Leigh Blake
Founder
Founder
For more than 30 years, Leigh Blake has been an advocate, harbinger and creator of the arts from music and film, to fashion and the visual arts. However since 1989 Blake has unleashed all of her expertise to combat the issue she believes will define our generation: AIDS
Having worked in publishing, as a make up artist, as an Artists Agent, a journalist, and a PR – all before the age of 24 – Blake befriended Talking Heads on their first tour of the U.K. As a fan and friend, Blake helped market the band in England. The punk movement was in its heyday and Leigh was inspired by the movement, particularly in England where many young people revolted against the class system and created a movement that sought to dismantle the disparity. From there she worked with Talking Heads in the US and became part of a scene that included Patti Smith, The Ramones, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry to name just a few.
Missing England she returned to work at the most famous fashion house in London, Browns, where she played out her fashion obsession. In 1986, her film career started in earnest as producer on a short film on the legendary highway Route 66, directed by cinematographer Ed Lachman, and made for the PBS series “Imagining America.” The film was very well reviewed and Leigh returned to England flush with the experience to head up the music video division at the legendary Palace Pictures, working with Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley and Joanne Sellar. At that time Harvey Weinstein was sniffing around trying to figure out how to create a distribution company with independent films. Many years later and back in America, Leigh would go on to develop and associate produce Larry Clark’s controversial first feature “Kids” with Gus van Sant.
While her creative career was thriving, AIDS was starting to gravely affect Leigh’s peers in the arts. Leigh turned her creative prowess to making a difference and co-founded the Red Hot Organization, the seminal music industry initiative that raised funds for HIV/AIDS research and education by bringing together top artists such as David Byrne, Madonna, Annie Lennox, U2, George Michael, k.d. lang, Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders, Jonathan Demme, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger and many others to collaborate on music and television productions. Leigh produced the first Red Hot projects “Red Hot + Blue” and “Red Hot + Dance” from Palace Pictures in London. “Red Hot + Blue” was a triumph as the first AIDS benefit produced through the music industry. It was seen in more than 60 countries, raised millions, was aired on ABC as the first AIDS benefit on American television and was nominated for an Emmy. Red Hot + Dance was also very successful and included the legendary supermodel collaboration “Too Funky” by George Michael.
Through marriage Leigh became more involved with Africa. Her experience with the Red Hot organization and her travels in Africa, led Leigh to create, and serve as Executive Director of Artists Against AIDS Worldwide (AAAW), an organization dedicated to the eradication of AIDS in Africa. In 2001 Leigh conceived a campaign that featured a star-studded remake of Marvin Gaye’s classic song “What’s Going On” at its cornerstone. Urged on by her Co-Executive Producer and dear friend Bono, more than 40 artists including Destiny’s Child, Fred Durst, Nona Gaye, Alicia Keys, Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, Nelly Furtado, Nas, Diddy, ?uestlove, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Wyclef Jean, Eve, Lil Kim and Christina Aguilera signed on for the remake of the song, as well as participate in a “making of” documentary of the project made in conjunction with Executive Producers Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks and their company, Playtone.
With money raised from her work with Red Hot + Blue, Leigh had already begun the building of a clinic in Kenya in partnership with New York University Medical Centre, which has become a model for many other clinics Leigh would go on to build and support all over Africa. The patients at this clinic inspired Leigh to make access to AIDS treatment her priority.
In 2003 Leigh officially founded Keep a Child Alive, (KCA) to provide vitally needed anti retroviral medicine to children and families with AIDS in the impoverished world. She created Keep a Child Alive, reinventing and modernizing the model of charitable organizations and engaged the amazing Alicia Keys. Keep a Child Alive remains a modern version of the charitable response to AIDS and will always feel in your face, irreverent and ever changing.”
Under Leigh’s watch Keep a Child Alive holds a record for firsts. KCA was the first NGO to ask the public for donations to specifically fund the AIDS treatment that people so desperately needed. Then, KCA created the beautiful documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland, which became the first film of its kind to be made available on the Internet for free worldwide. KCA pioneered and implemented the first charitable text-message campaign in the United States which was most successful when used on American Idol. Leigh also created the organizations’ annual fundraiser, The Black Ball which has raised millions since it debuted in 2004. She is also Executive Producer of “Keep a Child Alive” with Alicia Keys airing on Showtime on Dec 1st 2011.
Leigh is now the President of ACT V: the end of AIDS. Along with long time collaborator Paul Zeitz, (Global AIDS Alliance) they are dedicated to finally ending AIDS. Act V is hopefully the last chapter in the global fight against the disease that has killed over 30 million over 30 years. Drawing on Leigh’s creativity along with her immense contacts in the entertainment industry they are sure that ACT V will be a 21st Century movement that moves the needle to 0. We can. We will. End AIDS.
Leigh Blake currently resides in New York City with her 13 year old son. She is also back working with her original organization Red Hot to create more music for social change. In her spare time she is the co producer of an upcoming movie about the legendary Fela Kuti.
