Say What?!?!? … ISIS, Inc. Launches Contest with Funny Or Die, MTV and SayNow
Digital Contest Encourages Teens to Share Best, Worst Advice on Sex; Winning Video to Debut at Third Annual Sex::Tech Conference in San Francisco
Oakland, CA (PRWEB) January 20, 2010
Be safe. Don’t do it. Be responsible. Wait. What’s the best advice teens have received from an adult about sex? You may not believe it, but even in today’s technologically advanced society, many adults are using urban legends and tall tales to teach youth about sex. But is it working? Are adults arming youth with information that’s wise or just plain ol’ wacky? ISIS, Inc. (http://www. isis-inc. org/) is planning to find out through Say What?!?!?! (http://www. saywhatcontest. org/), a new digital contest with Funny Or Die (http://www. funnyordie. com/), MTV (http://www. mtv. com/) and SayNow (http://www. saynow. com/) that will give youth the chance to share best and worst advice adults have given them about sex.
The contest will run January 20th through February 12th, 2010, and give one lucky winner a chance to win a trip to the Funny Or Die Studios in Los Angeles to film a walk-on part in a sex education video. The winning video will then premiere at ISIS’ annual Sex::Tech Conference (http://www. sextech. org/index. php) on February 26th, 2010, in San Francisco.
The contest was created after new insights revealed youth's preference for receiving sex education information from a trusted adult. Parents (93%) agree, but prefer that the teachers do the work in the classroom rather than a family discussion over the dinner table. Either way, we had to ask: "Just what are adults telling youth about sex? Is the advice accurate, relevant and current?"
"We suspect adults are just as embarrassed as youth are about their emerging sexuality and that the advice adults dole out may be slightly off the mark,” said Deb Levine, Executive Director and Founder, ISIS, Inc. “We’d like to hear directly from youth about what they've heard from adults – the good, the bad and the laughable – in order to create innovative, new sex education programs for youth AND parents in this post abstinence-only decade.”
The Say What?!?!?! contest gives youth aged 15-21 a chance to open up about what's been helpful and not so helpful by encouraging them to tell the most wacky/crazy or best/coolest sex story via a digital phone line provided by SayNow. SayNow, host to digital phone lines for such teen idols as the Jonas Brothers and Soulja Boy, is providing the contest line to ISIS free of charge as a public service.
"Working on this contest has been a hoot! Our writing team understands how to use humor to deal with topics that are considered shameful and embarrassing by society, " says Dick Glover, President and CEO of Funny Or Die, Inc. Jason Rzepka, VP, Public Affairs at MTV, says, "We're proud to partner on the Say What?!?! contest, a fresh and honest way to squash myths, amplify the voices of young people and empower them to make smart decisions about sex."
To participate, contestants call (310) 736-6760 where a series of voice prompts will guide callers through the submission process. For more information, including official contest rules, visit: www. SayWhatContest. org.
About ISIS, Inc.
ISIS, Inc (www. isis-inc. org) is a 501(c)3 organization based in Oakland, CA whose mission is to use technology, new media and mobile for sexual health promotion and disease prevention. ISIS’ award-winning projects include SexINFO and Hookup text messaging campaigns, inSPOT, an STD ecard partner notification service, and Sex::Tech, an annual conference focusing on sexual health, technology and youth.
About Funny Or Die
Funny Or Die (www. funnyordie. com) is an award-winning website that has become one of the top destinations for comedy on the web. The site averages over 7 million unique visits and over 20 million video views per month. With hundreds of exclusive celebrity videos and a steady stream of huge viral hits, Funny Or Die has become the "place to be seen" for comedic celebrities, and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny Or Die's co-founders are Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy. Judd Apatow is also a principle partner in Funny Or Die.
About MTV Networks
MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 28 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV. com averaged 8.5 million monthly unique visitors during the first quarter of 2009 -- up +6% from Q4/2008 and up +6% year-over-year. Total video streams for the first quarter of 2009 increased 21% over the same time period last year. And MTV’s successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA. B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in… www. mtvpress. com
About SayNow
SayNow (www. saynow. com) adds voice to social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, creating an intimate and truly authentic connection. With over 12 million users, SayNow is the largest voice-based community in the world. Stars, brands, athletes, and musicians all use SayNow to connect with their fans. SayNow was founded in November 2005 and is funded by Shasta Ventures and Tugboat Ventures.
Contact information:
Deb Levine
ISIS, Inc.
510-835-9400
Deb(at)isis-inc(dot)org
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