A message from Moby about the MoveOn.org 'Bush in 30 Seconds' ad contest

From Moby's journal:

ok, so here's the information on the contest that i'm organizing with moveon.org, david fenton, lee solomon, jonathan soros and laura dawn.

the contest is called 'bushin30seconds', and for the contest anyone can make & submit a 30 second tv ad that is somehow based around 'the truth about george bush'.

the ads will be put up on our website (bushin30seconds.org) and will be voted on by moveon's 2 million subscribers and the general public.

10 finalist ads (or 15 finalist ads) will then be chosen and sent to our celebrity judges, who at present are:

• Jack Black


• Donna Brazile


• James Carville


• Margaret Cho


• David Fenton


• Janeane Garafalo


• Stan Greenberg


• Moby


• Michael Moore


• Mark Pellington


• Tony Shalhoub


• Michael Stipe


• Gus Van Sant


• Eddie Vedder

and a winner (or possibly winners) will be chosen and broadcast on tv before george bush's january state of the union address.

the idea behind the ad is best summed up in eli's 'why we're doing this' essay:

"Year after year, a few dozen Washington consultants make the great majority of political ads. They look the same, they sound the same and even the actors seem familiar.
Perhaps as a result, voters tune out, even when there are critically important messages to convey.

For the last three years, President Bush's policies have ransacked the environment, put our national security at risk, damaged our economy, and redistributed wealth from the middle class to the very wealthiest Americans. Yet thanks to a complacent media, the President has managed to hide behind a carefully constructed "compassionate" image. As the 2004 election nears, it's crucial that voters understand what President Bush's policies really mean for our country. And to do that, we need creative new ads that clearly show what's at stake.

Thats why we decided to launch Bush in 30 Seconds, an ad contest that's intended to bring new talent and new messages into the world of mainstream political advertising.

We're looking for the ad that best explains what this President and his policies are really about -- in only 30 seconds.

The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest has been developed and run by a small team of people: Laura Dawn, David Fenton, Moby, Eli Pariser, Lee Solomon, and Jonathan Soros. We've come together because we believe that by tapping into the vast talent pool of creative people beyond the Beltway, we'll find the right messages and ads to expose the failure of President Bush's policies.

Legally, Bush in 30 Seconds is a project of the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, a new 527 fund affiliated with MoveOn.org, the pre-eminent online advocacy group in the United States. The Voter Fund's mission is to create and run powerful political ads in swing states to challenge President Bush's policies and his administration."

so please go and look at 'bushin30seconds.org', and, if you feel inspired, make an ad and help us to tell the truth about george bush.

thanks
moby

This sounds like a great opportunity for creative types to put their heads together and try to come up with an ad that has the potential to really make an impact. If it sounds at all interesting to you, be sure to check it out!

Posted by thorswitch at October 29, 2003 01:46 AM | TrackBack