BallantinesPR

Landmark DWI Campaign
Produced by Celebrated Team of Native Americans

Albuquerque Fe, NM (March 12, 2007)-Vaughn Wedeen Creative has joined with a “dream team” of Native American actors and filmmakers to produce a groundbreaking anti-DWI TV campaign as part of Gov. Bill Richardson’s “You Drink, You Drive, You Lose” campaign.

“We are pulling out all the stops on fighting DWI in New Mexico. That includes helping our tribal neighbors combat drunk driving and make their communities safer,” said Richardson, who has made the fight against DWI a centerpiece of his administration. In a related initiative, Richardson appointed G. Michelle Brown-Yazzie as tribal DWI Coordinator for the Department of Transportation, which commissioned the spots.

According to Brown-Yazzie, there is a need for greater awareness because Native Americans are disproportionately represented in highway fatality statistics. “In 2005 there were 194 driving while intoxicated-related deaths in New Mexico, and 25 percent of those were in Indian Country,” says Brown-Yazzie (Navajo/Oglala Sioux/Salish-Kootenai). ”Native Americans die at a 2-3 times higher rate due to DWI than any other ethnicity.”

The TV commercial encourages Native communities to unite to stop the drunken driving epidemic. “This TV spot is the very first DWI campaign ever targeting Native Americans, produced by some of the most famous Indians in the 21st century,” says Lonnie Anderson, broadcast creative director at Vaughn Wedeen Creative, an Albuquerque creative consultancy/branding & advertising group. “We wanted to do a piece that wasn’t a shaming spot, and to encourage the community to come out.”

Anderson (Apache), the PSA’s creative director, formed what he called the ”Indian dream team” after he and producer Akash Khokha sent copy of the script to Chris Eyre, the director of ”Smoke Signals,” ”Skinwalkers” and other popular Native films. Eyre arrived in New Mexico a week before the December shoot to scout locations. The team also asked accomplished Native actor Gary Farmer, who lives in Santa Fe, to star. ”To have Gary in it was a real pleasure because he’s someone that’s looked up to as an actor and as a person in our Indian community,” Eyre said. Many talented Native actors from pueblos and reservations around New Mexico also participated in the spot.

“Helping to make a difference within the community, nonnative and Native, was important to the entire agency,” said Richard Kuhn, principal and managing partner of Vaughn Wedeen Creative.

With the leadership and support of NMDOT, Kuhn is putting together a consortium of interested states, tribal governments and organizations to produce a campaign series with an expanded Native American “dream team.”

To see the video:
http://www.vwc.com/nmdot_nativeamerican/community.mov

Contact:
Richard Kuhn
Vaughn Wedeen Creative Inc.
505 243 4000
richardk@vwc.com

For further information, contact:
Michael Haederle
michael@ballantinespr.com
505-898-9562 Tel.
http://www.ballantinespr.com

As one of the country’s earliest adopters of solar energy and the first city to sign the 2030 Challenge for reducing the carbon footprint from municipal construction – as endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors – Santa Fe, New Mexico is a most logical location for The North American Institute’s (NAMI) conference on Energy Independence for North America: An Alternative Future. The conference will be held in Santa Fe at Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa on May 29-30, 2007.

North America’s energy security remains uncertain. Canada, the United States, and Mexico all rank high as energy producers and consumers. At the same time, they are highly dependent on traditional energy sources. So far, little has been done to integrate their energy policies for maximal regional efficiency and for greater independence from non-renewable fuels and worldwide dislocations.

To address these issues the conference will bring together representatives of business, government, and science from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to explore ways of achieving an integrated and more independent North American energy future. Themes include:

• Producing, Selling, and Using Energy Tri-Nationally
• North American Energy Security and Independence
• Promising New Developments in Alternative Energy
• Trans-Border Energy Markets
• Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Climate Change
• Transportation Alternatives (including the California Hydrogen Corridor)

Speakers will include New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who is the Honorary President of NAMI (invited); Pemex President, Jesus Reyes Heroles (invited); Senator Jeff Bingaman (invited); Senator Pete Domenici (invited); Nobel Laureate Dr. Mario Molina (invited); Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and many other representatives of business, Government, and science from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, The North American Institute, located in Santa Fe, is a tri-national, non-profit, post-partisan organization dedicated to fostering greater cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States on issues of common concern. Look to http://www.northamericaninstitute.org for information on all of NAMI’s programs and an authoritative proposal for energy solutions by Joel Kotkin, Irvine Senior Fellow with the New America Foundation and author of “The City: A Global History,” and Robert Hertzberg, former speaker of the California state Assembly from 2000 to 2002.

The Press is invited to cover any and all sessions. Speakers will be made available for interviews as possible. Contact Sharon Kelley for arrangements: 505-982-3657 or by email, sharon@northamericaninstitute.org

There is a $100 registration fee for attendees that includes meetings, conference materials, luncheon and banquet with keynote speaker; ($75 for New Mexico residents). This fee does not cover the cost of accommodations. Fee payable by check to North American Institute, 708 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe NM 87501

The Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa is offering a special rate to conference attendees of $129 + Please contact them directly at 800-732-2240.

For conference details please contact Sharon Kelley at 505-982-3657 or by email at sharon@northamericaninstitute.org

Viridis Luxe

Thanks to high-profile appearances by former Vice President Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, this year’s Oscars placed a spotlight on environmental activism. But what most viewers didn’t realize is that many of the stars attending the awards ceremony arrived in chauffered, fuel-efficient hybrid cars provided by Eco-Limo. In the spirit of the “green Oscars,” each car was outfitted with a beautiful wrap, scarf or hat made of an environmentally friendly hemp-cashmere blend courtesy of Viridis Luxe. The brainchild of Hollywood costume designer Hala Bahmet and her friend, writer-producer Amadea West, Viridis Luxe is a new clothing line that celebrates the virtues of hemp, a fiber that requires no pesticides and much less water than cotton. Bahmet and West have found a way to create silky smooth hemp blends that drape beautifully and feel great. In their search for alternative fibers that support sustainable agriculture, the pair is also introducing a line of T-shirts made from bamboo. The Viridis Luxe summer line will be introduced next month.

http://www.viridisluxe.com

For more information, contact:

Maya Benyehuda
Ballantines PR
maya@ballantinespr.com
Tel: 310 454 3080
Cell: 310 699 9431
http://www.ballantinespr.com