FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Trevor FitzGibbon or Jessica Smith, on premises, or Kawana Lloyd, (202) 822-5200x228
Monday, Jan. 12, 2004
“Bush in 30 Seconds”
A Political Advertising Contest Sponsored by Moveon.org Voter Fund
OVERALL FINALISTS
(In Alphabetical
Order)
Penny Little, Nick Green,
Michael Stinson, Julie Stigwart, and Jimmy Walter of Isla Vista, CA. “Army of One” was collaboration between People to
People TV, Take Back the Media.com and Walden Three.
“We’re so honored to be
among the finalists, to be part of this campaign by the MoveOn.org Voter Fund
to enlighten and re-educate the American voter. Creating this commercial made
us realize more than ever that we need to affect those people who are on the
fence, not just have the feel good experience of preaching to the converted,”
said Penny Little, producer. “It’s a long road we’re on—and participating in
actions such as ‘Bush in 30 Seconds’ lead the way towards the goal of taking
back our country, our democracy. It’s great that so many people, an amazing
1500 or so, participated. I think this is unprecedented.”
Adam Klugman, 40, is a media strategist
and businessman who lives with his wife and six-year-old daughter in West Linn, OR.
His partner in the project was a neighbor, Dave Adams, 50, who restores
European sports cars.
They believe
contests like this “are crucial in these times. They encourage us.
They engage us in the turning of the tide. They remind us that the tide
can be turned. And most importantly, a contest like ‘Bush in 30
Seconds’ places meaningful dissent where it is desperately needed:
inside the mainstream American media.”
Charlie Fisher, 38, is a professional ad
executive from Denver, CO,
currently working abroad in Denmark.
He is a Republican convert, turned Democrat in 1992: “That’s when I switched...
for good!”
“First off, I am thrilled. When we finished editing
Child’s Pay I felt it was nice—maybe a little too nice. Perhaps I’ve learned that you don’t
have to paint a bulls-eye on someone’s forehead to be effective. Most
importantly, when I told my Republican father I was making an ad for this contest,
he said this: ‘I am proud of you for taking part and acting in the world around
you.’ It’s thrilling to get involved.”
David Haynes, 34, is independent
filmmaker based in Dallas, Texas. Through his production company,
Tanglewood Films, David has written, directed and produced several short and
feature-length films.
“As an independent filmmaker, I was excited about the
opportunity that the MoveOn.org Voter Fund and the people behind ‘Bush In 30
Seconds’ created for individuals outside the usual Washington circles to
participate in the election process.
Having become increasingly dissatisfied with the Bush Administration, I was happy
to exercise my creativity and skill in an effort to change our national
leadership and put America
back on the right track.”
Eric
Blumrich,
33, of Montclair, NJ is a freelance illustrator/ animator/ web
developer who operates the site: BushFlash.com.
“I
was just happy to take part in this competition- it has been quite an
experience! Whomever wins, we’ve accomplished a truly historic thing.”
Nathania Vishnevsky and Rick Glumac of Foster City, CA,
produced and directed the ad “Hood Robbin’”.
The two were joined by: sound and
cameraman Alastair MacLeod, cinematographer Juan Buhler, color
corrector Cassidy Curtis, and the star, Dado Feigenblatt, as
George Bush.
“This ad contest is a great example of how democracy
should work. MoveOn.org Voter Fund has inspired us and made it easy for people
all over America to get
involved in the democratic process, helping to spread hope instead of cynicism
with regard to the future of America. We are very happy and proud to have been part
of this contest,” said Nathania and Rick, on behalf of the team.
Brian Wilkinson, 29, is a freelance motion
graphics artist from White Plains,
NY. Brian is a graduate of Denison University of
Ohio and has worked in on-line advertising for a number of years.
“I’m honored and a bit overwhelmed by being chosen as
a finalist. I’ve been working as a motion graphics artist for several years,
but this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to use my skills in a
socio-political setting. To have my inaugural attempt recognized this way is
very gratifying—and more than I expected. I am happy to know that the
MoveOn.org Voter Fund is run by individuals, not multi-national corporations.
I’m glad to have had the chance to join with others in expressing my
disappointment with the current administration. I’m equally pleased to have an
opportunity to use my trade to do something for the greater good.”
Mark Vicente, 38, is a freelance
director/ cinematographer, who splits his time between Los
Angeles, CA and Yelm, WA.
“Having seen the disturbing direction our nation is
heading under the Bush Jr. Administration, I have been eager to find a forum to
express my views through the craft I love. I deeply appreciate the opportunity
created by this contest to do just that. After seeing so many dry and
intellectual political commercials on national television, I wanted to create a
spot that not only stimulates the mind, but also moves and touches the heart
and the emotions of the viewer.”
Harry Katatsakis, 33, director; Derek
Rittenhouse, 26, cinematographer; Chris Wight, 31, actor, all
of New York, form the production company Outpost 7, a group of filmmakers focused on creating
community-oriented projects that will lead into feature film production.
“We set out to make a statement with our ad, hoping
that people would recognize and think about the messages that are reflected in
the spot. Making an impact and getting other people to think about the events
that take place in our country were major influences on how we produced this
commercial. Working with the fellow members and supporters of the MoveOn.org
Voter Fund, we hope that we can continue to produce images that will be as well
received by the public as our ad ‘In My Country’ has been,” said Derek
Rittenhouse.
- “Leave No Billionaire
Behind”
Rich Garella, 38, political consultant and
Adam Feinstein, 31, filmmaker, are both of New York.
Garella, producer of “Polygraph,” is
originally from Providence,
RI. He has worked as a grassroots organizer on
health care and foreign policy. For
nearly five years he lived in Cambodia,
where he worked as an editor for a daily newspaper and later as press secretary
for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. He
and Adam Feinstein formed Fire Ant Creative. Garella said, “In a democracy,
critiquing the leadership isn't just a right, it's a patriotic duty. And I’m feeling especially patriotic these
days.”
Feinstein is
a professional film director and cinematographer. His work encompasses narrative fiction,
documentary, music video, and commercials.
Recent credits include Showtime Networks (including the current
documentary “Say You Love Me”), the Sundance Channel, USA Networks, and the
Independent Film Channel. Said
Feinstein: “This contest is a stunning
act of American conscience and concern.
May the world take notice.”
Lisa
M. Rowe is
the Executive Producer of Birthmark Entertainment, Inc. in Hollywood, CA.
“I originally stumbled upon the ‘Bush In 30 Seconds’
contest through a friend and thought it would be an interesting exercise in
designing a political commercial. As I
researched George W. Bush, I became frighteningly aware of how little I knew of
his policies, actions, and administration.
My final product is a message, to myself and to others, asking all of us
to become more informed. I am very
pleased to see the commercial struck the same cord in those who viewed it, and
I am honored to be one of the finalists.”
- “What Are We Teaching
Our Children?”
Fred Surr, Ted Page, and Janet Tashjian of
Needham, MA.
The
commercial ‘What Are We Teaching Our Children?’ came about through the teamwork
of three Boston
area parents, Fred Surr, Ted Page, and Janet Tashjian, who decided they could
no longer sit on the political sidelines. Surr and Page are partners at
Captains of Industry (www.captainsofindustry.com),
an advertising agency and film production company dedicating to marketing with
a mission. Tashjian is a novelist and screenwriter; her novels The Gospel According to Larry and Vote for Larry deal with issues of teen
activism.
SPECIAL CATEGORY FINALISTS
“FUNNIEST”
AD
San Francisco roommates Scott
Runcorn, 35, a freelance production artist, and Andrew Wallace,
31, a freelance video/film producer, co-created the ad with help from Peter
Jacques, 35, Leigh Crow, 38, Phil Dumesnil, 29, Asa
Sanchez, 34, and Maxine Tremendous, the cat.
Mandy Donovan, 29, is a writer based in Somerville, MA.
Rachel Houk Seeger, 35, an art director in Jamaica
Plain, MA, and Mario Polastri,
29, is a production artist in Plymouth,
MA. They received assistance from
Ron Hayden (voiceover), Dave Porter and Jim Sullivan of
Mix One Studios in Boston
and Chris Murphy on music production.
“We're all in advertising
for a living, but this was the first time we've been able to combine our
passion for great creative work and our social activism,” says Donovan, who
added that four broken guitar strings, 36 cups of coffee, and five gallons of
gas went into the making of the ad. “It rocked.”
- “If the Bush Administration Was Your
Roommate”
Matt Kresling, 29, and Seth Toedter,
29, are Los Angeles-based film editors. Bennett Jones, 39, works as an
actor, Said Kresling, “We thought, if we the Bush Administration were a person,
wouldn't we think he was an ass? We needed someone to play the Bush
Administration and that's when Seth's roommate, Andy, walked through the room.
That's how the magic happened.”
- “If Parents Acted Like Bush”
Christopher Fink, 39, is an
independent filmmaker in Los
Angeles, CA. The
making of the ad was strictly a family affair: his sister, Valerie
Schwanneman, 34, his niece, Rebecca Schwanneman, 13, and his wife, Debra
Ladner Fink, 39, all pitched in. The whole thing cost less than $50 to
produce, with most of the budget spent on donuts and In and Out burgers. “I'm a
new father with a six-month-old daughter, so I see things more and more long
term—how the actions of our government today will affect the world she'll
inherit,” Fink says. “The biker in the ad is actually the husband of The Blonde
Woman in Bed. I recruited him first, because he was the only person I knew with
a Harley.”
“YOUTH
MARKET” AD
Joel Viertel, 29, is originally from New York City but now lives in Los Angeles, where he writes, directs and
edits films. His collaborators on “Al Keyda” are Trevor Murphy, 30, of
Chicago (who also plays the titular role) and Alek Friedman, producer
28, an actor/producer based in New
York. Composer H. Scott Salinas, 28, of Philadelphia provided the
sound and music.
The ad was shot on 16mm with
Viertel’s scrappy Bolex SBM camera in one day. Viertel, who arrived at the
location shoot early, wandered into a nearby mall, where he purchased Al
Keyda’s signature red, white and blue tie. “I picked the most ridiculously
tacky one,” Viertel says. “On some level, I think the whole ad is held together
by that tie.”
Jared Ewy, 29, of Inglewood, CO
works in radio production. Ewy wrote the script for the ad and friends Angel
Sexton and Drew Adams helped direct and film it. The ad took five
minutes to shoot and about two weeks of struggle to get the 90 MB file down to
an acceptable upload before Ewy finally took it to a professional. “If I could
wish anyone to be me for a just a few moments, it would be Mr. Bush, so he
could feel how awkward and painful it is to watch or listen to him,” he says.
Chad Redmon, 28, is an artist and
filmmaker in New York.
His co-producers are Sterling Rainbolt, 32, and musician Michael Kane,
26, both of New York.
“We wanted to make something that spoke to a younger generation,” says Redmon,
who credits Kane for coming up with the rap featured in the spot, which was
shot in one day.
Scott
Stowell,
35, is the proprietor of Open, a design studio in New York. His collaborators there are senior
designer Susan Barber, 27, of Manhattan and designer Cara Brower,
25, and studio manager Kate Kittredge, 25, both of Brooklyn. The music
is by Daniel Geller of the Athens, GA band, I Am the World Trade
Center.
“It’s
easy to complain about policies or politicians you don't like to people that
already agree with you,” Stowell says. “We wanted to reach out—with hard facts
and cool music—to Bush supporters in the hopes of getting some of them to think
twice about who they'll vote for.”
“ANIMATION”
AD
- “Brother Can You Spare a Job?”
Tom
Neely, 28,
is a freelance artist and Greg Saunders, 28, a systems administrator.
They live in Los Angeles.
“When Greg hit me with the idea for this commercial, I was initially scared of
the time-constraint, but we dove right in and went for it. We wrote it
together at a sushi restaurant,” says Neely. “This was my first animation project
using my own characters, designs and story, and I’m very proud of it.”
David E. K. Abramson, 34, was born on the Fourth
of July and works as a TV and film director and editor in Los Angeles. Steven D’Arcangelo, 31, a
freelance storyboard artist and filmmaker, and Ken Palmer, an actor who
provided all the voice-overs, also live and work in L.A.
According to Abramson, for once, the computers didn’t crash, and he was
able to submit his team’s entry just a few hours before the closing deadline.
“Bush has turned our country
into the playground bully. He thinks he's tough, but the rest of the world
smells his fear and just wishes he would stop,” Abramson says. “Is this really
who we want to be?”
Ty Pierce, 25, a videographer, and Mark
Wolfe, 24, a graphic designer of Columbus,
OH were the co-creative team on
“What I Been Up To...” That’s Pierce’s voice you hear on the ad, with Wolfe
providing the visual effects. According to Pierce, the toughest part of making
their ad was narrowing down which Bush administration screw-ups to
include in the final ad, given wealth of material to choose from.
The Portland, OR-based
creative team of Wings Take Dream is musician Brent Knopf, 26,
interactive designer Josh Kneedler, 31, and animator Sarah Oleksyk,
26. For their support in the making of “Yeehaw,” Wings Take Dream would like to
thank the owners of a local coffee shop, music store and restaurant, as well as
a local DJ, community cycling center employee, video-store clerk and the
front-desk worker at a local inn. Due to a technical mishap, Knopf was forced
to re-record two days’ worth of voice soundtracks. He wants to thank everyone
for humoring him the second time around.
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