I've just returned from Washington DC, where we attended Politics Magazine's Reed Awards. TruthandHope.Org took top honors, by winning Best Presidential Ad of 2008, as well as Best Independent Expenditure Ad of 2008 for it's work with Lee Hirsch's Local Voices & the Ad: Darrell Hanschen on Race.
Here's the award winning ad:
We're very honored to have beaten out some of the biggest names in the industry. This proves beyond doubt that the grassroots can operate not only at, but above the level of the major media companies, because we're open to innovative ideas & in touch with what people are truly thinking and saying.
An impressive list of judges chose our work as best of over 900 submissions including Morton Blackwell, Tucker Carlson, Tom Davis, Monica Dixon, Ben Dworkin, Vic Fazio, Martin Frost, Julie Germany, Shane Greer, Ken Khachigian, Mike Hennessy, Ron Klain, Mike Krempasky, Kevin Madden, Mark, McKinnon, Dick Morris, Terry Nelson, Christie Pelosi, Amy Pritchard, Larry Sabato, Ron Silver, Jamal Simmons, Michael Steele, George Stephanopolous, Robert Traynham, Joe Trippi, Suzanne Turner, Vaughn Ververs, Amy Walter, Christine Todd Whitman, and Reid Wilson.
Major thanks goes to the creative director of the Local Voices campaign, Lee Hirsch, as well as directors John Allen & Alicia Dwyer. Also John Addis (cartwrightdale) for our first ad of this cycle "Judgment" and the TruthandHope.Org website. Also to the members of this community for the great support we enjoyed which helped to make this possible, including more than just financial: The first ad came from a community member, and it was members of this community who alerted me to the exitence of the YouTube piece which became our second ad "Thank John McCain."
And of course, humble thanks to Darrell Hanschen & all those who courageously stood up for Obama in the Local Voices campaign. Remember that most of the participants lived in highly "red" areas, and some had to endure a fallout in their local communities for being willing to go public with their support for President Obama.
TruthandHope.Org remains committed to giving the grassroots a real voice & access to the process. Not only did we facilitate taking YouTube pieces & transforming them into television ads, as well as providing the platform for Lee Hirsch's Local Voices campaign, but also we lent our name to other groups like the Mamas for Obama & Dan Tilson's Elders for Obama so they could have the opportunity to have their work on the air without the cost & encumbrance of forming a legal entity to do so. Additionally we helped groups which were never promoted here, some as small as a group of volunteers who had $1,000 to air radio spots in Montana. This is the kind of access we intend to keep providing, along with our original content in order to continue to work for change in America.
This window of opportunity due to the recognition is exciting, but also brings a new set of costs as we grow to meet it. I know the economy continues to worsen, and many are tapped due to so much generous support being given to our group, the Obama campaign & others, but if you are able to assist us, it will be of great help at this time. Please contribute at our ActBlue page so we can continue to fund this great and important work for the causes & campaigns to come.
Thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder/Chair
TruthandHope.Org