Collide Magazine just announced their nominations for best of the web according to their readers and we couldn’t be more pleased. Several of the projects we’ve been involved with this year are up for nominations and we’re thrilled for them.

COLLIDE readers, we need your help! Every year in COLLIDE we ask you to nominate and choose your favorite media, technology, blogs, and podcasts in our Readers Choice Awards. The time to vote has now come! So get cracking, and be sure to tell all your democracy-loving friends, too.

This is the place to cast your votes for your favorite things of 2009! Choose wisely, and only vote once please.

This year’s categories include:

* Favorite Film of 2009
* Favorite Church Media Short Film of 2009
* Favorite Church Media Producer
* Favorite DVD Curriculum
* Favorite Presentation Software
* Favorite Web App of 2009
* Favorite Gadget of 2009
* Favorite Twitter Client
* Favorite Book of 2009
* Favorite Viral Video of 2009
* Favorite Theology/Ministry Blog
* Favorite Faith & Arts Blog
* Favorite Faith & Pop Culture Blog
* Favorite Tech Blog
* Favorite Blogging Platform
* Favorite Sermon Podcast
* Favorite Non-Sermon Podcast

Voting will remain open until Monday, December 14 at 9am CST. Winners will be announced in the January/February 2010 issue of COLLIDE.

It’s great when other artists realize what good art and story telling looks like. It’s especially great when they’re your friends. Dave Mahanes and Brent Gudgel have been really striving all year to tell stories about “How God uses everyday people”
We recommend voting for Deidox in the Favorite Church Media Short Film of 2009 and the Favorite Church Media Producer categories – VOTE HERE

Stories from Skid Row has been a top 20 podcast on iTunes for the past year (non profit, video category) and it’s great to see Union Rescue Mission receive a nomination from the best of the web for 2009. These stories and snapshots show people around the mission putting their lives back together. We recommend voting for Stories from Skid Row in the Favorite Non-Sermon Podcast of 2009 category – VOTE HERE

Other notables – Congrats to:

Phil Cooke
Blaine Hogan
Francis Chan
Josh Blankenship
Anne Jackson
Tony Morgan
Matthew Paul Turner
John Acuff
Church Marketing Sucks
Donald Miller

Today marked the launch of the latest Deidox film “Deidox | Dawn” This film is an expansion on the Deidox brand with it’s previous 3 films showing jobs and people in the midst of the struggles. The latest film gives a profile of Dawn, a mother of three discovering her unexpected purpose. I’m quite sure that this is a role that we are constantly surrounded by and yet don’t take a lot of stock in. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

Also launching today was an update on the homepage of Deidox. Since it’s inception, the Deidox site has been bleeding edge with big visuals, slick java scripting and a powerhouse of Search Engine Optimization. With this launch the entire Deidox team wanted to see if there was a better way to communicate all that Deidox is about and what they’re doing.

We needed to convey the message that there were many films and what they were about. After spending some time research what was available in the java script banners we decided on a player that showed the main pictures but allowed large buttons for the other panes. Many times the additional buttons don’t show enough area or are automated to only show a certain point. We wanted more control over it, and found it with our selection.

For this project Portnoy Media Group was again allowed to collaborate early on to guide and research from the early stages of filming Dawn’s story. This allowed the sensitivity and the strategy to walk through the launch. Also in the mix for this project was the incredible work of Out:think Group (Their recent projects include: the redesign Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop Blog, Hugh MacLeod’s Gaiping Void site and Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran’s site). Tim Grahl and Joseph Hinson were instrumental in making the launch happen and were massive collaborators in the design and layout. After initial designs were agreed upon, the guys at Out:think went right to the heavy lifting transforming the site to the beauty that it is now.

We also spent time adjusting the individual film pages. There was a lot of thought put into what would provide the best user experience and bring the least amount of visual fatigue. A fair amount of comparison was made with other websites that offered digital distribution. The aim was to keep everything with in a click or two to make sure that the user experience was simple, although the technology wasn’t.

Huge thanks to the guys at Out:think for another job well done and also thanks to the guys at Deidox for allowing Portnoy Media Group to be involved.

Subscribe to the Podcast to get all the episodes as they come out. Click Here!

If you are a filmmaker, video/motion graphics professional or simply a film enthusiast, International Justice Mission (IJM) wants you to be a part of the At the End of Slavery movement today!

At the End of Slavery is a powerful 30-minute documentary that takes viewers into the dark and dangerous underworld of human trafficking, bringing into the light some of the world’s 27 million slaves. IJM is looking for talented film professionals to participate in a trailer contest that will help us spread the word about the film and start a modern-day abolitionist movement.

Interested individuals should complete the free contest registration online at www.AtTheEndOfSlavery.com and receive a toolkit that includes official rules and guidelines, a digital, high-resolution version of ATEOS, and a series of design files, video clips and audio files to be used with their trailer entry as they see fit.

Guest judges include:
• Phil Cooke, a filmmaker, producer, media specialist and consultant whose work focuses on creating personal and organizational (with a specialty in non-profit and faith-based) cultures where real change happens.
• Craig Detweiler, director of the new Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University in Malibu. His documentary, “Purple State of Mind”, won Best Spiritual Film at the 2008 Breckenridge Festival of Film and the Audience Award at the 2009 Tallahassee Film Festival.
• Brent Gudgel, film director who co-directed and award-winning documentary “Dear Francis” about the most HIV-infected nation in the world, which has aired on Showtime, and been used by universities and churches around the world. The latest project from him is DEIDOX
• Gregg Helvey, who directed and produced “Kavi,” the winning film of the 2009 Student Academy Award gold medal, about a young boy who is a modern-day slave in a brick kiln in India.
• Dave Mahanes, a partner in the production company Chronicle Project, who has overseen the production of documentaries, promotional videos and film shorts, including “Dear Francis.” The latest project from him is DEIDOX.

The trailer contest officially ends Friday, September 18, 2009 and entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET to be eligible for judges and audience voting.

Here’s the current trailer

At The End Of Slavery – Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

Grand Prize is:

• A trip for 2 to Washington DC’s Premiere Event on September 30th
• A public viewing of your trailer before the event and recognition.
• The winning trailer becomes the trailer seen by thousands across the country as THE trailer for the film.

Don’t miss out on this chance to play a part in starting a modern-day abolitionist movement! Send in your trailer contest entries, and be a part of the At the End of Slavery movement today!

Sign Up Today

This blog excerpt is taken from Dan’s Blog at DanPortnoy.com In addition to the “Augmenting Your Story With Video” workshop being facilitated by Dan, many of our friends will be represented. Including Tim Grahl from Out:Think Group, Justin, Justin and Won from Abandon Films and Brent Gudgel and Dave Mahanes from Chronicle Project.

It’s just a few weeks away and I’m literally counting the days to Idea Camp. I think this whole idea has been a bit of a phenomenon. Idea Camp wasn’t even a glimmer of an “Idea” a year ago and to be already posting it’s second event – it’s really unheard of.

Here’s why I like it:

The distance between the facilitators/presenters and attendees is tiny.
This is a lot like the Blog World Expo in Vegas. The guys/gals at the front of the room are talking to relative equals not newbies vs experts. As a result it keeps presenters from giving bad info because they’d be called on the carpet. It also guarantees that with so many good brains in the room everyone leaves with some new knowledge.

The networking is amazing
If there has been one event that has been paramount in making connections during the last year and a half in California – it’s idea Camp. I met organizations, non profits and thought leaders that I would never meet otherwise. On top of that I got to share meals with them and got to have my socks knocked off. This is also a good place to tell you my most embarrassing moment. The very lovely Cynthia Ware (The Digital Sanctuary) lead the Facilitators luncheon, it was going great until she gave some small instructions: “We’re going to go around the room and tell us a little bit about yourself, why your here and really take your time.”

She then looked to her right and I went first… and as it turned out I followed her directions exactly but, in fact, too well. I took the lions share of that time… Looking back I was mortified at my actions and thankfully a few different presenters didn’t let me forget it (You know who you are!!)

The attitude is so different
The best part about the luncheon (and the weekend) was that just about every person was surprised to be counted in the same group with people at the table. It was great servant leadership and I was thrilled to be a part of it. It also doesn’t hurt to be helmed by Charles Lee, if you’ve met him, you know what I mean. He’s so humble and he’s brilliant – so it’s tough to buck that trend.

Workshops, workshops, workshops!!
At the first event the workshops were varied and it was easy to navigate which ones interested me. But for DC, I’m already seeing the lineup and I’m going to have a tough time making choices. The amount of guys who are coming into DC on their own dime to share their expertise in really unheard of.

You get out what you put in
The whole ethos of the 2 day “un-conference” is to hear ideas. Ideas come and go – the genius is there.. and then it’s gone. The beauty about Idea Camp is that if you’re coming to the table with some ideas – there are a lot of people at the Idea Camp who will give your idea a whack and see if it holds up.

It’s FREE
Looking back – I would’ve paid at least $50 for the first Idea Camp, but you don’t have to!

So Dan, what are you doing with it?

So glad you asked! I’ve got the fortunate pleasure of talking about video/film as a device to tell stories better. You know it’s done, you know it’s obvious. The wild thing to me is that although it’s simple.. it’s not easy to do it well. I’ll be sharing some examples I’ve found that show both success and failure.

And the best part about it – I get to set the table. I already know some serious digital storytellers will be in the room and they’ll be bringing a ton of great info. I hope you can make it!

The Idea Camp is taking place in Arlington on August 28th and 29th – Click here to register This installment is all about compassion and social justice and already over 40 organizations will be represented. See you there!