Television Commercial Director Daniel Azarian Produces Public Service Announcement to Save Lolita the Killer Whale

Television Commercial Director Daniel Azarian Produces Public Service Announcement to Save Lolita the Killer Whale

NEW YORK, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Underdog Entertainment, a New York-based production company, today announced that Daniel Azarian, a director of television commercials and branded entertainment, has produced a PSA for SaveLolita.org to raise awareness of the plight of Lolita the orca, held captive for 40 years in a small concrete pool.

Forty years ago this month, herders violently took Lolita, now aged 45, from her family in Puget Sound and transferred her to a 20-foot-deep tank at the Miami Seaquarium. Only four times her size at its widest point, the tank appears to be illegally small under Department of Agriculture regulations.

The PSA uses the same kind of emotional technique and tone, visually and musically, that effectively promotes human causes like Save the Children, but closes with the added kicker that this victim is an orca. "I wanted to appeal to people who might not understand how unethical Lolita's situation is by presenting her predicament through human eyes," explains director Azarian. "Research clearly shows that orcas are sentient, emotional, and highly intelligent beings who are aware of their surroundings. To see such a beautiful 22-foot creature in a tiny 35-foot-wide tank seems inhumane. I felt compelled to do something, so I set the wheels in motion to create this PSA."

The spot can be viewed at www.savelolita.org.

A proposed retirement plan for Lolita would place her in a transitional coastal sea pen sanctuary in her native waters, where she would be rehabilitated under human care, then given the choice to go back to open waters if it's deemed safe. Many organizations are willing to help implement it, but Seaquarium's owners have thus far rejected the idea, despite added urgency from the possibility of oil and dispersant from the Deepwater Horizon spill reaching Seaquarium and killing Lolita and other captive animals. To learn more, visit www.savelolita.org.

Daniel Azarian has won three 2008 Telly Awards, including Telly's highest honor, the Silver Award, for his futuristic-themed cosmetic spot, "Bulletproof," for Facez Cosmetics. Azarian has also directed and produced national spots for 3M's Scotch-Brite brand and Horizon Organic. Blue-chip telecommunications firms and entertainment networks have licensed Azarian's commercial spots for their US and international mobile networks.

Underdog Entertainment (www.UnderdogEntertainment.com) is a New York-based production company active in producing commercial spots, branded and traditional entertainment and film.

Contact: Robert Michael, +1-212-807-9552

Source: Underdog Entertainment

CONTACT: Robert Michael, +1-212-807-9552

Web Site: http://www.underdogentertainment.com/

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