Ethan Batstone – Director of Free2Play
Ethan began as a volunteer in the southern California area mobilizing those in his community to engage in open source activism to creatively fundraise for various Not For Sale projects. After completing a degree in English literature from the university of California, Irvine, Ethan joined the staff as Director of Free2Play, which has grown as a platform for athletes, musicians, artists, and poets. He currently speaks around the country alongside athletes and musicians to teach others how to be a tangible part of the solution and encourages others to become smart activists in the fight against slavery.
NomiS
NomiS is a socially conscious eMCee from southern California. Born in San Bernardino County, he moved to Oceanside California (San Diego) at age 8. Coming from a musically inclined background, NomiS found himself interested in many different genres of music early on. He found a connection to Hip Hop culture and music during middle school where he began to dabble in verse writing. Midway through Highschool the alias “NomiS” became his musical identity. Simultaneously his first rap group arose with three other eMCee’s in the same school. The fellowship was short lived, but NomiS continued rapping and writing. On October 22nd 2004, NomiS released the album “Destined Misconception”. Around this time NomiS hooked up with a long time friend and local DJ named, “Topher 85″. This is when things started coming together. The two continued to pay dues locally. Meanwhile, NomiS was studying music at a California State University, and the two of them started on the grind with shows and trying to perfect their crafts. Performing everywhere from School’s, bar’s, church’s, coffee shops, and living rooms. Together they have opened up shows for the likes of Wanda Sykes, Abstract Rude, Juliette Lewis, freestyle legend SuperNATURAL, The Visionaries, LMNO, Qwel, 4th Avenue Jones, LA Symphony, Deux Process and many others. In Spring 2006 the two of them performed for a crowd of 14,000 people at SDSU’s “Cox ARENA”. In May of 2006 NomiS was still experimenting to find his distinct sound and released an EP entitled “Together Is Power” which included colabs with members of both the Deepspace 5 camp, and Future Shock. In December of 2007 NomiS released a full length side project with a fellow local eMCee named Jeremiah Bonds under the group name of, “Forgotten Heroes”. In May of 2008, NomiS finally found his distinct sound and released his first true full length solo album entitled, “Mouthpiece of the Lion” which features collaborations with Vanderslice (Sean Price, Murdah Mook), theBREAX, the Listener (Deepspace 5), Scribbling Idiots and more. NomiS continues to attempt to bring truth to everyone. Understanding the responsibility of an eMCee, NomiS seeks to provoke thought in the minds of any and all who will listen.
Mike Murray
Mike Murray, 26-year-old singer/songwriter from Kalispell, Montana has recently returned from seven years overseas to pursue a solo music career in the United States. Even from an early age, Mike’s passion for music has driven him to write, record and perform. In his late teens, as Mike grew more and more serious about songwriting, it soon lead him towards other efforts. Leaving a life of comfort behind, Mike focused his energy on using music to help people in less fortunate situations.
Mike joined an international volunteer organization in Australia that brought him to places like South Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific Islands, exposing him to the needs of the world. Moved by the people and places he saw, Mike began to write out of a deep conviction to tell other’s stories.
His most recent project, Five Star Streets, brought Mike on two successful tours throughout the United States and Canada, as well as multiple tours of Australia. As the front man of Five Star Streets, Mike wrote and co-produced the album, Let Justice Sing, in late 2009. Let Justice Sing’s title track, unique and utterly moving, quickly became the anthem for a humanitarian effort to bring medical aid to Papua New Guinea. Inspired by many of Mike’s own experiences, Let Justice Sing has been aired all over Australia and has been heard by thousands of eager listeners around the world. The album itself is a journey of struggle and hope, with haunting melodies and confronting lyrics.
Mike also fronted other successful bands during his time in Australia, and played for people all over the nation. Though he has performed for thousands, Mike is determined to connect with individuals and break down the barrier between “fan” and “friend.”
With influences like Jon Foreman, James Taylor, and Neil Young, Mike’s music is acoustic guitar driven and lyrically impressive. His upcoming release in early 2011 will steer away from the structure of a band, allowing Mike’s solo acoustic sound to shine through. He hopes to tell the stories of those who cannot tell their own, proving that Mike Murray will always be more than an entertainer.
- By Sara Verwymeren, 2011
Occasional Guest Speakers
David Batstone – Fearless Leader, President & Co-founder
Dave is the President of Not For Sale. A professor of Business at the University of San Francisco, he is also founder and president of Right Reality, an international social venture firm. Batstone has authored five books, the two most recent being Not For Sale (HarperOne) and Saving the Corporate Soul (Jossey-Bass). He was a member of the founding team of Business 2.0 magazine and served six years as executive editor of Sojourners magazine and founder of the SojoMail e-zine. He has contributed articles to the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, and SPIN. He is the recipient of two national journalist awards and was named National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at the University of San Francisco for his work in technology and ethics. During the 1980s, Batstone founded a non-governmental agency dedicated to economic development. In Not For Sale, David oversees the strategic and financial opportunities, growth, and direction of NFSC. He often represents Not For Sale during the Stop Paying for Slavery Tour and co-teaches the entrepreneur course content in NFS Academy. And yes, Bruce Willis does have a striking resemblance to Dave.
Mark Wexler – Executive Director & Co-founder
Wexler found his vocational direction while working on the streets of Durban, South Africa with Umthombo Street Children; his time in Southern Africa provided the learning space to help build the conceptual and material framework to combat modern-day slavery. Along with Batstone and Bazan he is a partner in the Right Reality Fund, which invests at the intersection of for-profit and non-profit industries using a disciplined, social-oriented approach. Right Reality’s strategy is designed to deliver for-profit returns while creating substantial social impact. As Executive Director, Mark manages the productivity of department directors. He coordinates and sustains strategic partnership agreements with other institutions and co-teaches the investigator course content in the NFS Academy. The Academies provide tools to individuals and institutions to participate in the process of ending modern-day slavery by engaging through the documentation of cases, participation in direct advocacy, building effective entrepreneurial business and a reliable marketplace for survivors.
Kique Bazan – International Investment Director
Dr. Enrique “Kique” Bazan is a longtime advocate for justice. Enrique has years of experience working on the front lines with children’s rights organizations, doing research with gangs in El Salvador and San Francisco, connecting the next generation of social entrepreneurs with organizations internationally, and developing groundbreaking strategies that unite businesses, non-profits and communities for the common good. Enrique contributed his research about gangs to the book “Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana: Politics, Identity, and Faith in New Migrant Communities.” In Not For Sale, he implements and oversees high asset donor relationships, as well as overseeing all international projects and investments. Kique is also a partner in Right Reality and has the best accent of anyone on staff.
Kilian Moote – Director of Advocacy
Kilian has been involved with the Not For Sale Campaign since its inception. Prior to joining the campaign Kilian spent time working on a variety of grass-roots advocacy campaigns. In 2008 he worked with the children of Generacion in Lima, Peru, teaching important business skills and supporting a micro-finance enterprise for Not for Sale. He is a master at advocacy, and is the lead voice and vision of Free2Work. In 2009, Kilian presented to over 50 groups on the complexity of the global supply chain, consumer connections to slavery, and how to be a smart abolitionist.
