personal stories she shared about Shanta, founder of the Peace Rehabilitation Center, and the girls living there touched everyone listening.

As the evening came to a close, people mingled, finished their coffee and asked how they could help. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. If you weren’t able to make it, why not join us at the Meet & Greet that NEED is hosting on July 29?

Hope to see you there.

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Canadian women demonstrate health and hygiene techniques to Nepalese women.
photo | Kiran Ambwani
organization | Centre d’etudes et cooperation internationale (CECI)

Old Man Ocean finds his home amongst the streets of Kona, Hawaii.
photo | Lindsey M. Brunsman

A chili garden in Nias Island, Indonesia developed solely by Ina Waruwu.
photo | Setra Yappi
organization | Food for the Hungry Canada

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-07-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

The inquisitive curiosity of children. Parvati Slums in Pune, India
photo | Rich Koechlein
organization | Children's Culture Connection (US) and ASHA (India)

A doctor washes a wound on a girl's knee. Mawekpo, Ghana
photo | Erberto Zani
organization | Amurt Italia

Chimp head found boiling in a soup. The killer was imprisoned.
photo | Martine Beauchemin
organization | Centre de Conservation pour Chimpanzés – Project Primate Inc.

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

NEED Contributors Speak Out!

2009-07-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

We could not have asked for a better turnout at our speaking event last night. Casual conversation filled The Beat Coffeehouse, and we all enjoyed caffeinated drinks. Everyone at NEED was excited to meet new people and catch up with old friends.

After people were settled, Adam Hanson, NEED’s managing editor, started with a moving story about a young man he met while on assignment in Oakland. He explained that the young man had survived being shot nine times at point-blank range. We all sat in silent astonishment. Steve Floyd, the NEED photographer who worked with Adam on that assignment, told more stories from their time in Oakland that made the issue of youth violence shockingly personal.

NEED Managing Editor Adam Hanson

To bring the topic full-circle, we asked a local organization to speak about their efforts to stop youth violence in the Twin Cities. Lawrence Johnson of Mad Dads told stories about the outreach and prevention work that goes on in our neighborhoods. The evening ended with questions from the audience and suggestions about how to get involved.

Mad Dad Lawrence Johnson with Photographer Steve Floyd

Thanks again to The Beat, Adam, Steve, Mad Dads and of course everyone who came out to our event. Hopefully there will be more new faces at our next speaking event on Wednesday, July 22. See our events page for details.

Youth Alive
Mad Dads, Inc
The Beat Coffeehouse

Photos | Kyra Gibson

Ad pages continue to plunge

2009-07-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Consumer Magazine Ad Pages Plunge 29.5 Percent in Second Quarter
Titles battered by continued advertising pullback.
By Jason Fell for Audience Development - Friday, July 10, 2009

Help us choose our next cover

2009-07-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

>> click to vote

NEED NEEDS YOU!

2009-07-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

"Who Cares" is our new subscription campaign that helps us continue to give a voice to those in need and recognizes you!

Visit needmagazine.com/whocares to find out

- How to get recognized for your efforts
- How to get others involved
- How to help NEED
- How you can multiply your chances to WIN

NEED event: coffee and conversation

2009-07-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Throughout the summer NEED will be hosting fun events in the Twin Cities. Here are details about an open discussion held at a café.

photo | Steve Floyd

Topic: Gang violence and at-risk youth
Join a conversation about at-risk youth with staff writer Adam Hanson, NEED photographer Steve Floyd and a local organization. Hear behind-the-scenes stories from the magazine’s issue 5 feature on inner-city Oakland as well as solutions for youth in the Twin Cities.

Cost: FREE

When: Tuesday, July 14
7 pm – 9 pm

Where: The Beat Coffeehouse
1414 W. 28th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Another magazine folds

2009-06-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Breaking: Vibe Magazine to Fold
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 min online Steve Smith

Breaking: Vibe Magazine Closes
Hip hop magazine succumbs to debt and ad collapse.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Folio: Vanessa Voltolina and Bill Mickey

NEED event: subscriber movie night

2009-06-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

Throughout the summer NEED will be hosting fun events in the Twin Cities. Here are details about a movie night for subscribers.

Join the NEED crew at our office to watch one of our favorite films,

When: Friday, July 10
Come to the office at 8 pm to chat and enjoy some snacks. The movie will start at dusk.

Where: NEED office
2303 Kennedy St. NE, Suite 502
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Spaces are limited! For info contact Lauren Fischer.

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Refugee children in Egypt/ant-prejudice activities at a Peace Camp.
photo | Khalil Ansara
organization | Catholic Relief Services/Caritas

Kosovo Roma are still refugees in Serbia 10 years after the end of the
war.
photo | Franek Strzeszewski
organization | NEXUS

This photo parallels the song "Society" by Eddie Vedder. Bend, OR.
photo | Emily C. Green

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

A Rwandan orphan.
photo | Kresta King Cutcher Venning
organization | Gisimba Memorial Center

Juan refuses to take the oral medication that goes with his chemotherapy.
photo | Jennifer Ditona
organization | Mi Gran Esperanza

Mixing compost and putting it in tree sacs to plant for our arboretum.
photo | Naomi Brown
organization | SIM International

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"STM - STW" in the News

2009-06-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

A push to spotlight readers, ditch advertising
Downtown Journal by Sarah McKenzie

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

An AIDS orphan in Mozambique teaching other children how to say the alphabet.
photo | Mansir Petrie
organization | Save the Children

Philadelphia Homeless Man: Destitution in America
photo | Ronald Modro

A group of students eagerly anticipate candy at a school in Thaton, Thailand.
photo | Rachel Marie Robichaux
organization | Full Life Development

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

Screw The Man, Save the World at the LOOK3 Festival

2009-06-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

“Screw The Man [Save the world] really went over big,” says photographer Steve Floyd about the campaign at the LOOK3 photography festival. “Especially when dealing with photographers and magazine people, they really understood that!” Floyd explained that photographers at the festival stuck SCREWTHEMAN stickers to their equipment and talked about how advertising interferes with the stories that need to be told. “They knew the purpose [of the campaign] without it even having to be explained, they were saying, ‘who wants to pay advertising? Then [without ads] we can write and show what we want to show. What a great idea.’”

"Screw The Man" on Think MTV

2009-06-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Think MTV blogged about the "screwtheman - savetheworld" campaign. Read it here.

Come hang with the NEED crew

2009-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Some of the crew at the SPJ awards.

The very first NEED Meet and Greet event will be on Wednesday, June 24th. This relaxed and fun event at Spill the Wine restaurant and lounge gives us a chance to meet you and you a chance to meet NEED staff, contributing writers, and photographers.

Hope to see you there!

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Time: 4:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: Spill the Wine
Street: 1101 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Click for Directions

Stay tuned for other fun summer events
NEED is planning on hosting a number of events this summer including several speaking events, a film festival, a gallery showing, a movie night at the NEED office and more.

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

South Africa. Limpopo Province, Kgaustwane.
photo | Josh Dick
organization | Hippo Roller International

Baby Tao, a Chinese orphan, was saved through heart surgery.
photo | John Dai
organization | Love Without Boundaries Foundation

A woman trys to breast feed her two young twins who are suffering from malnutrition.
photo | Kate Holt

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

Music helps rescue girls from the sex trade

2009-06-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

According to the US Department of State, between 10,000 and 15,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked into India every year as part of the sex trade. One American band, Wookiefoot, is doing something to change this.

Recently, this band contacted us at NEED to talk to us about the Project Earth music festival. At this festival, founded by Wookiefoot in 2006, 100 percent of the proceeds go to various charities.

NEED was able to connect Wookiefoot with four different organizations previously featured in the magazine, one of which was the Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) in Kathmandu, Nepal. PRC is an organization that rescues girls from the sex trade by patrolling the border between Nepal and India, working with police in both countries and teaching Nepalese communities to identify traffickers and protect their young women. Once these girls are rescued, PRC provides housing, health care and job training, and helps them reunite with their families if possible.

The money donated by Wookiefoot to PRC will allow border patrols to stay open and continue stopping the trafficking of young girls into India as well as help pay for girls rescued in India to go to safe houses near their homes in Nepal. For this small organization in impoverished Nepal, the cost of rescuing these girls and transporting them sometimes vast distances to safe houses can be overwhelming, and every donation allows them to free still more girls from bondage and keep others being forced into the sex trade.

To have a group of musicians call us up and ask how they could help was amazing. When we write these stories about small organizations giving everything they have to save lives, we tend to fall in love with those NGOs. Anytime someone tells us that they want to support these organizations, we are off-the-wall ecstatic. Thanks to Wookiefoot, we know that more girls will be saved and it makes us feel like everything we do to keep our publication going is worth it.

Along with its donation to PRC, Wookiefoot is giving proceeds from the previous Project Earth festival to the Rabondo Community Project in Kenya, The Miguel Angel Asturias Academy in Guatemala, and the Nurani Insani School for street children in Indonesia. The sold-out Project Earth 2009 festival begins this weekend, June 26-27, in Geneva, Minnesota. Wookiefoot looks forward to being able to expand their impact around the world by giving the proceeds from this year’s event to these and other charities.

We at NEED are fast becoming fans of Wookiefoot for their willingness to use their skills to aid humanity and leave their footprint on a better Earth.

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Children carry heavy tanks of water on their heads in Mafi Zongo region, Ghana.
photo | Erberto Zani
organization | AMURT Italy

Innocence of joy. Mekong river, Laos
photo | Petr Jerabek

Infant from Uganda left in hut with dead parents and rescued by a neighbor.
photo | Matt Chambers
organization | Safewater Nexus

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Operation Smile volunteers treat an Iraqi child in Amman, Jordan.
photo | Chet Gordon
organization | Operation Smile

A typical Malagasy child: bold, and eager to move forward.
photo | Joni Kabana
organization | Tapori and 4th World Movement

"Black & White Unite" N. Kinangop, Kenya
photo | Chiloe Kottke

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

"SAVE PASTE": A fellow publisher's fight and success

2009-06-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

NEED’s co-founder Kelly Kinnunen talked with Josh Jackson, editor-in-chief at Paste Magazine, about Paste’s struggle to keep the much-loved music magazine afloat during the economic downturn. “Save Paste” is the campaign that formed after dedicated readers expressed their concerns about the magazine and asked what they could do to help. Like the “screwtheman | savetheworld” campaign, Save Paste gives power back to readers who love a magazine and don’t want to see it fold.

Kelly: So, why Save Paste?

Josh: We had experienced such a drop in magazine advertisers like a lot of people did over the course of the last year, and we had been trying to react to that from a business standpoint and change our business model quickly, but we just couldn’t quite react quickly enough and we were left with an inability to keep moving forward without a little help. … A couple readers emailed saying “hey, let us know if you ever need help, we don’t want you to go away.” And so we followed their advice and went to them and explained what the need was and just tried to be as transparent as possible.

[Artists we’ve worked with] were very generous in offering these rare, exclusive songs for our donors to download. So the way we set it up is anybody who donates $1 to $1000 gets access to all these tracks. We have about 75 different artists and we’re up to 150 now, so if somebody donates they get rare, exclusive tracks from folks like Neko Case, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, The Avett Brothers, The Indigo Girls – just all these cool artists that have offered their music to help us.

Kelly: I thought that was a really cool feature of your campaign – to offer your readers something unique. Tell me more about readers’ responses.

Josh: It’s been mostly positive. One of the things we didn’t know is if we’d get lambasted for being a for-profit company acting like a nonprofit, you know, asking for donations. It’s kind of an odd place to be. But yeah, it’s been in the press, people have blogged about it, Twittered and shared it on Facebook, so everybody’s been pretty positive and trying to help. … There have been so many great magazines that folded during this downturn and people are sick of seeing that happen. By doing something a little bit different, we could be a success story and I think that rallied a lot of people around us. It’s been really affirming for everyone on staff that people don’t want to see this thing go away and so we’ve got a renewed vigor to not let it die, to come back stronger, to really offer as much value as we can to our readers.

Kelly: If your readers and donors see this article, what would you like to say to them?

Josh: Oh, just a heartfelt thank you. It’s been such a humbling experience to share our position in need, but also such an encouraging one. Just their responses have lifted spirits over here and given us renewed energy.

- Ellen Frazel

"Save The World" Challenge Images

2009-06-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

It is harder and harder for a female to get an education in Pakistan.
photo | Gary Chapman

A little boy stays close to his mother- Freetown, Sierra Leone.
photo | Susan Braun
organization | Society of International Humanitarian Surgeons

A doctor from the Korean Medical Assoc. looks at a x-ray of a earthquake victim.
photo | Nayan Sthankiya

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

STM-STW NYC

2009-06-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to visit the grand city of New York. During my stay I definitely wasn’t going to pass up the great photo-ops NYC has to offer. Especially when I have a cool sign to pose with.

Like Kyra’s experience, what started out as a serious endeavor soon turned into silliness. After many curious stares, laughs and pointing we couldn’t help but laugh too.

Hope you enjoy seeing the pictures as much as we did taking them.

- Lauren Fischer

"Save The World" Photo Challenge

2009-06-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Do you have a great image depicting "saving the world?" Submit it to NEED, the humanitarian magazine*.

photos | John Abernathy (1 and 2), Claudia Janke, Scott Harrison, Yan Sieler, Maciej Dakowicz and Paul Corbit Brown

Your image will be shared on the blog of our new campaign; "screw the man - save the world." Top images will be selected to be displayed on the NEED magazine homepage. And with the success of the "stm-stw" campaign, may appear in the print version of NEED.

What to send:

1. Your best single image depicting saving the world in jpeg format no bigger than 500px by 500px
2. 65 character (not 65 words) description of the image
3. Name and URL of the aid organization affiliated with your image, if any
4. Your full name
5. URL of your website

NEED is a photo-driven publication about life-changing global humanitarian efforts. This is your chance to be part of it.

Submit your images to photos@screwtheman.net

www.screwtheman.net | www.needmagazine.com

*Do not send images that are vulgar, racist, sexist, overtly political or pornographic. Inappropriate images will not be displayed.

Details on "The Screw" prize

2009-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

PLAY It Forward founder, Jodi Nelson, talks about “saving the world” through adventure.

ScrewTheMan Hits the Press

2009-06-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

NEED Mag Wants to Evict Advertisers
min Online By Steve Smith

Magazine Starts Grassroots Campaign to Free Itself from Advertising
Need's 'Screw the Man, Save the World' project inspired by 'Save Paste.'
FOLIO: By Dylan Stableford

David Doody: NEED, the Humanitarian Magazine: 'Screw the Man, Save the World'
Guernica Magazine By David Doody

The Economy Tumbles and Print Media Falls With It. We want to weather the storm.

2009-06-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Man is pinching every penny, starting with the media’s traditional lifeline—advertisements. That’s why we at NEED say, “Screw the Man.” Everyday headlines read “Another failing newspaper or magazine.” Below are examples of how losing The Man’s propaganda (commercial advertisements) is bankrupting media outlets that readers want to see. It was articles like these that inspired our campaign. Maybe if others follow our lead, we can start to change the headlines—and Save the World.

Can Anything Save Magazines?
Why higher cover and subscription prices might work.
In tough times, Husni says, a greater reliance on subscription revenue is a safer bet than advertisers. "The chances of, say, a half-million subscribers going bankrupt and canceling subscriptions is far less than 50 major advertisers going bankrupt or cutting their ad budgets," he says.

Thought It Couldn’t Get Worse For Newspapers? Wrong

Consumer Mag Ad Pages Plunge 25.9 Percent
Ad revenue drops 20.2 percent in first quarter.

Blender Folds
Music magazine latest to succumb to recession.

Paste Launches Campaign to Save its Magazine
Cash-strapped music title appeals to readers ‘rather than shut its doors.'

Why Portfolio Folded, And What It Means for Business Magazines
Sector continues to struggle despite ‘demand.’

Twelve Major Media Brands Likely To Close In 2009

Checking in on the endangered list
Which consumer magazines are the next to fold?

Canadian Magazines Fold in Wake of Bad Economy

Portfolio Magazine Shut, a Victim of Recession

Minneapolis Star Tribune files for bankruptcy

Screwing The Man In San Francisco

2009-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last week before the “Screw the Man, Save the World” campaign launched, I had a bizarre laughter-filled day walking around San Francisco with a “Screw the Man” sign. I headed out with my best bud, Jacqui Belleau, to take some pictures around the city. We ended up on the Golden Gate for a few windy, foggy hours. As you can imagine, the looks and questions that a sign like that evokes were enough to make anyone giggle. What started off as a work project, quickly turned into enjoying ourselves perhaps a little too much!

- Kyra Gibson

Minneapolis-based NEED magazine says 'Screw the Man, Save the World'

2009-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Read Gina Czupka's article on the "screwtheman" campaign for the Minneapolis Budget Travel Examiner. >> read the article

NEED magazine launches campaign to go ad-free

2009-06-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Read Paul Schmelzer's article on the "screwtheman" campaign for the Minnesota Independent. >> read the article

Official "ScrewTheMan" News Release

2009-06-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Download a PDF of the official "ScrewTheMan" news release

SCREWTHEMAN, SAVETHEWORLD? What is this all about?

2009-06-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

The best photographers in the world want to inspire people to action by taking photos where people are suffering. NEED magazine wants to tell stories about our heroes who are saving the world through humanitarian efforts. Readers crave inspiration from stories like these. So why is it difficult for a media organization to publish these stories?

Advertising dollars fueled print media in the past. Publications go to great lengths to drive up their circulation numbers in order to entice corporations to buy advertising space. This money comes with a price. Because advertisers control a large portion of publications’ revenue, they can easily dictate the content within written media. During this recession, many media organizations are discovering how unstable advertising money is. As corporations go bankrupt, so do publications that rely on these companies for advertising money. In response to this, NEED magazine is saying, “Screw the man.”

NEED magazine is a small, independent magazine which tells uplifting stories of hope about humanitarian aid. The publication was started by a couple who sold all they had to help humanitarian efforts by inspiring others. The “ScrewTheMan, SaveTheWorld” campaign is a push to drive up subscriptions so that NEED will not have to rely on advertisers for revenue. If we reach just 25,000 subscribers, NEED can kick advertisers to the curb for the length of these subscriptions. Since all the money sustaining the publication will come directly from subscribers, NEED will not be influenced by outside corporations, and the driving force of the magazine will be the readers themselves.

With every ad removed, NEED will have more space within each issue. We want to fill these pages with readers’ stories. If a reader has volunteered building a well in Sierra Leone, we want to publish it in the magazine so that this story might influence someone else to take a similar action. In this way, every reader has the power to join the founders’ goal of inspiring others to help. ScrewTheMan, SaveTheWorld is about making readers the lifeblood of NEED magazine and expanding its impact.

What’s more, of every 5000 new subscribers gained during this campaign, NEED will randomly choose one to win a PLAY it Forward Adventures trip. PLAY it Forward Adventures combines adventure sports with volunteer relief in exciting destinations all over the world. We are excited to possibly have the opportunity to provide people with the travel experience of a lifetime all while furthering our goal of publishing a magazine that inspires everyone to do their part to save the world.

standing in traffic

2009-05-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

Scott Schmidley prepares to jump into traffic.

The NEED crew arriving at the photoshoot.

Day four at a new job is usually too soon for an employer to ask you to stand in traffic, but apparently not at NEED. On my fourth day as an intern for NEED magazine, I went along with the staff on a photo shoot for the “Screw the Man, Save the World” campaign. We held signs in different parts of the city while photographer John Abernathy took pictures.

It was fun to see how the lunch rushers at Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis made unexpected cameos in our pictures. We held signs that read “Screw the Man, Save the World” above the mobs of busy people on escalators, rocks, busy sidewalks, skyways, in intersections and between cars. I stood in an intersection while John shot pictures from a skyway. The light was red, but still!

John Abernathy photographing Rachel Yuen.

John and the team at NEED came up with some great ideas to capture the campaign’s message. I was really impressed. John is an old friend of NEED magazine who has photographed for four of NEED’s past issues. After a passing motorist howled at Stephanie, our Editor in Chief, John told her, “Only when you are getting yelled at do you truly know, you’re doing something right.”

After the shoot we went out to lunch and agreed that overall the photo shoot was a success. The only letdown was that the Minneapolis segway patrol cops zoomed by too fast for us to get a shot with them.

- Scott Schmidley

Scott Schmidley's final shot.