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20 de Diciembre, 2007

Nezua Named MTV's Street Team '08 Rep for Oregon!

Categorized under Artivism , Blogando , Chronicles of Nezua , Medios , Palabras , Política Estados Unidos | Tags: blogs, Change, Choose or Lose 08, Citizen Journalism, MTV, Oregon, the Unapologetic Mexican, Vlog

SOME OF MY regular readers (I do not, at this point, necessarily refer to the bran-eating amongst us, though they are a well-stirred crew, I'm sure) remember the day back in August I casually (you should have seen me, I was sipping a mint julep as I typed) posted on the MTV Choose or Lose '08 Vlogger competition. Others came to this ongoing Chronicle of Nezua when I created a short video auditioning to represent Oregon for the 2008 Presidential Media Hellfest Cycle (that is the proper name, qué no?). And still others joined our Videolicious adventure when I was named one of the three finalists for my state.

Well, I'm sure you can tell I am not winding up this big delivery to announce that I lost! So here is the day I say ¡Órale vatos! for I am now officially operating as the Oregon Street Team Vlogging Citizen Journalist Beauty Queen. Or will be from January 7 to mid-November of '08, at which point I will accept the inevitable invitation to model the next iteration of the iPhone. Anyway, all blushing and preening aside, I am very excited about the larger platform and greater exposure, and I plan to use it to bring as many gorgeous pixels to as many computer and television screens as I can, perhaps sandwiching a few factoids in there as well. Please see me as your personal man on the inside. Of Oregon, too. And who will be sending moss-scented missives out through the mighty mouth of MTV Vloggerland. In fact, if you live in Oregon and have local news, please get in touch. (And Nike, can't you see my face on a sneaker, come on! WRITE MUH PEEPLES! We'll call it the "Sweatshop Stomper," no? We can make it out of hemp. COME BACK!!!)

The presidential candidates can run, but it will be hard for them to hide from the horde of citizen journalists tapped by MTV's Choose or Lose '08 to cover the race for the White House.
A group of 51 youth reporters — one from each state and Washington, D.C. — will follow the 2008 elections and deliver weekly multimedia reports tailored for mobile devices.

Using short-form videos, blogs, animation, photos and podcasts, the reports will be distributed through MTV Mobile, Think.MTV.com, more than 1,800 sites in The Associated Press' Online Video Network and a soon-to-launch Wireless Application Protocol site. The Street Team '08 reporters were carefully selected after an extensive nationwide search, and they represent every aspect of today's youth audience — from seasoned student-newspaper journalists to documentary filmmakers, the children of once-illegal immigrants and community organizers.

They are conservative and liberal, from big cities and small towns, but all are tied together through a passion for politics and a yearning to make the youth voice heard during this pivotal election. The correspondents will begin reporting early next month after an intensive MTV News orientation in New York, during which they'll be armed with laptops, video cameras and cell phones and challenged to uncover the untold political stories that matter most to young people in their respective states.

—MTV's Choose Or Lose Taps Young Reporters To Cover Presidential Election

And I get to be "young" again, too! Damn. Free software, camera, laptop, gear and youth, too! Just for being a bigmouth. Oh, if only certain high school administrators could see me now.

(At the above link my full given name was used, but all my videos will continue to be signed using "Nezua." I inquired about this name thing, but my email was not answered. Perhaps it didn't go through.) SO—during the first week of January all state reps ("v-reps"?) will be flown to Manhattan, and the 51 of us (52, including D.C.'s rep? and don't forget to say hello to amigo Kyle, our Massachusetts Street Team Rep) will mix it up in the MTV studios, and enjoy legal orientation ("hide your MTV badge when sneaking into campaign headquarters" and such, I imagine) and program orientation for THREE DAYS (I'm seeing a sort of glossy, Times Squarish boot camp situation) before flying back home with our new laptop, camera, and software packages and getting down to fight the good v-fight.

[edited]

2008 promises to be quite a year for a few reasons, and I took a walk this morning while the sky was still beautifully black at 5 am or so to talk to the universe about it (and buy coffee at the 7-11).

Words cannot hope to express what I feel behind all of this. But I'll leave it at "mad-excited and ready to get down."

Okay. End credits. At this point, it is only fair to add that while it is very thrilling that I am getting paid to do my art/filmmaking/documenting/reporting, I am getting paid to do this by Viacom. So let that stand for the record, and tho I will not recuse myself from blogging/vlogging on any issue whatsoever, it must be remembered that on certain issues there is bound to be some conflict as I would rather not lose my platform and weekly check. But again, you can count on me to have the same bias toward telling the truth that I do my best to engage, and have, since this blog's conception. We'll talk more after the onslaught of legal orientation that (I am guessing) awaits me in Manhattan. If anyone tries to curtail too much what I feel is important to talk about, it may be a shorter gig than expected. Watch this page.

A final nota. I am finishing up all arte/web design projects I can by December's end, because 2008 is going to require my attention and energies be carefully focused. To that end, I am taking on no more web design projects. Also, the world famous The Unapologetic Mexican blog will continue, but I am also writing now at my arte/video/freeform-verse/thought blog, The House of Nezua. (Watch that page, too.) It's a more casual, non political vibe, where you can catch up on more personal glimpses into La Vida de Nezua.

Bueno! Thanks for reading along. See ustedes in videoland!

 The Unapologetic Mexican has been known to scribble a few things besides meandering, verbose, self-congratulatory blog posts. However, they are rarely as fun. Finally, let it be known that Nezua first dared bust out this Habanero of Truth at exactly 6:38 AM.  | Top | View blog reactions