Days removed from a 10-song Coachella DJ set that may have earned him a new audience, Moby revealed on April 16 that he was donating all profits from the festival gig to animal rights organizations, including non-profit Mercy For Animals. The move was in keeping with the artist’s longstanding advocacy, his vegan lifestyle may be the one thing that people know about him aside from singles like “Porcelain” and “Natural Blues.”
For Mercy for Animals it was another PR win as the organization, which has long had close ties to Hollywood through its star-studded galas, cultivates industry talent to marshal for its causes. That includes promoting undercover videos showing the perils of factory farming, sometimes with narrators or amplifiers like Joaquin Phoenix, Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson and Woody Harrelson.
The manager who deals with stars, their publicists and activists at the group is Nik Tyler, who has spent nearly a decade with the org building ties between the entertainment industry and connecting artists to its campaigns. He spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about how that process works.
How did you get involved with this type of advocacy?
I started working as a child actor when I was six and went on to work on Broadway and in TV as a kid, and I grew up in New York. So I was around the entertainment industry and grew up on sets, and was very involved as an actor. Then I took a hiatus from acting, and went to NYU for film school, and I was studying to be a filmmaker and I decided to return to acting after college, and I moved out to Los Angeles for a pilot season.
It was at that time that I was introduced to someone out there who had just written a New York Times bestselling book about these issues of factory farming and plant-based living, and the impact on the environment and people and animals. I was really inspired by the concept of people being able to be artists in the entertainment industry, and then to also use their platform to shine a spotlight onto these issues that were important to them.
What sort of projects do you work on with talent at the non-profit?
I’m constantly looking for opportunities to engage and connect multiple people for the cause and the movement and unify public figures to raise awareness about the issues that we champion. Moby, Diane Warren, Tom Scholz, these are people that are deeply connected to our work and have been ambassadors for the organization, have been involved in our PSAs and our video work. A big part of our work is undercover investigations, it’s what put us onto the map, undercover investigations into factory farming.
The undercover investigators are not activists, but there are celebrity ambassadors that will be a part of an undercover investigation in terms of sharing the footage. So in the past, people like Pamela Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix, they’ve narrated videos. We’ve had a lot of celebrities that will lend their name and their voice and their time to sharing that critical footage, which is very intense footage to reveal, but there are some really incredible actors and public figures who are ardent activists, it’s so close to their heart. They are very happy to shine their spotlight onto the hidden atrocities within factory farming.
What are the areas the non-profit focuses on?
The core areas of work that we focus on is reducing suffering. So that’s work that we’ll do with governments and leaders in the food industry, to be more mindful to incorporate animal welfare policies and to diminish the suffering of farm animals. A big focus of ours is addressing cage confinement and inspiring and educating regarding plant-based food options, whether that’s in restaurants or in your shopping cart.
Do you see Hollywood support trend toward or away depending on the political environment?
I feel like the public figures that support us and have throughout the 26-year lifespan of the organization, they are so authentically passionate about it. They care so deeply about speaking up for animals, about speaking up for injustice against not just animals, but also factory farm workers. It’s so inherent to who they are, that I don’t think they’re ever deterred from sharing that information in an openhearted way.
You’re also producing short films for Mercy for Animals as a series.
The Voices of Hope series originated in 2024, when I reached out to partner with Jane Goodall’s Institute and to create Voices of Hope, Words of Wisdom by Jane Goodall, which is a short film crafted from decades of Jane Goodall’s public statements. I brought in 22 public figures to co-narrate as an ensemble her words of wisdom.
The second film, Voices of Hope, Words of Wisdom by Marlon Brando, which was in partnership with Marlon Brando’s trustees, was honoring his legacy of activism, his groundbreaking advocacy for social justice and environmentalism, and his affinity for animals. So similarly to Jane Goodall’s film, it also brought 22 public figures to co-narrate. Then this year for what would have been Ram Dass’ 95th birthday it completed the trilogy, with a short film honoring his legacy of spiritual wisdom and his compassionate heart.
When you’re looking to partner with a celebrity, what is the typical ask?
For me, talent involvement is about building relationships and inviting people into the community. Inviting public figures to the cause is something I do constantly — whether they’re attending a live or a virtual event as a guest or participating in a program like being a presenter at a gala or a music festival, or we’re honoring them at the gala with an award for their advocacy — I’m always looking for opportunities to invite everyone to participate at whatever stage of their advocacy journey they’re on.
They don’t need to be an ardent animal rights activist. They don’t need to be vegan or vegetarian. They just need to care about causes — whether it’s humanitarianism, environmental, children’s welfare, women’s welfare — when someone shows interest in advocacy and using their voice and platform for the greater good, I’m paying attention to that.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
