For the second year in a row, Campaign for America’s Future will be awarding the Maria Leavey Tribute Award.  The honor is awarded to the person whose selfless, behind-the-scenes service has contributed the most to the progressive movement — and a choice to move that person's work out of the shadows into the limelight.  This year, our very own JIM GILLIAM has been named as one of the five finalist!!  We’re so proud of Jim, his story and his accomplishments!

The award will be presented at Take Back America 2008, but now is the time to CAST YOUR VOTE!!!!! 

If you’re a fan of Brave New Films and the work we do, then you’re a fan of Jim Gilliam. If you’ve participated in Brave New Theaters, you have Jim to thank.  If you can’t get enough of our live blogging events – you can't get enough of Jim!!   

Please take the time to congratulate him and vote for him on the Maria Leavey Tribute Award website. 

Jim's Story:

At Brave New Films, Jim Gilliam has been building an Internet media infrastructure for the progressive movement, using new technologies to connect, inspire and activate millions.

Jim built Brave New Theaters to easily organize tens of thousands of house parties for independent progressive documentaries, connecting more than a million people with a cause to filmmakers with a story. The screenings led to grassroots campaigns against companies such as Wal-Mart and Fox News. Also, his work on Internet videos has been seen by 13 million people on YouTube.

His ability to breathe deteriorated so badly he needed a double lung transplant, but he didn’t stop working. Instead, his nominee writes, for more than a year after the transplant, “he worked and never complained with an oxygen bottle strapped to his shoulder, not worrying about his name, credit, or how much sleep he got.”

He is currently working on his latest idea, Brave New Films Network, with live and interactive online broadcasts and channels for progressive groups.