What’s Jose Antonio Vargas doing at the Super Bowl?
Celebrating his birthday with millions of his closest friends
1) Celebrating his 32nd birthday
2) Watching Beyonce live
3) Waiting for his TV commercial to air
How about all of the above?
The February 3rd Super Bowl was, by Jose’s admission, a “once in a lifetime” moment for him. The Pulitzer award-winning journalist who came out as an undocumented immigrant in June 2011, blogged that he was at the Super Bowl’s press box and mugged for the camera with his media accreditation card dangling from his neck.
“I may not have papers, but hey, I’m here at the Superbowl. I love America,” the giddy-with-excitement founder and spokesman of Define American wrote on Facebook.
Jose said he is celebrating “in the cacophony of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.” In random posts, he updated how he was eagerly awaiting Beyonce’s half-time number, calling her “the best performer of her generation, male or female.”
The Define American commercial may not have registered high in the funny (Taco Bell) or provocative (Go Daddy) meter, but the spot reached a massive audience and could be considered historic: The first time immigration advocacy grabbed maximum primetime exposure and paid anywhere from $2 million to $6 million, according to advertising analysts, for a 60-second spot.
“The spot ran in select broadcast and cable markets throughout the country, including programming surrounding the Super Bowl itself on broadcast television (CBS) and post-game highlight coverage on cable programming (ESPN),” said Define American publicist Lara Drasin. Funding was generated through the website LoudSauce.com, a site for crowd-sourcing the funding of TV advertisements using YouTube videos, she added.
The commercial shows various immigrants saying the following:
“America is a nation of values, founded on an idea – that all men and women are created equal. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all people have rights, no matter what they look like or where they came from. So how we treat new immigrants reflects our commitment to the values that define us as Americans. We believe that families should stick together, that we should look out for each other, and that hard work should be rewarded. You see, it’s not about what you look like or where you were born that makes you American – it’s how you live your life and what you do that defines you here in this country. That’s why all Americans who love this country very much deserve a common sense immigration process, one that includes a roadmap for people who aspire to be citizens.”
Jose himself does not appear in the commercial, but his voice brought it to a climactic close: “My name is Jose Antonio Vargas, and I approved this message.”
“Aspiring Americans” can be viewed here.
———————————————————–
The chocolate for anti-aging, weight loss and energy.
For more information, click here.
FANTASIA FLORAL DESIGN for flower orders that will Impress that special person in your life this Valentine’s Day or for any occasion. Click here to order your Valentine gifts
