Attention All of You Ages 13 – 27 in California!

KQED is looking for young people to share their Perspectives on two themes: “Coming Out” and “Friday Night.” Perspectives may take the form of a short commentary, video, or photo slideshow.

One grand prize, an iPod Touch, will be awarded to the best overall entry for each theme.

Selected Perspectives will also air on KQED Public Radio and be published on kqed.org throughout the months of January and March.

The deadline for the “Coming Out” theme is December 15, so don’t wait!

If you’ve got something to say (and we hope you do!) read the details below:

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THE KQED Youth Perspective Competition Rules and FAQs
1. Tell me more about the themes.

Coming Out: Submit your reflections on coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, or revealing some other important personal secret about who you are or what you do that changed your life. Pieces should explore topics such as why you came out or how you changed, obstacles you had to overcome, help that you received or outcomes that you didn’t anticipate. Pieces from friends or family members of those who have come out are encouraged.

Friday Night: Friday nights mark a transition from the school week to personal time, sparking a change in many people. How does Friday night represent your world as a whole? What do you do, or not do, on Friday night that represents how your life is changing or how your life is unique? What does your Friday night say about you, your family, neighborhood, city, age, etc?

2. What is the prize?

One Perspective for each theme will be awarded a grand prize, an 8GB iPod Touch.3. Who can enter?

Anyone between the ages of 13 and 27 years old may submit a Perspective for possible publication or broadcast, however, you must be a resident of California to be eligible for the competition to win a prize. (If you’re under the age of 18, be sure to get your parents’ or guardians’ permission before entering!) Employees of KQED and their relatives are also not eligible to win prizes.

4. How long can my Perspective be?

Your Perspective can be anywhere from 20 seconds to two minutes long. For written Perspectives, that usually translates to 350-375 words, depending on your rate of speech.

5. When is the deadline?

Perspectives for the “Coming Out” theme need to be received by KQED editors by December 15, 2009. Perspectives for the “Friday Night” theme must be received by KQED editors by February 8, 2010.

6. What is the process for submitting a Perspective?

Step 1: Make a video, create a photo slideshow (with audio or without), or write a short commentary. However you express yourself, do it. Use the themes, “Coming Out” and “Friday Night” as a jumping-off point to reveal something about yourself or the world you live in. Read more about the themes below and listen to some Perspectives at kqed.org/perspectives to learn more about the series.

Step 2: Send us your Perspective. Email your entries to Mark Trautwein, Editor of the Perspectives series, at mtrautwein@kqed.org. For text commentaries, simply email them as an attachment. For video commentaries, upload your video to an online video sharing site, such as YouTube, and send us the URL and embed code. For photo slideshows, create a slideshow using a photo sharing site like Flickr and send us an email, including a link or URL to the photo set. If you want to include audio, simply include the accompanying audio in your email.

Remember: Be sure to hold on to your original photos, video, and audio. When you email your entry, include your name, city, age, and a phone number and email address where we can reach you. When you upload your work to a video sharing site, be sure to set permissions to allow embedding on third-party websites. Also be sure to tag your video with the phrase “KQED Youth Perspectives Contest,” and your theme, “Coming Out” or “Friday Night.”

Step 3: If your written commentary is selected to air, an editor will contact you to schedule a time for you to record your Perspective in a studio. If your video or slideshow is chosen to be featured on kqed.org, an editor will contact you as well.

7. For slide shows, can I simply upload my photos?

A photo slideshow uses images to tell a story. Just as a writer is careful about what words she uses, a photographer gives thoughtful consideration to the photos selected, the order of the photos, and the captions that accompany each photo. A photo slideshow should have a narrative structure.

8. For videos, should I simply videotape myself talking?

Only you know the best way to tell your story, but we encourage you to get creative. Think of the images in your home, city, or neighborhood that communicate your ideas. While we love your pretty face, we want to see the world you live in, too. Most importantly, have fun.

9. Can I enter multiple Perspectives? Can I enter Perspectives on both themes?

Yes, but remember that each entry must be original. Participants may only be awarded one grand prize.

10. What information must I supply when I enter?

Each entrant must supply their name, city, age, phone number and email address.

11. What type of file format should I use?

Prepare your content in the highest resolution you can, and hang on to the original files. For audio, we prefer MP3 files.

12. Do I need to save my original video, audio and photo files once I’ve uploaded my submission?

Yes. KQED may need to edit your photos, video or audio using specific applications. We may also recommend small editorial changes.

13. How will entries be judged?

Entries will be judged in their submitted form on creative expression, originality, and storytelling. The judges will include, but will not be limited to, KQED staff. Winners will be notified by February 29, 2010.

14. Can my friends and I enter together?

While group entries may be broadcast or published, prizes will only be awarded to entries submitted by individuals.

15. What if I still have questions?

Send questions to Amanda Stupi at astupi@kqed.org or call (415) 553-2414.

16. What else do I need to know?

Well, the really legal stuff might come in handy, so here it is:

A. Once you have entered your Perspective following any of the methods noted above, KQED may edit and publish or broadcast your entry without paying you any compensation:

By submitting your entry into this competition, you hereby grant to KQED and its assigns the royalty-free nonexclusive right to copy, sublicense, edit, modify, publish, transmit, make derivative works, distribute, delete or display the content of the entry and elements embodied within the entry, in whole or in part, worldwide, in any media including television broadcast and via Internet download, streaming, transmission, exhibition or distribution by any computer-mediated networked communication systems, whether now existing or later invented in perpetuity, without limitation and without consideration or acknowledgment to you, including for advertising/publicity purposes without further permission, notice or compensation, except where prohibited by law. You understand, however, that KQED is not assuming any obligation hereunder to broadcast or distribute any Perspective submitted into the contest.

B. Your entry must be original and you must have all rights necessary to grant KQED permission to use the entry.

By participating in this contest, you warrant that your entry is an original work and that KQED’s use of the entry will not infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party. Just as one example, you must have the permission of any people pictured in your Perspective. Winners and selected entrants and/or their parents may be required to sign a statement confirming this.

C. Promotion and Publicity.

By entering, in addition to granting KQED the right to publicize portions of your entry, you grant to KQED the right to use your name and likeness in advertising and promotion without further compensation or permission.

On any companion website for your Perspective maintained by or on behalf of you, you agree, for the duration of the competition, to place in a prominent manner that the entry is being entered in the “KQED Youth Perspective Competition,” and to tag your work accordingly on YouTube, Flickr and other media sharing sites. Failure to do so may result in your entry being disqualified from the competition. You also agree not to claim or imply for any reason that KQED is a producer or co-producer of your video.

D. Responsibility for Acceptability of Entries.

You are responsible for ensuring your eligible entry is received by the deadline. KQED is not responsible for incomplete entries or technical difficulties of any kind that may prevent you from timely submitting an eligible entry.

E. Agreement to be Bound

By entering, you agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges and these official rules and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as all rules and terms of use posted on KQED.org and the photo or video sharing sites used.

F. Entry and Compliance Disputes

Entries which are mutilated, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, forged, irregular in any way, or otherwise not in compliance with these official rules are void. In the event of a dispute concerning who submitted an entry, the entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized holder of the e-mail account from which the entry is made on the photo or video sharing site used. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person to whom an email address is assigned by an internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

Automated entries of any kind, including but not limited to entries submitted using any bot, script, macro, or contest service, and third party entries are not permitted and will be disqualified.

KQED will validate all entries and will determine, at its sole discretion, whether each Perspective meets the entry criteria detailed herein for acceptance as an entry into the contest.

G. Release from Liability

You agree that KQED and related individuals or entities shall not be liable for losses or injuries of any kind resulting from acceptance of prize(s), participation in the contest, individual, joint or collective technical malfunctions of the telephone network and/or transmission line, computer on-line system, computer dating mechanism, computer equipment, hardware and/or software, or any delay or distortion of an entry resulting from data transmissions that are garbled, incomplete, misdirected, lost, mutilated, delayed, corrupted, mechanically duplicated, illegible or otherwise not in compliance with these official rules. You also agree that KQED is not liable for damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an entrant’s participation in the contest or downloading of information in connection with the contest. KQED reserves the right to modify or cancel the contest in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the contest becomes technically corrupted.

H. Contest Sponsor

Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc., the owner and operator of KQED, is the sponsor of this contest and is referred to throughout these rules as “KQED.” Any reference to KQED includes Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. and all stations owned and operated by it.

For more information:

http://www.kqed.org/radio/programs/perspectives/youthcontest.jsp

The NWF campus team is continuing our outreach to campuses nationwide encouraging schools to enter the Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming competition – entries are due December 31! There are 4 prizes – each $1000 each.

 This year we have added a new category: Green Jobs and Education! Check below for more details and be sure to enter (complete online form and submit video) at www.CampusChillOut.org by December 31.

 Feel free to contact me with any questions,

Thanks,

Kristy

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COMPETE AND WIN TO TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT!
Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming is the nation’s premier competition recognizing colleges and universities for their efforts to reduce global warming pollution. And we’re looking for the best campus-based projects in:

FOUR CATEGORIES:

Campus Actions in Administration, Operations, and Planning

Green Jobs and Education

Cutting Edge Research, Design, and Technology

Students in Action

HOW TO ENTER:
1.  Create a 2 minute video about your initiative
2.  Fill out the entry form at http://www.campuschillout.org/ with info about your project
3.  Upload your video to ·       Grant Money http://www.campuschillout.org/

• Prizes
• National Publicity

Students, faculty and staff are eligible to win!

For contest rules and entry form, go to

NWF’s mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

Kristy Jones – Manager, Campus Climate Education & Action, Campus Ecology
Phone: 703-438-6262  |  Fax: 703-438-6468  |  jonesk@nwf.org
National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA 20190-5362
www.nwf.org

On November 17th the U.S. Department of State launched the 2nd Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest. Enter your original video and you will have a chance to win an all-expense-paid international exchange program from the Department of State!

Together with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, we invite you to address this year’s theme, “Change Your Climate, Change Our World.” Tell us in a video, 2 minutes or less, how you are making your community a better place and contributing to a healthier, safer, cleaner, and more peaceful world for all of us. Check out ExchangesConnect today to view the Secretary’s address and for more details about the Video Contest!

ExchangesConnect, managed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, is an international social network that promotes mutual understanding by highlighting cultures, commonalities, and exchange program experiences. People from all over the world, ages 14 and older, are invited to submit their videos to ExchangesConnect from November 17, 2009 through January 12, 2010. Videos will be voted on by the ExchangesConnect community. A panel of judges, comprised of ECA international exchange program alumni, will review the community’s top rated 40 videos. ECA will then select four winners based on the judges’ rankings. The winners will be announced on March 2, 2010, and each will be eligible to participate in an approximately two-week-long ECA international exchange program.

ECA’s first video contest attracted over 8,400 members from 180 countries, and over 360 contest entries, in the eight weeks it ran. The announcement of the winners received significant online domestic and international press coverage of the initiative and its impact of growth in ECA’s ExchangesConnect social network – now with other 14,250 members! If you haven’t already, check out the winning videos from our first ExchangesConnect contest, “My Culture+Your Culture=?” ___________________________________________________________

If you do submit a video, please also send a copy to CHI!  We would love to feature your video on our website!

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about family, relaxation, football and kicking off the joyous holiday season. But this year, Thanksgiving was even more special for me. Being away at college for a few months has created a deeper appreciation for being with my family and enjoying the comfort and luxuries of my own home again. Here is a short video highlighting how especially thankful I am to be home this Thanksgiving (for the WordPress Thanksgiving 2009 Video Contest):

“Never have I ever felt so thankful to be home now that I’m a college student. This Thanksgiving, just having the family together again is a special enough cause to celebrate. The not-so-glamorous college life makes me cherish the simplicities of home: a good cup of coffee, a fridge full of food, the joy of showering barefoot, our giant TV screen, a warm welcoming from our kitty cats… Yeah, I’m thankful to be home.”

Song: “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire
Programs: Corel Video Pro x2, Sony Vegas 6, Corel Paint Shop Pro x2, Adobe Photoshop 7

Dedicated to Mom & Dad <3

The deadline for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB®) second annual Living on the Ocean Planet video competition is January 25, 2010.  The competition is being hosted in partnership with the Census of Marine Life (CoML), the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).  The goal is to showcase student-developed original videos that educate the general public about marine technology and address the Essential Ocean Literacy Principles. This year the contest will include regional winners as well as a National winner. The winning team from each region will be awarded a top prize by their regional site and will be posted on You Tube as well as on each of the regional NMEA Chapter websites that are serving as a regional video contest host.  The National winner will be invited to attend the 2010 NOSB Finals Competition in St Petersburg, Florida.
You do NOT have to participate in the NOSB competitions to enter this contest.
For more information about the contest and its sponsors, visit online

Sir Richard Branson asks us to show him what it means to be fearless...  and he promises to give some lucky Canadian $5000

National Fearless Day

Branson himself made headlines in the 1990s when he floated around the world in a helium balloon, and more recently he  sailed across the Atlantic in an open boat.  So he’s without question one of the most fearless businessmen on planet Earth.  As such he’s perfectly qualified to judge a video contest that asks Canadians to submit their most fearless video for consideration and a chance to win $5000

Want even more insight into this event?  Check out comedian DJ Demers blog to get a grasp on all he’s doing for the cause…

Greetings MUtizens,

Do you have a gut-wrenching, mind-blowing, unforgettable video? Do you want to share your MU Online Season 4 character that you’re just dying to show how AWESOME you are? Would you like to immortalize yourself by creating THE BEST MU ONLINE SEASON 4 VIDEO? Then submit your entries to the MU Season 4 Video Contest and get a chance to become KNOWN. Not just that, but you also get a chance to win COOL PRIZES like Bone Blades, MU Season 4 t-shirts, Jewels of Bless, Soul and Harmony, EPoints and more!

Requirements: mobiusonline account

Mechanics:

1. Video entries source materials should be in-game shots of MU Philippines Season 4.
2. Length of video mus not exceed 5 minutes.
3. Upload your video on YouTube.
4. Send an email to mupromos@mobius.ph WITH the following information:
   1. subject on the email must be: MU-mercial Entry
   2. link to the video entry on YouTube
   3. character name
   4. server
5. Criteria for judging
   1. Impact – viewer reaction and recall (30%)
   2. Creativity – originality of entry (25%)
   3. Polish – technical execution (20%)
   4. Relevance – success in acting as a commercial and drawing the viewer to try the game (20%)
   5. Viewer’s Choice – number of views (5%)

Prizes:
5 winners

1st Place: 5,000 EPoints + 2x Bone Blade (+0 +skill) + MU Season 4 T-shirt
2nd Place: 4,000 EPoints + Hyon Set (+0 +Luck + 10 Stat)
3rd Place: 3,000 EPoints + Excellent Dark Phoenix Set (+0 +Luck + 2 Excellent Options of Choice)
4th Place: 2,000 EPoints + 120 Jewels of Soul + 120 Jewels of Bless + 10 Jewels of Harmony
5th Place: 1,000 EPoints + 30 Boxes of Kundun +5

Contest Period:

1. submission of entries: October 30 – November 23
2. announcement of winners: November 30
3. awarding of prizes: on or before December 7

San Francisco Ballet invites you to celebrate 65 years of Nutcracker in America by creating your own Nutcracker-inspired video! Simply submit a short, original video that reenacts or re-imagines a magical scene from Nutcracker or depicts a favorite Nutcracker memory, and you’ll be in the running for a chance to win a fabulous prize, including a trip for four to Aspen, CO, a weekend getaway at The Fairmont San Francisco, tickets to SF Ballet performances, and much more!
To watch an informational video featuring SF Ballet dancers and to view full contest details, visit http://www.sfballet.org/contest. Get creative and be sure to enter by November 29!

After a lot of hard work, and focusing exclusively on the Doritos contest (like I assume is happening for a lot of other contesters right now) I’ve got the entry finished, loaded onto the site and ready to share.

Lessons in Love (visit, watch, feel free to leave a nice comment.)

I’m extremely happy about this entry, not least of all because I like how my hair looks. But obviously, the selling point is Dan who did a phenomenal job of having his body slathered with orange and spending the day in a speedo.

I entered last years contest and I think learned a few things, as all of us who entered probably did, about what they are looking for and what would work, and I tried to pick an idea that would fit that. And while I’m not sure exactly what they are looking for, I came up with a list of things they definitely AREN’T looking for.

1) Shitty quality camera. Normally, I’m content to use a regular home video camera and throw something together. But, and this should have been obvious to me since it’s got to air on national TV, it’s got to have the production values. I didn’t get that last time, this time, working with my new found production friends in Hershey, PA, I think we nailed it.

2) Branding. They don’t want it peripherally about the product like a lot of Superbowl commercials (think the bud light commercial where the zebra is playing the referee to the horses playing football), they want the Doritos featured heavily, plenty of screen time, and for it to be mentioned. I think I did that this time.

3) Sound and lighting. Same as number 1. Good mics. Good lights. Didn’t have any lighting options in Antarctica, but these Hershey folks knew what they were doing.

4) They don’t want 30 seconds building up to a single punchline. They want multiple jokes for the millions they are going to spend to air it.

Now on to some conjectures:

I have no idea about the following, but these are some guesses I made about them.

1) They don’t want a video that just features some hot girl showing how hot she is.

2) They want something that stands on it’s idea, with solid production to support it. As opposed to something that stands on it’s special effects or production values. The winning entry from last year wasn’t one of the big crazy budget ones. It was a simple joke, effectively produced.

3) They want afros on white guys. I know this is a stretch, but I’ve been watching a lot of TV. Commercials love big hair on Jewish white guys, but none of them seem to have quite pulled off the full, white guy afro. I’m banking on that being the thing that puts it over the top.

Are you taking climate action on campus? Are you a hard-core grassroots organizer? Chair of the Sustainability Committee? Have you spurred an initiative on your campus that reduces its carbon footprint?

If so, Chill Out is the competition for you! We are looking for campus projects that reduce global warming pollution, including projects in green jobs, students in action, innovative design and campus actions.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Create a 2 minute video about your project
2. Fill out the entry form at http://www.campuschillout.org/ with info about your project
3. Upload your video to http://www.gogreentube.com/

Entries are due by December 31. Winners will receive:
* Grant Money
* Prizes
* National Publicity

Students, faculty and staff are eligible to compete!

For contest rules and entry form, go to
http://www.campuschillout.org/

Die APC40 von Akai Pro ist der perfekte Controller für Ableton Live.  Die Verknüpfung von  APC40 und Ableton Live verwandelt die Performance vom stumpfen Anordnen von Tracks auf den Computerbildschirm in eine flüssigen, musikalisch kreativen Prozess.

Wir von Akai Professional möchten natürlich wissen, wie Du mit der APC40 produzierst und performst. Hiermit rufen wir deshalb den European APC40 Video Contest aus, der vom 01. November 2009 bis 31. Dezember 2009 läuft.
Zeige in einem kurzem Video, wie die APC40 Deinen Workflow verändert hat. Lade das Video auf YouTube und hab die Chance einen von 20 Preisen zu gewinnen. Wir haben eigens eine Akai Pro Youtube Group eingerichtet, auf der Du Deine Videos hochladen kannst.
Gehe auf http://www.youtube.com/group/apc40contest

1. Registrier Dich bei YouTube und werde Mitglied der APC40 Video Contest Group
2. Vergib als Tag Deines Videos „APC40“ und füge es der APC40 Video Contest Group hinzu
3. Jetzt heißt es Daumen drücken – eine Jury aus Top Artists, die auch mit APC40 performen, wie Pascal FEOS, Brombeck, Sebastian Legere und anderen bewertet Deine Einsendung
4. Mit Können und ein bisschen Glück gehörst Du zu den Gewinnern des Contests.

Das Wichtigste sind natürlich – die Preise:

Erster Preis: Dein Wunschprodukt aus unserer Akai Professional Produktlinie
2-20. Preis: Entweder ein Akai Pro LPD8 oder LPK25

I just got back from a two day trip to Harrisburg, PA to film our Doritos entry. I saw the rough draft today and it’s good – not quite there yet, but I think it’s a strong concept with a few good jokes, and it’s really visual.

That said, I’ve also been picking around the Doritos site to see what else is happening with entries. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to take to win this thing, but I have a feeling this isn’t it:

ABCDG’s

That’s something, isn’t it?

The Trevor Project wants to hear your story! Record a video and upload it to http://memelabs.com/thetrevorproject  before November 15, 2009 and you could win a prize! 

Every day, counselors on The Trevor Helpline talk with young people from across the country struggling with issues surrounding sexual orientation, gender identity, family/peer rejection and feelings of hopelessness. But for every youth in crisis, there are many more who have found acceptance from a friend, teacher or loved one. If you’ve ever been harassed, bullied or singled out for being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) young person, what support have you found? How did the people in your life react when you came out to them? While our experiences may differ, we can draw strength by sharing and listening to each other’s stories.    

We invite you to create a short video telling the world about your experiences as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning youth within your family, school, and/or communities.

This can include, but is not limited to coming out stories, a “dear diary” personal reflection, a difficult time in your life and how you overcame it, how you helped a friend who was suicidal, a testimonial for an organization, group or person who supported you (i.e. youth group, gay-straight alliance, teacher, friend, etc.) and/or advocacy work you have done within the LGBTQ community.

Videos can be submitted through November 15, 2009. The grand prize is a digital camcorder and your video premiered at The Trevor Project’s largest annual event on December 6 in Los Angeles. Four runner-ups will receive digital cameras.

Please read all the rules and regulations at http://memelabs.com/thetrevorproject.

9/11 Panel Suspected Deception by Pentagon

Allegations Brought to Inspectors General

Some staff members and commissioners of the Sept. 11 panel concluded that the Pentagon’s initial story of how it reacted to the 2001 terrorist attacks may have been part of a deliberate effort to mislead the commission and the public rather than a reflection of the fog of events on that day, according to sources involved in the debate.

$50, 000, 000

Wow, if  I won $50 million I would buy homes, cars, eat at every restaurant I wanted!  I would go to Disney Land… in Japan!  The big question is… would I tell people.  What would you do?

Lotto Max is having a contest right now, It’s called the Live Your Dreams video contest.

details:

The video contest is on now until October 23rd.  Anyone and everyone in BC is invited to film a video about what they’d do with $50 million dollars, and submit it to the contest page at www.lottomaxcontest.com. A quick note: no content including children under the age of 19 is permitted.

Introducing LOTTO MAX, a new national lottery with jackpots that grow to $50 million dollars. In BC, LOTTO MAX and partners Global TV and Transat Holidays, want to rally your imagination with a video contest, offering the lucky winner and 7 friends an all-inclusive trip to Jamaica for a week. Yeah!

* Grand Prize: Trip for 8, 1 week all inclusive at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa Imperial Club 4 1/2 Star in Montego Bay, Jamaica. * Secondary Prize: Trip for 2, 1 week all inclusive at the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort & Spa Imperial Club 4 1/2 star in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Louis of Marine Automation at IBEX09

Good Morning from the IBEX show in Miami, FL. If you haven’t come by to our booth at #2759, please do, we’ll be giving demonstrations of our new Krill Gen3 SoftDisplay. The place has been surprisingly steady with consultants and naval architects coming by.  With all kinks from our display booth (we had the wrong size light bulb!) we have been demonstrating our powerful database capability. We have been monitoring + controlling simulated ER (engine room) fan and lights using the NMEA 2000 protocol.

Louis demonstrating the powerful ER fan controlled by the Gen3 SoftDisplay!

We would like to thank Krill FL distributor, Louis Graham, owner of Marine Automation for his role in helping Krill at all Florida boat shows. Don’t let the sparse website fool you, he’s very technical and experienced with vessel systems. The picture above is Louis giving a demonstration this morning. He has been pretty busy these few days at the show ( he installed this Nordhavn yacht monitoring system as well as assisted with Johnson Marine electronics installation of this Hargrave 80‘. (Just don’t get him talking about soccer~). Louis is also a dealer for Mastervolt.

This morning at the IBEX breakfast, president Thom Dammrich of the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturing Association) gave us his ‘heads-up’ forecast as the marine industry is showing positive signs of recovery. It’s no secret that our industry has been struggling for the past 12-18 months, with several businesses closing or reducing size.

In today’s blog in TradeOnlyToday.com Beth Rosenberg writes about the reasons why Dammrich believes we’ll be seeing a turn around:

• NMMA’s marketing efforts for Discover Boating website is seeing positive effects. This site is terrific, it serves to educate the general public about the boating lifestyle and how much fun it is to be out playing in the water. Please do share this with your friends and associates. Something I especially enjoyed was their video contest which received over 400 entries! Let’s hope they do that again.
• Consumer confidence parallels boat sales, so expect an uptick
• RV growth is rising and housing markets are beginning to show signs of bottoming out.

Transit Now Nashville, a local group whose mission is to raise awareness of the benefits of regional mass transit options for the people living in the Nashville area, is seeking submissions for a video contest that aim to motivate people to use and/or support mass transit in Nashville.

Cash prizes will be awarded including $500 for first place and $250 for the winner of the People’s Choice category. The winning video and runners up will also be screened at Transit Now Nashville’s Red Carpet event to be held in mid-November 2009. The videos will be used  by Transit Now Nashville to continue to promote mass transit in Nashville.

The contest is in full swing and the deadline for entries is November 7, so get out there and start filming! Official contest rules and more details are available on the Transit Now Nashville Blog.

I hosted a contest and I didn’t even get enough entries to give out all three prizes, but that’s okay. I gave out the two real prizes. I picked the Indian guy first prize, and the lady second. You might wonder if that is biased because I wrote all the jokes for the Indian dude. It is not. Objectively, that video is the funnier of the two, though I enjoyed both efforts. Judge for yourself.

Either way, I am happy with both entries and appreciate them taking the time to enter. I will come up with a better idea for my next contest to increase participant turnout.

Winning Video:

Runner Up:

Congratulations to all our iTunes gift card winners.

Now vote for me on this contest -

www.ommcontest.com/vote/

Tourism Vancouver just launched a new online video contest where aspiring Spielbergs can show off their city and their talent, and win not only the respect of their peers, the promotional benefit of their work splashed all over Tourism Vancouver’s marketing channels, but also Olympic tickets.

Just make a 1-2 minute video showcasing what you think is so great about Vancouver and you could win. Click here for full details.

As you may know, the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts is hosting a video contest for it’s freshman students. The idea is for students to make a video depicting what it really means to be a freshman at the college. I had hoped to make a video of my own, but ended up being too swamped with work for my classes and various other activities, so I won’t be entering.

Since I was disappointed with myself in that, I decided to make time to attend the awards ceremony for the contest. It’s on Tuesday night (October 6) at 9 p.m. in Rm. 104 College Hall.

I think it will be a fun chance to see what everyone put together. Those who place in the top of the rankings will receive prizes like gift cards or even a new video camera.

I would definitely recommend attending. I’m sure the videos will be entertaining, and if that’s not enough to persuade you, I hear there will also be free pizza!!

See you there!

-Erica

Skier vs. snowboarder hate is something best left to Disney movies, and the dudes over at Knife Show Inc prove that there’s some good stuff coming out of the sideways camp. They’ve added a forum to their site that is largely dedicated to providing advice on After Effects and other video related software and technology. I really like the idea of a film group making a forum intended to help people learn and improve on their art form.

In addition to dishing out advice, they’re holding video contests in the forums. They seem pretty informal, but it’s a hell of an opportunity to get your edit exposed to a different audience than it might if you simply put it on NS. Their last contest was based solely on editing and they specifically said that quality of riding doesn’t matter. I like that because the next great ski or snowboard filmer probably isn’t the sickest rider on the hill and he/she doesn’t need to be either.

We’re planning on bringing some edits to BroBomb once winter starts rolling, so I’m sure we’ll be taking advantage of some Knife Show advice.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with their work, this is my personal favorite:

Randi and Joel with Singapore Skyline

Originally uploaded by happyjoelmoss

First the bad news:
After weeks of bothering everyone we know, and my first ever sincere attempt at a nice, loving video – I found out today that we lost the “Invest in Your Love” contest to win a trip to Tahiti.

Now the good news:
I haven’t said where I was for the past few days because I didn’t want it to ruin our chances at winning Tahiti – but right now Randi and I are on an all-expense paid trip thru Singapore thanks to the video I made for the F1 race! Makes it a lot easier to take the bad news when you hear it halfway around the world in an incredible new city!

More on the Good – this trip has been incredible. I’ve never been to a formula 1 race before, and it is very loud. Also, this city is clean as hell, the tourist board put us up in an awesome hotel, is feeding us like royalty, and packing our short trip here with TONS of stuff (more pictures to follow in a few days when I’m back in the states to upload them.)

It is illegal to not flush the toilet in a public bathroom here which is tough for me because I’m all “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” environmentalist, but I’m happy to oblige. I’m also trying to read as much as possible about Singapore while I’m here to study up for Jeopardy try-outs this fall. Hope it helps!

Oh, and apparently chewing gum isn’t TOTALLY illegal. You just have to have a doctor’s prescription!

More on the bad – just got the email this morning, and they were very sweet in saying they liked the video and the work I put into getting votes, but it wasn’t the judges favorite. Since there are still future rounds to enter, I think I’m going to make another video that goes back to my normal style – singing, goofy, fun instead of serious, and see if that increases my chances next time around.

I was just telling Randi – normally, when a contest is over and you lose, that’s it. Last chance. I’m really excited that for the Tahiti contest, I can try again, make another video, and use it as a chance to improve and learn, and hopefully earn another awesome trip!