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FIRST-EVER WEBBY FILM AND VIDEO AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED;
INAUGURAL SHOW PART OF 11TH ANNUAL WEBBY AWARD CELEBRATION
“The Office Webisodes” and “Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments” Among Winners;
Ninja of “Ask a Ninja” and Jessica Lee Rose of “lonelygirl15” Named Best Actor and Actress
New York, NY (May 1, 2007) – The winners of the inaugural Webby Film and Video Awards, the first major awards to honor original film and video premiering on the Internet, were announced today with victors ranging from Hollywood heavy hitters like NBC’s “The Office Webisodes” to Eepybird.com’s pop phenomenon “The Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments.”
Organizers also announced the recipients of two Special Achievement Awards for Acting: “Ninja,” the star of the breakout online comedy series “Ask a Ninja,” was named Best Actor, while Jessica Lee Rose, who became an overnight sensation as the enigmatic star of the acclaimed fictional video diary “lonelygirl15,” was named Best Actress.
In addition, over 400,000 votes were cast by people around the world for their favorite sites, videos, and ads in The Webby People’s Voice Awards presented by Verizon. A full list of both Webby Film and Video Awards and People’s Voice Awards winners can be found at www.webbyawards.com.
Hailed as the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times, The 11th Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring Web sites, online film and video, interactive advertising, and mobile content. The judging panel for The Webby Film and Video Awards is comprised of more than 80 entertainment industry leaders, including The Sundance Channel’s Larry Aidem, Showtime chief Matt Blank, 20th Century Fox Chairman Jim Gianopoulos, and Harvey Weinstein.
The winners will be honored at a star-studded Awards ceremony on June 4th in New York City. Hosted by comedian Rob Corddry (“The Winner”, “The Daily Show”), the ceremony will showcase winners delivering the Webbys’ famous five-word speeches, and can’t-miss Webby surprises.
“The winners will go down in history as the first stars in a medium that has already radically altered the media and entertainment landscape,” said David Michel-Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “From major networks to independent filmmakers, the diversity of the winners also reflects the Internet’s democratic roots, as well as its star-making power.”
Highlights of the 1st Annual Webby Film and Video Awards include:
- Achieving both critical and popular consensus, three films and videos won both Webby Awards and Webby People’s Voice Awards: NBC’s “The Office Webisodes” (Comedy – Short), Eepybird.com’s “Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments” (Viral) and National Geographic Digital Media’s “Atmosphere 2006” (Experimental).
- Winners produced by major networks and media companies include: Comedy Central’s “Honesty”(Comedy – Long Form), National Geographic Digital Media’s “Atmosphere 2006” (Experimental), Sundance Institute’s “Live@Sundance” (Events and Live Broadcasts) and Yahoo! News’ “Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone” (News/Documentary/Public Service).
- Winners created by independent filmmakers include: Cool Hunting’s “Cool Hunting Video” (Music/Variety), Curious Pictures’ “Battle of the Album Covers” (Animation), Hillman Curtis’ “Films on Film: Spinal Tap” (Drama) and Terra’s “The Nature of Our World: Video Podcast” (Student).
In addition to winning a Webby, nominees and winners of The Webby Film and Video Awards will become part of The Museum of Moving Image’s collection of over 125,000 moving image-related artifacts. The Museum of the Moving Image (www.movingimage.us) maintains the nation’s largest and most comprehensive collection of moving image-related artifacts.
For information on winners in other Webby Awards categories, including Web sites, interactive advertising, and mobile content, visit http://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-release.php?id=130.
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Web sites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; Verizon; AOL Video; dotMobi; The Barbarian Group; CondéNast|CondéNet; Level3; Adweek; Fortune; Reuters; Variety; Wired; IDG: Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.
OSCAR® is a federally registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Webby Awards and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are in no way affiliated with or sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or OSCAR®.
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