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| Sept 14, 2005 | Sept 10, 2005 |
Contact: Liz Rooney
Producer, OCTV- Orange County TV
949.722.7788
LOVED ONES REUNITED
OUT-OF-THE-BOX INTERNET INGENUITY BY OCTV.COM
COMBINED WITH HOME PC USERS
REUNITES KATRINA FAMILIES
:15-:30 Second Messages Bring Families Together
‘LIVE' FROM THE HOUSTON ASTRODOME & SURROUNDING AREAS
( Newport Beach , CA – September 14, 2005) The independent multimedia television and Internet company, Orange County TV ( www.octv.com ), launched their website www.survivormessages.com on Friday, September 9. By Saturday night four lost families were re-connected with family members due to the streaming video messages OCTV provided. By Sunday night another five families were overcome with joy to learn their loved ones were safe due to the video messages produced by OCTV. After 48 hours of the site launch 77,324 hits had been received and counting. As of Tuesday, September 13, OCTV has reunited 14 families —but that number may be much higher.
SAMPLE VIDEO MESSAGE FROM HOUSTON
http://www.octv.com/katrina/video.php?link=alvis_keonne&type=qt
http://www.octv.com/katrina/video.php?link=alvis_keonne&type=wm
Liz Rooney, producer of OCTV, explains, “I have said this before—this is a group effort. Not only is our staff on-board 110% in this effort, we have reached out to mainstream media outlets and to any individuals that can assist. We have had a remarkable response.”
Rooney is speaking of Mia Duncans, a 37-year old media relations consultant from Las Vegas , who happened upon www.survivormesssages.com via a Yahoo Message Board. She was able to see :15-:30-sec streaming video contact info messages from lost loved ones and reacted immediately with efforts to help out. “I was trying to do my part to help the victims, even though I was so far away. When I found OCTV's site and watched these heart-breaking interviews I knew I could help,” Duncans explained.
Duncans began cross-referencing the names of lost loved ones with the video messages by researching the Red Cross website and matching family members. “It was exhilarating,” exclaims Mia. “I became so excited that from my home computer in Las Vegas I could make a difference in finding people. The Internet is such a powerful tool.”
Duncans then contacted OCTV in the hopes of taking the message one step farther. “At first I found Tracy Crockett's (evacuee at the Houston Astrodome) mother-in-law Dolores Blue, Tracy 's video message indicated she was searching for Dolores. Tracy only had the Reliant Information Booth as a contact (no direct phone number) so I contacted OCTV for help.”
After Rooney contacted FEMA at the Astrodome and was told they would not take the information, as they were overwhelmed with work, ingenuity once again set in. “Thank God we have tenacity,” adds Rooney. Signs were made at the OCTV office with the contact information for Tracy Crockett's mother-in-law. It was then faxed to the hotel where an OCTV cameraman was staying, then hand-delivered and posted in the Info Booth and Message Centers at the Astrodome. “One way or another we have to make this happen,” states Rooney, “even if it is one person at a time.”
Duncans then continued her quest scanning down the www.survivormessages.com web pages of video messages and was soon to fine one match after another. “We linked three families in just a few hours. I was able to bring the good news to some of them directly by using the contact phone number the OCTV videos provided,” she adds. “It was the most amazing experience for me.”
The first match for OCTV's www.survivormessages.com came from a woman in Houston who found OCTV's cameraman a few days after he shot her video message. She was crying and thanking him and OCTV for helping her reunite with her husband.
Says Rooney, “It only takes one to make a difference, and this is what we came to do. If we can just get the word out there, I know we can make a difference for many lives.”
OCTV's www.survivormessages.com is a video message site. Each :15-:30 second video message includes information about individuals relocated to the Astrodome, Reliant Center and surrounding Houston areas. Each person videotapes provide names and cities they lived in with their contact info so that they can be united with their loved ones.
“What we are finding is the breakdown in communication which is necessary for reuniting lost family members. It is a wonderful experience to know that we have one small part in bringing the lives of people back together” states Rooney.
MEANWHILE, FAMILIES ARE CONTINUING TO ACCESS WWW.SUVIVORMESSAGES.COM IN ORDER TO FIND THEIR LOVED ONES. PHONES NUMBERS ARE POSTED ALONG WITH THE VIDEO MESSAGES.
Meanwhile, families are continuing to access www.survivormessages.com in order to find their loved ones
Says Rooney: “From what I hear we are leading the pack with our efforts at www.suvivormessages.com . As far as I know, no other media outlet is doing this. We would be more than happy to share our streaming video content and television content with other outlets and agencies.”
To date OCTV's www.survivormessages.com has reunited at least 14 families and countless family members. Click on www.survivormessages.com/found to see some of these original stories and how other Americans are helping in the search to reconnect loved ones.
For additional information please contact Liz Rooney, OCTV, liz@octv.com , 949.722.7788.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Liz Rooney
Producer, OCTV- Orange County TV , 949.722.7788
OCTV & www.SurvivorMessages.com
USING OUT-OF-THE-BOX INGENUITY TO REUNITE KATRINA FAMILIES
Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Sending Their Personal Pleas Streaming on the Internet
In :15-:30 Second Messages
‘LIVE' FROM THE HOUSTON ASTRODOME
( Newport Beach , CA – September 10, 2005) The independent multimedia television and Internet company, Orange County TV ( www.octv.com ), has begun an effort to reunite the victims of Hurricane Katrina by streaming approximately :15-:30 second video messages from those relocated to the Houston Astrodome & surrounding areas to those families searching for lost loved ones. These tragic entreaties are available via streaming video on www.survivormessages.com for viewers throughout the world to access.
Each video message includes information about individuals relocated to the Astrodome, Reliant Center and surrounding areas. They provide their names, cities they lived in and their contact info for loved ones to get in touch with them. The site is designed for easy functionality -- to the point for all those seeking to find their lost families.
The small but mighty OCTV is spear-heading an unique and out-of-the-box endeavor to promote easy access information for media outlets everywhere to broadcast this information so word reaches the mass population on a large scale. The effort is a joint one with media outlets from all over the world assisting in educating the public of where to go to receive video messages from lost loved ones.
Liz Rooney, producer of OCTV is quoted as saying, “I realized no one else was providing this information or platform; as we have the technology I saw a desperate need for our service so we have been videotaping at the Astrodome since Tuesday, shooting survivor messages. We are streaming these video ‘messages' at www.survivormessages.com until everyone is reunited” the determined Rooney adds, “It's our way of helping people reach out to their relatives and friends.”
OCTV cameraman Willie Boudevin flew to Houston on Tuesday, September 6, 2005. Boudevin is an experienced broadcast shooter who has traveled the world broadcasting various news stories including battles and tragedies. Rooney states, “Because of the lack of volunteers and the mass of victims needing help in Houston, Willie has pretty much been handling this on his own—he is literally out front of the Astrodome and Reliant Center with a sign on the tripod stating “Send Video Messages to Loved Ones” – that is how he is getting this done from his end. “
Meanwhile Rooney says there are others involved. “This is a group effort. We have the best production team around—they are working around the clock to make this happen. A tragedy like this makes me realize how lucky I am to work with such compassionate and talented people. If more of us work together this world would be a much happier place.”
Rooney continues, “From what I am hearing we are leading the pact on getting the individual interviews out there for those to find lost loved ones. No other outlet that I know of is doing this right now. We would be more than happy to share our streaming video content and television content with other outlets and agencies.”
Rooney's ultimate goal in all this is to have media outlets everywhere get the word out there to the mass population about www.SurvivorMessages.com to help reunite these lost family victims. It is now a perfect time for media outlets everywhere to join forces with each of their best assets forward and show the world we (media) are here to educate and inform with good, helpful news using various technologies and working together.
For additional information please contact Liz Rooney, OCTV, liz@octv.com 949.722.7788.
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