OUR MISSION
Kids Entertainment Professionals for Young Refugees (KEPYR) rallies the global children’s entertainment community and its audiences in support of UNICEF’s vital and heroic work addressing the worst worldwide child refugee crisis in over 70 years.
For those of us in the children’s entertainment business, the explosion of the global child refugee crisis, the worst of its kind since World War II, has been particularly painful to witness. We have a special relationship with the children of the world. We entertain and help to educate them and in return, as individuals and as living representatives of the very idea of childhood, they inspire us in our work every day. So our hearts break at the recurring images of dead, injured, or traumatized youth washing up on beaches, detained in shipping containers, or scrambling to survive in makeshift encampments and settlements in Greece, France, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, and many other places around the world.
In 2016 a group of us, heart-stricken by this growing tragedy, realized that we were part of a much larger community of kindred spirits, and that we could exponentially increase whatever small help we could be as individuals by reaching out to those others, our brothers and sisters in the global children’s entertainment industry, as well as the audiences we serve, and inviting them to join together in united, positive, concrete action.
With an initial grant from JPMorgan Chase, we created an annual online fundraiser in support of UNICEF’s heroic efforts on behalf of child refugees worldwide. Now, for the first time, animators, game designers, network and studio executives, writers, voice actors, composers, agents, editors, and production assistants – everyone involved in the production and distribution of kids content around the world and fans of their work – can mark World Refugee Day each year by standing together to make a real difference in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children.
Who We Are
We are a grassroots organization of kids and family entertainment professionals. Our community spans five continents and includes employees of such well-known companies as Mattel, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Disney, Dreamworks, Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Studios, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Blizzard Entertainment, Scholastic Entertainment, DC Comics, and Animation Magazine, as well as scores of independent production companies and individuals in children’s media, their friends and fans of their work.
Board of Directors
Grant Moran
President & Founder
Writer Producer
Yang Chang
Vice-President
Creative Director
Monica Dollive
Tresurer
Writer
Aurora Simcovich
Secretary
Project Manager
Johnny Hartmann
Writer Producer
Scott Gray
Emmy Award-Winning Writer
Juliette Rogasik
Creative Director
Advisory Board
Christopher Keenan
Senior Vice President & Executive Producer,
Mattel Television
Martin
Baynton
Chief Creative Officer, Pukeko Pictures
Danielle
Gillis
VP Content and Production,
9 Story Media Group
Maca
Rotter
President and CEO,
La Panaderia Licensing & Marketing
Jean
Thoren
Publisher,
Animation Magazine
Gregory B.
Payne
Principal Counsel,
Disney TV Animation
Jo
Kavanagh-Payne
President,
Foothill Entertainment, Inc
Baman
Rusby
Principal, Atoka International LLC
Gushi
Sethi
Director
Executive Producer
Dave
Palmer
Director
Executive Producer
Sabrina
Propper
President
Propper Public Relations
What We Do
Our mission is twofold:
1. To raise awareness about the worldwide crisis of displaced children via traditional and social media campaigns, and panels and presentations at a variety of industry gatherings and functions.
2. To raise funds in support of exemplary organizations like UNICEF doing heroic work on behalf of those children via fundraisers, auctions, and other events, both live and online.
100 % of all proceeds from our public fundraisers and auctions go to the refugee relief work of benefiting organizations. KEPYR deducts nothing for overhead, salaries, or other operating expenses.
FAQ
HOW DO I PRONOUNCE KEPYR: (ˈkēpər), as in “My brother’s keeper”
WHY UNICEF: There are many fine organizations working to address the refugee crisis. UNICEF is a perfect fit for us because of its specific focus on children and their needs. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.
WHERE WILL MY DONATION GO: To UNICEF’s refugee relief fund, NOT to the General Fund. As events unfold, we also produce special fundraisers in support of specific aspects of UNICEF’s refugee relief work, for example to aid their efforts on behalf of displaced children at the U.S./Mexico border and in Ukraine.
IS MY CONTRIBUTION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE: Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can either make a non-tax deductible contribution through this website or reach out to your country’s UNICEF office for information on local tax laws. Details can be found at www.unicef.org/infobycountry.
IS MY CONTRIBUTION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE: Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can either make a non-tax deductible contribution through our Crowdrise page or reach out to your country’s UNICEF office for information on local tax laws. Details can be found at www.unicef.org/infobycountry.
IS KEPYR A 501 (c)? - Yes
DO I HAVE TO BE IN THE KIDS ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS TO PARTICIPATE: No! Everyone you know, and everyone you don’t, is encouraged to support this effort. Individuals, companies, and nonprofits are all eligible to contribute.
WHO’S BEHIND THIS: The idea started in the fall of 2016 among a small group of friends in the kids entertainment business including Grant Moran, Christopher Keenan, Danielle Gillis, Jean Thoren, Kevin Hopps, Aglaia Mortcheva, Martin Baynton, Johnny Hartmann, Chara Campanella, and Yang Ping Chang. For a list of our Board of Directors and Advisory Board please see “Who We Are”.
IS ANYONE GETTING PAID OR DERIVING ANY FINANCIAL OR OTHER BENEFIT FROM THIS: No, KEPYR is a 100% volunteer effort. All funds raised go to UNICEF USA’s refugee relief work.
WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Grant Moran at grant@kepyr.org.