Washington, DC – Talented R&B/hip-hop artist/producer/singer and son of music icon Stevie Wonder, Mumtaz Ekow Morris, and music video director, Dennis Mckinley, will join representatives from community based organizations as judges for the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Unity Diaspora Coalition (UDC) Census Poster and Social Media Competition.

The National Coalition’s UDC is sponsoring the competition in cities where they have Census activities on the ground working to decrease the undercount of the Black population, says executive director and CEO Melanie L. Campbell. Participating cities are: Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Gary, IN; Houston, TX; Jackson, MS; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; and New York, NY.

Campbell adds, “The competition provides an opportunity for parents, educators, service providers, clergy, and youth organizers to help young people understand the importance of the Census with a civic activity that is educational and fun.”

Participants can use any talent to communicate the importance of the Census and encourage people to return their Census form. Poems, posters, paintings, spoken word, songs, YouTube videos, comedy skits, rap, and other artistic expression is eligible. Students and young adults have until April 16, 2010 to enter the competition and must live in one of the cities listed above.

Judges will select five local winners from each participating city including: elementary, middle school, high school, undergraduate, and young adult categories. Local winners will receive a certificate of recognition and a $25 – $100 gift card and will be entered into the UDC Census Poster and Social Media Competition. Five national winners will be selected from the local winners. National prizes include a $1,000 scholarship, $500 gift card, laptops and a Nintendo WII Sport.

music video director, Dennis McKinley

“I am eager to check out the creative ideas from talented young people,” said McKinley. “I hope to see some captivating viral campaigns that will motivate young people to be civically engaged and persuade their parents to return their Census form,” adds the director of Travis Porter’s hit single “Go Shorty Go,” voted the number one song in Atlanta two weeks in a row.

“I am honored to be a part of this campaign and assist in judging the entries,” cites Mumtaz, whose debut single “Do It Well,” featuring Snoop Dogg drops in April. “We all need to stand up and be counted in the 2010 Census and I look forward to reviewing the entries while helping to expose new talent.”

The Unity Diaspora Coalition is an initiative of The National Coalition that brings together organizations representing Caribbean, Afro Latino, African, and African American communities. In addition to urging the Black population to mail in their completed census survey to decrease the under-count of the Black population, their goal is to demonstrate unity among Blacks of the Diaspora.

Atlanta, GA – After directing some of the hottest music videos for popular hip-hop, pop and alternative artists from Detroit to Los Angeles, director Dennis McKinley marks his Atlanta directorial debut and official move to the city lensing “Go Shorty Go,” an upbeat club video for hip-hop group, Travis Porter. Fellow rappers, Dem Franchise Boyz, Lil Chuckee, DJ Teknikz, and DJ Spinz Hoodrich dropped by the set for cameo appearances.

“Travis Porter’s energy and positive attitude made the video come to life,” said McKinley. “I also respect their hustle; they stay on the grind. Like Soulja Boy, these young men didn’t wait around for a record deal. They created their music, put it online and now they’re blowin’ up across the country.”

McKinley continues, “That’s what McKinley Presents is about. We’re not waiting for the studio to make our movies. We’re doing our own thing, pushing the limits of new technology to make low-cost films and videos with high production value. In 2010, we’re going hard producing feature films and developing music mini-movies comparable to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.”

The video, filmed on location in a trendy Atlanta nightclub, begins with Travis Porter in the VIP area reminiscing about the previous weeks party. After walking through the crowd of over 200 club-goers, exotic dancers and pole dancers, Travis Porter uses the bar as their stage and puts on the performance of their career.

McKinley credits the success of this video to his all-star support crew which included: James Houk, director of photography, Ishamel “Ham” Isring, assistant director, and co-producers, Hamadi James and Kim Bell.

“I moved my operations to Atlanta because it’s one of the hottest spots in the country for entertainment,” said McKinley. “I have two feature films in development and, according to my research, this city has the talent, crew, celebrities, and film incentives to get the job done. It’s an economically sound business move for my company and it doesn’t hurt that I love Atlanta,” said McKinley who holds a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a certificate from Dov S-S Simens’ internationally recognized, Hollywood Film Institute.

Kim Bell adds, “We’re excited about our move to Atlanta. In addition to producing music videos and commercials targeting the younger demographic, McKinley Presents will focus on telling provocative, realistic, and constructive stories. I majored in political science so you can count on us making some noise and keeping it very real.”