Calling all Filmmakers!

The City of Austin wants to see what inspires you!

If you read this blog you know there’s just something about Austin that fuels creativity. From the music in the air, to the people on the street, to the landscape that surrounds us – inspiration is everywhere. Since 2005, Faces of Austin has showcased short films by local filmmakers, reflecting the diverse faces, voices, and experiences of our city. The City of Austin now invites all Austin-area filmmakers to submit their work to Faces of Austin 2013. The films selected for Faces of Austin 2013 will have a premiere screening during the SXSW Film Conference Community Screenings in March 2013. The films will be shown at Austin City Hall, on Channel 6, on the City website, and at special screenings throughout the year. And as an added bonus this year, local film luminary Elizabeth Avellán (Producer-Spy Kids, Sin City, Machete) will select one film as the Judge’s Choice!

Be sure to hurry and submit your work. Deadline is January 15th. That’s tomm, kids!

Submission is free.

Visit www.austintexas.gov/department/faces-austin for more information and application materials.

KUT: How They Can Help You

Taken from a great post on Lights. Camera. Help.

KUT FM is committed to the Austin community and one of the things we strive to excel at is connecting the Austin community with issues that require their attention. We serve as an ongoing promotional channel for local non-profits in a number of key ways and provide these services for FREE. Is your non-profit looking for a way to get your message out to the community? There are several ways KUT can help!

1.      Submit a PSA-
KUT 90.5 rotates PSAs on a daily basis. We read the PSAs of anywhere from 4 to 7 different organizations, multiple times a day on air.  To submit your PSA for consideration, please send an email to psa@kut.org. All submitted PSAs are considered for possible airtime, provided they originate from and/or benefit a non-profit organization. PSAs are free announcements. Please understand that we receive a high volume of requests and do our best to accommodate a wide variety of local organizations and that we cannot air Public Service Announcements for religious services or partisan political rallies. We do not accept pre-recorded PSA’s. Submit the important information and we will write the PSA so it effectively reaches our audience. Our PSA manager handles all these requests and works hard to ensure that your PSA is effective and contains the most relevant information. Some tips for PSA submissions: Your PSA should be submitted in a timely manner, at least 2 weeks before the event you wish to publicize. Submitting early is a great way to increase your organization’s chance of airtime. If your PSA is chosen, it will be read live by our on-air host several times a day and generally for several days before your event.

2.      Community Calendar- The KUT Calendar is a great (and free) option for those of you who’d like to get the word out online. Submit your event here: http://events.publicbroadcasting.net/kut/events.eventsmain?action=submitEvent. All events will be approved and published on our website within two business days.

3.      Get Involved: KUT partners with I Live Here I Give Here to select a local non-profit each month to feature and spotlight in the Get Involved campaign-featured on air on 90.5 and online at kut.org (http://kut.org/get_involved) . All features are produced in-house by KUT producer Mike Lee and spotlight volunteer opportunities along with organizational information, donation/wish list information and interviews with representatives of the selected organization and the constituents it serves. For more than five years our Get Involved campaign has been featuring community organizations where volunteers are making a positive difference in the daily life of Central Texans. We look for organizations where volunteers help make life better for those in need in our community and we use the Get Involved feature to help recruit committed volunteers for organizations in need.

4.      Volunteer announcements: KUT also rotates through a list of community volunteer opportunities on air. We update these opportunities on a frequent basis. For more informaiton, please email psa@kut.org.

5.       Special features: We also, at our discretion, feature small local arts organizations that are classified as non-profits on our Arts Eclectic series. Previous features have included LCH along with the community arts organization The Church of the Friendly Ghost.

The future: KUT is looking to expand our role as a catalyst for community change via the redesign of kut.org. We have several initiatives in the works and will be soliciting community feedback on how to best serve local non-profits through new media outreach and beyond. If you would like to be a part of this feedback, please start by taking a preliminary survey. If you are chosen for a second round of surveys, your feedback (which we cannot emphasis enough as being so greatly appreciated!) will be rewarded with a gift. Please take the kut.org survey here: http://bit.ly/kutsurvey

Maggie’s Hope says “Hello Austin!”

Check out the newest nonprofit here in town. This is a huge way to make a splash and I am interested to see how it works out!

Check out the DELL FOX 7 FIT WEEKEND presented by FOX 7, StepsTo.com will be held July 23-24th at Lakeway Rough Hollow and the Lakeway World of Tennis. The event will have a “Lakeside Gala” featuring live music by award winning Rick Trevino and silent auction at the beautiful Rough Hollow Grille starting at 6pm on July 23rd. Then on July 24^th, from 9:00am-1:00pm, the entire family can participate in numerous fitness events in and around Rough Hollow and World of Tennis including a RunTex 2 mile fun run, RunTex 10k, Stand up Paddle, USTA Tennis Play Day and much more.  In addition, several of Austin’s fitness and health experts will be on site to provide information, demonstrations and screenings that can help make you and your family Dell FOX 7 Fit! Visit www.myFOXaustin.com for all details and to register.

At 1:00pm on July 24^th, fans can enjoy World Class tennis at Lakeway World of Tennis featuring Melanie Oudin and Sloane Stephens. Oudin, at the age of 17, became America’s sweetheart of tennis with her improbable run to the quarterfinals of the 2009 US Open, where she defeated top ranked players including Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Nadia Petrova. Oudin became the youngest American tennis player to play in the quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999. She was named the WTA 2009 Newcomer of the Year, and has led the US 2010 Fed Cup team to the world championship final to be held in November of this year.

Sloane Stephens turned professional in 2009 after an outstanding junior career including reaching the semifinals at the 2009 French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2009. Most recently she was also named to the US Fed Cup team. At the 2010 BNP Paribas she defeated Lucie Hradecka and then lost in a closely contested match against the defending champion, world number 12th ranked, Vera Zvonareva 6–4, 7–5.

Maggie’s Hope is a non-profit organization founded by FOX 7 News anchor Loriana Hernandez designed to help autistic kids like Maggie and their families through funding for out-of-the-box treatments, gluten free/casein free foods, school advocates and other therapies not covered by insurance. “This is a dream come true.  Since the day my 5 year old niece Maggie was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I have been on a mission to help her and the thousands of other kids get on the road to recovery,” says Ms. Hernandez.  She adds, “Seeing the emotional and financial impact firsthand, I can no longer sit back and watch this disorder rip families apart as it nears an epidemic.  I feel it’s time I step up and use the public platform I’m so blessed to have and make a difference.”

The Dell FOX 7 Fit Weekend is proudly supported by Dell, the United States Tennis Association, KTBC FOX 7, Run Tex, StepsTo.com, Wilson, Jack & Adams Bicycles and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Nation’s First Cause-Driven Film Festival Now Open to Submissions

Hey Readers! It’s that time of year again. Help us spread the word! Lights. Camera. Help., the premier film festival exclusively for nonprofits and cause advocates, has officially opened its doors for 2010 entries!

In its second year, the festival celebrates cause-driven films and their messages.

No other film festival brings together filmmakers and nonprofits to share their stories and promote their causes. Last year’s festival brought in over 140 submissions of documentaries, PSAs and short films focusing on cause-driven issues.

“We really want to foster the growth of this industry and offer a place where people looking to use their talents for good can collaborate,” said David J. Neff, creator and co-founder of the organization.

Submissions will be open until June 30 and the submission form can be downloaded at the Lights. Camera. Help. Web site. The festival will be held July 29-August 1 in Austin, Texas.

On March 27, Lights. Camera. Help. commemorated the opening for the call for entries by hosting their Reel-to-Reality party. Bringing together the filmmaking and nonprofit community to support cause-driven films, guests got to preview films by such organizations as Southwest Key, Consumers Union and the Scottish Rite Learning Center. Filmmakers behind the submissions discussed the creative process while members of the different nonprofits explained how cause-driven films have aided their missions.

“We believe that film and video are the best way for nonprofits and other cause-driven organizations to share their stories with the world,” said Rich Vázquez, Lights. Camera. Help. co-founder. “That’s the whole reason behind the film festival and, ultimately, the nonprofit organization overall.”

In July, Lights. Camera. Help. will judge the submissions based on the cinematic quality and the ability to tell the nonprofit’s story, among other factors. The winning films are then awarded the proceeds from the festival’s ticket sales.