V-Day Launches First Ever PSA Campaign

Contact: Susan Celia Swan (212) 445-3288 press (at) vday.org

V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, announced today its first ever Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign developed with photographer Joyce Tenneson and Lifetime Television. The print and TV PSAs feature celebrities, activists and everyday women. The creative for the year-long campaign reflects V-Day’s 2003 Vision: From V-Day to V-World, written by Founder/Artistic Director Eve Ensler, which asks women and men worldwide to envision a world without violence and to join V-Day in working to create it. The campaign is intended to spark discussion on this theme. The taglines are often somewhat provocative, or an actual play on words. In each PSA, the featured subject states, "When violence against women and girls ends, I will…", closing with a personal tagline and information about V-Day.

In the print campaign, Actress/Model/Activist Isabella Rossellini states "When violence against women and girls ends, I will…be beautiful at any age." Recording artist Eve states, "When violence against women and girls ends, I will…walk without fear." Activist and Founder of Casa Amiga in Juarez, Mexico Esther Chavez Cano states, "When violence against women and girls ends, I will…light a candle for the living." To view the complete print PSA campaign, go to http://www.vday.org/psa.

In the TV campaign: Actor/Activist Julianna Margulies states, "When violence against women and girls ends, I will sleep with the windows open." Actor/Talk Show Host/Activist Cynthia Garrett states, "When violence against women and girls ends, I will shout Hallelujah." Actor/Activist Calista Flockhart states, “When violence against women and girls ends, I will...be boldy flirtatious without fear.”

The series of print PSAs were shot pro bono by renowned photographer Joyce Tenneson, in NYC and Rome and feature celebrities including Rosario Dawson, Isabella Rossellini, Jane Fonda, Eve, Denyce Graves, Shiva Rose, Salma Hayek as well as V-Day activists from countries including the U.S., Kenya, Mexico, and Afghanistan. The print campaign launched in Hearst magazines' including O, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Bazaar, and Redbook, and is expected to run all year in publications including Time, Inc.'s magazines, Working Mother, ELLE Quebec, Velvet Park, URB, among many others.

The companion TV campaign will feature celebrities like Julia Stiles, Julianna Margulies, Calista Flockhart, and everyday women speaking about what their world would look like if there was no violence. The spots launched exclusively on Lifetime TV beginning February 16 and will expand to other cable and broadcast networks throughout the year.

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The V-Day 2003 print V-Day 2003 PSAs feature Rossana Abueva, Banker/Executive Producer, New Voice Company/Activist & Monique Wilson, Actress/Artistic Director, New Voice Company/Activist; Manila, Philippines; Winifridah Anyango, Founder, Dolphin Anti-Rape and AIDS Control Outreach; Eldoret, Kenya; Carole Black, President and CEO, Lifetime Entertainment Services/ Activist; New York, NY; Suzanne Blue Star Boy, Director, V-Day Indian Country Project; Ihanktonwan (Yankton Dakota) & Agnes Pareyio, Founder of the V-Day Safe House for Girls; Narok, Kenya; Esther Chavez Cano, Founder, Casa Amiga; Juarez, Mexico; Kim Crenshaw, Professor Columbia University and UCLA/Activist; NYC/LA; Rosario Dawson, Actress/Activist; NYC/LA; Jane Fonda, Actress/Activist, Atlanta, GA, with son Troy Garity, Actor/Activist, Los Angeles, CA; Eve Ensler, Playwright/V-Day Founder/Activist; New York, NY & Salma Hayek, Actress/Director/Producer/Activist; City, State; Eve, Recording Artist/Actress/Fashion Designer/Activist; Philadelphia, PA; Free, Recording Artist/VJ/Activist; Boston, MA; Denyce Graves, Opera Singer/Radio Talk Show Host/Business Woman/Activist; New York, NY; Madhur Jaffrey, Actress/Author/Activist; New York, NY with daughter Sakina Jaffrey, Actress/Activist; Nyack, NY; Cecile Lipworth, Director, Worldwide Campaign for V-Day, with Daughter Tia; Santa Fe, NM; Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of PBS/Activist; Washington, DC; Shiva Rose, Actress/Activist; Los Angeles, CA; Isabella Rossellini, Actress/Model/Activist; New York, NY; Gloria Steinem, Activist/Author; New York, NY; and Zoya, RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan).

The V-Day 2003 TV PSAs will feature Eve Ensler, Cynthia Garrett, Mira Furlan, Calista Flockhart, Kathleen Chalfant, Jane Fonda, Julia Stiles, Juliana Margulies, Cloris Leachman, Angela Guice, Amy Hill, Allison Prouty, Jerri Lynn Fields, Carol Kaplan, Lisa Tharps, Holland Taylor, Kathy Najimy, and Helena Cepeda Jeager.

Inspired by Playwright Eve Ensler's play "The Vagina Monologues," V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day stages large-scale benefits and promotes innovative gatherings and programs (The Afghan Women's Summit, The Stop Rape Contest, Indian Country Project, and more) to change social attitudes towards violence against women. In 2003, more than 1000 V-Day benefit events - produced by local volunteer activists - are scheduled around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls and raising funds for local groups within their communities. In its first year of incorporation (2001), V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities." In its first five years, the V-Day movement has raised over $14 million, with over $7 million raised in 2002 alone. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org

Among the most respected photographers of our time, Tenneson's work has been shown in over 150 exhibitions worldwide, and is part of numerous private and museum collections. Her photographs have appeared on countless covers for magazines such as: Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Premiere, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. She is also a much sought-after portrait photographer with clients in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Ms. Tenneson is the author of seven books, her latest, entitled Wise Women, was published by Bulfinch/Little, Brown in April, 2002. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the International Center of Photography's Infinity Award, for best applied photography. In addition, she has been named "Photographer of the Year" by the international organization, Women in Photography. http://www.tenneson.com

These PSAs are part of Lifetime's annual "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual assault and to offer important information and resources on how women and men can help make a difference in their own lives, families and communities. The initiative includes extensive on-air programming, online content and outreach around the country, such as the second annual "Stop Violence Week in Washington," March 3-7.

LIFETIME is the #1 cable television network in primetime and the leader in women's television. LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Launched in 1984, LIFETIME serves over 86 million households nationwide, available on more than 11,000 cable systems and alternative delivery systems. In 1998 LIFETIME launched a 24-hour sister service, the Lifetime Movie Network, now in nearly 36 million homes, and a second sister service, Lifetime Real Women, launched in August 2001. On the web, Lifetime Online (www.lifetimetv.com) features informational resources and interactive entertainment. All four services, LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Online, are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company. http://www.lifetimetv.com