On twitter, #TYC is the new acronym being tweeted everywhere. It took me a while to realize it's an acronym for The Youngest Candidate. It's the first of its kind, this film premiere tweet-up thing.
Jason Pollock, the director for The Youngest Candidate, used twitter to market and mobilize his 50,000 twitter followers to come watch his film or in the least, the live streaming of his reception and red carpet for the LA film festival premiere.
Could social media really be a way to promote a film? Would people watch the live stream?
I shot the footage above and found it on Causecast's site as a place holder of where the actual live streaming was viewed. As I was filming it, I could see messages of the people watching the live streaming pop up on the little camera screen. It was an unexpectedly intimate experience to know that people were watching what you were filming and reacting to it as it was happening.
We don't know the results yet for how many people tuned in to the live stream but one thing is for sure. If this works, this will forever change the landscape for film marketing.
Jason Pollock is also a Causecast leader. Tonight I had the opportunity to help with the live streaming of The Youngest Candidate, a film he worked on for 3.5 years. He's articulate, funny, intelligent, inspiring, and...young. It was awesome to see the "big guys" in politics and entertainment make way for this guy to shine. According to new Jason Pollock converts, it was his tenacity and perserverance that got him into their doors and into their hearts. That is one take-away message I got from filming Jason and watching his film. Where would people be without failing? If you're not prepared to fail, you're not prepared to succeed.
I have a younger brother who is in law school right now and an even younger brother who brings home trophies from his debate competitions. If they saw this film, I know it would jolt them into realizing their political pursuits. One of the greatest misconceptions these days is that the youth are not doing anything or that they are apathetic. I disagree with this notion because I see how passionate teens get about the issues that affect them. In terms of politics, what would it take to get this topic to be a lunchroom discussion? In my opinion, to make it cool.
Cool to know that you can make a difference, cool to know that you can run for political office at the age of 18, cool to know that you have most of your teens to prepare for your first election, cool to know that you can prove to the world that your voice matters.
I hope you can watch this film. Oh yeah, and I don't get paid to say these things. Just in case you were wondering.
The Youngest Candidate
Synopsis:
The Youngest Candidate follows four electoral candidates on their campaign trails. There is Tiffany Tupper, an 18-year-old School Board Candidate from Pennsylvania. Raul De Jesus grew up in gangland and at 20 is a mayoral candidate in Hartford, Connecticut. Down the coast, Ytit Chauhan, a 19 year old that bounced around the country with his single mother, is running as a City Council Candidate in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Lastly, George Monger, raised in Memphis, Tennessee, campaigns as a City Council Candidate in his home town of 18 years. Not yet old enough to rent a car, the four candidates face social and racial barriers that coldly remind the audience how far our society has to come. Watch the Trailer here!
The premiere took place on June 25th at 7 p.m. at the historic Majestic Crest Theater in Los Angeles, California.
for full blog with pictures and video, click here: http://wherethelinesblur.blogspot.com/2009/06/youngest-candidate.html
Related causes: Arts, Community, Youth
Tags: the youngest candidate, premiere, los angeles film festival
