Producer Calvin Mitchell’s Charitable Work with Global Leaders Has an Incredible Impact on Today’s Younger Generation
Charity events offer a remarkable opportunity to bring together people from around the world in support of a greater cause, but their noble aim by no means they’re easy to pull off. Regardless of the size and scale, a successful charity event requires a dedicated producer behind the scenes to bring everything together. One such producer, who channels passion and creativity into every show he produces, is Calvin Mitchell.
A man of exceptional talent, his expertise in producing fashion shows, live TV broadcasts and touring events has led him to work with some of the world’s most influential stars, including Oprah, fashion icon Victoria Beckham and human rights activist Martin Luther King III.
In 2014 he teamed up with WE Day, an award-winning organization whose purpose is to empower today’s younger generation by offering a platform of resources to help educate and inspire students so they can make a difference in the world.
The innovative program was established under WE Charity, a high profile non-profit organization founded by social activists Marc and Craig Kielburger. For 25 years the charity established several successful foundations in support of equality, diversity and education before winding down operations in late 2020.
Over the years countless live events featuring world renowned motivational speakers and award-winning performers have been held annually across the globe in support of WE Day’s mission, many of which wouldn’t have been possible without Mitchell.
Knowing how to reach a large audience and get them to care about something is key in promoting any charity’s message, an area where Mitchell has proven himself to be incredibly skilled.
Producing shows for crowds of up to 20,000, Mitchell became an invaluable asset to WE Day from the very start, and in 2017 he became a key executive producer for the group. His successful career with WE Day earned him remarkable praise throughout the industry, as well as three Canadian Screen Award nominations, among several others.
“It was such a rush to be a part of such a big production at such a young age,” says Mitchell. “This was especially true in Canada, where WE Day was the biggest production of its kind in the country. There was nothing else of this caliber.”
His deep affiliation with the movement has led him to collaborate with some of the world’s most influential figures including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Paula Abdul, Morgan Freeman, Martin Sheen, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Anniston, Mia Farrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and more.
Regardless of forming strong ties to striking celebrities, Mitchell’s focus remained on the charity’s purpose- to educate and inspire young people around the world.
“As a producer at WE Day, I was able to help tell the story of so many inspiring young people and community leaders who overcame incredible adversity to be able to turn around and still focus their efforts on giving back or inspiring others,” he says.
Known for being a multifaceted producer who simply does not stop, Mitchell is an industry powerhouse both behind the scenes in terms of organizing, as well as in the way his efforts have visibly raised awareness on social issues.
Through WE Day he ran over 80 successful shows around the world at famous venues including New York’s Radio City Music Hall and London’s Wembley Arena.
Held across numerous platforms from live TV broadcasts to touring shows and speciality content, each event required immense pre-planning and razor-sharp attention to detail, skillsets that Mitchell boasts in spades.
Regardless of the scope of the event or the people involved, Mitchell approached every WE Day event with one specific goal in mind — to create the ultimate audience experience and bring people together for the cause.
“I’m always producing with the audience in mind. You need to think about the goals of the show right from the start and what experience you want to give your audience,” he says. “You need to always be thinking five steps ahead, while ensuring a part of you is always in the moment. Being an executive producer is all about the big picture.”
His ability to be fully immersed in the production of one event, forward-planning the next one and delivering detailed reports on the previous show were integral to creating a consistent foundation and continuity between all of WE Day’s events.
From working within a budget that relies solely on donations to avoiding any technical issues and ensuring the entire program runs on time, there’s no question that there is an immense amount of pressure to producing a charity show.
He says, “Producing WE Day was the perfect example of needing to dive into the creative, operational and technical worlds of production, all while keeping your budget balanced.”
One of the things that sets Mitchell apart from others is his ability to keep his cool when the pressure hits. He has the insane ability to foresee a potential error and know exactly what’s required to solve the issue before the crowd has even realised.
“For me I remain calm under pressure and try to think of the best solution that doesn’t take away from the story we are trying to tell or the experience we are trying to give an audience,” he shares.
Out of all of the shows Mitchell has produced, live television broadcasts have proven to be among the most challenging in terms of really capturing a viewer’s attention, yet his outside-the-box thinking has led him to reach a massive global audience there as well.
“A TV audience has so many options, so many channels, so we need to come up with something compelling to make them watch,“ he says. “I bring my ability to tell compelling and powerful stories to broadcast and I have a lot of experience with telling through types of stories with a combination of entertaining and engaging content.”
Through the power of a live television broadcast, Mitchell held the rare opportunity to connect to a much wider international demographic.
“A television broadcast is a unique opportunity to create something that can be seen by a much larger audience,” he says. “A live show in a stadium can have up to 50,000 people, a broadcast can have a 100 million viewers!”
Given that the audience can change channels at the click of a button, it was imperative for Mitchell to know how to craft the show in a way that would keep the viewers engaged. As the executive producer, he began by understanding the goal of the broadcast and then worked closely with his team to develop the fascinating stories.
“Working on a broadcast show means that every element of the production is under a microscope. You need to be much more detailed and meticulous in your planning, attention to detail and execution,” he explains.
“Every element of the production from the stage and set, to the talent, to the storytelling and performances are all brought up a notch.”
WE Charity reported that more than 200,000 students joined the events each year, earning their ticket to attend from volunteering in local community projects. This innovative approach reflected the mission statement of the charity’s work to empower students to give back to society.
As a key figure whose work has been integral to getting the message out, inspiring students to join and raising funds, Calvin Mitchell has established an impressive track record of success with WE Day. When it comes to running successful arena-sized charity events and TV broadcasts, he has proven himself to be one of the industry’s most compelling executive producers, and the most inspiring part is the amount of passion he brings to each show.
“I think one of the most rewarding things about being the executive producer for WE Day was being able to combine my love of creating entertaining content with bringing awareness and a platform to important social issues,” he shares.
“We live in a time where people are more and more aware of the challenges faced in society and they are looking for outlets to help them do something about it. Our shows were able to give viewers tangible resources and action items… this project was a great example of how you can use entertainment to make the world a better place.”
