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Norfolk, VA, USA (SANEPR.com) November 3, 2008 -- Will Barack Obama win the presidential election? That depends on several factors, but a new Web site could provide helpful information for democrat and republican voters, alike, who did not take advantage of early voting.

Penguin Search Engine Services, Inc. (Penguin SES), a Norfolk, Va.-based domain name investment and development company today announced the acquisition of one of its domains, www.WhyIVoteDemocrat.com, by the VerticalBlu Film Company (VerticalBlu). VerticalBlu will use the domain name to help promote two of its recent, short, election-oriented films and expects that the films will help spark further debate concerning the best choice of presidential candidate on election day. Terms of the domain name acquisition were not made public.

"We are excited to work with Penguin SES in acquiring this very relevant domain name," said Daniel Gourley, president of VerticalBlu, "and we're hoping to showcase our work as filmmakers, in addition to getting people to think critically about this election." The films are not a Barack Obama biography, but they do examine the positions of Sen. Obama.

Tim Morse, president and CEO of Penguin SES, explained that his company registered WhyIVoteDemocrat.com in early July, before Sen. Obama had won the Democratic nomination, with the thought of marketing it to an interested party as the election cycle ramped up. The Web address is one of more than 600 domain names in Penguin SES's domain name portfolio. Morse stated that Penguin SES had hoped to find a buyer earlier than one week before the presidential election, but said that both companies agreed that the timing for the deal seemed opportune. He added that with the ability to aggressively promote the URL, any owner would have a decided advantage in getting recognition for its message. Morse classifies this domain as a "deo domain."

"With the intensity of the presidential race and the amount of voices crying to be heard, both in traditional media and in new, online media outlets, we felt strongly that having a proactive, and somewhat provocative, 'in-your-face' domain name like WhyIVoteDemocrat.com would definitely be a feather in the cap for the right organization," Morse said. "Of course, it helps that VerticalBlu has an engaging, witty message," he added.

Morse acknowledged that viewers will have strong feelings about the films, one way or another, and about Barack Obama. He anticipated that a certain demographic will be pleasantly surprised, but speculated that other viewers could be put off by the films. "We're not sure exactly how the McCain campaign and the talk radio crowd will perceive it. Talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, et al. have a big impact with conservative voters, and it will be hard to anticipate what kind of feedback they will share with their listeners," Morse added. "It could actually stir things up a bit."

Gourley explained how the first short film made its way to this point. "Initially, we produced the short film 'I'm Voting Democrat' as a marketing piece for our company, and as a response to another video that was pointed at the republican party" Gourley said. But Gourley also acknowledged that the film has served to help people get facts and think for themselves as they look toward voting. "The lesson we would love for folks to take away is that you can't believe what you hear on TV anymore, and that it doesn't matter necessarily who you vote for, but that you educate yourself on the issues."

While the film has been widely viewed to date, Gourley was surprised to learn the extent of his audience's commitment to promote it. "We didn't expect the level of response from other communities and countries regarding the interest in this video," Gourley said. "Of course, we have equal amounts of people who hate it and love it, but we have also had the movie translated by a young man from the hearing-impaired community, as he read the lips of our actors. He has posted it, with the transcript, on a Blog for the hearing-impaired." According to Gourley, this fan told VerticalBlu that there are 33 million people with hearing disability and he felt they are never adequately reached by the campaigns."

"We've even had someone translate our script into Spanish for non-English speakers who want to know what our video is about. It's been posted on Spanish-speaking Blogs as well," he added. "The feedback we've gotten so far is that large numbers of viewers from 21 different countries, including Brazil, Russia and Israel, have seen it." According to Gourley, VerticalBlu's new short films will speak to all types of voters, but he feels that younger voters will be especially able to engage with the films. "To a great degree, I think younger voters accept what the 'media' tells them," Gourley said. "But with the advent of YouTube and other forms of viral marketing, clever, well-produced films like 'I'm Voting Democrat' can really reach an audience and make a difference."

"Our generation are also very good about spreading the word online, so we may see quite a bit of viral activity if these Web users choose to share a link to the URL," he said. Gourley is hoping that his company's other political short film, 'Sen. Obama, I Have One Question...' will gain exposure by being posted on www.WhyIVoteDemocrat.com, as well. "To see the two short films, visitors will have to scroll down the page bit," he added, "since we're promoting a new, non-political film at the top of the page."

About Penguin Search Engine Services, Inc.:
Penguin Search Engine Services, Inc. *Penguin SES* penguinses.com is a niche domain name investment and development company which specializes in acquiring domain names primarily in the areas of technology, healthcare, and emerging trends.

About VerticalBlu Film Company:
www.VerticalBlu began making films in fall of 2007 and is a movement based on the belief that great movies don't need to come from Hollywood. By joining together the skills, resources and efforts of like-minded filmmakers, movies can be created that speak to our souls, our lives, and our communities. To find out more how you can invest and participate in VerticalBlu's latest feature "Life in Transit" visit VerticalBlu.com.