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– Seeker Named ‘Presenting Partner’ for 2016-17 Campus MovieFest, Will Introduce New Documentary Category for Students – 

– Seeker.com to Offer Young Filmmakers Online Access to Creative Resources, In Addition to Hosting Voting and Featuring Campus MovieFest Projects –

San Francisco and Atlanta –  Seeker, Discovery Communications’ digital network that engages bright, curious minds, and Ideas United’s Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival, today announce an expansive partnership for the 2016-17 festival season that includes the addition of the Seeker documentary category, online resources for participating filmmakers and increased exposure for films through Seeker.com and the network’s social channels.

While Campus MovieFest (CMF) will be celebrating the conclusion of its 2015-16 season at TERMINUS in Atlanta from June 16-19, planning is well underway for the 2016-17 campus tour that will engage students on more than 50 college campuses across the United States. Seeker, which relaunched in May, has been named Presenting Partner for the upcoming season and, as a part of the partnership, CMF participants will:

• Be able to enter their work in a new Seeker documentary category, the first entirely non-fiction offering in the festival’s fifteen-year history, offering an opportunity to empower budding filmmakers to tell stories about our world with a chance to win $10,000 and a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, as well as an opportunity to join a crew for a Seeker documentary shoot; and

• Gain access to a robust library of online resources – from production and editorial tips from Seeker’s producers to video and images from Discovery’s archive that spans more than 30 years – at Seeker.com under the “Seeker Source” banner.

While filmmakers will enjoy new opportunities to hone their storytelling skills, Seeker also will bring their work to wider audiences through its website, Seeker.com, and wide-reaching social channels.

At the same time, Discovery Communications will offer its strategic advertising partners the opportunity to reach a highly engaged millennial audience through Campus MovieFest.

Additionally, visitors to Seeker’s digital destinations later this year will be able to:

• Vote for films submitted from campuses across the country in the Seeker Stories documentary category at Seeker.com, determining the finalists that advance to next year’s TERMINUS; and

• Enjoy a selection of Campus MovieFest videos from talented young creators. 

“Seeker is dedicated to empowering our audience to pursue their curiosity, to share what they learn and to impact our world. Nothing does that more profoundly than great filmmaking,” said Suzanne Kolb, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Discovery Digital Networks. “We are thrilled to be part of Campus MovieFest, extending their rich history of supporting young filmmakers, and we look forward to an unforgettable year showcasing tomorrow’s storytellers together.” 

“Ever since we started Campus MovieFest as students 16 years ago, we’ve passionately empowered students to share their stories with the world,” added David Roemer, Co-Founder of Campus MovieFest and CEO of Ideas United. “We’re now thrilled to partner with Discovery and Seeker, given their focus on adventure, curiosity, and storytelling. With Seeker, we’ll offer our students more exposure than ever, while we integrate additional brands into the campus tour to provide exceptional experiences for our participating colleges and universities.”

Campus MovieFest is the world’s largest student film festival – having helped more than one million students tell their stories through film. CMF provides participating students with everything they need to make short movies in a week all for free, thanks to schools as well as corporate brands such as Seeker and its strategic advertisers. CMF reaches more than a million students on campus and delivers over 22 million total impressions through all of its social and digital media activities. At the conclusion of each year’s campus tour, top student filmmakers are invited to the Cannes Film Festival and later TERMINUS, a four-day event full of workshops, screenings, receptions, awards and more.

Through engaging, award-winning content spanning the topics of science, world and exploration, Seeker reaches audiences across digital and social platforms – including Seeker.com –with original short-form programming and socially driven content. Seeker’s rich lineup of programming, anchored by daily episodes of established franchises, insightful web documentaries and live online events, feeds the minds of curious millennials.

About Ideas United

Ideas United (IU) is an award-winning creative studio founded in 2003 with a unique and proven model for creating unforgettable content and events for premier brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ideas United leverages its global network of over 1,000 creatives and its one-of-a-kind Campus MovieFest college tour to deliver original concepts, marketing, and production solutions for partner brands, while providing unforgettable opportunities for students and emerging content creators. See sample work and find out more at www.ideasunited.com.

About Discovery Digital Networks

Led by Seeker and SourceFed, Discovery Digital Networks (DDN) connects with millennial audiences through daily shows, weekly series, web docs and live online events – from DNews and Rituals with Laura Ling to The Philip DeFranco Show and Nuclear Family. With more than 300 million monthly streams, top online personalities and numerous industry awards, DDN is reaching young, influential audiences across platforms and on their terms. Discovery Digital Networks is part of Discovery Communications, the leader in global entertainment.