NowThis to Premiere First Feature-Length Documentary, VIRGINIA 12TH

NowThis, the no. 1 social news publisher in the world, announced today that it will premiere its first feature length documentary film, Virginia 12th , on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm ET on its Facebook and Youtube channels. Virginia 12th is a 64 minute documentary, which follows the emotional and inspirational story of a Chris Hurst, a millennial journalist rocked by gun violence, who pivoted his career towards elected office by running and defeating an NRA-backed incumbent State House representative.

Local Virginia TV news anchor, Chris Hurst, experienced the unthinkable when his girlfriend and fellow journalist, Alison Parker, was murdered live on-air in 2015 during a local news report. Following the traumatic personal loss that made national headlines, Hurst quit journalism to run for political office. In the first wave of elections following a polarizing U.S. presidential race, Hurst worked to rally support from a DIVIDED community, and more importantly, engage many young, first time voters between the two college campuses within the district, Virginia Tech and Radford. It was the support and enthusiasm Chris garnered from this new generation of voters that ultimately propelled him to victory to serve as delegate for Virginia's 12th House District.

"NowThis is synonymous with the news and information that matters most to young people, and we couldn't be more thrilled to release our first feature length documentary film, Virginia 12th, whose central theme and message is the impact young people can have when they vote, " s aid NowThis Chief Content Officer Tina Exarhos. "T he documentary marks an enormous step in our brand's evolution from short-form video PIONEERS to an award-winning millennial-focused news brand. As we approach the 2018 Midterms, NowThis is more committed than ever to use our platform to help inspire young people to participate in the political process, which is why we are releasing Virginia 12th one week prior to one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime."

NowThis' Virginia 12th, directed by Tim Johnson and produced by David Check of Checkpoint Productions, follows Hurst on the entire road of his candidacy and the young people who rallied around him in the months leading up to Election Day 2017. It's a story about THE JOURNEY to his incredible victory and the story about how a 31-year-old journalist unseated an NRA-backed career politician in one the greatest political upsets in recent history.

After premiering on NowThis' Facebook and Youtube channels, Virginia 12th will be screened at the Virginia Film Festival on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion in which Hurst will be joined by the film's director, Salem, Virginia native Tim Johnson; Athan Stephanopoulos, president of NowThis; and Leslie Cockburn, the Democratic candidate to represent Virginia's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and an award-winning investigative journalist whose work has been seen on CBS, NBC, PBS FRONTLINE , 60 Minutes, and more.

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