The online architect of Howard Dean’s legendary presidential campaign – political strategist and consultant Joe Trippi, and the online architect of MySpace’s political and social engagement, Lee Brenner, have joined the Advisory ThinkTank of Film Your Issue.

Daylife posted the illustrious roster of United Nations luminaries which joined Film Your Issue for the 2008 launch. Film Your Issue president HeathCliff is flanked by MTV president Christina Norman; Under-Secretary-General DPI Kiyo Akasaka; Messengers of Peace program Yvonne Acosta and U.N DPI Eric Felt attended the kick-off of Film Your Issue 2008.

One of the great things about making a smart, issue driven short film is the exposure and buzz that your piece gets around the web. We stumbled upon Yellob and found many of Film Your Issues past entries and winners displayed there. By entering your film in the competition you are also reaching much larger communities of people who will be looking at your film well past the competitions deadline. If you are wondering how to immortalize your work on the web whilst simultaneously making a change in the outcome of the future, than Film Your Issue is the way to go.

Our biggest ad yet, in 2008: a quarter page in the first section of USA TODAY, America’s biggest circulation daily newspaper! Our thanks and kudos to USA TODAY for helping propel Film Your Issue’s mission into the national spectrum.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. HRC advocates for equal rights and benefits in the workplace, ensuring families are treated equally under the law and increasing public support among all Americans through innovative advocacy, education and outreach programs. Film Your Issue is proud for HRC to be among its formidable “cause” partners for 2008, and we welcome inspiring film entries on this important issue. Two years ago, we received an unprecedented number of gay, lesbian and transgender-themed films. “It’s the Buzz,” by filmmaker Brian Gonzales, was a FYI 2006 winner, and singled out by FYI VIP Judge George Clooney, who called Brian “a real filmmaker!”

TodayThe Oregonian ran an article about the power of young people driving and changing the outcome of the public dialogue. The Film Your Issue 2008 competition led the story. As Oregonian News Editor Renee Mitchell reported,

“Recently, I stumbled upon a really cool online opportunity for a new generation of grass-roots filmmakers to highlight their membership in the global community.”

We agree and that’s the reason this competition exists. The power of youth movements have helped sway elections, change foreign policy, and overturn callous regimes. It is empowering to know that by picking up a camera and making a piece of socially conscious art, that your progressive ideas and opinions will reach a large audience: changing the way they think, vote, react, and ultimately live.

We are proud to have been featured in The Oregonian, a major American newspaper – but more importantly we want you to actively be part of this monumental part of your life. Start making your film today and let people know what your issue is!

Our friends at USA TODAY have launched a $400,000 print ad campaign to promote this unprecedented initiative to its million-plus readership. The reach of USA TODAY all across America fits in exactly with our vision to get perspective from all corner – rural Tennessee to Brooklyn. We urge young conscientious filmmakers – and those who have never picked up a camera – to take advantage of this exposure. So get out there and shoot your movie, upload it, and reach people with your message.

AOL True Stories is one of the smartest, most dynamic websites devoted to compelling relevant non-fiction film.

We are jazzed and proud to be partnered with them. FYI 2008 is announced on their homepage, and AOL True Stories will also feature winners from the 2008 round on its homepage. .

Kudos to AOL True Stories’ Andrew Mer for his artist eye and astute ‘net acumen – and dedication to the genre.

Check it out.

The Humane Society of The United States has been America’s voice of conscience against cruelty towards animals for the last 54 years. The HSUS, and ACE (Animal Content in Entertainment), a program of The HSUS Hollywood Office, invite you to use your talent to create an FYI issue that will change the lives of animals.

We at FYI 2008 think it’s powerful that HSUS has included us as part of their current campaigns to help raise awareness of cruel, unethical practices towards animals – including the targeting of egregious hunting practices” and working towards the end of killing animals for their fur. Through its Washington, D.C. and Hollywood offices, its mailings and website, HSUS is spreading the word about Film Your Issue 2008 to its multi-million membership.

Visit the Humane Society today and learn how you can become a voice for our voiceless friends.

We have been partners with ASCAP for the past 3 years, and for the second year, they’ve been innovative in expanding the reach of Film Your Issue to their vast membership.

They select 5 entries, strip out the music (with the approval of the filmmakers!), and post them as a sub-competition during the same timeframe as the main FYI competition, exclusively for ASCAP members.

They invite their members to add a new score to the films, and they pick three versions of musical scoring, and present the five films with 3 different scores each, at an industry panel at ASCAP EXPO in Los Angeles.

The ASCAP mogul responsible for the inspired brainwave is Shawn LeMone, Assistant VP, Film & Television/New Media & Technology, from ASCAP’s Hollywood office.

Director Penelope Spheeris (“Wayne’s World,” “Suburbia”) will again join the panel of industry experts who discuss the various scores and the films, and how music can impact the mood and tone of a film.

The films presented this year are submissions from the past two years that we all liked, not necessarily just the winners – “Art Slap” by Guillermina Gomez Saavedra, “Orphans in Africa” by Tim Leaton, “R-TV” by Simao Luz, “Add a Friend” by Mark Brystowski, and “Love” by Art Perez.

We are everywhere on the web—or at least all of the places that we feel are doing amazing things, and share the same vision as we do.

Dangerously Irrelevant is the weblog of Iowa State University Professor Scott McLeod.

In the state towards the left of Illinois, the students and instructors who make up the Documentary Project , a Student Organization at Illinois State University, is encouraging people to participate in the competition.

Over at IFP (Independent Feature Project) who have been supporting independent film making before it was cool (29 years!) is getting the word out.

The Western New York Writing Project. has also been helping out.

Check out all of these websites today, they are all doing some great, progressive things.

We want to thank all of these organizations for their work in helping us get the word out about Film Your Issue. We are moving on, getting closer to deadlines, and enjoying all of the great people we are meeting. Thanks!