Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Our good friends at The Human Rights Campaign

April 7th, 2010

Human Rights Campaign has been a great friend and supporter of Film Your Issue and What’s Your Issue for many years, and we’re always honored to host “human/equal rights” as one of our focus issues. HRC’s Media Production Manager Ben Shallenberger was a past winner for the Film Your Issue competition, and he says it helped him change him from a “board college student to LGBT activist”, helping him first land an internship at HRC’s media department and eventually his current position with the organization. We’re proud of everything Ben has done since his participation with Film Your Issue and thank him for blogging about how Film Your Issue positively impacted his life.

Ben says Film Your Issue changed his life. Yours could be next. Submissions for Film Your Issue and What’s Your Issue Music are due April 19th, 2010.

Click on the image to read the blog on HRC’s website, or click the jump for a transcribed copy.

(more…)

Tags: Film Your Issue, Human Rights Campaign, Human/Equal Rights, Internship, LGBT, What's Your Issue
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“What is your Legacy?” – song competition submission by two 21 year old USC students – shows power of music (and amazing talent out there)

April 2nd, 2010

“What is Your Legacy?” – a new song we just received for the 2010 song competition – asks all of us what we will do to make an impact in this life.

The creators – 21-year old Cameron Ernst & Devon Feldmeth – say they were inspired by the plight of child soldiers in Uganda, and the movement, Invisible Children, to help.

Deadline is April 19, 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/whatsyourissuemusic#p/u/0/YN5njYarNGY

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FYI Jurist Yoko Ono named Global Autism Ambassador

April 2nd, 2010

At What’s Your Issue, we’re always amazed by how caring and active Yoko Ono is, and everyday we feel lucky to have her on our jury for the Film Your Issue competition. And if her previous contributions (far too many to list) haven’t convinced you, Yoko has just been named the Global Autism Ambassador by the Autism Speaks organization.

Last year during World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, Yoko created a piece of artwork called “Promise” in celebration of the annual World Autism Awareness Day. It was auctioned off for thousands and thousands of dollars — all to benefit Autism Speaks.

“As an artist the concept of distance means nothing to me, you can bring the whole world together with a song, a painting or a single word and that is what I have tried to achieve with ‘Promise’ and I hope it has been able to make a difference,” she said at the gala where she was recognized.

Have an idea or solution to a pressing issue for Yoko? To participate in our Film Your Issue competition, please visit here. If you’re a singer or songwriter, we have something for you as well. The deadline is April 19, so better get filming!

Tags: Autism Speaks, Film Your Issue, Promise, VIP Jury, What's Your Issue, Yoko Ono
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Our iTunes channel is live – featuring past and current winners and semi-finalists

March 26th, 2010

Our iTunes channel is live – featuring winners and semi-finalists from the past five years. We will continue to add winners and semi-finalists to the playlist. Films can be previewed. Download is free.

To access via web, go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id360749159 and you can redirect to iTunes

Or to access directly from iTunes, go to iTunes Store and under search, type in “film your issue.”

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HeathCliff blogs in today’s Huffington Post Impact

March 25th, 2010

HeathCliff blogs in today’s Huffington Post Impact.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heathcliff-rothman/how-to-engage-youth-in-a_b_510676.html

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Oxfam is looking for students to change the world

March 23rd, 2010

Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization, is currently accepting applications for the CHANGE Initiative, their national student leadership program. CHANGE Leaders are exposed to the international development issues that inform Oxfam’s work, and apply their skills and insights to run Oxfam campaigns on their campuses and in their communities.

We would love to have some filmmakers and singer/songwriters represented in this group of youth activists. Best of all, the week-long program is paid for by Oxfam — that’s right, it’s free!

Think you’re interested? Apply online or recommend a student at http://www.oxfamamerica.org/change.

Applications are due on April 1, 2010.

For more information, click the Oxfam logo below.

Tags: Leadership, Oxfam, Student, Youth
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Leaton Wins 2006 FYI, now works for Ben Stiller, other film companies

March 23rd, 2010

We all like success stories. Especially a guy as nice (and talented) as Tim Leaton. He won the 2006 Film Your Issue competition, and with it the summer internship at Walt Disney Studios.

Cut to a few years later. In today’s Collegiate Times is a feature story on Tim – who now lives in Los Angeles, has worked with Ben Stiller, and works as assistant editor for shows such as “Marriage Ref” and “World’s Strictest Parents.”

For full story – http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/15235/alumnus-film-career-started-with-competition

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HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN (HRC) features us in today’s newscast on Equally Speaking

March 22nd, 2010

This is the 2nd year that the The Human Rights Campaign is a partner in Film Your Issue, outreaching to its LGBT members to submit films (and now songs).

You can catch their newscast at http://www.hrc.org/equallyspeaking

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Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Alliance flags Film Your Issue Partnership in current newsletter

March 12th, 2010

We did a video tutorial presentation for America’s Promise Alliance’s youth leadership gathering last year in Washington, DC, let by our video guru Frank Guttler.

Great to experience all that engaged young energy!

The partnership with America’s Promise Alliance continues, as they reach out in today’s newsletter to their membership to encourage youth engagement in issues – and formulate solution-projects to submit for the current competition!

Here’s a link to the newsletter mailed today: http://www.bit.ly/97W242

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Center for Civic Education and Project Citizen join FYI – Winners presented at National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit in Summer 2010

February 23rd, 2010

The Center for Civic Education and its Project Citizen program is joining with Film Your Issue on the 2010 initiative in inaugurating a new award – a Film Your Issue-Project Citizen Public Policy Award.

Selected by the Center for Civic Education, the Film Your Issue-Project Citizen Public Policy Award will be awarded to a video that presents the best public policy solution to a public policy problem (including an explanation as to why the problem is best addressed by public policy).

The winner of the Film Your Issue-Project Citizen Public Policy Award winner will be flown by the Center for Civic Education to Los Angeles for the 2010 awards ceremony, co-hosted by Sony Pictures and Film Your Issue.

Winners will also be featured at the Center for Civic Education’s National Project Citizen Showcase at the Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Louisville, Kentucky in July 2010.

The bi-partisan Center for Civic Education promotes the principles and practice of democracy in schools in the U.S. and abroad to more than 1.5 million annual participants worldwide.

For more information, go to http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=film_your_pc

Tags: Center for Civic Education, Competition, contest, Film Your Issue, National Conference of State LegislaturesProject Citizen, Public policy, What's Your Issue, Youth
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