http://www.beet.tv/2009/01/aspiring-video-documentarians-get-2-million-views-on-youtube-and-cash.html
WASHINGTON, D.C. On Sunday night at American University, YouTube recognized the five finalists and winner in the Project Report competition, a new journalism award for short video documentaries. Co-sponsored by the Pulitzer Center, the assignment was for "non-professional" video journalists to report on underreported communities.
I had a chance on Monday to speak with the winner Arturo Perez Jr, an aspiring filmmaker from San Francisco, and two finalists Sara Peach and Eileen Mignoni, both journalism students from the University of North Carolina. Perez won the $10,000 commission for a new film.
We are told that the submissions for the awards garnered more than 2 million views on YouTube. For reporting in the public interest and for the careers of these aspiring young video documentarians, this is a big deal. Congrats to all the filmmakers and to YouTube's Steve Grove and Olivia Ma for making this happen.
Here are some thoughts on the the prize and the work of winner Perez by Liz Shannon Miller over at NewTeeVee.
-- Andy Plesser, Executive Producer