Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest $7,500 Grand Prize Winner...( WASHINGTON Nov. 12 -- Psoriasis ...),Health

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Psoriasis Cure Now has selected its $7,500 Grand Prize winner in its You Tube video contest. Brendan Hayward of Santa Monica, California walks away with the big prize after a 3-month competition that went down to the wire. Eight other Finalists each will receive $250 in the contest. The winning video and other Finalists can be viewed at http://www.psoriasis-cure-now.org/contest/videos.php .

"Brendan Hayward captured, in just 30 seconds, what it feels like for someone to be stared at because of their psoriasis, or for any other reason," said Michael Paranzino, president of the nonprofit Psoriasis Cure Now. "And the genius was having adults staring at a child with psoriasis, which actually happens, as any parent of a child with psoriasis can tell you. Several Finalists were bunched at the top, and several would have made great Grand Prize winners, but Brendan's video edged them out and we're thrilled to have a skilled filmmaker like him in our corner."

Hayward is an aspiring director working on commercials and presently writing his first feature film. He is a graduate of the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC, from where he graduated with an MFA in film in 2004, and from the University of Virginia, where he majored in physics when he wasn't watching films.

"Underlying the video was my belief that a large part of the difficulty with psoriasis is public ignorance," said Hayward. "There are painful physical symptoms, but also feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding. I wanted to convey to the viewer what it is like to be stared at, and then in a reverse shot, show the effect of the stares through the innocent face of a child."

Hayward auditioned two dozen children to select the stars of his video, and used a sign below his camera reading "I'm an idiot fathead and if you are reading this so are
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