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CONTACT:
Nicholas Snow
Singer/Songwriter – “The Power To Be Strong”
Founder – www.ActionEqualsLife.com
Email: Action@ActionEqualsLife.com
Direct Bangkok Mobile: +66 (0)1 497 6167
USA Voicemail: (760) 808-2787
NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS REGARDING SONG
Nicholas Snow can provide the mp3 of the song for premiere on your station, and also participate in a telephone interview wherever you may be in the world. Email Action@ActionEqualsLife.com to request the song, indicating what technical format you need the song in.
NOTE TO TELEVISION/BROADCAST/CABLE TV OUTLETS REGARDING MUSIC VIDEO
The official music video (English language) will be complete and ready for worldwide distribution within weeks. To receive a broadcast quality digital file for use in your programming, please email Nicholas Snow at Action@ActionEqualsLife.com. Please indicate what technical format you need to receive the file in. Subtitled versions in many languages are planned. To receive a subtitled version of the video in a specific language, please send your request to Action@ActionEqualsLife.com and we will do our best to accommodate you.
NOTE TO PRINT/ONLINE MEDIA ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS
All photos associated with this project are available at www.ActionEqualsLife.com. Simply double-click on any image that interests you until you get the largest possible available image and then save to your computer (use appropriate photo credit when provided). Links to Photo Albums (Double click on the thumbnails until you get the largest images). http://www.actionequalslife.com/photo/album/list
P R E S S - R E L E A S E
Song Photo/Art by Boaz Zippor
HIV TESTING/SAFER SEX AWARENESS ANTHEM TO INSPIRE MILLIONS IN 2010 AND BEYOND
Renowned music producer Bruno Brugnano, award-winning film and video director O Nathapon, openly HIV positive singer/songwriter/activist Nicholas Snow and other international collaborators launch the “The Power To Be Strong” HIV testing/safer sex awareness anthem with the call, “Get tested and live longer and be strong!”
Two years ago this week, on January 3rd, 2008, Nicholas Snow tested HIV positive, having become so because of a collision of circumstances in a moment of passion which resulted in his poor decision to have unsafe sex in August of 2007. “I became HIV positive decades into the AIDS epidemic, completely armed with the knowledge to protect myself. It’s still a bit shocking to me,” explains Snow. Determined to prevent as many people as possible from making his same mistakes, well into his journey as a person living with HIV, Snow and his impassioned friends are presenting to the world, “The Power To Be Strong.”
"'The Power To Be Strong' song and music video campaign has been created to reach millions of people around the world about the importance of voluntary HIV counseling & testing and increased adherence to safer sex, and to empower the valiant efforts of any organization or individual participating anywhere in the battle against HIV/AIDS,” expressed Snow. “The Power To Be Strong” is an outreach tool of the Action Equals Life World Service Project and ActionEqualsLife.com.
Snow elaborated, “ActionEqualsLife.com is bringing people from all walks of life together who share the common goals of creating HIV/AIDS Awareness; supporting the worldwide fight for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people; and supporting human rights in general.” “Our slogan is ‘Expressing the truth of our lives and transforming the planet.’ As any individual shares their own experience, strength and hope, their truth about any given issue—the essence of their life force—souls are connected and lives are changed. Ignorance decreases. Knowledge increases. Transformation occurs.”
Openly HIV positive people are virtually non-existent in many parts of the world, and most people don’t know they know someone who is HIV positive. And tragically, most people who are HIV positive learn they are because they become ill and seek medical attention way past the point at which medical interventions could have helped prevent illness to begin with. The key is for people who have HIV to know it, to stop spreading it, and to seek early interventions—and for people who are HIV negative to confirm this, further empowered to maintain or even increase their adherence to safer sex practices.
On January 6th, the official date of release for the song, Snow will go to the Thai Red Cross Society for the latest results of two key tests that doctors use to determine if and when a person living with HIV needs treatment—a CD4 count and a viral load count. “Because I know I am HIV positive, I can know when to seek treatment. If I did not know I had HIV, and without proper treatment, I would ultimately get sick and die of an HIV-related illness. There is great truth to the mantra of my song, ‘Get tested and live longer and be strong. Play safely and live longer and be strong.’”
Having declared himself a Global Ambassador for HIV/AIDS Awareness at a press conference in October of 2008 at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, Snow embarked on a variety of projects. The song was initially intended to be produced as a dance single to target gay men at dance parties but has since evolved into an anthem with universal appeal that can be helpful to anyone anywhere.
At the final recording session for “The Power To Be Strong” which took place in Bruno Brugnano’s studio in Bangkok, Thailand on World AIDS Day—December 1st, 2009—the true international nature of the song became apparent as Nicholas Snow, an American, realized that Bruno is Italian living in Thailand; music video director O Nathapon is Thai but lives in London; opera singer Ayano Kimura is Japanese by way of Germany but lives in Thailand; still photographer Boaz Zippor is Israeli living in Thailand; and documentary videographer Bryan Hall is an Australian living in Thailand. Dr. David Lake, PhD, who ultimately came on board as a producer of the music video, has lived in Thailand but is now in the UK.
The historic first live performance of song took place before thousands of people in the heart of Bangkok at which time Snow called upon everyone to have an HIV test as a New Year’s resolution. "I could have never dreamed of a better world premiere launch of 'The Power To Be Strong' than at Thailand's equivalent to Times Square, the Bangkok Countdown 2010 at CentralWorld," explained Snow.
CentralWorld is owned by Central Pattana or CPN (now publicly held but founded by the Chirathivat family), the leading developer, manager and investor of retail and commercial properties in Thailand.
"CPN was very delighted to be a part of Nicholas' performance of the premiere of his song at CentralWorld as an addition to our New Year's Eve festivities,” explained Isareit Chirathivat, Marketing Manager, CentralWorld. “We are extremely appreciative and fully supportive of his cause and his true commitment towards the prevention of HIV/AIDS. We wish him well and know that his message will be an important one for this New Year.”
“The Chirathivats are to business in Thailand what the Kennedys are to politics in America,” Snow explained. “Their support of ‘The Power To Be Strong’ will go a long way to help people not only in Thailand, but throughout the world.”
How did Snow rally such a prestigious team to produce such a song?
Taken at the final recording session for "The Power To Be Strong" on Dec. 1st, 2009 - World AIDS Day - in this photo clockwise from front left: music producer Bruno Brugnano, videographer Bryan Hall, director O Nathapon, singer Ayano Kimura and singer/songwriter Nicholas Snow. Not pictured, philanthropist Dr. David Lake, the angel sponsor of the project. Photo by Boaz Zippor.
“In 2004 I was deeply moved by the film Beautiful Boxer about a Thai kick boxer who came out as transgendered during his/her rise to fame as one of the best in his/her sport. This film was scored by Bruno Brugnano who won the equivalent of the Thai Academy Award for the film. I was introduced to Bruno the following year and he became a good friend,” Snow explained.
“In 2006 I met a philanthropist from the United Kingdom—Dr. David Lake, PhD—who made a significant donation via me (anonymously, at the time) to the Bangkok Pride celebration and later, to a Tsunami orphans art project,” Snow added. “In 2007 I met O Nathapon, a rising star writer, director and producer, and learned of his forthcoming feature film A Moment In June, a powerful story about second chances, which I had the opportunity to report about on numerous occasions.”
“Dots connecting, I introduced Bruno to O, who agreed to collaborate, and Dr. Lake agreed to fund 99% of the project,” explained Snow. Rounding out the team is soprano Ayano Kimura who sings the opera chorus, photographer/designer Boaz Zippor who created the artwork and documented the final recording session—on World AIDS Day, December 1st, 2009—and the music video shoot with his still photographer, and three more donors, including John Glines—the Tony Award-winning Broadway Producer of Torch Song Trilogy—and transgendered novelist Iolanthe Woulff (her book, She’s My Dad) and her wife Joleene Wouk, residents of Palm Springs, California.
Bruno Brugnano is renowned as a producer, arranger, composer and musician. He has recorded and performed with many well-known musicians around the world, and has produced over 100 albums for Thai and International artists. He is also honored to produce and compose music for Her Royal Highness Princess Ubol Ratana, His Majesty the King of Thailand’s eldest daughter, for HRH’s TV series, The Princess Diaries—and for HRH’s films.
Brugnano has a history of combining his passion for music with his passion for helping others, having first worked as a missionary at age 17 in India and in Sudan at age 22. In Italy, he worked as a civil servant for two years in a geriatric center helping with everything from bathing residents to teaching them music therapy.
Bruno Brugnano exudes joy in his recording studio as soprano Ayano Kimura from the Bangkok Opera looks on. Photo by Boaz Zippor.
About “The Power To Be Strong” Brugnano explained, “This was a great opportunity for me because it combined two of the most important things for me, helping other people through music. What could be better? Everybody put a lot of heart and emotion into the project. O is one of the great young Thai directors and I am a big fan of his work. Ayano is fun and can make everyone blink with her voice. Nicholas is multitalented and the one who motivated us to participate in the project, so big thanks to him. Support the cause because nothing is too far from us. Just look around you and every minute you see someone in need. I believe that everybody has talent in some way, so use it to really make this world a better place.”
While O Nathapon was born and raised in Thailand, he has lived in Los Angeles and now London, and speaks English and Thai fluently. His official bio explains that “his first short film, Bicycles & Radios, was nominated for a student Academy Award. In 2005 the film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival after he was selected by Kodak to be one of its Emerging Filmmakers. He was also chosen as one of the 30 young “Talent to Watch” by GM+ Magazine. O was recently awarded the Best New Director from the South Festival, Norway, for his feature film A Moment In June, which he wrote, produced and directed.”
A Moment in June was also selected for the Pusan International Film Festival for its world premiere, and O was one of the winners of the IWC/Channel 4 “Coming Up” program in the UK for which he directed Saving Baby Rio (written by Dewi Bruce-Konuah). This short film was selected by the UK’s leading newspapers a “must watch” the night it aired, and “The Power to Be Strong” is just the latest of many music videos O has directed.
O Nathapon. Photo by Boaz Zippor.
About “The Power To Be Strong” O explained, “I hope it will change peoples’ perspectives on knowing their HIV status.” He added, “I am a big fan of Bruno’s work so it was great to meet him in person. Ayano is a real talent and her voice added so much to the song. Nicholas is a really good leader and without him we wouldn’t have worked on this project.”
Snow recently met many people in Thailand’s opera world because of his involvement with the HIV Awareness Project of the Bangkok Opera. The project empowers HIV positive orphans to live full lives while completely integrated into society. When Bruno suggested an opera singer would be a great addition to the song, Snow asked Somtow Sucharitkul—founder of the Bangkok Opera— for leads. Mr. Somtow recommended Ayano Kimura who came on board happily.
Singer: Soprano Ayano Kimura, a member of the company of the Bangkok Opera.
Explained Kimura, “I believe in Nicholas’ cause and the song does carry important messages to everyone, especially those who do not think they have something to do with HIV. The song tells you to be more open-minded about HIV and encourage people to have safer sex. It really comes from Nicholas’ heart, his own experience. This is a very courageous thing for him to do.”
Photographer/designer Boaz Zippor added, “It was a pleasure working with all the great talents that contributed to this project. It is all about education. The best cure is prevention and for prevention you need education. It is that simple.”
If produced in the United States, the video for “The Power to Be Strong” would have cost over $100,000 and even in Thailand, without the donation of time, talent and resources the video would have cost conservatively at least 500,000 baht (around $17,000). The actual cost of producing the video (in post-production now) was just over 100,000 baht (around $3,400). Dr. Dr David Lake PhD (Cambridge: Emmanuel/ JBS) MBA (Warwks) agreed to put 100,000 baht toward the project upon hearing the rough demo.
The MP3 of the song is widely available for free and any funds derived from music licensing or sales will be used, transparently, to advance the project and ultimately to create and fund a foundation. Snow’s vision for his own activism was further realized when he attended ICAAP9, the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, which took place in Bali, Indonesia, this past August. He was able to secure his airline ticket, hotel rooms, and income for expenses because of his role as a travel and entertainment journalist who owns and publishes commercial web sites, but was able to put on his activist hat throughout his trip to report about ICAAP for a variety of media, including ActionEqualsLife.com.
The official music video which will premiere soon (hopefully simultaneously on major networks throughout the world) will be ultimately subtitled in a variety of languages for distribution via YouTube and to broadcast media. The first subtitled version to be released will be in Thai, but versions are planned in Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Italian and other languages. Snow intends to travel the world in his role as a Global Ambassador for HIV/AIDS Awareness, as opportunities present themselves, performing his song and doing what he can to spotlight the needs and accomplishments of local communities and organizations.
Dr. Lake supported the project because, he explained, “The cause is excellent, especially Thailand, where I wish I could do more for those so badly in need of medicine and counseling. I am also most impressed both with the courage (it cannot be easy to announce HIV status) and the enormous energy (from the movie-work, the website and the music) of those involved with the ActionEqualsLife.com web site. And, of course, Nicholas Snow’s long-term commitment to making charity possible for those, such as me, who cannot be in Thailand because of our commitments in the rest of the world.”
Dr. Lake continued, “Each one of us does what we can. I have seen so much open-handed generosity in Thailand – especially amongst the poor – that not learning from this example would be a tragedy. In the UK I am much involved with art, politics, and suffering. My special interest has been those issues which are ‘taboo’ including drug-dependency, immigration and HIV/AIDS. All are politically very awkward, but affect many who have no voice. I am especially keen on solutions by example: ideas which would change the world if they gained widespread institutional acceptance.”
He added, “I am delighted ‘The Power To Be Strong’ has had so much support so far – and I am confident that the worldwide roll-out of the song will go well, given that it is delightful to listen to, has a strong message, and is really well-produced. I know that there are many people in Thailand keen to join the effort, and I am hoping that as the effort becomes international, the links between the western world and the developing world will strengthen.”
About a similar project he’s working on, Dr. Lake explained, “I am really interested in both art and music as an agent for social change – they are persuasive, without the need for demonstration or violence. I am currently hopeful we can bring to completion the 10-year project of Mat Sargent in producing the large body of music called ‘Sex, Drugs and HIV’. This is a huge collaboration of over 200 international musical artists performing songs written and produced by Mat, who was formerly of UK super-group Sham 69 and now a key part of the new underground group Day 21.”
Angel Donor: Dr. David Lake. Our entire team is grateful for the contributions of Dr. David Lake without whom the video would have taken much longer to produce. For a list of all of our donors and information on how you may contribute, please click here.
“I am always delighted to see talent assembling, getting organized, in creating art (music and video in this case) for an important social cause. This brings out an issue which, for me, is the most important part of art: the power to inspire change in society. I know that the music and video will have a large impact in bringing closer those involved in the project, and the audience inspired by it. In many ways, the message and the raising of consciousness could only be done this way: with the courage and entire engagement of those involved – a fine example of campaigning as it is meant to be conducted,” concluded Dr. Lake. “I shall be very interested to continue supporting the project: if we are lucky an album will follow, and Nicholas Snow will be kept busy singing around the globe – but we will all remember that it started in Thailand!”
THE REST OF NICHOLAS SNOW’S STORY
Shortly after his exposure to HIV in August of 2007, Snow had a severe flu-like illness which sometimes occurs in someone who has recently been exposed to HIV. Thinking he had the flu, he went to one of Bangkok’s major hospitals and after a nurse and one doctor ruled out the flu, he found himself sitting face to face with an infectious disease specialist who explained, “Your symptoms could be the result of ‘a recent acute HIV infection.’”
“I played dumb,” explained Snow. “I did not share that I had recently had unprotected sex. I left with a scheduled follow-up appointment I never showed up for. About five months later, on January 3rd, 2008, I confirmed my HIV status at an anonymous testing site, a new year’s resolution of sorts. I still could not believe this had happened to me. In the coming months I wanted to die, and unlike previous depressions—periodic because of life circumstances, nothing chronic—I actually looked up on the internet painless means of suicide.”
Snow asked himself, “Why, knowing what I know with the life experience that I have, would I consciously—and while sober, eight years-plus, thank you—participate in unsafe sex?”
He was with someone who said and believed they were HIV negative. He was depressed. He did not know or had suppressed the knowledge that three out of ten MSM (men who have sex with men) in Bangkok are HIV positive. And he had a false sense of security about remaining HIV negative so far in to the epidemic. He acknowledged, “None of these are good reasons, but they are human reasons.”
“After I became HIV positive but before I had confirmed it, I learned that someone I had known for a long time had also become HIV positive in recent years. This information figuratively knocked the wind out of me. Sure, I had lost friends to AIDS and have many friends and acquaintances living with HIV, but I did not know a personal story like this one. I kept wondering, ‘Would my behavior have been any different had I known his story?’ When I raise this issue, I stress, which I will do now, that I respect the right of a person living with HIV to disclose when, if and how they choose.”
“After processing all of this information for a few months, my solution was to become huge in the face of HIV, to take everything I have, everything I am, and rise up, acknowledge my mistakes, and do what I could to prevent others from following in my footsteps. In Los Angeles during most of the 1990’s I would conclude my TV show (called Tinseltown’s Queer!) with the ACT-UP-inspired mantra, ‘Express the truth of your life to the people you can influence, because silence equals death and action equals life’ (ACT-UP = AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). This is what I would do in the face of being HIV positive. Everyone I could reach would know my story! In fact, I was already reaching tens of thousands of people on a monthly basis online, on TV and in various print publications, including Spice Magazine, a leading English-language gay publication in Thailand.”
“On May 5th, 2008, I began writing Life Positive—A Journey From The Center of My Heart, my coming out HIV positive story. In the summer of 2008 I endeavored to build coalitions of individuals and organizations to participate in a press conference that would take place in early October,” Snow explained. “For the most part, I did not succeed. In the absence of a coalition, as told in Life Positive, I founded the web site ActionEqualsLife.com, which has had thousands of visitors and currently has over 100 registered profiles from over 20 countries.”
“Before I could go public, well, I needed to tell my mom, step-dad, family and close friends,” Snow confided. “Life Positive is really the story of the healing of the relationship with my mother. On October 1st, 2008, I came out to my mother as being HIV positive. She was very loving in her response.”
In his journal that day, Snow wrote, “Wow. I had done it! The most important part of my journey was over. I had told my mother, and in telling her, I realized that she is the most important person in my world, the person I love the absolute most, and I am so grateful, and on the verge of tears as I write this, that she is my mother. She has done the best she could and she didn’t’ do all that bad.”
Within the next few hours after disclosing his HIV status to his mother Snow came out to thousands of people via email, officially launching ActionEqualsLife.com.
In a shocking twist, Snow explained, “On March 17th, 2009—the morning after my spectacular conversation with my mom and step-dad on the occasion of their 32nd wedding anniversary (during which I told them both how much I love them)—as the result of an error during an outpatient laboratory test at a community hospital, seemingly almost as suddenly as I am telling you, my mother died, that day.”
“What can one say at this moment? I endeavor to rise above pride and ego. HIV empowered me to do this with my mother. I will cherish her memory forever, and dedicate each day of my life to more healing,” Snow concluded.
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