“The Hidden Tears Project” co-founders Jordan Marinov & Jason Gurvitz opened up on how their project will start the conversation of human trafficking in America. (Photo property of the Hidden Tears Project)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is a pleasure to welcome The Hidden Tears Project co-founders Jordan Marinov and Jason Gurvitz to Jake’s Take!
The Hidden Tears Project’s mission is to put a spotlight on the fastest growing illegal industry today: human trafficking and enslavement. According to the FBI, an estimated 100,000 under aged American children have been sold into slavery and they are in every state and major city across the country.
Both Jordan and Jason have assembled a team of Hollywood heavyweights including writers (Empire’s Janeika and Jasheika James), producers (Charles Berg, Deborah Del Prete and Kent Speakman), directors (10 Things I Hate About You’s Gil Junger and Kung Fu Panda 2’s Liron Topaz) and actors (Ronnie Blevins, Jenna Elfman and Jessy Schram) to bring awareness in a brand new television series that captivate and inform audiences about this tragic blight.
“Cultural education and awareness are everything in life, especially when it comes to protecting and saving the lives of children who are due every right and freedom to determine their own course in life and not have it end in slavery before it’s even begun.” Said Actress Jenna Elfman, in an exclusive statement to Jake’s Take. “It is up to us, as adults, to be educated and aware about the human trafficking of children, so that we can do our part, within our own sphere, to prevent and eradicate this obnoxious abuse of human life.”
In this edition of The Five Question Challenge, Jordan and Jason opened up about how The Hidden Tears Project will add to the conversation about human trafficking in the United States and overcoming the challenges that they faced during the filming process.
Jacob Elyachar: Could you please describe “The Hidden Tears Project” to my readers?
Jordan Marinov: The Hidden Tears Project is a short-form television series created to spark mainstream awareness about the sex trafficking and organ harvesting of American children. We’re a passionate group of writers, actors, directors, and advisors who believe that with more awareness, the epidemic of human trafficking in America can be stopped.
The Hidden Tears Project is a social movement that we started right in the middle of Hollywood with big players in the entertainment industry. I believe that by educating the writers, actors, directors and producers about human trafficking, the types of content that contribute to its perpetuation will shift. We need to get at this issue from the inside and also empower change makers in the entertainment industry to use their voices.
As artists, I believe we have the power to create radical awareness and action in the world, and that it is our responsibility to do just that. Jason and I have a vision that in the upcoming election, presidential candidates will make human trafficking a primary issue during their campaigns. As Nelson Mandela said, “there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
JE: What were some of the challenges that you faced when creating this project? How did you overcome them?
Jason Gurvitz: The biggest challenge honestly is not having enough funds quick enough do everything that so many people have been inspired to want to help us with. That just means we have to let this grow at the rhythm it needs to grow at. People have been so eager to be part of this and give of themselves in so many ways so early, even before we had a name for it, so funds are always the biggest challenge in something like this for me. Both Jordan and I have other business we run and we we’ve been working on all this solely on the belief that it needs to exist. It’s a full-time job and it’s a lot of balance when you have to meet your own financial needs without any funding stop start with.
JE: How do you think “The Hidden Tears Project” is going to add to the conversation regarding human trafficking in the United States?
JM: Our mission is to have human trafficking become a part of the discussion in the households of Americans all over the country. It will be when the people all over the country demand change that change will begin to take place. I believe human trafficking can and will be addressed in the next State of the Union if enough of us join together.
JG: It’s going to hopefully forcefully change the way people think about it by making this one of the most talked about issues in the United States, at the level that gay marriage has been and now the police shootings are. The entire goal of this project is to bring this issue to such a high level mainstream awareness that regardless of how politically or socially involved ever American citizen or resident is or isn’t, it will be impossible for them to not know that child trafficking is happening every day around them even possibly in their own neighborhood. We want this project to push the masses to such a level of awareness and inspiration to enact major change that presidential candidates are actually running on human trafficking/child trafficking/sexual exploitation/organ harvesting as a platform. If candidates voting numbers are affected by their support of child trafficking, the narrative will change.
JE: What sort of legacy do you hope that “The Hidden Tears Project” leaves on both the television and online worlds?
JM: The legacy of The Hidden Tears Project will be when we have enough support to continue to make content about this issue for years to come, so that we become a continual voice for the kids who don’t have one. Also, that organizations that are directly involved in the rescue and recovery of victims will benefit financially from proceeds that we raise. Ultimately, that these films will have direct impact, and if we can save one child, we will have done our job. The Hidden Tears Project will also inspire other artists to use their voices to ignite social change.
JG: Artists have the power to change hearts and minds of the masses, whether they are artists or not and we want The Human Tears Project (HTP) to show that we can inspire hundreds of millions of people to see this issue in a new way, therefore inspiring them to take their own action to honor the basic human rights of American children and eradicate child trafficking. Artists have proven throughout history to have the power to start revolutions and end devolution in our society and HTP is exactly that, a revolution that can change history hopefully with the impact the civil rights movement had on America.
JE: If you had the chance to meet with someone who is interested in supporting “The Hidden Tears Project,” what advice would you share with them?
JM: Give of yourself as you would if this were your own child. We have the responsibility to protect members of society that cannot protect themselves and your voice matters. Your skills, talents and abilities are the best place to look to see how you can contribute powerfully.
JG: Get educated about this issue. There is so much you aren’t aware of that is happening right in your own city. The more you are educated about the shocking reality of child trafficking and the more you share that awareness on a regular basis with others, the more this revolution will reach it’s tipping point and effect major change.
To learn more about The Hidden Tears Project, visit their website!
You can also connect with them on social media! Visit their Instagram & Twitter pages!
