'Kony 2012' Jason Russell Announces Follow-Up Project, Fourth Estate
A year after his naked obscenity-filled meltdown in the streets of San Diego, Calif., where he cursed the devil and smacked the pavement, Invisible Children co-founder and creator of the viral video "Kony 2012," Jason Russell, says he is now doing better and promoting his latest project, the Fourth Estate.
In a conversation at the Q Conference – an annual gathering of young, innovative and influential leaders to discuss the biggest issues impacting the church – in Los Angeles on Monday, Russell joked with the audience about his manic episode brought on by the sudden success of the "Kony 2012" video, which has now been viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube.
"I'm alive, I am clothed, I am still a little bit crazy…Exactly a year ago today I was in rehabilitation. It's been that kind of year but it's been really great in the end," he said.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
He talked about his interview with Oprah and recalled the moment when he tried to compare notes on dealing with stardom. "I asked her, 'if anything like this has ever happened to you? To have people call you a saint and then have you called the devil," he said.
He also referred to the success of "Kony 2012" as a cultural moment. "Our news media is often wrong and no one is correcting them. We worked on a story for 10 years and we put it in a 30-minute piece that we were proud of…I think it was a cultural moment," he said.
He explained that he is now learning to pace himself through the use of boundaries with work and learning how to say 'no' to some requests. "I used to be the 'yes' guy," he seemed to muse out loud.
Yoga and a life-changing Psalm have also been instrumental forces in his recovery.
"I didn't know the magic of heated yoga," he said laughing. "I now work four days a week instead of five. I spend more time with my wife and children… I've got boundaries now and it feels good," he added.
Russell noted that during his manic episode someone prayed Psalm 46 over him and referenced verse 10 which says: "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
"Be still is what the whole year has taught me and it has been transformative," he said.
The Fourth Estate Leadership Summit, scheduled for August 8-11, will be hosted at the UCLA, campus in Los Angeles, Calif. According to the event's website, it is a conference designed for students who "want to meet the people, learn the skills, and gain the experiences that will help them make a difference in their own communities and around the world."
It promises "hands-on workshops, new Invisible Children media, an epic dance party, and one thousand accomplices in the pursuit of justice."
