Entertainment: Movies with a Message

Although Skoll has the final say on which movies get the green light, he has assembled a team of veteran Hollywood executives who share his vision to oversee the day-to-day operation of Participant's documentary and narrative-feature divisions. "I was definitely inspired by his passion and belief that this could be successful," says Participant president Ricky Strauss. "The idea of working on movies that mattered, with social relevance, was exciting and intoxicating."

Good Night, and Good Luck, North Country and Syriana came out of Participant's partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment (a division of Time Warner, which owns TIME). "I know these movies carry more risk than something like Dukes of Hazzard, but they are movies with a purpose," says Warner Bros. president and coo Alan Horn. Although Horn is also actively involved in myriad political and social causes, he was able to partner with Skoll because of the entrepreneur's willingness to put up half the money and assume half the risk, which made the partnership more appealing.

So far it's unclear whether the risks are paying off--at least financially. The black-and-white quasi-biopic Good Night, and Good Luck cost a modest $7 million and has earned $18 million at the box office to date. But North Country, the story of a single mother whose barbaric treatment in a Minnesota mine leads to the first sexual-harassment class action in the country, has been a commercial disappointment, so far recouping just half its $35 million budget.

Skoll has much bigger ambitions than making money, though. He hopes inspired viewers will take steps to bring about change. With each movie release, the company's partner website, Participate. net, provides viewers with a way to get involved. Working in partnership with the a.c.l.u., Channel One, pbs, Salon.com and Satellite Radio, the "Report It Now" campaign (a takeoff on Murrow's 1950s cbs News program See It Now) asks viewers to report important stories ignored or overlooked by the media. The larger purpose, according to the website, is to "compel the media to get back to reporting in the public interest." For North Country, Participant joined forces with the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Feminist Majority Foundation and now to launch "Stand Up," an action campaign that asks viewers to lobby Congress to renew the Violence Against Women Act and that challenges them to implement and support other antiharassment practices at home, at school and in the workplace.

Skoll's bet on movies with a message may pay off yet. Syriana, Participant's venture with Clooney, and its third and most ambitious movie to date, opened nationwide in late November and has received favorable reviews and plenty of buzz. Based on the book See No Evil by former cia operative Robert Baer, the film looks at the danger of U.S. reliance on Middle Eastern oil. The film may earn back its investment. But Skoll cares even more about its spurring a serious discussion on alternative energy. In partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and Terra Pass, Skoll asks viewers to lobby Congress for more investments in renewable energy and presents ways to reduce oil dependence. With three movies under his belt--and a box-office hit or two--Skoll may now persuade even the most profit-hungry investors to join his crusade to change the world.