Page 10 - ChildArt_2021.Q1_Global Creative Leaders

10 CHILDART GLOBAL CREATIVE LEADERS
FOSTERING
CREATIVITY
CHARLES RIVKIN
CHAIRMAN+CEO
MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Charles Rivkin has spent his life as an advocate
for good ideas. His vast experience includes
serving as president and CEO of the Jim Henson
Company (home of the Muppets), CEO of Wildbrain,
US Ambassador, US Assistant Secretary of State,
and currently, CEO and Chairman of the Motion
Picture Association. The six companies that make
up the Motion Picture Association are the largest
producers of creative content in the world. He has
traveled the world and worked with puppets, people,
and presidents. He has gained wisdom from meeting
people where they are, celebrating creativity, and
serving his country. “I don’t consider myself to be
a creative soul, but I do love being around creative
people,” he said. “I have such an appreciation for
creativity, and I love being surrounded by it.”
It could be said that one of the hallmarks of Charlie’s
success is found in these few lines written by poet
Mary T. Lathrap in 1895:
Just for a moment, slip into his mind and
traditions
And see the world through his spirit and eyes
Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.
During his more than twenty years in the
entertainment sector and his distinguished
government service, he has made a point to see
the world through many eyes.
Early in his career, Charlie worked at the Jim
Henson Company, home of the colorful, vivacious
CHARLES RIVKIN FOSTERING CREATIVITY
Muppets. “I had just gotten out of business school
and I was the only MBA at his wonderful puppet
company in New York. I was there working all
night, downstairs trying to build a business. I kept
on seeing a shadow walk past me in the basement
towards the boiler room several nights in a row.
Eventually, one night I followed this shadow, and
it turns out it was Jim going into the boiler room.
When he left, I opened the boiler room door and I
saw the janitor, Matthew, standing there. Inside the
boiler room, the pipes were decorated with googly
Muppet eyes and fur, and fun graffiti and designs
and drawings. I said, ‘Did I just see Jim Henson
coming down here?’ And Matthew said, ‘Oh yeah!
Jim comes down and bounces his ideas off of me.’
When this came up later in the day, Jim said to me,
and he kind of sounded like Kermit the Frog when
he spoke, ‘You know, Charlie, creativity can be
found anywhere.’
“He is right. I think that some of the best ideas come
from people that are all the way down the line in an
organization—not necessarily the leadership, but
the people that are on the front line doing the work.
Good ideas come from anywhere. Jim taught me
that and I won’t forget it.”
As a child, Charlie spent time in the small European
country of Luxembourg and the west African
country of Senegal, where his father served as
US ambassador in the 1960s. Charlie’s father died
JAN-MAR 2021 11
unexpectedly when Charlie was only five years “About a week later I got lucky. Sam Jackson was
old. Missing his father and wishing to follow his in town and called to ask if I wanted to go to lunch.
example of service to his country, Charlie dreamed I said, ‘Nope! We’re gonna go out to the banlieue.’
of becoming an ambassador. “I thought it would I got into the motorcade of armored cars and we
never happen, but it was a wonderful dream. When drove to places that most diplomats don’t go. We got
it did happen, it was a wonderful opportunity to live out of the car and everyone started screaming
beyond my wildest dreams.” Charlie served as US ‘Big Mac! Big Mac!’ because that was a big line
ambassador to France and Monaco from 2009- from Pulp Fiction with Samuel Jackson. They looked
2013. at me and said, ‘you are a man of your word.’ They
“In government, if you can be part of the solution, sat with Sam Jackson and asked for advice. They
then you’re helping to change the world for the said, ‘Mr. Jackson, you are a big movie star. We
people of color here in France can’t be movie stars.’
better. When I was Ambassador, there was concern He said, ‘You know what? (and I could never say
that the unhappiness of those living in the banlieue this as an ambassador) Just stop complaining and
(the suburbs of Paris) would lead to terrorist attacks. get off the couch and do something with your life.
Many of the poor and disadvantaged communities
If I sat around in America when I was younger and
lived there. Many were of North African descent and thought about all the obstacles that were ahead of
they didn’t feel integrated into Paris life. me and how I could never be a movie star, I would
never have been a movie star. You just gotta get out,
I wanted to go meet these people and talk to them and believe in yourself, and go to work and fight the
about what America is. I went and met with the
kids. They said, ‘We don’t like our government; fight. The American dream and the French dream
they don’t treat us like we’re citizens.’ I said, ‘Well, are the same in that you believe in yourself.’”
you know, I’m the US Ambassador. What do you
like about America?’ They replied, ‘Well, we like “Whatever work Charlie is doing, he always seems
to convey the message of reaching out. His optimism
Samuel Jackson and will.i.am and Will Smith and for the future is evident. He wants kids to know that
Jodie Foster and Woody Allen . . . We like all these the world won’t stay the way it is now, during the
guys!’ I said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna come back COVID-19 pandemic. “Kids should want to be
here to this community with one of those stars.’ They around other kids. It’s just not natural to stay away
said to me in French, ‘you have a wooden tongue,’
which is what they would say to politicians. from other people. And so, we will work. We will get
through to the other end of this.”
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