BRING PEACE NOT PAIN ANNOUNCES FAMOUS PANEL OF JUDGES FOR THE PEACE SONG CHALLENGE

Legendary producer Bob Ezrin, musician Yusuf, Oscar nominee Thavi Phrasavath, Entertainment Industry executive Anastasia Brown and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart make up prestigious judges panel for international song challenge New York, New York…May 4, 2009…Bring Peace Not Pain, an organization formed to further the message of peace through the efforts of individuals and various partnerships and entertainment programs, announced a prestigious judges panel made of some of the best known talents in the music and film industry today. The judges will play a pivotal role in choosing the winning entry for the Peace Song Challenge. Open to anyone who aspires to bring their message of peace through music, the Peace Song Challenge will award one grand prize winning entrant an exclusive Gibson Guitar and the opportunity to spread the word of Peace t hrough their very own words on an international platform of publicity and promotion. The winner will also have the opportunity to present their music to a forum of legendary producers and music industry elite who form the panel of judges of this year’s contest. All entries for the Peace Song Challenge are due by July 25, 2009. The top entries will be judged and a winner announced on or before November 25 2009. Several adaptations to the official rules have been made and interested parties should check the Bring Peace Not Pain website for details and applications.The offici al judging panel for the Peace Song Challenge includes legendary music producer Bob Ezrin, international recording artistYusuf (Cat Stevens), Oscar nominee Thavi Phrasavath, music industry hitmaker Anastasia Brown and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President Terry Stewart.Bob Ezrin’s career has spanned 38 years working with some of the world’s leading artists including Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS, Lou Reed, Roberta Flack, Peter Gabriel, Dr. John, Rod Stewart, Jane’s Addiction, Nils Lofgren and many more. He is co-founder of Music Rising with U2’s the Edge and produced the live extravaganza in 2006 featuring U2 and Green Day which reopened the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina devastated it the year before. Currently in production with Peter Gabriel, Ezrin will also direct the upcoming 90th Birthday Celebration in NYC of the legendary Pete Seeger. Singer/songwriter Yusuf, best known for his former stage name Cat Stevens is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator and philanthropist. He has sold over 60 million albums and has been on the top of the Billboard and Hot 100 charts numerous times. In the late 70s Stevens converted to Islam at the height of his fame and adopted the name Yusuf Islam. He left his musical career to devote his time to philanthropy and education. He has been given several awards for his work in promoting peace in the world including 2003’s World Award, the 2004 Man for Peace Award and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for Peace. In 2006 he returned to pop music with his first album of new songs in 28 years entitled An Other Cup and just recently released his current cd ‘roadsinger’. As the creator of the song Peace Train and his strong awareness for Peace related issues and programs, he is a perfect candidate to join such other distinguished judges.Award winning filmmaker Thavi Phrasavath who’s most recent film “The Betrayal” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2009 is a true agent of peace. “The Betrayal” is an exquisitely crafted tale about a country, a family, and a young man who discovers the power and resilience of the human spirit and spans 24 years of his true life experience from war torn Laos to the streets of New York. Phrasavath also has a very strong background in community service working with the NYC Police Department as an interpreter and liaison to the Laotian Community in youth and family crisis intervention. He has also won numerous awards for his paintings and illustrations.
Anastasia Brown’s career has been about breaking the industry mold. In just 4 short years since becoming President of 821 Entertainment Group, Brown has created a Nashville-headquartered medi a company that is financing and producing 16 Heartland feature films over the next six years in partnership with some of Hollywood’s top producers and studios. Brown, who began in Nashville as Miles Copeland’s partner where they managed such megastars as Sting, Peter Frampton and Junior Brown, discovered and developed Keith Urban before transitioning out of management and into film and television. Her credits include music supervisor of AUGUST RUSH, which earned both Oscar and Grammy nominations for music, and BILLY: THE EARLY YEARS, for which she earned a Dove Award nomination. Over the years, Brown’s accolades have included “25 Most Beautiful,” “Top 40 Most Powerful Under 40,” “Women of Influence,” one of 4 women featured in Fitness & Muscle’s “Women of Strength” (September 2007) and Variety featured her among their Multitaskers (November 20, 2006). Brown recently penned “Make Me A Star” and is often interviewed as an industry expert. She also served as celebrity judge for three seasons of “Nashville Star.”
Terry Stewart has been President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for more than a decade. As CEO, he has led the Museum's efforts to expand its reach nationally and internationally with traveling exhibits, technology, collaborations and satellite facilities, while at the same time building its home base in Cleveland via exhibits, programming and the development of a world-class Library and Archives research center. With the Museum’s increased focus on bringing music into the classroom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's educational offerings have now become one of the most celebrated and award-winning activities of its kind emanating from a fine arts museum in the U.S. Prior to entering the nonprofit music world, Stewart served in chief executive positions at Marvel Entertainment Group and was also named the CNBC Marketing Executive of the Year. Terry is well known as an avid co llector of pop culture memorabilia. His extensive collection includes a world-class record collection, concert and movie posters, autographs and jukeboxes.
Bring Peace Not Pain is a multi-faceted grassroots initiative, which began as a solitary vision by Suzi Conklin Nance of New England and has spread through all points of the globe. Through its efforts both on the ground and virtually, Bring Peace Not Pa in brings together a global following from all walks of life with one common thread – that of which holds true the fact that together we can bring around a peaceful world. The organization was recently featured at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where VIPs, actors and film industry executives enjoyed learning more about the organization at the Gibson Lodge located on Main Street. For more information or details on the campaign’s film series, speaker programs, blogs and interactive website or upcoming events and contests please go to www.bringpeacenotpain.com <http://www.bringpeacenotpain.com/> .The contest is open to professional and amateur musicians who want to share their feelings, hopes and dreams about peace through an original song, soundtrack or music score. The winning entry may also become the official song of the organization and be used for all domestic and international campaigns. Some of the entries will be posted on the website and later may be used for publicity and other promotional efforts. Rules and regulations along with an entry application is available on the website.
The Grand Prize winner will receive an exclusive Gibson Guitar from the world’s premier musical i nstrument manufacturer, an official “Agent of Peace” fleece jacket, inclusion in a major publicity announcement and posting of their song on the Bring Peace Not Pain’s website and YouTube. The winner will also be featured in an international news story and may have the opportunity to perform his/her song at several upcoming events and be given the opportunity to promote his/her music as the official song of the campaign. Five runner-up entrants will receive an official “Agent of Peace” fleece jacket and mention on the website. Submissions for the contest are due by July 25, 2009 and must be submitted with a signed Official Entry form, copy of the Rules and Regulations, a CD of the song and written lyrics. All must be signed and dated by the original composer and be accompanied by a letter stating that they are original works. (this is handled in the Rules and Regulations) Each entry will not be returned. Winners will be announced on or before November 25, 2009 For an official entry form and Artist Release along with a complete list of rules and regulations, interested individuals can email PeaceSongChallenge@bringpeacenotpain.com CONTACT:Suzi Conklin Nance 40... suzinancebpnp@yahoo.com