The IDEAS Salon and Relativity Media Partner On Two-Day Summit: To Lead & Be Led, Inspired by Navy SEAL Action-Thriller Act of Valor

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 – The IDEAS Salon and Relativity Media have partnered on the 2012 IDEAS Salon Summit: To Lead & Be Led, inspired by the studio’s upcoming Navy SEAL action thriller Act of Valor. The IDEAS Salon, will unite 35 diverse visionaries to gather at the historic Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C. from January 27th-29th to spark discussion about social and political leadership from the perspective of such representatives as titans of business, cultural shapers of the arts, historians, journalists, members from the military and intelligence community, and government leaders.

The 48-hour event, which includes break-out discussion sessions and networking events, will also feature a special pre-release screening of Act of Valor, introduced by the directors Mike “Mouse” McCoy, Scott Waugh and producer Max Leitman, followed by a conversation with the representatives. Key participants attending the conference include: Roni Zeiger, Chief Health Strategist, Google; Dan Walker, Chief Talent Officer, JCPenney; Alex Jadad, Chief Innovator & Founder, Centre for Global eHealth Innovation; Stephanie Fehr, Senior Director Americas/China People Teams, Apple Inc.; Bill Moggridge, Director, Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Quentin Hardy, Deputy Technology Editor, NY Times; Jennifer Willig, Global Chief Marketing Officer, (RED); Rob Carey,  Deputy CIO, Department of Defense, and  Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Terry Curtin, Relativity’s President, Theatrical Marketing said, “Act of Valor is unique in that it is a highly-satisfying and visceral entertainment experience that also can inspire in-depth dialogue about relevant and current themes.”  

Seth Goldenberg, Founder and Curator of The IDEAS Salon said, "Relativity Media represents the next generation Hollywood film studio - they are doing forward-thinking things in a time when the models for engaging the public need to be rethought.  We are honored to be partnering on an IDEAS Salon with this unique company.”  He added, "The IDEAS Salon: To Lead and To Be Led is inspired by all parts of the film Act of Valor - from the Navy SEALs ethos embedded in the title of our summit, to using the Tecumseh final quote as a prompt for a break out group - we're unfolding the film and activating a landscape for debate."
 
Bandito Brothers’ Act of Valor, in theatres February 24th, stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs alongside actors Roselyn Sanchez, Alex Veadov, Jason Cottle and Nestor Serrano, and tells a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism.  

Produced and directed by former Baja 1000 champion McCoy and former stuntman Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad (300), Act of Valor goes deep into the secret world of today’s most elite and highly trained group of warriors. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the United States, a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitments to country, team, and their families back home. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure.

The IDEAS Salon was founded in August 2010 by Seth Goldenberg. Goldenberg serves as CEO of IP.21 Studio as well as the Founder and Curator of The IDEAS Salons, which are the heartbeat and vehicle of the larger overarching initiative called “The Epic Decade.” Previous participants of The IDEAS Salons have included executives from the following companies: Mercedes Benz North America, Microsoft’s Bing, the Guggenhiem Museum, General Electronic, Trek (bike company), Apple Retail, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Disney Imagineering, Web 2.0, PepsiCo, and the Gap.

For more information about Act of Valor, please visit http://www.actofvalormovie.com. 
Additional information about The IDEAS Salon can be found in early February at http://www.epicdecade.com. 
 
ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA
Relativity Media is a next-generation studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full-scale film and television production and distribution, the co-financing of major studio film slates, music publishing, sports management and digital media.  Additionally, the company makes strategic partnerships with, and investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets. 

To date, Relativity has produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 motion pictures.  Released films have accumulated more than $17 billion in worldwide box office receipts.  Relativity’s recent films include: Immortals, Tower Heist, Bridesmaids, Hop, Limitless, Anonymous, Machine Gun Preacher, Cowboys & Aliens, Battle: Los Angeles, Season of The Witch, Little Fockers, The Fighter, The Social Network, Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Dear John, It’s Complicated, Couples Retreat and Zombieland. Upcoming films for Relativity include: Haywire, Act of Valor, The Raven, Mirror Mirror, 21 Jump Street, American Reunion, and The Bourne Legacy.  Thirty-eight of the company’s films have opened to No. 1 at the box office.  Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for The Fighter, The Social Network, The Wolfman, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma. Sixty-two of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts. 

Relativity also owns and operates Rogue Pictures, a company that specializes in films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience, and RogueLife, Relativity’s digital studio which is developing original content for the Web and creating sustainable online platforms and communities. RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, has 67 projects in production, including 17 original series that are currently airing or will air in the upcoming television season including Police Women for TLC, Coming Home for Lifetime and The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network. For additional information, please visit www.relativitymedia.com.