What do a 22-year-old former venture capital intern and an 11-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker have in common? Political entrepreneurship. Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA, and Mark Kassen, co-founder of A Starting Point (ASP), alongside actor Chris Evans, share how their organizations dedicate themselves to creating spaces and platforms to foster civic engagement and meaningful conversations across the political divide.
BridgeUSA works with college campuses across the country to combat pessimistic political thinking by creating spaces to help students engage and connect while ASP is disrupting media by providing unbiased content about important political issues that allow users to form their own educated opinions. The bipartisan consumable content ASP curates helps to act as a launching pad for the conversations being had within BridgeUSA chapters throughout the country.
By joining forces, these two organizations are investing in a future where democracy responds to the people and not just for the people.
Meet our guest:
Manu Meel is passionate about empowering and elevating the impact of young people. Currently, Manu serves as the CEO of BridgeUSA, a national organization that is investing in the future of democracy by bridging the political divide on college campuses. Through his work, Manu has contributed to several news outlets, advanced pro-democracy efforts nationally, and led the policy operation for a Baltimore mayoral candidate. In the past, Manu worked as an associate intern at the venture capital firm Amplo and at the Department of State as a political analyst in counterterrorism. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media platforms. Manu graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020.
Mark Kassen is the founder of Like Minded Media Ventures and co-founder of the civic engagement platform A Starting Point (ASP). He is also a Golden Globe and Emmy nominated filmmaker, playwright and actor. Mark has a history of cultivating new filmmaking technology, utilizing it to create the Trigger Street Independent film fund with Dana Brunetti. In four years, TSI’s films garnered 11 Emmys and four Golden Globes.
For media and speaking requests, and to suggest a guest for the show, please email letsconnect@patrickmcginnis.com.
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