LOS ANGELES, CA – Sí TV, the first multimedia company combining community and content to inspire, empower, and entertain young English-speaking Latinos, today launched a joint venture with nonpartisan voter registration organization Voto Latino, to further engage young Latinos in the Presidential election process. «Crash the Parties» kicks off with a nationwide search for two young Latinos to cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions as reporters for Sí TV. Hopefuls can enter through May 6 at www.crashtheparties08.com, or at live events taking place in Chicago, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Jose.
«In this Presidential election, interest in the young Latino vote is higher than ever, and we want to bring the community’s voices to the forefront,» said Michael Schwimmer, Sí TV’s CEO. «We are excited to work with Voto Latino, and provide young Latinos the opportunity to represent their community directly from the Conventions, with professional press training, VIP access, and candidate interviews.»
Contestants upload their videos at www.crashtheparties08.com, discussing why they should represent young Latinos at the conventions. The videos will also be viewable on V CAST from Verizon Wireless. Public voting begins on May 7, and a panel of judges, including actress and Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson, former U.S. Representative from Texas Henry Bonilla, the Latino Democratic Institution’s Ramona Martinez, CNN’s Rick Sanchez, YouTube’s Steve Grove, Craigslist’s Craig Newmark, and MySpace’s Lee Brennan, will evaluate the top five candidates from each of the party submissions to select the winners. Rosario Dawson and actor Nicholas Gonzalez have recorded public service announcements to help promote the project.
«This isn’t just an honor for me — it’s a responsibility.» Sanchez said. «I owe my own career to broadcast journalism professionals who mentored me, so I really feel privileged to be given this opportunity to help others, in much the same way as I was helped.»
Sanchez will also mentor the young reporters, providing media tips and expert advice on interviewing the party nominees and others. They will report from the Conventions, live and online, offering their perspectives on the candidates, election, and issues. The winners will be announced at a press conference in Washington, DC in July hosted by Sí TV and Voto Latino.
«Most American Latino youth consume their information in English and of the 18 million eligible Latino voters 31% are under 30. Partnering with Sí TV is a no brainer,» said Maria Teresa Petersen, founding executive director of Voto Latino. «Crash the Parties is yet another example of Sí TV providing culturally relevant English language programming to Voto Latino’s target demographic. We’re thrilled to be working with Sí TV.»
