Hollywood Unites, Encouraging Americans to Vote
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and NEW YORK, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon
Wireless is encouraging its customers to exercise their right to vote in
this year's historic election and today announced its customers now have
exclusive mobile access to The Creative Coalition's engaging YouVote video.
Conceived and directed by filmmaker Sue Kramer, YouVote leverages the
spotlight of the entertainment industry to inspire and encourage Americans
to vote in the upcoming presidential election and is now available to
millions of Verizon Wireless customers with V CAST-enabled phones.
YouVote marks the first time that actors, filmmakers, producers and
directors are joining together in a fully non-partisan and
inter-generational effort to encourage voter participation. The
three-minute video includes more than 40 celebrities, including Blake
Lively, Anne Hathaway, Tim Daly, Samuel L. Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Marcia
Cross, Jane Krakowski and The Muppets (complete list at end of release).
YouVote is set to the sound of a modern American anthem, "Today," an
original song written for the video by Dana Parish and Andrew Hollander and
performed by Dana Parish. Verizon Wireless customers also have access to a
one-minute version of the YouVote video on V CAST.
YouVote contributors share statements, quotes and personal anecdotes on
the importance and privilege of voting, and a number of participants recite
the following Margaret Mead quote: "Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only
thing that ever has."
"The Creative Coalition is proud to spearhead the YouVote campaign. Our
organization stands for citizenship involvement, and this video promotes
the simple message that every citizen must exercise their right and
responsibility to vote," said Robin Bronk, executive director of The
Creative Coalition.
"The concept of YouVote was to create a non-partisan appeal to get
people to vote and help unify the country instead of dividing it -- we are
not preaching who to vote for, we just want people to use their right and
participate in the democratic process. For too long the entertainment
community has been accused of being either indifferent to important issues
or lending their voices only to certain causes; this video demonstrates
that Hollywood understands the importance of participation," said Sue
Kramer, director of the YouVote video.
Celebrity participants include: Pamela Adlon, Penn Badgley, Amy
Brenneman, Connie Britton, Saffron Burrows, Ellen Burstyn, Tom Cavanagh,
Rachael Leigh Cook, Bradley Cooper, Chace Crawford, Marcia Cross, Tim Daly,
John Paul DeJoria, Dana Delany, Giancarlo Esposito, Tony Goldwyn, Bryan
Greenberg, Carla Gugino, Hill Harper, Anne Hathaway, Samuel L. Jackson,
Wayne Knight, Jane Krakowski, Joey Kurn, Ricki Lake, John Leguizamo, Barry
Levinson, Blake Lively, Josh Lucas, Wendie Malick, Matthew Modine, The
Muppets, Kathy Najimy, Paulina Porizkova, Gloria Reuben, Jason Ritter,
Stephen Root, Susan Sarandon, Richard Schiff, Tamara Tunie, Nia Vardalos,
Kate Walsh, Ed Westwick and more.
Verizon Wireless customers can watch YouVote by visiting the Election
'08 category on V CAST and then selecting YouVote and selecting either the
one- or three-minute YouVote video. Access to YouVote on Verizon Wireless
phones is included with any V CAST subscription, just $3.00 for 24-hour use
or for $15.00 monthly access with the V CAST VPak, which also includes
access to Verizon Wireless' ESPN MVP, Get It Now(R) and Mobile Web
services. Customers get unlimited basic video but application download fees
may apply for 3D games and premium video. There are no airtime or megabyte
charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content with any V CAST
subscription.
To view the YouVote video online, visit http://www.youvotevideo.org. For more
information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon
Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to
http://www.verizonwireless.com.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and
data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking
Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint
venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE:
VOD). For more information, go to: http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and
request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of
Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia
Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About The Creative Coalition (http://www.thecreativecoalition.org)
The Creative Coalition is the premiere 501c(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan
social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment
community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community,
The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of
public importance, primarily the First Amendment, public education and arts
advocacy. Headquartered in New York City, The Creative Coalition also has
offices in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
About the "You Vote" Production Team (A Bella Films Production)
Writer/Producer/Director Sue Kramer (Gray Matters), Cameraman Aengus James
(currently shooting Barry Levinson's much anticipated Poliwood
documentary), Producer Jill Footlick (Gray Matters, Boys Don't Cry,
Evening), award-winning Producer Suzie Greene-Tedesco (The Wrecking Crew),
Songwriters Andrew Hollander and Dana Parish (Parish's debut album
"Uncrushed" will be released Oct 28).
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