Social entrepreneur launches female-led production company ‘Witchcraft’ to revolutionize nonprofit and publishing industries

South Carolina, USA, 2024-Jul-20 — /EPR Network/ — Social entrepreneur Samantha Wilson has launched a storytelling production company which aims to revolutionize the nonprofit and publishing industries.

Wilson, a studying Doctor of Philosophy in Transformative Social Change, is the Founder of Witchcraft – an all-female start-up who draw upon the power of books to generate awareness, positive media attention and new revenue streams for nonprofits in the form of book royalties, with each book purchase resulting in a direct, elevated and unrestricted donation to the organization.

Witchcraft aims to ‘revolutionize’ the nonprofit industrial complex and publishing industry by providing a social enterprise model that unites causes and conscious consumers to dismantle systems of oppression through the celebration of purchasing power. Whereas in traditional publishing models, an author only receives 5-10% of book royalties, Witchcraft flips the royalties back into the nonprofits’ favor, with the rest set to be reinvested into their mission to help continue the success of their books and beneficiaries. Their work aims to address the historical and ongoing injustices faced by women and other marginalized communities by providing innovative solutions in the social impact field, while encouraging readers to take action for positive change.

Witchcraft’s maiden production ‘Home. Made.’ documents the remarkable story of The Man That Rescues Dogs – a former chef, who quit his job to open a rescue and rehabilitation center for stray and paralyzed dogs in Thailand, after leaving behind a life of drug and alcohol addiction. The Sanctuary provides life-saving care to over 1,000 dogs and is home to The Wheelchair Mafia, a TikTok-famous group of nearly 50 handicapped dogs.

The memoir will be launched on International Dog Day (Monday, August 26, 2024) with a staggering 70% of royalties to be donated back to TMTRD, meaning anyone who purchases the book will be making a direct donation to the dogs in need. Furthermore, ‘Home. Made.’ will be available to purchase on Witchcraft’s own website: heywitchcraft.com, which also ensures TMTRD will receive the maximum donation amount possible without having to pay distribution fees and platform usage costs.

Deeply passionate about social justice, Wilson’s introduction to social activism began in 2010 after watching a television documentary on animal agriculture, and the meat and dairy industry. Choosing to adopt a vegan lifestyle, she stepped into the ethical and environmentally-conscious fashion space, quitting her job as a restaurant manager to study Fair Trade practices in New Delhi, India, before creating a vegan-friendly and sustainable fashion brand. She also began spreading the word about her findings at talks and in the media. 

Gaining experience at award-winning marketing agency, Candorem, and continuing her studies with a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology at LIFE University in Marietta, GA, she considered the possibility of publishing a book and opted to achieve further certification in the publishing industry. However, the course uncovered the unfair truths of the traditional publishing model, which sparked Wilson’s idea for Witchcraft, as a creative solution to bring the world’s issues to the forefront, whilst helping nonprofits to succeed in their cause.

“There are so many stories that really could impact the world for the better, that are being lost to the wayside, because of the way the publishing industry and nonprofit industrial complex models are set up,” Wilson explains. “Traditional publishing has been done the same way since the beginning of time, and it’s so unfair to the authors and creators. Unless you have the time, the resources and money to put into it, you are not going to succeed. I wanted to do something about it, and I wondered: ‘What would happen if I published a book, and flipped the royalty rates?’

“We use the art of book publishing to craft powerful narratives that transform lives and create lasting social change. We produce and publish high-quality books that nonprofits can use as a unique and effective means of funding their critical work through an equal exchange with consumers who want to use their dollars to vote for a better world.

“We’re passionate about what we do, and we love being ‘in the work’ with our clients. Every day is different at Witchcraft – one day we’re walking paralyzed dogs in Thailand; the next day, we’re rage-singing with 93-year-old women who happened to be the leaders of the second wave of feminism and the civil rights movement in a peaceful protest in North Carolina.”

In addition to its connotations of crafting narratives as a female-led company, the name ‘Witchcraft’ also marks an acknowledgement to those who suffered in one of the very first examples of social injustice in the United States: the Salem Witch Trials. During the Puritan era, women who spoke up for themselves or advocated for change were labeled as ‘witches’ to silence dissent, and faced severe punishment, with their stories suppressed or forgotten. Witchcraft honors the legacy of those women by reclaiming the term and using it as a symbol of empowerment. 

To find out more about Witchcraft or to sign up for updates about ‘Home. Made.’, visit heywitchcraft.com 

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ABOUT WITCHCRAFT

Launched in 2022, Witchcraft is an all-female start-up working to bring funding to nonprofits on the front lines of social change using for-profit advantages. They draw upon the art and power of storytelling, and produce books to benefit each organization by generating awareness, positive media attention, and revenue in the form of book royalties. Each book purchase results in a direct donation to the organization. Their mission is to revolutionize the nonprofit industrial complex by providing a social enterprise model that unites causes and conscious consumers to dismantle systems of oppression through the celebration of purchasing power.

ABOUT SAMANTHA WILSON

Samantha Wilson is a social entrepreneur and a studying Doctor of Philosophy in Transformative Social Change at Saybrook University. Born in Wisconsin, she studied Human Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant and completing the ACE Personal Training Certificate, before gaining a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology at LIFE University in Marietta, GA. 

Deeply passionate about social justice, Wilson’s introduction into activism began in 2010 after watching a television documentary on animal agriculture, and the meat and dairy industry. Shocked into action, she vowed to learn as much as she could about the world’s issues, and later stepped into the ethical and environmentally-conscious fashion space, visiting New Delhi, India to study Fair Trade practices. In 2015, she quit her job as a restaurant manager and later launched a vegan-friendly and sustainable clothing brand. 

Wilson also spoke at various social impact events across the country, and continued to spread the word in published media, before being recruited by award-winning marketing agency, Candorem. Continuing her studies, she earned certifications in coaching, neuro-linguistic programming, and hypnotherapy, and moved to Georgia to complete her Master’s degree.

With a burning desire to ignite social change, and shine light on each of the world’s issues, she considered the possibility of publishing her work, achieving further certification in the book publishing industry, and uncovered the unfair truths of the traditional publishing model, which serves to benefit publishers rather than creators. Her findings sparked the idea for Witchcraft: a social enterprise production company which aims to revolutionize the nonprofit industrial complex by instead splitting book royalties in favor of the nonprofits to raise funds for their cause.

Images of Samantha Wilson: LINK

CONTACT DETAILS

Website: heywitchcraft.com | Instagram: @heywitchcraft | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/heywitchcraft | Facebook: facebook.com/heywitchcraft | TikTok: tiktok.com/@heywitchcraft

Samantha Wilson: samantha@heywitchcraft.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samantha-wilson-75985a21

ABOUT HOME. MADE.

‘Home. Made.’ is the first production of Witchcraft, and the story of The Man That Rescues Dogs. The memoir, which will be launched on International Dog Day (Monday, August 26, 2024), documents TMTRD President Michael J. Baines’ remarkable journey from the bustling kitchens of Sweden’s most popular restaurant scene, to the tranquil cassava fields of Bang Saen, Thailand. 

The Swedish entrepreneur quit his successful culinary career to open a nonprofit rescue and rehabilitation center for stray dogs. The book explores the many heartwarming success stories of the dogs that have been rescued, treated and adopted to find their forever homes, as well as the positive development of pet culture in Thailand.

In a deeply honest and moving account, Baines also opens up on the challenges of his own life, namely his personal struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. After somehow finding himself working for the alleged Yugoslavian Mafia in Sweden, the chef became caught up in the dangerous world of drugs, chasing highs to ward off his demons, before he was delivered a life-changing ultimatum. 

The book will be available to purchase at heywitchcraft.com, where readers can now sign up for updates. Supporters who subscribe early will automatically be entered into a competition draw to visit TMTRD in Thailand, and will receive behind-the-scenes peeks, extra chapters, recipes from ‘Chef Michael’, and insider discounts, plus news on Witchcraft’s upcoming books.

For book-related media inquiries, please contact Caroline Oatway: Caroline@heywitchcraft.com 

Images of Michael J. Baines: LINK

ABOUT THE MAN THAT RESCUES DOGS

The Man That Rescues Dogs is a dog sanctuary based right outside of Bangkok, Thailand. They provide life-saving care to over 1,000 dogs and are home to The Wheelchair Mafia, a TikTok-famous group of nearly 50 handicapped dogs.

After moving to Thailand from Sweden in 2002 for a fresh start and to advance his career as a chef, Michael J. Baines began feeding the local dogs outside his restaurant. With many of his canine friends in poor health and in need of medical care, he adopted several himself, providing food, shelter and treatment at the local veterinary clinic. Despite limited funds and space, he dedicated his free time to rescuing as many dogs as he could, eventually launching his Foundation, The Man That Rescues Dogs.

Opened in 2017 and located just outside of Bangkok, Thailand, the Foundation currently houses 750+ rescued dogs, monitoring and feeding a further 400 within the Bang Saen and Sriracha area. Covering 8,000 sqm, the Sanctuary contains eight main shelters, a full-service clinic, specialized Care Units, a sterile quarantine section for new rescues and dogs with serious diseases, three hydrotherapy pools, and play and relaxation areas.

More than 30 staff members, skilled veterinarians, construction workers and administrative staff are employed by the Foundation, which is supported by the local government in Thailand. TMTRD provides nutritious meals per day to dogs in its care, and also serves to help control the stray dog population in the local area through spaying and neutering, whilst administering life-saving vaccinations and medical care.

The Man That Rescues Dogs Foundation relies heavily on the generosity of donations, accepted via PayPal (info@tmtrd.org / paypal.me/tmtrd), SWIFT (KASITHBK), GIVE.Asia (tmtrd.give.asia) or bank transfer:

Thailand: Kasikorn Bank: 0538123870 | The Man That Rescues Dogs Foundation

CONTACT TMTRD:

Shelter/Office: Inside Saensuk municipality Solid Waste Disposal Center 146/9 BaanNongKha Soi 15 Moo 11, Bangphra sub-district, Sriracha district, Chonburi 20110
Phone: 0843542334
Email: info@tmtrd.org
Website: tmtrd.org

TMTRD SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: facebook.com/tmtrdorg | Twitter/X: twitter.com/tmtrdorg  | Instagram: instagram.com/tmtrdorg | TikTok: tiktok.com/@tmtrdorg | Threads: threads.net/@tmtrdorg | YouTube: youtube.com/@TMTRD

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