Academy for Educational Development

AED DOCUMENTARY EARNS TOP HONOR FOR RIVETING PORTRAYAL OF CHILDHOOD FATALITIES RESULTING FROM THE FLU

Washington, D.C., February 19, 2009 —The AED Center for Health Communication, on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), won the 2009 Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington ADDY Award for “Why Flu Vaccination Matters: Personal Stories from Families Affected by the Flu”, a nearly seven-minute documentary featuring parents who have lost a child from flu-related complications.

The heart-wrenching video (http://www.youtube.com/WhyFluMatters) competed against more than 800 entries from 98 entrants in the Audio/Visual category to win the coveted award. On Thursday, March 19, 2009, participants will be honored at the 41st Annual ADDY Awards Gala held at the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Washington, D.C.

“We’re honored by the ADDY award and thrilled by this prestigious recognition,” said Carol Schechter, vice president and director of the Center for Health Communication at AED. “The documentary delivered a tough but necessary message, and I’m pleased to know that it was well received.” 

Directed and produced by the award-winning team of Mustapha Khan and Tommy Walker, “Why Flu Vaccination Matters” has received more than 25,000 views on YouTube, over 600 views on the CDC’s Web site, as well as featured on sites such as ABC News and WebMD, creating a viral buzz among the Web community.   

The metropolitan awards were selected by an independent judging panel of five highly acclaimed advertising professionals from across the country. The award is the first step towards winning the world’s largest advertising competition, the ADDY Awards, organized by the American Advertising Federation.

For more information about AED, visit www.aed.org. For more information about the flu and the influenza vaccine, visit www.cdc.gov/flu.

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