Campaign Spotlights Veterans as Civic Assets and Leaders

In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, Blue Star Families, the Military Child Education Coalition, and their partners will provide reintegration tools and training to 300,000 military families and 100,000 primary and secondary school educators by December 2014.

Top Hollywood Studios, Television Networks, Talent Agencies and Guilds Come Together For Launch Of New Veterans Campaign: “Got Your 6”

Los Angeles, CA—May 10, 2012—In an unprecedented show of support for veterans and military families, nearly every major studio, broadcast and cable network, talent agency, and guild in the entertainment industry has united with top-tier nonprofit organizations to launch the Got Your 6  campaign (www.gotyour6.org).  Got Your 6 will create a wide array of opportunities for veterans to successfully convert their leadership and operational training into positive civilian roles in communities nationwide.

“Got your six” is a military expression that means “I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine.”  The six o’clock position or “six” is the designation of the rear of a military formation.

Inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative and formed as an entertainment industry commitment at a Clinton Global Initiative America convening, Got Your 6 launches today with tremendous strength.

“The entertainment industry captures our imaginations, opens our eyes and touches our hearts, and I’m proud to work with them on our Joining Forces initiative,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “By sharing the stories of strength and resilience that define our military families, we can motivate even more Americans to honor these courageous individuals in new ways.  That’s why I’m looking forward to working with the industry in the months and years ahead."

Entertainment industry partners that have already signed on to Got Your 6 include (in alphabetical order):  A+E Networks, ABC, Bad Robot Productions, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), CBS Corporation, Directors Guild of America, Entertainment Industries Council, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Fox Audience Strategy, foursquare, Funny or Die, HBO, International Creative Management (ICM), NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Producers Guild of America West, SAG-AFTRA, Shine America, Showtime, Sony Pictures Entertainment, United Talent Agency (UTA), Viacom Media Networks, Warner Bros., William Morris Endeavor (WME), and Writers Guild of America West.  The campaign mobilizes the assets, expertise and talent of the entertainment industry, spanning film, television, gaming, print, radio, outdoor media, and social platforms to elevate the conversation around veterans.

“On behalf of the entire entertainment industry, we are proud to be engaging with our veterans through the Got Your 6 campaign,” said Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “Together, we are uniting to bring awareness to this incredibly important issue of bringing our country's trained leaders home to be a valued part of our communities across the nation.”

A star-studded public service announcement (PSA) campaign featuring Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Milla Jovovich, Bradley Cooper, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tracy Morgan, Brian Williams, Pharrell Williams, Wendy Williams and many more will raise national awareness of Got Your 6.

Script integrations for TV and film projects, original digital content, and other creative initiatives will generate additional visibility.  The campaign will also offer pathways for Americans to connect and engage with Got Your 6, including logo merchandise, special events, and “calls to action” for individuals.

The Got Your 6 movement already has enthusiastic bi-partisan support in the nation’s capital.  Senator Lisa Murkowski (R – Alaska) was the first Senator to put her support behind the program, and earlier this week, “6” logo lapel pins were provided to every member of Congress.

Got Your 6 brings together more than two dozen top-tier, national nonprofit organizations that serve as the subject matter experts for the important veterans issues at the core of the overall campaign.  Each nonprofit partner will have opportunities to showcase their initiatives and to tap in to the web of resources within the Got Your 6 community.

Chris Marvin, a former Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot who was wounded while serving in Afghanistan, is the Director of Civilian-Military Partnerships for ServiceNation and the Managing Director of Got Your 6.  ServiceNation, a campaign of Be The Change, Inc. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the organizing body, coordinator, and fiduciary agent of Got Your 6.

“Over the next five years, more than one million service members will return to civilian life. It is imperative that Americans see this as an opportunity.  As we welcome this generation of veterans home, it is crucial that we view them and their families as leaders and civic assets.  Got Your 6 is a clear call to action for all Americans to join with our veterans in reinvigorating our communities,” said Marvin.  “Inspired by the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative, this is a true collaborative effort that spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors, putting competition aside in favor of cooperation.”

In order to position veterans and military families for success in their return to civilian life, Got Your 6 will focus on six pillars of reintegration, working with a lead non-profit organization to activate each pillar in pursuit of a specific, substantial launch goal.  The launch goals are:

Jobs

Hiring Our Heroes - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program will engage the business community in a campaign to hire 500,000 veterans and military spouses by December 2014.

Education

Transitioning through Education - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, Student Veterans of America, the Pat Tillman Foundation, and their partners will collect pledges from 500 colleges and universities to offer supportive veteran-specific resources, programs and policies by June 2014.

Health

De-mystifying PTSD - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, Give an Hour and its partners will lead a program to educate 100,000 graduate students in mental health disciplines on the unique issues of veterans and military families.

Housing

Ending Veteran Homelessness - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, the 100,000 Homes Campaign and its partners, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and over 120 participating communities, are leading an effort to house 10,000 chronically homeless veterans by July 2014.

Family

Strengthening Military Families - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, Blue Star Families, the Military Child Education Coalition, and their partners will provide reintegration tools and training to 300,000 military families and 100,000 primary and secondary school educators by December 2014.

Leadership

Continuing the Mission of Service - In coordination with the Got Your 6 campaign, The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, and their partners will engage veterans and military family members in 1.5 million hours of volunteer service in communities nationwide by July 2013.

Each Got Your 6 pillar is led by an activation partner — a nonprofit organization that is a subject matter expert in its field. Goodwill Industries is the National Activation Partner of Got Your 6. For each substantial goal, official commitments have been made through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), and   activation partners publish their quantitative goals and provide plans to track and report their progress.  A complete list of activation partners is available at www.gotyour6.org.

CGI has played a significant role in the development of the Got Your 6 campaign. At the CGI America annual convening in 2011, ServiceNation and representatives of the entertainment industry first laid the groundwork for this collaborative endeavor. CGI has been instrumental in providing guidance and frameworks for the metrics-based goal setting of the campaign.

In addition to their CGI commitments, Got Your 6 nonprofit activation partners have developed specific “calls to action” for the American public, designed to provide tangible, achievable opportunities for any person who wishes to express gratitude or serve their community in support of Got Your 6.  An updated menu of Got Your 6 calls to action is available online at www.gotyour6.org.

Using Intercast, a rich-media interactive platform developed by Brand Knew, several Got Your 6 partners will feature the campaign’s May 10, 2012 launch event on their websites and social media channels, empowering viewers to chat, answer polls, submit questions and even make donations.

Got Your 6 Activation Partners include:  Goodwill Industries International (National Activation Partner), 100,000 Homes Campaign, Blue Star Families, Give an Hour, Military Child Education Coalition, The Mission Continues, The Pat Tillman Foundation, Team Rubicon, Student Veterans of America, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes.

Got Your 6 Strategic Partners include:  American Red Cross, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Code of Support Foundation, Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University,  Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), Operation Gratitude, Points of Light Institute, Sierra Club, Volunteers of America, USO, and Warrior Gateway.

Got Your 6 is grateful to the following government entities for continued counsel:  The White House’s Joining Forces Initiative, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and The Corporation for National and Community Service

About Got Your 6

Got Your 6 is a campaign designed to change the conversation in America such that veterans and military families are seen as civic assets and leaders who will reinvigorate our community.  The campaign combines the reach and resources of the top American entertainment studios, networks, guilds and agencies with the expertise and commitment of more than two dozen non-profit organizations.  Through an extensive media footprint and a set of substantial service commitments, Got Your 6 will ensure successful reintegration of veterans into civilian life.  For more information, visit www.gotyour6.org.  ServiceNation is the organizing body and fiduciary agent for Got Your 6.  The campaign is managed by Propper Daley.  Mering-Carson developed the Got Your 6 brand, star/six device, and related creative.  Brand Knew LLC developed the GotYour6.org website and the social media presence. Beck Media & Marketing handles all media and publicity.

If you missed the press conference, click here and you can watch the whole thing!  It’s pretty cool to see all the celebs up there recognizing military families and vets!