Contact: Katie Barr

Open Internet Coalition Announces Inaugural "America’s Got Net" Winner
Winning Submission Credits Career to the Open Internet

News Highlights:
Today the Open Internet Coalition announced Joseph Olesh the winner of the inaugural America’s Got Net competition, a nationwide YouTube contest highlighting the importance of the open Internet. The competition asked everyday Americans to create short videos, telling policymakers in Washington what the open Internet means to them and why it must be protected.Olesh, a video creative director and independent filmmaker credits the open Internet with his many career successes, granting him a platform to share his work. Whether it is publicizing his business ventures through social media tools like Twitter or Facebook or utilizing websites like YouTube to share his portfolio of fashion and art films, Olesh has made his mark because of the open resource that is the Internet. "America's Got Net" was judged by a panel of Internet celebrities including Jesse Dylan, "Yes We Can" Director and founder of FreeForm; Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist; Susan Crawford, former Special Assistant for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy for the Obama Administration; Jolie O'Dell of Mashable; and Personal Democracy Forum founders Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry.

Winning Video:

Quotes:

Joseph Olesh, Winner of "America's Got Net"
As a creative director and independent filmmaker, I know that the Internet is a highway that MUST be protected. The ability to share content is one intrinsic to all those belonging to the digital age... and really, those prior who choose to join and those in the future yet to come on board.

Markham Erickson, Executive Director of the Open Internet Coalition
Joseph Olesh's winning submission further demonstrates the Internet’s fundamental role as a platform for economic growth and innovation. While an incredibly talented filmmaker, Joseph Olesh is just one of the millions of Americans who has benefited from an open Internet. It’s now more important than ever to protect it.

About the Open Internet Coalition
The Open Internet Coalition represents consumers, grassroots organizations, and businesses working in pursuit of a shared goal: keeping the Internet fast, open and accessible to all Americans.