BET, Kaiser Family Foundation and Scenarios USA Team Up On Youth HIV Scriptwriting Contest

BET, Kaiser Family Foundation and Scenarios USA Team Up On Youth HIV Scriptwriting Contest

Winning Script to Be Made Into a Short Film to Televise on BET

WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BET and the Kaiser Family Foundation, through Rap-It-Up, the award winning HIV/AIDS public education initiative, have teamed up with Scenarios USA to create the 2006 Scenarios USA/Rap It Up Story and Scriptwriting Contest. The contest, entitled "What's the REAL DEAL on Growing Up in the Age of AIDS?" encourages young people ages 12 to 18 to write about what HIV/AIDS means to them personally, and to their friends, family, and communities. The submission deadline is June 9, 2006.

2006 marks the 25th year since the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention introduced the world to the disease that became know as HIV/AIDS. This competition offers the first generation born in the era of AIDS the opportunity to provide perspective and make a statement about the epidemic. The contest also receives financial support from The Ford Foundation.

The contest winner or winners will work directly with a noted film director on all aspects of production -- from casting to shooting and editing -- to turn the story into a short film to air on BET in spring 2007.

"Informing young people about HIV is essential to stopping the spread of the disease," said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Entertainment Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "Engaging young people to share their experiences with HIV to help inform their peers is a powerful way to build understanding and breakdown the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS."

As the leading media company serving African Americans, BET is perfectly positioned to educate and inform young people about issues surrounding HIV/AIDS," stated Kelli Lawson BET's Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing. "We are excited to add this film to our growing catalog of programs that examine the affect of the epidemic on the African American community.

Kristen Joiner, Scenarios USA Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, commented, "Scenarios USA's mission is to empower young people to express themselves on the issues that matter most to them. HIV/AIDS has long been one of these issues, and we're thrilled to give young people the opportunity to share their story with the millions of young people who watch BET."

The following is information regarding the application process and competition deadlines:

Competition Deadlines: The 2006 Scenarios USA/Rap It Up Story and
Scriptwriting Contest is open to anyone between
the ages 12-18 from members of all races and
nationalities. The competition begins on April
13, 2006 and ends June 9, 2006. One winner will
be announced by August 18, 2006.

Application Guidelines: Submissions must be emailed to RealDeal@kff.org
and the Contest Release Form must be filled out
and faxed to 1-650-234-9338 by June 9, 2006.
Submitted story or script must be 10-pages or
less.

General Information: Competition information can be found at
http://www.rap-it-up.com/, http://www.bet.com/ or
http://www.scenariosusa.org/.

ABOUT SCENARIOS USA

Scenarios USA is a non-profit organization that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership, advocacy and self-expression in under- served teens. Scenarios USA asks young people to write about the issues that shape their lives for the annual "What's the REAL DEAL?" writing contest, and thousands have responded with their raw and revealing insights. The winning writers are partnered with some of Hollywood's finest filmmakers to transform their stories into award-winning short films. 15 million people a year watch the Scenarios USA films, at film festivals, on television and in high schools nationwide. Scenarios USA believes that by valuing youth and listening to their opinions, we can have an impact on promoting healthy relationships and lowering the rate of HIV, STIs and pregnancy among teens.

ABOUT RAP-IT-UP

Since 1997, the Kaiser Family Foundation and BET Networks have partnered on an extensive public education campaign to inform young people about HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). The partnership includes special programming, public service advertisements (PSAs), online content on bet.com, and a free resource and referral service. In 2000, the campaign launched a grassroots initiative to complement the on-air and online components of Rap-It-Up. Program elements include teen forums, mobile HIV testing events, and a middle and high school curriculum on HIV/AIDS. The campaign was nominated for an Emmy for Best National Public Service Announcement in 2002 and 2001, and has received numerous other awards, including the 2002 Cable Positive POP Award for Outstanding Newsmagazine Series, the 2002 CTPAA Joel Berger Award, the 2002 NAACP Image Award, the 2002 Academy of Television Arts & Science TV Cares "Ribbon of Hope" Award, and the 2002 NBACA Community Service Award. BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA; VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience.

ABOUT THE HENRY J. KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. Information on HIV/AIDS is available at http://www.kff.org/, and a daily news summary report on developments in HIV/AIDS is available on http://www.kaisernetwork.org/, the Foundation's free health information service.

Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Lyntina Townsend of BET, +1-202-608-2745,
lyntina.townsend@bet.net; Rob Graham of KFF, +1-650-854-9400, RobG@kff.org; or
Nicole Israel of Scenarios USA, +1-718-230-5125, nicole@scenariosusa.org

Web site: http://www.bet.com/
http://www.kff.org/
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/
http://www.rap-it-up.com/
http://www.scenariosusa.org/

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