Matching Donors video contest

Thirty seconds can change a life

Kevin Aguilar
The Signal
Nonprofit organization MatchingDonors.com is giving individuals the opportunity to create and inspire with the “Everybody Can Save A Life!” video contest.

The basis of the contest is to promote and inspire others to be a living organ donor. Contest hopefuls simply need to film a 30-second video for submission. The video can be as humorous, inspiring or imaginative as they see fit, as long as it pertains to raising awareness for living organ donation.

The first-place winner of the contest will receive two tickets to attend the Hollywood Awards Gala and a $5,000 prize. In addition, the winner receives the opportunity to be an assistant producer on a television show, movie or music video with one of the prestigious judges on the judge’s panel.

After filming their videos, contest participants submit them by posting to the MatchingDonors.com contest page on Zooppa.com, a user-generated branding website working with MatchingDonors.com.

“MatchingDonors.com is an amazing organization and this project has been a lot of fun for us at Zooppa,” said Michael Burlin, marketing manager for Zooppa USA.

Tenaya Wallace, campaign director of Donate Life Hollywood, an organization that connects the transplant community with the entertainment industry, admires MatchingDonors.com for holding the contest and increasing awareness on the topic of organ donation.

“I think the MatchingDonors PSA campaign is very exciting and is a great way to help spread the word about living donation,” Wallace said. “Organ donation is about hope, generosity, transformation and love.”

The contest will award three winners. The second-place winner will receive $2,000. The third place winner will receive $1,000. All three winners will get the chance to work as an assistant producer with a judge of their choice. Some of the different assistant producer positions include working with Disney, 20th Century Fox and ESPN.

Only the first-place winner will have the opportunity to attend the Hollywood Awards Gala at the Beverly Hills Hilton Oct. 24, 2011, in Hollywood, Calif., and will personally be presented with the award by MatchingDonors.com CEO Paul Dooley.

MatchingDonors.com is the world’s largest website dedicated to helping those who await a transplant, allowing potential donor recipients to search for a living organ donor. The website was cofounded in 2004 by Dooley and Dr. Jeremiah Lowney. Dooley hopes the contest will accomplish great things and inspire others to become organ donors.

“We want to definitely raise a lot of awareness to people to make them realize that individuals can donate an organ while they are alive,” Dooley said. “The judges are looking for good quality videos, personality and something effective.”

The deadline to submit videos is Oct 1. For more information, visit MatchingDonors.com or the contest page on Zooppa.com.