Mahatma Gandhi said "to be the change you wish to see in the world". His vision eluded me the first half of my adult life. However, as I sought to align my essential self with my professional background in marketing and communications, I realized that I could use the power of the media to help others envision a better world. In essence, I could become a social transformer, enlightener, and liberator.

Martin Luther King, Jr. uttered similar inspirational words: "If you want to move people, it has to be toward a vision that's positive for them, that taps important values, that gets them something they desire; and it has to be presented in a compelling way that they feel inspires to follow." With these thoughts in mind, I launched Spartacus Media Enterprises in 2000.

Mass media has served this role -- as transformer, enlightener, and liberator -- for centuries. In literature, a novel such as Uncle Tom's Cabin helped build empathy for African Americans, fueling the emancipation movement. A Beadle dime novel called Maleska brought attention to discrimination against native Americans, stimulating the federal government's decision to set aside reservation lands for these oppressed people. More recently, Oprah Winfrey turned reading into a national past time and, in the process, helped us learn more about the struggles of women of color, among others.

Like the unscrolling of a painting on papyrus, I envision voices and images of a disenfranchised people and important social and environmental issues being heard throughout the broadcasts of many of our television shows. It has already happened on series like "ER ", "The West Wing", and "Will and Grace". Plots with socially redeeming messages embedded in scripts has already focused our attention of issues that have motivated many to consider acting more for the common good. Feature films with core themes that present positive role models ("China Syndrome", "Erin Brokovich", "Civil Action") or with more subtle social impact messages ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "About Schmidt") have touched people's hearts and inspired them to serve the greater good.

We are all like Pilgrims: travelers in search of the truth. On my pilgrimage I am living my passions as I strive to create a more balanced life of love for family, friends, and community.