NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, Pepsi, MTV, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks , awarded Nerds in Disguise the "2009 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Performance in a Pepsi Rock Band Video" for their performance of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy." The band, from Springfield, Illinois, is the first Rock Band band ever to win an MTV Video Music Awards Moonman for their music video submission.
In May, Pepsi and Rock Band announced a call for bands and music lovers alike to make the most creative music videos playing Rock Band -- and after receiving more than 650 submissions, the top five videos were chosen. It was then up to the fans to decide, and hundreds of thousands of votes placed, Nerds in Disguise were declared the winner.
"We congratulate Nerds in Disguise on winning this historic Moonman," said Ralph Santana, VP of colas, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. "They showed a refreshing creativity by producing a music video that was innovative and fun to watch."
Nerds in Disguise arrived in New York and began their rock star treatment, walking the red carpet and being featured in a spot which aired during the VMAs last night showing off their winning video. The group also shot a spread for Spin Magazine, which will appear in the November issue.
"It was overall a very surreal experience," said Matt Hartzler of Nerds in Disguise. "Stuff like this doesn't happen to 18-year-olds from central Illinois. We really appreciated the opportunity to show off our talents on a national and global scale. It's not often that when you put so much work into a piece that it gets that level of exposure."
"Nerds in Disguise is a gifted group of college students, aspiring film makers and Rock Band lovers with real talent," said Christina Glorioso, Vice President Marketing Partnerships for MTV Games, "Their video was really creative, and clearly the fans agreed."
Nerds in Disguise Band Members include: -- Alec Veldhuizen, freshman at University of Colorado, -- Ben Parks, freshman at Miami University in Ohio -- Charlie Clausner, freshman at Tulane University -- David O'Brien, freshman at Iowa State -- Jake Giganti, freshman at University of Colorado -- Matt Hartzler, freshman at Amherst College -- Mike Ranos, freshman at Elmhurst College -- Shane Reynolds, freshman at University of Kansas -- Taylor Blake, freshman at Southeast Missouri State University About Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages:
The Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB) portfolio features market-leading liquid refreshment beverages, including the Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsico.com/.
About MTV Games:
MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.
About MTV Networks:
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom , is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.
MTV
CONTACT: For MTV Games: Mariana Agathoklis, +1-212-846-5755,
Mariana.Agathoklis@mtvstaff.com; or Jacquelyn Messer, +1-212-871-3952,
Jacquelyn.messer@text100.com
Web Site: http://www.mtv.com/
