Man Fired For Creating 1984 Hillary Video

[ls317]

Source: http://www.kxma.com/getARticle.asp?ArticleId=106622

The maker of the 1984 Hilary ad that has been posted on You Tube.


Statement from Thomas Gensemer, Managing Director, Blue State Digital


This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of “The Huffington Post” regarding the “1984” video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video.


Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately.


Blue State Digital is under contract with the Obama Campaign for technology pursuits including software development and hosting. Additionally, one of our founding partners is on leave from the company to work directly for the campaign at headquarters.


However, Blue State Digital is not currently engaged in any relationship with the Obama Campaign for creative or non-technical services.

No link yet.

[rebel with a cause]

1. Here you go.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070321/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_ad

Mystery creator of anti-Clinton ad ID'd

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 28 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - The mystery creator of the Orwellian YouTube ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic operative who worked for a digital consulting firm with ties to rival Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).

Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital, acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he was the creator of the video, which portrayed Clinton as a Big Brother figure and urged support for Obama's presidential campaign.

De Vellis said he resigned from the firm on Wednesday after he learned that he was about to be unmasked by the HuffingtonPost.com., a liberal news and opinion Internet site.

<snip>

He said he produced the ad outside of work and that neither Blue State nor the Obama campaign was aware of his role in the ad.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, we know who did this one, now they will have to uncover who did the Obama one and all the others that are to come. Fun and games, I guess. But like I have said before, I wish people would not do things in other peoples names without their approval. I still stand behind Obama, but if it came out he was behind this (which I don't think he is) I would have to think about it, but it would have to be proven to me and he would almost have to admit it for me to believe it.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Mystery Creator of Anti-Hillary Clinton YouTube Ad Identified, Linked to Obama Camp

Source: AP

Mystery Creator of Anti-Hillary Clinton YouTube Ad Identified, Linked to Obama Camp

03-21-2007 7:30 PM
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- The mystery creator of the Orwellian YouTube ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic operative who worked for a digital consulting firm with ties to rival Sen. Barack Obama. Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital, acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he was the creator of the video, which portrayed Clinton as a Big Brother figure and urged support for Obama's presidential campaign.

De Vellis said he resigned from the firm on Wednesday after he learned that he was about to be unmasked by the HuffingtonPost.com., a liberal news and opinion Internet site.

Blue State designed Obama's Web site and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.


Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee member, and Democratic Presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., waits for the start of the committee's hearing on the long term health impact from the Sept. 11 attacks, Wednesday, March 21, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"It's true ... yeah, it's me," de Vellis said Wednesday evening.

Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8O0SSQ82&_action=validatearticle

[Little Wing]

3. Just earlier today, he was tied to Dean

Is someone focusing their fire?

I still think Hillary's camp put it out

[Rose Siding]

5. I'm pretty sure Kevin Bacon figures in there somewhere too.

[Honeycombe8]

7. Ha! n/t

[BigDDem]

27. "I still think Hillary's camp put it out"

You're kidding, right?

[progressivebydesign]

33. No. that company did work for Dean a few years ago as a contractor.

No ties to Dean in that sense.. But the guy who founded that company did leave to take over the Director of New Media for Obama's campaign, now that's a real tie.

[Auggie]

4. I hope Apple goes after his ass for copyright infringement

This was bad PR for the Democratic party

[Ethelk2044]

6. How?

This does not have anything to do with the democratic party. How do you figure.

[Little Wing]

9. It's a ripoff, and a bad one at that, of an old 1984 Apple commercial

directed by Ridley Scott

see it here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

[dysfunctional press]

11. but it wasn't done for profit.

it could easily be defended as a parody, regardless.

btw- that commercial only aired ONCE.

most people have seen it over the years in news reports.

[Tesha]

25. It's not a parody, and very few reasonable persons would take it as one.

It's not a parody, and very few reasonable persons would
take it as one.

Remember, civil suits are decided on a "preponderance of
the evidence" standard and not on the "without reasonable
doubt" standard. And, depending on the jurisdiction, the
jury may not need need to be unanimous to find for the
plaintiff (Apple, in our hypothetical copyright suit).

Tesha

[Bucky]

37. How is it not parody? It's making fun of Sen Clinton as "Big Brother".

That's the very definition of parody. It's not good parody, but bad quality work does not bear on "fair usage" qualifications.
You not personally liking someone does not erase their legal protections. I expect Republicans to learn this, not for Democrats to forget it.

[Orangepeel]

43. It is a parody of Clinton and, as a public figure, she'd have no case

It isn't a parody of Apple. It is a ripoff of their commercial.

I don't think Apple will sue. IMO, it would be very hard to demonstrate that they suffered any harm from the ad

[Tesha]

51. The question isn't whether it's defensible as a parody of Clinton.

The question wouldn't be whether it's defensible as a
parody of Clinton.

The question would be whether it's illegal use of Apple's
copyrighted commercial, and it would be a huge stretch to
claim that it would be defensible as a parody of that.

But as Orangepeel suggests, I doubt Apple would sue.

Tesha

[dysfunctional press]

64. it's definitely a parody.

why do you claim that it isn't?

besides, it wasn't done for profit, or even to air as an ad...there's nothing to sue over in the first place.

[Tesha]

68. Sigh...

To be a parody protected by law, it would need to be parodying,
not stealing, the original source material (the Apple "1984"
commercial).

And it doesn't matter if it was done for profit or not. If
you don't believe me, try singing "Hey Jude" at some very-
public charitable fundraiser some time. A different Apple
will come calling at your door very soon.

Tesha

[dysfunctional press]

73. "profit" may be the wrong word then...

because even a charitable FUNDraiser is just that- a moneymaking event. generally speaking, the support staff at charitable fundraisers(waiters, cooks, entertainers) are still getting paid to do what they do.

and parodies often involve the use of the original source material.

[Tesha]

74. What part of this don't you understand?

> and parodies often involve the use of the original source material.

But they *HAVE TO BE PARODYING THE ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL*
and not, for example, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Tesha

[DainBramaged]

34. No it was brilliantly done, which is why we're discussing it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo

[NashVegas]

65. He Did It On His Own, Apparently

Thus making it protected, creative, speech.

[iamjoy]

12. It's Very Bad For Dems

to be running this sort of attack against each other. I saw that ad, and I thought it was a Republican trying to stir up trouble between the Dems - like Fox with their whole "Clinton camp releasing the Obama Madrassa connection" dreck.

Politically, it doesn't matter that Obama had nothing to do with it. This will come out of the spin cycle as "even Dems see Clinton as Big Brother" Furthermore, is this going to be the tone for our primary - shady, sinister ads with dystopian or apocalyptic undertones?

For the record, my choice for nominee is Gore (if he runs) or Edwards. I like Obama. I hope Clinton is not our nominee, but will support her if she is.

[Xithras]

72. No, this is a primary campaign.

They're not supposed to play nice. In fact, I'd be rather pissed if they did. I want Edwards to show everyone why Hillary is a blowhard, and Obama is inexperienced. I don't care how that might or might not impact their post-primary campaigning, because if I have anything to do with it THEY WON'T HAVE ONE. The goal is to knock them out of the race.

[Kolesar]

8. Phillip is "famous for five minutes" on Huffington Post

And he is so, so proud he did it !! !!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-de-vellis-aka-parkridge/i-made-the-vote-differen_b_43989.html

The specific point of the ad was that Obama represents a new kind of politics, and that Senator Clinton's "conversation" is disingenuous. And the underlying point was that the old political machine no longer holds all the power.

Let me be clear: I am a proud Democrat, and I always have been. I support Senator Obama. I hope he wins the primary. (I recognize that this ad is not his style of politics.) I also believe that Senator Clinton is a great public servant, and if she should win the nomination, I would support her and wish her all the best.

Philip worked on other campaigns, but now he is f'ed forever. Somebody tell me what this added to the debate.

[geiger]

62. I just watched it, and I don't understand what he was trying to accomplish

[Kolesar]

63. Yes. That is a good way to put it. eom

[UTUSN]

10. Just what we need: dems VERSUS dems!!1 n/t

[harun]

13. It is exactly what we need, I am glad he did it.

The only person in the race so far that is not a neo-conservative or aligned with them is Obama. Hillary and all other Dem's need to know we are not going to put up with that neo-con bullsh*t anymore.

War is only declared by Congress
Down with the philosophy of the Unitary Executive
Restoration of civil liberties
Justice for New Orleans

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bo]

28. Im glad he did it as well

Hillary has no chance of winning in '08...shes dreaming.

[Bucky]

38. Can you please justify that idiotic statement?

"The only person in the race so far that is not a neo-conservative or aligned with them is Obama."

Please don't post while drinking. You're suggesting that Chris Dodd is a neocon? Dennis Kucinich is a neocon? Bill Richardson is a neocon? Even Joe Biden is putting out a plan to get out of Iraq ASAP. But he's a neocon, too?

If you can't back any of that up, it's just four cases of slander.

[harun]

52. I was talking about the front runners and should have said so.

Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson are all honorable and I am a fan of all of them.

[IndianaGreen]

21. Unless you want to replace the primaries with a coronation

private citizens are free to do as they please.

[appal_jack]

66. well, it's called a primary

And primaries come before elections.

Hopefully primaries serve to illuminate candidates good points, but they also give us the chance to witness and evaluate how the candidates deal with smears and trash-talking. I hope the eventual Democratic nominee is one who can handle every primary-era-smear thrown a her/him with aplomb, humor, and wit. Cuz once the general election campaign starts, the smears from the Repub's will be much, much worse. A candidate who can shed attacks like water off a duck's back is what we need. Might as well find out sooner rather than later.

And yes, I'll go ahead and say it. I am so unimpressed with Senator Clinton, that I could very possibly vote 3rd-party (or write-in Clark, Obama, Gore, or Barbara Boxer) if Clinton is the eventual nominee. I hate to say it, but Hillary's policies are far too corporatist and statist for my core beliefs. Flame away if you must...

-app

[truthisfreedom]

14. Despite the fresh face and ideas of Barack Obama, I expect Hillary will win the nomination

just because of her name recognition and the tendency for people to go with the most aggressive candidate. I don't care who makes it to President, as long as it's a Democrat. Flame on.

[David__77]

15. No flaming here, but I don't think Clinton will pull it off.

I think if nothing else the plug will be pulled on her when it becomes "apparent" that she is "not electable." She is portrayed as the ultimate insider, but I don't think so. I see another contender emerging over the coming months.

[Bucky]

39. Names!!

Who?

[w4rma]

17. That sucks. I'm not a supporter of either Clinton or Obama, but he didn't need to be fired. (nt)

[K8-EEE]

19. If it was against company policy, then they were right....

They do work for Obama and this was rather a misrepresentation of something approved by him; very dumb move. If he worked for himself, OK, but to take it upon himself to falsely represent another person as far as the message/tone Obama is trying to get across, that was dumb.

[IndianaGreen]

20. According to Keith Olbermann, the man created the video on his own time

working at home, on a MAC.

[rebel with a cause]

35. On a Sunday!

What a way to use your time off from work, doing unpaid work that will cause you to lose your work that you get paid for. ;-)

[IndianaGreen]

18. The good news is that political campaigns can no longer control the message

All the carefully scripted speeches and appearances, and the stand-for-nothing-and-everything policy positions, can now be blown away by any citizen that places their own issue ad on YouTube.

Sure, it is going to get messy. Democracy is supposed to be messy!

Welcome to the new world!

[sandnsea]

22. What an idiot

You don't risk your company's reputation, and your own, for 5 minutes of fame.

[w4rma]

23. Yeah, people should be afraid to do anything that might offend someone.

People should just be nice captivated workers. :sarcasm:

[sandnsea]

24. Who would trust this company??

If they hadn't fired this guy, what credible politician would hire them knowing they have a bunch of loose cannons running around creating material that could blow up all over them at any moment. I really can't believe anybody with a political job would not recognize how fucking lucky they were and would blow it for a stupid YouTube spot. Just incredibly DUMB.

[dkofos]

26. The rebubes would. They always go for the sleazy ones.

[PhilipShore]

29. Why was he fired?

I think the ad is creative.

[rebel with a cause]

36. Creative yes. Solicited no.

Bad for the company's client means that it is bad for the company, and as someone else said, why would anyone else hire this company when there is a danger of them being tied to an uncontrolled non-long-term-thinking employee. Doing a campaign ad using the name of a candidate without his knowledge or approval is inappropriate if not fraudulent in my opinion. I see no problem with any such work by an individual being done as long as it has a disclaimer attached when it is not connected with any candidates campaign, and a name/code name given of the individual/organization responsible for the ad.

[thecrow]

30. Um... CBS is reporting that he QUIT YESTERDAY

(CBS/AP) The mystery creator of the Orwellian YouTube ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic operative who worked for a digital consulting firm with ties to rival Sen. Barack Obama.

Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital, acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he was the creator of the video, which portrayed Clinton as a Big Brother figure and urged support for Obama's presidential campaign.

De Vellis, 33, said he resigned from the firm on Wednesday after he learned that he was about to be unmasked by the HuffingtonPost.com., a liberal news and opinion Internet site.

more:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/21/politics/main2594820.shtml

[DainBramaged]

31. Man got talent, he be re-employed by a campaign in a heartbeat

[Kolesar]

42. Phillip De Vellis is POISON

I hope he does not come back to Ohio politics to campaign. This man is a loose cannon with a definite lack of judgement.

[DainBramaged]

44. I disagree, he appears passionate AND talented

If we had the same passion for our candidates, the Rethugs would be a mini party.


He made history, and hundreds of millions of people through the news outlets and you boob have seen this commercial and have paused for one second to think about the video.

He could not have done more with a hundred million dollars.

Be well

[Kolesar]

45. "Hit Hillary with a Hammer" is a right wing message if I ever saw one!

Tim McVeigh was passionate about what he believed in, too. Ok, that's a low blow.

I guess my angle is that I have know idea what Phillip saw in his favorite candidate. I have watched plenty of minutes of Obama's speeches and read his material and cannot for the life of me figure out what this guy thinks he is going to do when he gets in the White House in January 2009. His energy plan is a lazy compilation of coal and corn industry pipedreams, buying time and financing industries that don't need federal help. He seems to think that his faith is going to win for him just because he talks about faith. That's a yawner. Yes, we want out of the war, but so does everybody--and that is just a surrogate issue for saying he hates bush. Well, look at the Novemeber 7, 2006 election results. Been there!

What is he bringing?

[DainBramaged]

46. First, I am a fan of Bill and Hill, he IS my President forever

Secondly, Obama's politics and policies mean nothing here, what is important is people who might have been on the fence may swing to his campaign.


He knew exactly what he was doing, and it will forever be among one of the most powerful ads ever created.

Be well

[Kolesar]

47. Per his post on HuffPost, Phillip admits he has a crazy loathing of Hillary

I mean, he threw his political career away when he done throwed that hammer at Hillary's nose. That's insane, dude.

Ok, maybe I am overstating this a wee bit, but,....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2776128&mesg_id=2776238

[DainBramaged]

48. It's ok, we know who will prevail

[Kolesar]

49. let's get back to hating Toyota

I am forming a thesis that all this disparaging of the Big 3 automakers is just an anti-union campaign run amok.

[DainBramaged]

50. HAHAHAHAHAAH thanks

I just wish there was more open support of Unions here


Be well

[IndianaGreen]

67. Bush accuses his critics of being pro-terrorist, while Hillaristas accuse her critics

from the Left of being rightwingers. I detect the same authoritarianism and capacity for mendacity in both!

[progressivebydesign]

32. Weird. His first statement was that he quit.. now he's fired?

Hmmm.. doesn't look good for Obama that the guy who founded that company is Obama's New Media Director, and Obama was quoted saying it couldnt' have come from his team, because they didn't have that kind of capability. I hope his campaign settles in soon... too many faux pas at this point.

[rocktivity]

41. Blue State Digital supplies TECHNOLOGY to Obama's campaign, not CREATIVE

that's what he meant.

:headbang:
rocknation

[rocktivity]

40. Unfortunate because it was a great commerical

but inappropriate under the circumstances--if only he'd been just another geek living in his mom's basement.

:(
rocknation

[rodeodance]

53. Mystery creator of anti-Clinton ad ID'd

Source: AP




Mystery creator of anti-Clinton ad ID'd

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer

Thu Mar 22, 7:21 AM ET

WASHINGTON - ........


Heralded by many as the embodiment of Web-driven citizen activism, the mysterious YouTube ad now stands revealed as the work of a Democratic operative employed by a consulting firm with Obama links.

"It's true ... yeah, it's me," said Philip de Vellis, a 33-year-old strategist with Blue State Digital, a Washington company that advises Democratic candidates and liberal groups.

Blue State designed Obama's Web site, and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.

Obama, Blue State and de Vellis all say de Vellis acted on his own. De Vellis left the company on Wednesday. He said he resigned; Thomas Gensemer, the firm's managing director, said he was fired.

The entire episode hangs a cloud over the Obama camp.........

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070322/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_ad;_ylt=ApfI0M0QtJK4IXFrat03EmRh24cA

[SteppingRazor]

54. I fail to see how this thing "hangs a cloud over the Obama camp"

:shrug:

I mean, is there any reason to assume that this ad was vetted by the Obama campaign? So far, it doesn't seem that way. And the Obama connection is, at best, tenuous.

[William769]

56. I don't like Obama and I won't vote for him in the primary.

But I also seem to fail to see the connection.

[MUAD_DIB]

57. What don't you like about him/his politics?

[Ethelk2044]

61. Obama

I would like to know the answer to that one myself what don't you like about his politics?

[MUAD_DIB]

69. I don't like or dislike Obama. That's not how I rate a candidate.

[TechBear_Seattle]

55. And Mr. de Vellis will be hired by....

The Clinton campaign, in appreciation of his sabotaging Osama's credibility.

Crimeny, with all the mud-flinging already going on, how can I vote for ANYONE in the primaries?

[acmavm]

58. Did you realize you called him 'Osama'?

[TechBear_Seattle]

60. I messed up

I should know better than to make quick posts as I'm leaving for lunch. :banghead:

[Madspirit]

59. I thought for sure

I thought for sure after the mid-terms we would be an easy win in 2008. Never going to happen. We're too fucking busy tossing mud on each other. The public hates this crap and so do I.
Lee

[The Animator]

70. Okay, so a guy who works for a political consulting firm can't voice his own political opinion?

just because it's company policy doesn't make it any less bullshit. I'll admit, I haven't seen this add. But unless he put the company logo on it when he shouldn't have, used company rescourses, or did it on the clock, unless he somehow directly tied his company to the work, he should not have lost his job over it.

If he was acting as an individual citizen, voicing his own personal veiws in a public forum, like millions of others on YouTube, he was well within his Constitutional Rights. No company policy is valid if it steps on the first amendment rights of it's employees.

There's a similar draconian measure in place at my job...

We are prohibited from blogging about work. No journal entries about where we work, or any of our fun or not so fun experiences while working there. We catch shit from or bosses, we can't vent about it. Our upper management makes a boneheaded decision, we can't bitch about it. Some random guest does something incredibly stupid, and we can't relate the story for a good laugh.

Now I can understand the companies' postion, it has an image to maintain, and it doesn't want that image tarnished by it's own employees. I'm sure they might object to every disgruntled peon having the power to tell the world what a crappy place it is to work at. But tough shit, seriously. What I do on my own time is none of the companies' buisness.

I work at a themepark in Orlando. No.. surprisingly, it's not the one you think... that one's actually in Kissimee.
No, the identity of this park shall remain strictly, Universal Studios.

Wait a minute.. did I just violate company policy? Oh that's right... I don't give a shit. Right now, I'm not at work. I'm at home, sitting at my computer, on my own time, excercising my 1st amendment rights.

[Forkboy]

71. It was a great ad regardless of the target.

I'll be amazed if he doesn't have a new job already lined up.