Indiantelevision.com Team

(17 March 2008 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US political site moveOn.org has joined forces with Oscar winners Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Oliver Stone, multiple Grammy-winner John Legend and author Naomi Wolf to announce a new ad contest Obama in 30 Seconds.

The contest provides a platform for Obama supporters to show in 30-second spots what inspires them about the Senator's candidacy. MoveOn will buy time to run the winning ad on television.

MoveOn executive director Eli Pariser says, "After eight years of President Bush campaigning on fear and war, people are feeling hopeful again. They're eager to talk about what inspires them about our country - and Senator Obama leading it.

"Since creative and grassroots energy has helped power Barack Obama's campaign from the start, this contest is a great way to deliver that message of hope to voters in Pennsylvania and across the nation."

Affleck says, "MoveOn's Obama in 30 seconds ad contest is a chance for everyone, from aspiring filmmakers to armchair pundits, to raise their voices to put Obama over the top and help make history."

Legend says, "Part of the joy of this campaign is the tremendous amount of positive creativity it has inspired. I think this contest is a powerful way for ordinary citizens to be involved in an extraordinary moment in our history. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

The ads, which will be submitted at the Obama in 30 Seconds site http://www.obamain30seconds.org/, will be judged by a celebrity judging panel that includes Affleck, actor/director Steve Buscemi, Damon, progressive hero and future Congresswoman Donna Edwards and musician Eddie Vedder.

Contestants will be allowed to submit their ads between 27 March and 1 April. From 4 April, 3.2 million MoveOn members and the public will have a chance to vote on which ads advance to the finals. On 10 April, the finalists will be announced and the panel of judges will begin judging the final ads. The winning ad and ad-maker will be announced on 17 April - just before Pennsylvania's 22 April primary.