WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Citysearch today announced
the winner of its first ever "Love at First Bite" user video contest, which
took place in California, Illinois and New York. Daniel Hayek from New York
received the grand prize, a $1,000 gift card, for his film "The Quest" which
follows Hayek through New York City as he searches for a pork-filled sesame
pancake.
"The Quest" was directed by Daniel Hayek, a freelance writer based in New
York's East Village. Hayek's inspiration for the film stems from his love of
photography, architecture, and of course videography. He is also a
self-proclaimed "foodie" who says his love of Latin American cooking stems
from his Colombian roots and being raised on empanadas and delicious tropical
juices.
"I got a lot of stares from subway riders while filming this clip but
luckily New Yorkers are used to people behaving oddly in public," said Hayek.
"In complete contrast, once I was out on the street several people approached
me offering to hold my camera for me but I politely declined until I had my
tasty sandwich in hand and my quest was complete."
The consumer video contest powered by IAC sister company, Vimeo, was
launched by Citysearch in February 2008. This unique contest allowed users the
chance to showcase their love of food and restaurants combined with their
individualized story-telling and producing skills.
"We really enjoyed seeing all the creative and passionate entries to our
'Love at First Bite' contest," said Tim Allen, vice president, IAC Consumer
Applications and Portals. "Because of the unique and viral nature of Vimeo's
community, we can offer our partners custom campaigns (like 'Love at First
Bite') that encourage active engagement with our user base in areas they
already express enthusiastic interest, like food."
"The level of user enthusiasm and quality of the submissions we received
for the contest were phenomenal," said Robert Moritz, Editor-In-Chief,
Citysearch. "This contest provided a unique way for our active community to
contribute online video on Citysearch and bring people's passion for food and
restaurants to life. We thank everyone who participated and look forward to
running future innovative contests like 'Love at First Bite'."
To view all of the "Love at First Bite" contest submissions, visit
http://www.vimeo.com/loveatfirstbite. Citysearch's editorial staff judged all
entries based on originality, creativity, humor, stage presence and ability to
make their favorite food appealing to others.
About Citysearch
Citysearch is a leading online local guide that provides the most
up-to-date information on businesses, from restaurants and bars, to travel and
retail. Citysearch empowers consumers to make informed decisions about where
to spend their time and money by delivering trusted content, local expertise
and helpful tools, including over 18 million local business listings and over
1.5 million user reviews nationwide. Citysearch is an operating business of
IAC (Nasdaq: IACI). For more information, visit: http://www.citysearch.com.
About Vimeo
Vimeo is a thriving community of people connecting through video. From
simple moments to masterpieces, Vimeo is the perfect home for people to upload,
store and share all the video they create. Vimeo makes encoding and playback
quality a top priority, even supporting HD. And with advanced privacy and
sharing functionality, Vimeo makes it simple to share your video with whoever
you want, however you want. Vimeo can even power video on your website or blog.
Founded in 2004, Vimeo is based in New York City and is an operating business
of IAC and Connected Ventures. For more information, visit:
http://www.vimeo.com.
