"Always & Forever" Is Nominated for a Webby Award, and Voting Ends April 20

Reproductive Freedoms On The Line at Webbys, A Message That Makes A Difference!

LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gutsy Media and Wake Up & Vote are excited to announce their viral video hit Always & Forever is nominated for Webby Award's Best Video in the Public Service And Activism category, and is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award. Voting for the 27th Annual Webby Awards is underway until April 20.

Gutsy Media, the research-backed, entertainment-focused content studio, and its non-profit counterpart Wake Up &Vote is encouraging voters to help raise awareness of reproductive freedom by casting their vote online to help increase Always & Forever's chance of winning one or two prestigious Webby Awards.

"We're passionate about telling stories that reveal a new point of view on critical issues, protecting our reproductive freedoms is a foundational one," said Julie Hermelin, co-founder of Gutsy Media and Wake Up & Vote. "We're so honored to be recognized by the Webbys and hope that this brings more attention to this topic given how much work there is yet to be done," added Mary Ann Marino, the studio's other co-founder.

The film's creators, Lara Everly, writer/director, and Jessica Stamen, writer/producer, are passionate about telling stories that reveal alternative perspectives on critical issues like protecting reproductive freedoms. In Always & Forever, the writers flip the script on restrictive abortion legislation with their portrayal of a young adolescent girl seeking to adopt a child as a metaphor for forcing a teen to become a mother against her will. The film has had more than 20 million views and Gutsy Media and Wake Up & Vote and producing partners Fellow Americans hope this recognition will bring even more attention to this topic.

The Webby Awards President Claire Grave praised the film: "Nominees like Always & Forever are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 14,000 entries we received this year."

Announced winners will be honored on April 25 in a star-studded show at Cipriani Wall Street and they have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards' famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include NASA's "Houston We Have A Webby" and Drew Barrymore's "Social Media's a Wild Ride."

Gutsy Media was founded in 2020 by entertainment industry veterans, Mary Ann Marino, former Amazon Studios alum, and Julie Hermelin to amplify prosocial messages with partners like Viacom, Fair Count, SuperMajority, and Black Voters Matter alongside talents like Samuel L. Jackson, Janelle Monae, and Rob Reiner.

Voting for 2023 Webby Awards ends Thursday, April 20.

About The Webby Awards
Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 + countries worldwide this year. Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is considered to be the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including websites, video, advertising, media and PR, and more.

The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include WP Engine, Canva, Verizon, Omidyar Network, NAACP, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, Podcast Movement, All Tech is Human, and AIGA.

Media Contact: Julie Hermelin, Gutsy Media
Phone: (323) 839-4905
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Gutsy Media