FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE
Ad 2 Webcast Challenges Amendment 5
Tampa, FL – August 26, 2008 – Ad 2 Tampa Bay, the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Ad 2 Club of the Year, will interview an all-star list of Amendment 5 opponents in the forthcoming edition of AdCast, the group’s live monthly internet video program airing Wednesday, August 27.
The special edition of AdCast will welcome state senator Victor Crist, state representative Kevin Ambler, AAF 4th District lobbyist Jack Hebert, and local advertising agency owner Glen Peak to speak with hosts Carl Vervisch and Kate Whatley. The guests will speak on their experiences, perspectives, and concerns regarding the amendment, including its potential to introduce a new service tax to the state.
According to Ad 2 Tampa Bay and other opponents of the amendment, the verbiage of Amendment 5 could open Floridians up to a new tax on services—a tax the group says could cripple the state’s economy, especially within the advertising industry and surrounding creative fields.
Though a recent court action removed the amendment from the November ballot, adversaries fear that a ruling from the Florida Supreme Court may reverse that action in the coming months. “We can't take a chance on Florida's future, says club president Kate Whatley. “Ad 2 Tampa Bay will continue to work with the AAF, doing everything we can to educate the public about Amendment 5.”
AdCast, created in conjunction with local production house Tampa Digital Studios, has been running on the Ad 2 Tampa Bay website and on YouTube for more than two years, and has welcomed such guests as famed boxer Antonio Tarver, 2009 super bowl committee executive director Reid Sigmon, and AAF president Wally Snyder. The upcoming episode will mark the first show themed around one single topic—a move that underscores the group’s commitment to educating the public about all possible repercussions of Amendment 5.
“Amendment 5 is a serious threat to Florida’s economy and to Tampa’s advertising industry,” says AdCast’s co-host and Ad 2 Tampa Bay vice president Carl Vervisch. “If we weren’t doing everything in our power to shed light on this issue, we’d be neglecting our job as an industry advocate.”
The show will take place on Wednesday, August 28, from 6:30-7:30 PM, and will be broadcast live at www.ad2tampabay.org. Individual segments will then be posted and available through YouTube beginning the following Wednesday.
Ad 2 Tampa Bay is the unified voice of Tampa Bay's emerging advertising professionals. By combining the Tampa Bay area's brightest developing talent while working in conjunction with the AAF's national network of over 50,000 members, Ad 2 Tampa Bay seeks to raise the profile and prestige of the local advertising industry through education, legislation, and public service. For more information on Ad 2, go to http://www.ad2tampabay.org.
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