Memo: NBC’s Humanity Plaza “Exceeded Every Expectation”

By Brian 

In a memo to NBCers, executive in charge of ‘Today’ Phil Griffin congratulated his staff on a job well done at “Humanity Plaza:”

“In just five days we built roughly 60 houses, found homes for more than 40 dogs and cats, made over 125 dog houses, and raised over 7 million dollars. That’s all thanks to more than 3000 volunteers who gave a little more than just their time. That’s awesome!”

The rest of the memo is after the jump…




What a week!

It was a huge undertaking. But after the wrath of Katrina it was time to think big. The idea: work with Habitat for Humanity to build a few homes on the Plaza.

Then the NBC family got into gear. Relationships with Habitat and Warner Music were made. And before we knew it, Humanity Plaza was born, and an around-the-clock home factory was in production.

I’ve always known our employees to be giving, hard working, and passionate. But this week truly exceeded every expectation.

In just five days we built roughly 60 houses, found homes for more than 40 dogs and cats, made over 125 dog houses, and raised over 7 million dollars. That’s all thanks to more than 3000 volunteers who gave a little more than just their time. That’s awesome!!

What a sight it was every morning to see all those workers and hear the pounding of the nails. Mark Lukasiewicz and Robert Dembo proved once again they are the go-to-guys, as they rallied the troops and got the Plaza job done. For the entire two weeks Luk and Dembo kept pushing the project, executing plans, and always adjusting to every one of us running up to them saying “I’ve got an idea.” Of course, this could not have been done without their tireless support staff. Additionally, thanks to Tishman Speyer, Brian Patton and his security team, lighting by Steve Brill, and especially all those volunteers. I would be remiss not to also note the collaboration of our labor organizations and their members who showed true generosity of the heart and wallet by helping this great effort. I also want to thank the people in Burbank, California and Jackson, Mississippi who also devoted a week to the project.

Jim Bell and the entire TODAY production team brought Humanity Plaza into homes and hearts across America all week. As always, we saw the creative talents of the producers and writers who told the stories of the region and the people who will benefit from these homes.

And thanks to Frank Radice and the East coast Agency for their work on the plaza concerts and the promotion. All their extra touches, from the noon-time concerts to the stylish nail aprons, it made all the difference.

Finally, a special Thank You to our partners in this project, Habitat for Humanity and Warner Music Group. The guidance, trust and patience Habitat offered throughout the week made this all possible. I cannot think of a more deserving organization to receive the fruits of this project. To Andie Simon and the entire Warner team who came on board without any reservation and had a hand in all of the planning from the start– Your dedication to this project added that extra sparkle that made every day stand out as a special one.

There are so many people who went above and beyond who really made this week happen.

Congratulations on a job well done. Lets keep this going. THINK BIG!!!!!

–Phil

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