About the Director
Scherazade Daruvalla King is the founder of Project: Think Different, a nonprofit organization that entertains change by using the music, film and video media as an entry point into civic dialogue and action.
Her work reflects a multidisciplinary orientation that weaves civic engagement, arts and culture, alternative media, media literacy, social justice and social marketing to raise consciousness and shift the current cultural paradigm to create a new popular culture of informed and engaged action.
President of Empowerment Records
King is the president of Empowerment Records, a subsidiary of The Power Company. This record label is dedicated to the promotion of socially conscious and responsible music. King’s artists have been seen and heard on radio, network and cable television, and soon on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.
Strategic management consultant
Prior to launching Project: Think Different, King spent over a decade working in strategic management consulting and change management from the mega firms in the US to micro-enterprises and nonprofits worldwide. In 1995, King was awarded a fellowship to teach Management at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa.
Social change focus
Upon her return, King shifted her approach to social change from an organizational focus to addressing systemic and root inhibitors of change on the individual and societal levels.
A speaker, educator, activist, and believer; King’s background enables her to easily see the connections between those who are seemingly different. She is interested in bridging the divides, creating understanding, valuing diversity and each person's important role in creating the world we want to live in.
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from the directorScherazade Daruvalla King |
When was the last time you complained about the media? Yesterday? Today? In the last 30 minutes? We are blasted with negative, violent, misogynistic, and banal media messages. Messages that track into our fears and desires for the sell. Oftentimes we feel the media is out of touch—that our issues and perspectives are not represented, or worse, we are misrepresented and we don’t have a voice to make it right. These repeated, disempowering, top down, unidirectional, problem-oriented messages makes us give up before we even get started.
Growing up I received a plethora of messages from family, friends, schools, television, and radio that shaped my sense of self, place and role in the world. In my family, these messages manifested in the form of violence, incarceration, depression, and suicide with few positive messages to interrupt the cycle. I know first hand the effects of exclusion, passivity and all the ways people suffer when they aren’t given a voice. I’m also keenly aware of what it would take to turn people around.
At a time when negative messages dominate the airwaves we need messages that inspire us to think differently about our role as change agents. We need messages that remind us that we are co-creators in building the world we want to live in. We need media that includes and amplifies our voices, perspectives and priorities in shaping that world. Media that reinforce the universals of equality, harmony, inclusion, and life-affirming values that promote the welfare of all people and liberates them to create a community that empowers all its members.
Project: Think Different was born out of a desire to stop complaining about the media and to start doing something. It’s about interrupting messages that say the problems are too big and you can’t make a difference. It’s about creating a renaissance in media that facilitates individuals getting engaged and playing more powerful roles as agents of positive change. Our approach is rooted in the desire to create a culture of engagement—a culture where people grow up experiencing the power of their voice and action in shaping their community. As many are tuning out of traditional media for information and public opinion, we have chosen to work with the music, film and video aspects of pop culture media as they amplify the impact of the individual voice and gives the power of dissemination to the people. A song, a film, an image has staying power and can become a permanent part of the culture. By hearing empowering, engaging messages and having opportunities to practice taking action through the creation of your own messages, Project: Think Different strives to awaken a sense of the important role YOU play in creating positive social change!
We have been blessed with a growing community that believes change is possible, that each individual has a role to play, and that Project: Think Different’s work is key in making change a positive reality. Thanks to their support, we have reached thousands of people with our programs and messages. There is no limit to the change we can collectively create. We’d like YOU to join us in entertaining change!
Scherazade Daruvalla King
Founder and Executive Director
