Our Story

Back in 1986, Mediators began with a simple question: “Can we transform conflict"?”

At the time, the reality of the Cold War meant that Americans were living every day with the ongoing threat of nuclear war, but no one was really talking about it. We were simply living our lives, distracted from the existential dread with “patriotic” movies that numbed us to the actual situation. To anyone paying attention, it was obvious that you could not make a film in Hollywood that went against this “Us versus Them” narrative. Nor could you make a film in Moscow that challenged the anti-American narrative, as films were produced by the Communist Party. This meant creators on both sides of the Iron Curtain were forced to perpetuate harmful stereotypes to get their art made.

With a handful of small investors and a big dream, Mediators Productions began. Instead of making a single film to combat the narrative, we decided to try and change the film industries themselves by hosting the Entertainment Summit, the first cultural exchange of its kind. By bringing together filmmakers, directors, and actors from Russia and the US and showing both sides the propagandistic nature of the films being produced, we were able to significantly decrease the negative stereotyping in future films, and eventually shift the cultural view of our respective countries.

Rather than pursue the pro-profit strategy, we launched a non-profit organization, now turned fiscal sponsor, whose overarching purpose is to prevent and reduce conflicts, and promote collaboration in every aspect of our lives. Mediators Foundation was born.

We have been a leader in incubating projects that reflect and enhance our mission, and currently engage with more than a dozen projects. It is our goal to have a 360° portfolio of projects that are robustly addressing the issues across our culture. Our door is wide open for new ideas, new talent, and new dimensions for achieving our mission.