NO on Prop 8 to Air Two Spots Produced by Supporters for YouTube

Wednesday October 29, 3:42 pm ET
Campaign will Become First to Borrow YouTube Talent and Air It


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- In a first for an American political campaign, the NO on Prop 8 campaign will pay to air two spots that were originally produced and uploaded to YouTube by supporters completely independent of the campaign.

"We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of talent and creativity that has just exploded on the Internet," said Patrick Guerriero, NO on 8 campaign director. "People just can't believe how unfair and wrong this initiative is and they're creating innovative Web-based viral spots to get the word out to vote NO on Prop 8. We thank everyone who has put their talent and time in spreading the word about the importance of opposing Prop 8."

The independently produced spots have been a huge hit on the Web. There have been more than 3 million views of videos that appear on the campaign's YouTube channel. Several spots in the channel have been ranked as "#1 Most Viewed" and "#1 Most Discussed" in the Nonprofits and Activism Category. The channel has consistently been ranked in the top 100 Most Watched Channels.

"The power of all of these YouTube videos is that they represent a chorus of voices, a community of people who may never have met or spoken but share the same passion that discrimination is wrong. They have immediate credibility," said Chris Maliwat, the campaign's web strategy director.

Late last week, the NO on Prop 8 campaign approached the producers of two of the spots and asked them to pare down their Web videos into 30-second commercials. The ads, entitled "Constitution" and "Moms," will begin running statewide tomorrow. During the summer, in a completely organic and grassroots fashion, people independently produced their own messages and uploaded to YouTube.

Background on "Constitution" (http://www.noonprop8.com/videos)

In a homage to the very popular "Mac vs. PC" ads, this ad features characters that portray "NO on 8," "Yes" and the "California Constitution." With a dry comedic edge and perfect timing, the ad successfully gets across the point that amending the California Constitution to eliminate rights is wrong.

A few months back, a number of friends were sitting around wondering how they could influence Californians, in an impactful and respectful fashion, to vote NO on 8. Their answer was to collaborate on a spot that has become one of the most popular on YouTube. The cast and crew donated their services.

Collaborators: Andrew Oldershaw, Dayna Frank, Todd Shotz, Courtney Sexton, Angel Lopez (executive producers); Chris Panizzon (producer); Ray Lancon (writer); Jonah Markowitz (director); and Rachel Morrison (Director of Photography).

Background on "Moms" (http://www.noonprop8.com/videos)

Moms of all ages and ethnicities, from all over state, speak from the heart and call on California voters to reject the lies, to say NO to discrimination and to vote NO on Election Day. All of the moms are real, none are actresses and all are straight women. The spot arose out of the collaborators' frustration over the way in which proponents were targeting women voters with lies and scare tactics. The cast and crew donated their services so there were no expenses associated with this spot.

Collaborators: Yashar Hedayat (executive producer); and Michelle Jackino (executive producer/writer); Pablo Proenza (director); and Ellen Dimler (editor).