Tag Archives: YouTube

Interview With An Artiste: The Other People

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As part of The Pixel Project‘s “Music For Pixels” campaign, we encourage artistes taking part in any “Music For Pixels” programme, be it as an Artiste of the Month or as a YouTube Cover Carnival contestant, to speak up about why they are using music to say NO to violence against women.

Today, we interview Mumbai-based The Other People who have submitted their R&B tinged cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Dark Side” for our Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival.

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The Other People were formed in July 2004 and in the last eight years, they have performed at scores of venues, concerts and private events across the country. Playing a varied range of popular covers, this six-member band has been making waves at clubs, concerts and private events across India and internationally. The Other People are known to bring about an original twist into each track that never fails to surprise the audience. The band is now expanding their list of original songs and in the process of recording their debut album

1. Tell us about The Other People and why you decided to take part in the YouTube Cover Carnival.

The Other People is a six member band and with our enthusiastic music performances we believe we can transcend boundaries. Music is our passion, and through this we believe we can help reach out to people and raise our voices in unison and make this world a better place.

The YouTube Cover Carnival is therefore, a perfect platform for us to reach out to people not only in India, but also to a wider global audience and hopefully spread awareness about Violence against Women amongst others.

 2. Why is ending Violence against Women important to you?

Violence in any form is unacceptable and SHOULD be condemned in any and every society. There is never a reason for women to be discriminated against or attacked in any way. Women are the heart and soul of this world – they are hardworking, loving, and compassionate. Women are above all our mothers who bring new life into this world and violence against them is a crime.

 3. In your opinion, how does music help in efforts to end violence against women?

Music is a powerful medium with a vast reach. Simple melodies and lyrics can convey messages through songs which in turn, help spread awareness. Music conveys feelings, emotions and pain. Music is a universal language, it cuts across all barriers. Everyone listens to music in some form or the other; hence we strongly believe that music is a great medium to help spread awareness and educate people.

4. How can musicians help encourage people to take an interest in and step up to help stop violence against women?

Musicians over the years have been doing their bit for social reform, right from John Lenon, Bob Dylan, and Tracy Chapman to the modern day mavericks. Musicians when they come together can change the world. Concerts for causes have changed so many lives and bought together so many people for a cause. We musicians have the power to bring these social causes the attention they require, whether it is in the form of writing songs, holding concerts or campaigns or any other means.  Musicians get messages across through music which is a medium EVERYONE accepts the world over.

We can be the instruments of Change!

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Excited to begin using music to enhance your efforts to stop violence against women? Why not start by taking part in The Pixel Project’s Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival competition featuring Kelly Clarkson’s “Dark Side” to say NO to violence against women while getting a chance to win the Grand Prize Package which includes free song production, free digital distribution and being featured on the YouTube homepage of YouTube’s #1 R&B group, AHMIR.
The competition ends at 9PM EST on 31 August 2012.

CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Our First YouTube Music Ambassador and Two New Partnerships

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1 July 2012: The Pixel Project, the award-nominated global volunteer-led virtual non-profit social enterprise working to end Violence Against Women (VAW) worldwide, is proud to announce the first YouTube Music Ambassador and two new partnerships that will take the Music For Pixels campaign (http://music4pixels.thepixelproject.net) from strength to strength.

YouTube’s Number One most popular R&B group AHMIR, the campaign’s first ‘Artiste of the Month’ who kicked off Music For Pixels in April 2012 has been appointed as The Pixel Project’s first YouTube Music Ambassador due to their commitment to the cause. In addition to donating the proceeds raised from download sales of The Rose to The Pixel Project for life, AHMIR will be working with the Music For Pixels team on various aspects of the campaign including the YouTube Cover Carnival, speaking out about VAW as male role models and recruiting other YouTube artistes to the campaign.

AHMIR said: “We feel very blessed and honoured to be working alongside The Pixel Project team as the first YouTube Music Ambassadors in raising awareness to end violence against women. We are excited about the many opportunities to use our social platform to help this important campaign.”

The Pixel Project also welcomes two music companies on board as campaign partners. The first is Horus Music in the UK with whom The Pixel Project has signed a 3-year pro bono agreement to distribute all Music For Pixels music to major digital channels for downloading including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Horus Music will also be handling the licensing/royalty payment processes for any cover music used by the campaign, thanks to their membership with The Harry Fox Agency, the premier mechanical licensing agent and provider of rights administration services and the largest aggregator in the U.S. 100% of the net proceeds of all campaign music distributed via Horus Music will be donated to The Pixel Project.

Nick Dunn, Founder and CEO of Horus Music said: “We are very excited to be working with The Pixel Project, a nonprofit that does so much good work around the globe for those in society who still have to struggle daily with sexism, inequality and medieval attitudes.  Music is one language that can unite the world and bring joy to all so we’re especially proud to be able to help ensure the artistes working with The Pixel Project can have their music heard around the world and make a difference to many lives, those who discover the artistes and to those who will benefit from the work of The Pixel Project.”

The second is San Francisco, California-based Lost Monkey Studio which handles up-and-coming independent U.S. West Coast artistes and brings with them more than 20 years of recording and music management experience. As part of their partnership with The Pixel Project for the Music For Pixels campaign, Lost Monkey will be donating a range of music-related prizes such as Music Production, Mixing, Mastering and TV/Film Licensing Submission for YouTube Cover Carnival winners to inspire musicians all over the world to take part in the campaign to use their musical talent to say NO to VAW. Lost Monkey artiste, Pete Ahonen, will also be collaborating in an upcoming Music For Pixels online fundraiser, details of which will be announced later this year.

Mike and Michelle Stevens, Co-founders of Lost Monkey Studio said: “We are pleased to be collaborating with The Pixel Project and deeply believe in what they are working towards. Music is something that feeds the soul. We all have our own personal soundtracks to life, and they help us, heal us and make us stronger. Lost Monkey is deeply honoured to be a part of the mission to end Violence Against Women.”

Regina Yau, Founder and President of The Pixel Project, said: “The Pixel Project and our Music For Pixels team is looking forward to working closely with AHMIR, Horus Music and Lost Monkey Studio over the next 12 months and beyond. We are pleased that all three share our strong belief that music is a powerful and positive tool that gets people aware of the importance of stopping VAW while promoting healthy non-violent relationships and personal empowerment, particularly when it is easily shareable through social media and other online channels. Together, these collaborations will strengthen the Music For Pixels campaign and its mission to encourage hope and courage in survivors while inspiring men, women and youth to work together to end violence against women in whatever capacity they can, wherever they are in the world.”

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For further information, please contact:

General Inquiries:

Media Inquiries:

About the Music For Pixels Campaign (http://music4pixels.thepixelproject.net)

Music For Pixels, a campaign by The Pixel Project, is the first music-based social media campaign to exclusively collaborate with YouTube artistes speaking up to prevent and stop VAW through music video PSAs while raising funds for the cause via digital music downloads. All funds raised from the portion of the song’s proceeds donated by artistes in 2012 will go towards the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in benefit of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits.

About The Pixel Project (www.thepixelproject.net)

The Pixel Project is a completely virtual, volunteer-led global 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation whose mission is to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women through innovative, powerful viral campaigns across various online and virtual channels including social media. Their first project is to turbo-charge global awareness about VAW using social media while raising US$1 million for the U.S.A.’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits by getting a global audience to collectively unveil a million-pixel mystery collage of Celebrity Male Role Models at US$1 per pixel.

About AHMIR (www.ahmirmusic.com)

AHMIR is the #1 MOST POPULAR R&B GROUP on YouTube with over 60 million video views and comments by celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Perez Hilton, Pink, and more. The group has used their success to bring awareness to several charity organizations including Lucy’s Love Bus, Haiti Relief Fund, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Words Matter, YMCA, Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids, and The Pixel Project. Their cover video of Pink’s “Perfect” was named one of the top Anti-Bullying PSA’s by The Huffington Post. AHMIR is now signed to Robbins Entertainment (distributed by RED / Sony Music).

About Horus Music (www.horusmusic.co.uk)

Horus Music is a 360 degree music company based in Leicester, UK, specialising in music distribution, publishing and management.  They are a one stop shop for getting your music on sale in online stores and subscription services worldwide, including: iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Deezer, Nokia, Napster, eMusic, Google Music, YouTube, Vevo, Myspace Music, HMV Digital, Zvooq, Simfy, 7Digital, Rhapsody and many more. They can also provide physical distribution throughout the UK.

About Lost Monkey Studio (www.lostmoneystudio.com)

Lost Monkey is a 16-track Pro Tools studio in Hayward serving artists and bands seeking a comfortable environment in which to produce broadcast-quality sounds. The studio is owned and operated by Bay Area drummer Mike Stevens, who drew upon his experiences working in the area’s most venerable studios to open Lost Monkey in 2010. Lost Monkey is currently also building a solid roster of immensely talented West Coast artists who are working hard towards becoming some of the most seminal musicians in the world.

The Music For Pixels Interview: AHMIR

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1.     Why did you decide join The Pixel Project and support the cause to end violence against women?

We all individually and as a group have always felt strong about holding women in high regard and that women should never be disrespected by words or physical abuse. So when we were approached by founder Regina Yau and her team we felt that they were truly dedicated to building a worldwide movement to end violence against women and we naturally felt inspired by their strategies to use social media and music to create a call to action to stop violence against women. We felt honoured and blessed to be invited to help with their movement.

2.     How did you come to be one of the ‘Music For Pixels’ artistes?

Regina had written to us and provided a very passionate & detailed proposal to be a Music For Pixels’ artist. We had no hesitation and truly embraced becoming a part of this campaign.

3.     How did “The Rose” come to be chosen as the song AHMIR contributed to the campaign?

“The Rose” is such a classic song that has transcended generations because of its beautiful lyrics and emotional sentiment that tugs at your heart strings. We felt that if we could use such a powerful song to carry this message that it would resonate well with audiences today, both young and old, and most importantly for future generations.

4.     AHMIR does extensive charity work – what inspires you, as a YouTube artiste, to use your music to make the world a better place?

Through YouTube, we understand we have become role models to many people.  Realising that millions of people are watching and listening to our music, we know that we can influence and make a difference to many people all over the world.  This ability to touch people through YouTube at any time and any where is what truly inspires us. We have worked hard and feel very blessed to have the platform to do this.

5.     As YouTube’s #1 R&B group, how and why do you think music can and should be an important part of awareness-raising and advocacy work?

Music is an integral part of people’s lives every day whether it’s the radio on the way to work, listening to music in the shower, or even significant events like weddings. Music affects your mental state and moves your soul so it’s only fitting that music should be used to carry important messages such as stopping violence against women.

6.     As partners/sons/brothers, in what ways do you think men can help prevent, stop and end violence against women?

Simply treat yourself as a role model. If you act and treat women with respect, we know it will affect others and how they live their life and deal with certain situations. Secondly, as a man you should step up to an abuser and let them know that their actions are unacceptable and see what’s needed to get them to stop whether it be treatment or law enforcement.  Finally, you should protect victims or potential victims. Create a safe haven for them and let them know you are there to stop the abuse.

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Why not download ‘The Rose’ to help spread awareness about Violence Against Women? Proceeds go to The Pixel Project’s Celebrity Male Role Model campaign in aid of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Malaysia’s Women’s Aid Organisation.

You can download the song at http://bit.ly/TheRosePixel

Before buying, have a listen via the music video PSA below to learn some key global statistics about violence against women:

“I’m very glad that you guys sung a beautiful song that reaches out to people”: ‘The Rose’ Inspires Survivors to Share Their Stories

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When we created the Music For Pixels campaign, we started by asking ourselves:

What if YouTube artistes and YouTube music fans got together to make the world a better place for women and girls worldwide?”

We genuinely had no idea what sort of response we would get from survivors, supporters, fellow anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits and activists, and the general public.

All we knew is that music would be a very powerful way to amplify the message we wanted to send out and we hoped that it would also prove to be an equally powerful way for the message to reach into the hearts and minds of the vast global online community out there.

And so together with our first ever Music For Pixels artiste, YouTube’s #1 R&B group, AHMIR, we released the music video PSA of their cover of ‘The Rose’ with fingers crossed and breath held…

… and one month and over 56,000 views later, we were proven right as UN Women’s Say NO – UNiTE campaign featured the music video PSA as their ‘Video of the Week’ and Ms Magazine featured the campaign as one of the ‘5 Reasons To Be Cheerful’ when surfing the internet.

More importantly, we were proven right as the comments section under the video exploded and survivors, supporters and AHMIR fans alike posted their thoughts about the video.

Here is a selection of the most striking comments from survivors inspired to speak up and share their stories*:

* Please note that we have reproduced these quotes in their authentic entirety to preserve the voice of the commentator. 

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“As a survivor of domestic violence, thanks for the support Ahmir. Beautiful song, brought tears to my eyes.” – Swoon17
“This song touched me. I am the 1 of 5 victims. At age 10, I was raped 5 times by the same guy.. I didn’t know what was gong on because I cracked my head open. At age 18, every memory came to me like a speeding bullet… threatened to kill me if I said anything… 15 years later I’m able and blessed to share and to save a life.. please don’t hesitate to say something… I’m very glad that you guys sung a beautiful song that reaches out to people, and someone like me and anyone else who’s been through it, can reach out and speak without being afraid of anything and can save a life. Thank you guys so much! Much love and respect. God Bless you guys with such a beautiful talent.” – lilsnowbunny23
“This really touches me. when I was 11 a guy was pressuring me to do things with him I didn’t want to do. I kept saying no and he beat me every time, even coming up behind me while I was leaving and choking me with a shoe lace. I have a scar on the side of my neck because of the burn from shaking my head back and forth, trying to get him off of me. No one can touch my face because of him and it hurts because the guy I’m with now is trying to help me recover when it’s just way too hard for me.” – ForeverLove6354
“I love anything Ahmir does and to do a song for this cause makes me love them even more. Like most of you, I too was a victim of rape at a young age and I didn’t recover until I was older. After recovery, I helped other young girls who were also victims, they just needed someone to trust, talk to, and to be there for them. After I was brutally raped I didn’t have anyone so I tried to take my life multiple times, luckily I didn’t succeed. The word needs to be put out so thanks guys for helping!” – hbarden18
“Thank you for raising funds and awareness for this cause. I am a domestic violence survivor. Without the programs available at the time of my need, my family and I wouldn’t be here. More money and awareness is needed. The effects of this life experience not only affect the wife, it affects the children with lifelong psychological effects for all, including the husband. Thank you AHMIR for using your voices to help raise awareness for the voiceless women and children of domestic violence.” –  AJsFight4Life
“I love this!!! My mother was a victim at one point in her life. Thanks so much!!! Keep singing!! Love you guys.” – saxtaylor96
“This is amazing. <3 Been abused by my parents and ex boyfriends. Physical and emotional. Been through depression. But I’m moving on now – therapy & an amazing boyfriend. And I guess.. Even though YouTube is full of strangers, this kinda music makes me able to share.” – Bab3girlX 
“BEAUTIFUL!! It’s awsome you guys are trying to make a different!! Wish I had the courage to do something.. my brother abused me for four years and my parents never believed me.. now I just live in silent pain and being afraid to get a boyfriend.. It’s such a blessing to know you guys are doing everything you can to stop that.” – kiplasy

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Inspired by ‘The Rose’ and what survivors of violence had to say about it? Why not download it for your mother for Mother’s Day? It only costs $0.99 and proceeds go towards The Pixel Project’s Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Malaysia’s Women’s Aid Organisation.

The Survivors Behind The Picture: Elizabeth Warfield Smith

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Thousands of viewers of the music video PSA of The Rose will have seen the portraits of 6 survivors of violence against women who courageously and generously allowed us to include their picture in the video, knowing that a global audience will see their faces and note their signs that they are survivors and wonder about the stories behind their hard-won smiles. Our sixth and final story features Elizabeth Warfield Smith, a survivor of rape and stalking who currently volunteers on The Pixel Project’s Twitter Tag Team.

I have been a victim of both rape and stalking as a teenager. I was also a victim of a family that chose not to believe me. I chose to have my photo in Ahmir’s music video PSA of “The Rose” to let every woman out there know that there is a way to smile, thrive, and love again.

Music is a language that everyone understands, though it may impact us differently as individuals. I also would like people to know that after the healing you can take one more step to reach out and help other women that need your hand or shoulder or hug, either virtually or in person. I am truly blessed to be able to show every one that watches the video that love is possible and I hope you can see that love in my eyes and smile. The Pixel Project is here for you and the young men of AHMIR prove that there are many others that are willing to help you in any way possible. Make love your first proiority and everything will fall into place.

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Inspired by Elizabeth’s story? Why not share our first Music For Pixels music video PSA with your friends and family to help us reach 1 million views and to raise funds towards our US$1 million fundraising goal towards our Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence andWomen’s Aid Organisation Malaysia?

The Survivor Behind The Picture: Kim Poppleton

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Thousands of viewers of the music video PSA of The Rose will have seen the portraits of 6 survivors of violence against women who courageously and generously allowed us to include their picture in the video, knowing that a global audience will see their faces and note their signs that they are survivors and wonder about the stories behind their hard-won smiles. Our fifth story features Kathleen Milliken, a survivor and co-founder of Spa Fundraiser which helps causes and nonprofits focused on women and children to raise funds.

Music is a medium that crosses cultures, and has a large audience that spans the world. In allowing The Pixel Project to show my picture I hope to show that domestic violence can affect many no matter our age, race, religion or economic status.

My image is also to show support for those women fighting for their freedom where-ever in the world they may be, so as they may be able thrive and live a life without fear. That each and every women is worthy of peace. I survived and have made changes to live a life free of violence, and hope that others can find their way, as I have, to smile again and shine a light for those caught in the dark.

 

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Inspired by Kim’s story? Why not share our first Music For Pixels music video PSA with your friends and family to help us reach 1 million views and to raise funds towards our US$1 million fundraising goal towards our Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence andWomen’s Aid Organisation Malaysia?

The Survivor Behind The Picture: Catherine Tanner Pierce

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Thousands of viewers of the music video PSA of The Rose will have seen the portraits of 6 survivors of violence against women who courageously and generously allowed us to include their picture in the video, knowing that a global audience will see their faces and note their signs that they are survivors and wonder about the stories behind their hard-won smiles. Our fourth story features Catherine Tanner Pierce, a survivor and co-founder of Spa Fundraiser which helps causes and nonprofits focused on women and children to raise funds.

It is important to me to help bring awareness to domestic violence.  As a child living through domestic violence was very scary.  No one talked about it.  Sometimes we have a picture in our head of what someone who is a victim of domestic violence looks like and it can be very different that what you imagine.

I wanted to share my picture for the Music For Pixels campaign to help people see what a face of a domestic violence victim looks like.  It could be a neighbour, friend or co-worker.  You just never know that’s why we all have to be advocates to end domestic violence.

 

 

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Inspired by Catherine’s story? Why not share our first Music For Pixels music video PSA (http://bit.ly/PixelRoseVid) with your friends and family to help us reach 1 million views and to raise funds towards our US$1 million fundraising goal towards our Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence andWomen’s Aid Organisation Malaysia?

The Survivor Behind The Picture: Kathleen Milliken

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Thousands of viewers of the music video PSA of The Rose will have seen the portraits of 6 survivors of violence against women who courageously and generously allowed us to include their picture in the video, knowing that a global audience will see their faces and note their signs that they are survivors and wonder about the stories behind their hard-won smiles. Our third story features Kathleen Milliken, a survivor and founder of Project Empowerment and Climb For Empowerment:

Let not the pain of the past define who you are, but what you’ve made yourself because of it.  Like many, I had a choice and fled abuse many years ago.  I chose to rebuild my life and start again from scratch.  I’m a firm believer that all healing and empowerment begins from within.

Music is a powerful tool to help heal the wounds from the past, to help bring peace into our hearts. My hope is that something as simple as sharing my picture with The Pixel Project’s Music for Pixels campaign will inspire others to choose their own path and find their way to heal from abuse.

 

 

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Inspired by Kathleen’s story? Why not share our first Music For Pixels music video PSA (http://bit.ly/PixelRoseVid) with your friends and family to help us reach 1 million views and to raise funds towards our US$1 million fundraising goal towards our Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence andWomen’s Aid Organisation Malaysia?

A Very Pixel Project “Thank You”: Another 25 Fabulous Facebook Pages You Should Check Out and Like

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With the Music For Pixels campaign entering its 4th week with over 50,000 views of The Rose by our first featured artiste – AHMIR, YouTube’s number one R&B group, we would like to say A HUGE THANK YOU to the following Pixel Project partners, anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits and Facebook pages for their support for the campaign and for helping us get the word out on their Facebook pages (and in some cases, on their blogs and on Twitter) as we work towards our goal of 1 million views and downloads!

Be sure to click on their names to check out their Facebook pages – they are listed according to category and in alphabetical order below!

Continue reading →

The Survivor Behind The Picture: Eliska Hahn

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Thousands of viewers of the music video PSA of The Rose will have seen the portraits of 6 survivors of violence against women who courageously and generously allowed us to include their picture in the video, knowing that a global audience will see their faces and note their signs that they are survivors and wonder about the stories behind their hard-won smiles. Our second story featuring Eliska Hahn, a survivor and The Pixel Project’s volunteer Music Campaigns Coordinator:

I am a multiple survivor of both rape and domestic violence.  For the first 30+ years of my life I firmly believed I had “bad luck” or there was something uniquely wrong with me and that was why these terrible things kept happening over and over in my life.

It was through organisations like The Pixel Project that I learned that I was in no way alone and, more importantly, that it wasn’t my fault.  I am so very proud honoured to now be a Pixel Project Team Member and to be pictured in AHMIR’s amazing video for “The Rose”.  I hope every person that views it will see that there is life after abuse and it is not a life of just surviving but thriving.  I feel the Music For Pixels campaign will reach and educate a whole new group of people and that, together, we can put an end to violence against women in our lifetime.

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Inspired by Eliska’s story? Why not share our first Music For Pixels music video PSA (http://bit.ly/PixelRoseVid) with your friends and family to help us reach 1 million views and to raise funds towards our US$1 million fundraising goal towards our Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in aid of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence andWomen’s Aid Organisation Malaysia?