Are geek conventions the new campaign ground for political candidates? Toronto Mayoral candidate David Soknacki spent part of his day at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival.
Current Toronto Mayor, the disgrace(d) Rob Ford helped kick off last years Fan Expo by arm wrestling Hulk Hogan.
Are conventions the new political campaign ground?
Official Press Release
The City of New York
Office of the Mayor
New York, NY 10007
Mayor Bloomberg And Marvel Entertainment unveil “Spider-Man, You’re Hired” – a Special print and Digital comic promoting
New York city’s FREE job PLACEMENT resources
Comic Book Available Free from Marvel Comics’ App on iTunes and in the
New York Daily News as a Public Service at No Cost to the City
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver, Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh, Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, New York Daily News CEO Bill Holiber and Editor-in-Chief Kevin Convey, and Spider-Man today announced the creation of “Spider-Man, You’re Hired,” an all-new comic book highlighting City resources available to New Yorkers who are navigating the job market. The comic, which features an unemployed Peter Parker starting his job search, is the Administration’s latest effort to connect out-of-work to New Yorkers to job training and placement services. It was inspired by the NYC Media original television production, “Job Hunt,” a ten-part series on how the City is helping New Yorkers to get back to work – focusing on Workforce1 Career Centers, libraries and other City services. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at Midtown Comics’ new store in Lower Manhattan.
“New York City provides free, first-rate job training and placement assistance, and we want every New Yorker that needs help to know about it, so we asked Spider-Man to help us spread the word,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “One of the reasons we created the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment was to find new ways to connect with New Yorkers. Our partnership with Marvel and the Daily News is a fun and innovative way to let everyone know about the web of resources the City has to offer New Yorkers that need job assistance.”
“Marvel’s proud to team-up with the City of New York to help inform all New Yorkers about the free services designed to assist them in finding employment. We couldn’t ask for two better leading men than Spider-Man and Mayor Bloomberg,” said Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada“Because even New York’s most famous Super Hero needs a day job!”
“We are always looking for new ways to reach people in all forms of media about the job resources offered by the City,” said Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “Working with Marvel, the Daily News and Small Business Services on this special ‘Spider-Man: You’re Hired’ edition is a tremendous example of how the government can work with the private sector to really help people.”
“Thank you to Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Oliver, the New York Daily News and the City’s great new partner, Marvel,” said Small Business Services Commissioner Walsh. “This is an exciting collaboration and a real super hero effort that will ensure that many more New Yorkers know about the City’s excellent free employment services. I’m glad that Peter Parker is helping us to spread the word to jobseekers that visiting a Workforce1 Career Center can help them get a job in this tough market.”
“As New York’s Hometown Newspaper, the Daily News is proud to use our printed pages and the power of NYDailyNews.com to help New Yorkers, like unemployed Spider-Man alter-ego Peter Parker, find work,” said New York Daily News CEO Bill Holiber. “The City of New York and the Daily News have been tremendous partners on this and other projects – such as the “Hire Me” series that partnered with the “Job Hunt” show and caller helpline – by combining our resources to help New Yorkers get to work. In today’s Daily News, not only will New Yorkers find a special edition of the Spider-Man comic created by Marvel Entertainment, but we’ve also provided readers with a guide to the city’s services for job searches, training and research. We hope our efforts not only help one of New York’s most famous super heroes find work, but other ‘real’ New Yorkers, as well.”
The recently created Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment is identifying and implementing new ways to let New Yorkers know about City resources available to them. To promote the City’s free workforce training and job placement services, the Office worked with Marvel Custom Solutions, a special division within Marvel Entertainment that develops innovative programs addressing the specific needs of partners and philanthropic interests, to create a special edition Spider-Man comic book featuring Mayor Bloomberg.
The full-color, eight-page comic features an out-of-work Peter Parker, frustrated and at a loss about how to find a new job. A serendipitous meeting with the Mayor helps to put him on the right track. The unique comic is available for free download online via iTunes through the popular Marvel Comics app (www.marvel.com/marvelcomicsapp). The New York Daily News is also printing a special edition of “Spider-Man: You’re Hired” at no cost to the City, appearing in over 600,000 papers with a list of all the Workforce 1 Centers in the City where the comic will be available.
The Department of Small Business Services oversees a system of nine Workforce1 Career Centers located throughout the five boroughs, which provide New York City jobseekers with a full array of free employment services, including job preparation, training and job placement in a professional setting. Since 2004, the Department of Small Business Services transformed a system that was placed New Yorkers in about 500 jobs a year into one that placed New Yorkers in more than 25,000 jobs in 2009. To find a Workforce1 Career Center and learn about services, New Yorkers can visit NYC.gov or call 311.
Two additional one-page comics have also been created in conjunction with this launch. In the first comic, Spider-Man can be seen at various well-known New York City attractions describing the great free job services that the City offers. Workforce1 Career Centers are located throughout the five boroughs and provide job seekers with a full array of employment services, including job placement, career counseling, professional development, and access to training opportunities. In the second comic, Spider-Man takes his friend Mary Jane to learn more about the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program. Developed in partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, this free program helps diverse New Yorkers gain access to entry level positions in the entertainment industry. The program is currently recruiting for applicants.
The one-sheet comics are available for download on NYC.gov and can also be seen on phone kiosks and other signage throughout the city. A public service announcement featuring the comics can also be seen in City taxi cabs and on NYC life (channel 25) and NYC gov (channel 74), the City’s government station. The public service announcement, which debuted on Wednesday, explains the project and encourages people to download the comic. The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has worked closely with the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission to ensure that the public service announcement can be seen by as many people as possible. It can also be viewed on the NYC Media Video On Demand Player available on nyc.gov.
“Job Hunt” – produced by NYC Media, the official television, radio and online network of the City of New York and part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment – offers expert advice about navigating the job market and features New Yorkers who have taken advantage of City resources. In each episode of “Job Hunt,” a panel of experts and recruiters shares tips on resume building, interview skills, and landing a new job. Episodes are available to watch online at NYC.gov on the NYC Media Video on Demand Player.
Steve Murray is running for Mayor of Toronto. You might know Murray as Chip Zdarsky. Working in politics, I have to say his campaign website isn’t too bad and you can also follow him on Twitter. Best of all his campaign has the fantastic short name on M4M (Murray 4 Mayor) which makes him a popular fellow on Craigslist.
Listen, you’re either with the cops or you’re Doctor Doom. It’s pretty simple in Steve Murray’s Toronto. Go Argos.
We can get behind Murray 4 Mayor.
Age of Heroes #1
Mayor Jameson – You’ve got to have your thumb on the pulse of the public. All good Mayors know that. LaGuardia. Lindsay. Even that clown Koch knew it. You know their hopes. Their fears — especially their fears — you can use it to lead. To guide them wherever you want.
Deathlok the Demolisher
Godwulf – The revolution is here, people, and it is being televised! Deathlok has set the example, we only have to follow! What do you have to lose but your cheap consumer goods? Think globally and act locally! Throw the #### out!
Ex Machina #49
Suzanne – You once asked me why so many engineers become suicide bombers? It’s because non of you poor fucks know hot to score. I don’t care if you’re into guys, girls, microwaves, whatever. But if your kind blew your load once in a while, maybe you wouldn’t always be blowing up yourselves.
and
Mayor Hundred – I’m a politician Suzanne. I lie.
Superman: War of the Supermen #3
Conner Kent – –think the founding fathers would be very disappointed in you jerks!
X-Men: Legacy #236
Cable – Fanatics don’t sign off until the job is done.
You’ve seen the ads if you read Marvel comics, about electing various characters mayor and December 26th. It turns out it’s all a tease for an upcoming episode of The Super Hero Squad Show.
This Saturday at 7:30 PM ET on Cartoon Network, the Mayor’s re-election bid goes awry when Egghead wins by a landslide (thanks to a little mass mind-control). But his reign at city hall makes life in Super Hero City a bureaucratic nightmare for heroes and villains alike. Wolverine and the Mayor are up against every hero and villain in a desperate attempt to free everyone from Egghead’s control and stop the villains’ planned invasion.
An the living legend Stan “The Man” Lee himself takes the lead role as he provides the voice of the Mayor! The Marvel website has an interview with Lee about his role.
Ex Machina #45
Mayor Hundred – Whatever, it’ll be your house in a few months anyway.
Dave – See, I don’t know about that. Odds are I’m going to have Bob Kerrey running to the left of me, Ogniebene to my right and Bloomberg down the middle. And most New Yorkers are still smarting from the last time they elected a black man Mayor.
and
Dave – We could be the first city in America to announce a multimillion-dollar plan to get the morning-after pill into more women’s hands, and I think we should.
Mayor Hundred – After four years of me successfully dodging that shitstorm, now you want me to use taxpayer dollars on abortion pills?
Dave – That’s RU-486. Morning-after is just emergency contraception. No different than us handing out condoms on the subway.
Mayor Hundred – Except it is. I’m with you that abstinence is a fairy tale, but I think some birth control options are more… hot-button than others.
and
Dave – But… you’re pro-choice. Aren’t you?
Mayor Hundred – That’s what certainly what everyone believes.
Dave – And what the hell do you believe?
Mayor Hundred – That public servants should try to avoid genital politics and concentrate on actually getting shit done.
Punisher #9
Microchip – He’s Dead Frank. Deader than the G.O.P.
I’ve been a supporter of NOI and have written earlier about their very cool Bootcamp. Here’s the email they sent out on the subject.
Dear Brett,
Late Sunday night, eight superheroes announced their candidacy for DC Mayor.
The brains behind these campaigns are New Organizing Institute’s own 2009 BootCampers – over 50 of the nation’s best new organizers are gathering in DC to learn how to become technologically-enabled organizers. The campaign teams of Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, The Atom, The Green Lantern, Batwoman, Superman, Cyborg, and Batgirl have built websites, designed and targeted their message plans and are now building their lists of supporters via email, online advertising and blogger outreach.
Find your favorite Superhero for DC Mayor here!
We don’t want you miss out on the fun – take a minute to visit their websites, join their email lists, and support the work of the next generation of progressive online organizers as they run an intense mayoral race. The best part of this? You get to vote – and help BootCampers reserve bragging rights for years to come.
Online voting begins at 7am EST this Friday – bookmark www.neworganizing.com/superherovote to cast your vote when the polls open.
Thank you for supporting the next generation of progressive organizers!
Judith, Heather, Zack, Anne Marie, Lola, Joy, Shayne, Nick, Kyra, Olivia, Ethan, James and Santiago
P.S. Learn more about the BootCampers here, and find out how you can hire them here.
The New Organizing Institute does a boot camp to train the next generation of organizers every year. This year that training included mocking up websites for possible DC (city not the comic company) mayoral candidates. It just so happened these candidates can be found in the pages at your local comic book store. Candidates include, Cyborg, Superman, Atom, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Spider-man, Batgirl, and Batwoman.
NOI “runs the only progressive advocacy and campaign training program focused on cutting-edge online organizing techniques (e.g. writing effective emails, engaging bloggers, leveraging social networks, utilizing video), political technology (e.g. using data effectively, progressive technology infrastructure), and the intersection with field and management of these areas of new organizing.”
Looks like you’ll be able to vote for your candidate this Friday, July 10 starting at 7am.
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