Take One And Special Olympics Maryland Take The Plunge!

Take One Digital Media helped Special Olympics Maryland move into new territory by marketing its MSP Polar Bear Plunge 2008 with online video. Tom Schniedwind, Special Olympics Maryland Executive Vice President of Marketing, hired Annapolis based Take One Digital Media to produce a series of seven video vignettes designed to draw attention to the MSP Polar Bear Plunge, scheduled for January 26, 2008 at Sandy Point State Park. Take One’s production crew of Dan Powell and Liz Thibodeau trekked to Churchill, Manitoba to produce the series. “The Polar Bear Diaries”, chronicles Schniedwind, Special Olympic athlete Jimmy Myrick, former Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary, and actor Frank Lama as they try to convince Polar Bear Capitol of the world to stage its own plunge in the Hudson Bay, complete with real bears! The videos are being underwritten by Aerotek, a Hanover based technical and professional staffing agency and will premiere weekly on the newly designed MSP Plunge Web site www.plungemd.com. Take One also designed the new site and integrated it into its pre-existing fundraising interface.

The Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge began in 1997 with 350 Plungers raising $75,000 in order to support and raise awareness for the 10,000 athletes who train and compete throughout the year in Special Olympics Maryland’s sports programs. In 2007, the event set yet another record, raising an incredible $2.2 million thanks to the efforts of 7,400 Plungers – nearly double the number from the year before. Take One hopes the videos help the group reach its $3 Million fundraising goal for 2008.