CHICAGO--During a recent trip to Downtown Chicago for a job interview, Lovelace Lee III listened as two men in a conversation on an “L” train pushed opposite sides of an argument. Finally one said in frustration, “If you just think about what I’m saying you’ll be able to respect my point of view. That's all I’m asking.” The statement stayed on Lee’s mind for months. The native Chicagoan is a film and TV producer who returned to Chicago in 2016 after 32 years in Hollywood, to care for his ailing mother. “I think that America has become a very mean-spirited place because we aren’t even listening to one another anymore,” Lee asserts. “America deserves better. Our children deserve better.”
“My desire is to simply help people stop and listen to one another again,” he says. Lee decided to create the 3D2U Campaign. The actionable element of his year-long Campaign is the 3D2U Pledge. He asks that you take three days out of your busy schedule in 2019 to understand another person who’s different from you. As stated by Lee in the 3D2U Campaign PSA “I believe that better understanding leads to mutual respect.” He hopes others around the country will agree and join him in making their own 3D2U Pledges this year.
The 3D2U Campaign’s main tool is a black t-shirt emblazoned with the logo in white designed by Clint DeRon Johnson “The t-shirt reads 3D2U without a tagline for a reason,” Lee says. He wrote dozens of snappy taglines that he ultimately rejected. With a tagline, people read it and go on their way, unchanged and unprovoked. Now, the logo by itself will beg the question, “What does 3D2U mean?” With that, a conversation about understanding, acceptance, and respect of others may ensue. A link to the 3D2U Campaign PSA can be found here: https://youtu.be/T_IqchhhxSs
Lee is currently working to bring new film and TV productions to the city that he loves with his original screenplays. “Chicago is a world-class city and I want to put as many to work as possible in entertainment!” he says. The videographer-editor was Chep Woods from Second Shooter Media. Lee served as talent, writer, director, and producer for the 3D2U Campaign PSA.