The Good Men Project

The Good Men Project was founded in 2009 in the United States by Tom Matlack and James Houghton as a way to allow men to tell stories about the defining moments in their lives. The hope was to spark a “national conversation” around the question of “What does it mean to be a good man?” ^[2]

According to the organization, The Good Men Project is a diverse, multi-media idea based social platform that looks at the changing roles of men in the 21st century.^[3]

The Good Men Project has had writers and contributors from all over the world including:

Anthony Angelini,^[4] Cameron Conaway, Joanna Schroeder, Kathryn DeHoyos, James Stafford, JJ Vincent, Ben Martin, Lori Ann Lothian, Liam Day, Dillan DiGiovanni, Greg Simms Jr., Neil Hill, Wilhelm Cortez, Kallen Diggs, John K. Anderson, Paul Blest, Allan Mott, Senior Editor Marie Roker-Jones, Charlie Bondhus, Matthew Salesses, Tommy Raskin, Scott Heydt, Thomas Fiffer, Christian Coleman, Alex Yarde, and Mark Greene. In addition gender studies professor and writer Hugo Schwyzer has contributed, as well as NHL hockey player Andrew Ference, war correspondent Michael Kamber, and author and publisher Jesse Kornbluth.^[5]

Issues covered

According to its website, the top issues currently covered by The Good Men Project include essays on the important subjects of the stereotyping of men, raising boys, how men are perceived of as being 'disposable', men in the prison system, relationships, LGBT and gender issues, age and social problems such as the environment. This mix reflects and guides the conversation that men are having about what it means to be a man here and now and their changing and challenging roles in society.^[6]

Books and films

The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood is a collection of 31 essays written by a broad range of contributors including not just well-known writers, but also a former Sing Sing inmate, a father of five watching his wife die from cancer, a soldier just back from Iraq, and a host of ordinary men willing to share their everyday struggles to define themselves as men in the twenty-first century. Notable contributors include rock critic Steve Almond, former New England Patriot Linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer Andre Tippett, and Pulitzer Prize winner Charlie LeDuff.^[7]

The film of the same title is directed and produced by Matt Gannon, maker of the feature documentary In the Crease and co-producer of the Oscar-nominated Girl with a Pearl Earring. The film presents the stories of ten men from varied backgrounds who share the moments in their lives that made them who they are.^[8]

The Good Men Project launched as an online publishing site and social platform on June 1, 2010. MS. Magazine gave a favourable review, stating that it "... will make you rethink the idea of a men’s magazine. Recommend it...to anyone who wants to read stories about people coming to terms with what enlightened masculinity might look like in the 21st century.”

On July 9, 2013 The Atlantic Wire promoted The Good Men Project as an alternative to the dying breed of lad mags.^[9]

The Good Men Project is run by CEO and publisher Lisa Hickey, together with an Executive Editorial team of three people:^[10] Dixie Gillaspie, Wilhelm Cortez, and Rob Watson.

Nonprofit foundation

The Good Men Foundation was a registered New York State non-profit charitable corporation dedicated to helping organizations that provide educational, social, financial, and legal support to men and boys at risk.

Tom Matlack and his business partner, James Houghton, began The Good Men Foundation with two objectives, help at-risk boys by contributing money to proven non-profits, and to initiate a broad discussion on what it means to be a good man.^[11]

Some of the organizations The Good Men Foundation supported are:

• Street Potential, a program for men ages 13 to 20 in the Boston juvenile justice system, that encourages participants to create visual art and hip-hop music as vehicles for self-expression and helps foster an increased sense of confidence, success, and personal accomplishment.
• The Boys and Girls Club of Boston, whose mission is to help young people, especially those most in need, to build strong character and realize their full potential as responsible citizens and leaders.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, which currently serves more than 3,500 youths in 155 cities and towns throughout the Massachusetts Bay area through one-to-one adult-youth mentoring relationships.
• Dorchester Youth Alternative Academy, an innovative human service organization committed to providing education, community services, and counseling to Children in Need of Services (CHINS), an at-risk population of truant youths ranging in age from 12 to 16.

Speaking for The Good Men Project around the time of its launch, Matlack and Houghton have been interviewed and cited by media outlets such as NECN, Fox News, Men's Health, Jezebel, Gawker, Smith Magazine,^[12] WCCO,^[13] WBEW,^[14] The New York Observer,^[15] The Boston Globe,^[16] Bitch,^[17] AlterNet,^[18] The MetroWest Daily News,^[19] blast,^[20] Mediaite,^[21] Slate,^[22] Los Angeles Times,^[23] Chicago Tribune^[24] and The Huffington Post.^[25]

Good Men Media, Inc.

The for-profit arm of the Good Men Project, Good Men Media, Inc., was founded in March 2010 by Lisa Hickey, an advertising veteran and social media consultant. Hickey is also the CEO.^[26]

Good Men Media is responsible for publishing the online content site The Good Men Project and is also developing book, film and technological applications that all focus on men’s issues.^[27]

In November 2010, Good Men Media received a round of Angel funding $500,000. The company plans to use the funding to expand distribution of men's related content and to support revenue growth. Investors in Good Men Media include project founder Tom Matlack and private angel investors Grant Gund, managing partner of Coppermine Capital; Jack Roberts, CEO and president of Consert Inc.; Mike Jackson, former partner at Lehman Brothers and founding partner of Ironwood and Housatonic Partners; and Michael Margolis, founder of the investment management firm Maric LS, LLC, and others. Ken Goldstein is a member of the Board of Directors.^[28]

The Good Men Project continues to be a part of the mainstream discourse about gender and shares content with The Shriver Report,^[29] XOJane ^[30] and Salon ^[31]

References

External links

• Official website