| Jessica Alba and Hayden Panettiere "Muzzled" in New PSA |
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| For Immediate Release |
Contact:
Chet Mehta |
JESSICA ALBA AND HAYDEN PANETTIERE "MUZZLED" IN NEW PSA
The 2008 Faces of 'Declare Yourself' Urge Young Adults to Register & Vote
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 3, 2008 – Jessica Alba and Hayden Panettiere will star in a satirical and timely public service announcement for Declare Yourself, as part of the nonpartisan organization’s “Only You Can Silence Yourself” campaign aimed at registering every eligible 18-to-29 years old, to vote in the 2008 presidential election before many state registration deadlines expire in October. The PSA, produced by Michael Abbott’s United Front, was written by Gregg Rosenzweig and directed by Brandon Kraines. The PSA, along with other images in the campaign, is available for download at www.DeclareYourself.com, and will be distributed virally.
The video depicts Alba as the host of a faux home-shopping cable channel, hawking “The Muzzler 2008,” a Hannibal Lecter-like restraint mask that symbolizes failing to exercise the right to vote. As Alba describes the features of the The Muzzler, Panettiere comically emphasizes the mask’s ability to stifle the consumer’s voice and vote. The video also features actor Tristan Wilds from the television series 90210.
“Jessica and Hayden have an amazing ability to connect with young adults,” said Marc Morgenstern, Declare Yourself Executive Director. “Behind all the humor of the PSA, lies a very serious message of what it actually means to sit out the election and effectively silence oneself.”
The previous images from the “Only You Can Silence Yourself” print campaign featured Alba in a series of still images showing her bound or muzzled. The images, which will run in national publications this fall, were conceived by renowned photographer Mark Liddell.
ABOUT DECLARE YOURSELF
Declare Yourself is a nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign aiming to empower every eligible American, 18-to-29 years old, to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election. Through the power of strategic media partnerships, celebrity spokespeople, retail outreach, sports and, most importantly, digital technology and social media, Declare Yourself has created a campaign that embraces the landscape of youth peer and popular culture with one key message: register and vote. Since 2004, declare yourself has registered more than two million young voters. It is currently registering tens of thousands of new voters each week.
In 2003, Declare Yourself launched its initiative with The Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a nationwide multimedia exhibit and tour of Norman Lear’s original copy of the Declaration. The document remains on tour, and appeared in both the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August and the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September.
Led by Norman Lear, Declare Yourself has an advisory board of leaders from the political and media worlds including many influential figures with their fingers on the pulse of the 18-29 demographic, including NBC Entertainment/ NBC Universal Television Studio co-chairmen Ben Silverman, trend specialist Atoosa Rubenstein, online video expert James Kotecki, producer J.J. Abrams and television personality Tyra Banks. The Declare Yourself Advisory Board has the ability to spread the message of the organization to America’s youth. Corporate partners with Declare Yourself include Cricket, Yahoo!, MySpace, Google, AOL, Clear Channel, Comedy Central and American Eagle Outfitters. For more information, please visit http://declareyourself.com
ABOUT UNITED FRONT/ BRANDON KRAINES
United Front (www.unitedfrontfilms.com) is a Los Angeles based creative studio specializing in engaging, entertaining and successful content creation for every screen imaginable. In 2008, United Front and director Brandon Kraines' collaboration "Hands Free" video was seen millions of times on the homepages of MySpace and FunnyorDie, as well as broadcast on CNN domestically and internationally. United Front and Kraines also produced/directed a series of high profile celebrity-driven online PSA's in 2008 for U.S. Campaign for Burma starring Tila Tequila, Kim Kardashian, Damian Marley, Jason Biggs, Michelle Krusiec and Steven Seagal. From traditional media to branded content, United Front prides itself in the quality of its work as well as its reach.
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