The Power of Broadband (Sponsored by Verizon)

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Who knew there was actually a branded entertainment contest? ProMotion Pictures is a film competition that teams the marketing folks from NYU's business school with the artsy crowd from the university's film program. The result? This year, three short films sponsored by Verizon that highlight the power of broadband. Telling the stories of people whose lives were improved by broadband, the films are designed to tie in with the company's "Richer. Deeper. Broader." brand campaign.

Execs from Verizon, from interactive agency R/GA and from McGarry Bowen, the company's corporate ad agency, vetted entries into the competition. The filmmakers selected got $40,000 to shoot the short films over the summer.

R/GA built the site, verizonbroadbandfilms.com, that features bios, blog-like journal entries, storyboards and scripts. The Films site is part of Verizon's user-generated Broadband Stories project.