It's sometimes hard for people to change what they don't know, and one of the best ways to spread an educational message is through the power of inspiring films.

Marc Pierschel is a documentary filmmaker who has been advocating for animals personally and professionally for decades.

He created an online vegan store, which still operates today, in 2002 and wrote a German vegan cookbook in 2009.

Most recently, he's the plant-based pioneer behind the films Live and Let Live and The End of Meat and their production company, Blackrabbit Images.

Today he sits down with Dotsie and Alexandra to talk about his journey from vegetarian to vegan to animal rights activist.

He also shares some of the important insights from his films and chats about the vast cultural differences between the U.S. and Europe when it comes to embracing and expanding the reach of veganism.

Tune in to hear how this vocal supporter leads by example and education and, after this episode, check out The End of Meat on Amazon Prime.

What we discuss in this episode:

- Marc's journey to becoming a straight-edge vegan with the help of punk rock and the film Baraka

- How Marc started Roots of Compassion, the vegan store, in 2002

- Why Marc chooses to lead by example when encouraging people to go vegan and how his background in sociology informs his film-making

- Marc's film Live and Let Live, the history of the Vegan Society, and the ironic timing in the rise of veganism and industrial farming

- Marc's advice for navigating conversations around veganism and why he doesn't recommend talking about food around the dinner table

- The End of Meat and the intersection of politics, ideology, economic business, and meat

- The cultural differences in how veganism is treated in America compared to Germany, and the all-vegan Germany grocery store chain, Veganz

- How animal abuse impacts the people who work in animal agriculture and the industry's history of human rights violations

- Other inspiring films Marc recommends, including Earthlings, Baraka, and Baraka's sequel, Samsara

- Follow Marc on Facebook at @blackrabbitXimages, on Instagram at @blackrabbitimages, on YouTube at blackrabbitimages, and at BlackRabbitImages.com. Be sure to check out The End of Meat on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Amazon Prime.

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