I Got a Crush... on Obama
Encyclopedia
"I Got a Crush... on Obama" is an internet viral video
, first posted on YouTube
in June 2007 featuring a young woman seductively singing of her love for then-U.S. Senator
(later President
) Barack Obama
. Produced by BarelyPolitical.com
, actress and model Amber Lee Ettinger
lip-synched the song for the video, and Leah Kauffman
(of "My Box in a Box" fame) provided the vocals.
The concept was the brainchild of 32-year-old advertising executive Ben Relles
. "I Got A Crush...On Obama" was co-written and produced by Rick Friedrich. The creators sold two shirts and the red shorts used in the video in an eBay
auction. One of the shirts garnered $1,000. Proceeds from the auction were donated to the Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness. On May 25, 2007 Ben Relles placed an ad on the online classified website, Craigslist
, seeking a music video director. The ad was answered by filmmakers Kevin Arbouet
and Larry Strong
. Filming began later that same day in and around various New York City
landmarks. Arbouet and Strong co-directed and shot the entire video in about six hours. The whole film project took approximately two to three weeks.
On June 13, 2007 the video was posted to the video sharing website YouTube
and garnered over one thousand views within the first five hours of its posting. By the second day the American news media had taken notice of the video's growing popularity. Relles, Ettinger
and Kauffman appeared on many television news programs. The video was nominated in the Politics category in the 2007 YouTube Awards
.
on June 18, 2007, Obama said, "It's just one more example of the fertile imagination of the Internet. More stuff like this will be popping up all the time." Obama told the Associated Press
that the Obama Girl video had upset his daughters and said, "You do wish people would think about what impact their actions have on kids and families."
Obama's campaign stated they had nothing to do with the video's creation. Kauffman and Ettinger confirmed this during their June 15, 2007 appearance on Fox & Friends
, where they said that the video was not made to support Barack Obama in his campaign but rather for fun. They also expressed interest in making more videos of the same genre for other candidates of other parties as well.
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
, first posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
in June 2007 featuring a young woman seductively singing of her love for then-U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(later President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
) Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Produced by BarelyPolitical.com
BarelyPolitical.com
Barely Political is an online video and entertainment website that creates politically themed satirical music viral videos and parodies. It was created in June 2007 by founders Ben Relles and Leah Kauffman and debuted its presence on the internet in the music video "I Got a Crush... on Obama",...
, actress and model Amber Lee Ettinger
Amber Lee Ettinger
Amber Lee Ettinger is an American actress, internet celebrity, and model. She first rose to fame as Obama Girl in her Internet video "I Got a Crush... on Obama", in which she expressed her admiration of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama...
lip-synched the song for the video, and Leah Kauffman
Leah Kauffman
Leah Kauffman is a Jewish-American singer and songwriter who is responsible for singing and writing four popular viral videos: "My Box in a Box", "I Got a Crush... on Obama", "Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl" and "I Like a Boy". The first song was written by Kauffman, the second and third were...
(of "My Box in a Box" fame) provided the vocals.
The concept was the brainchild of 32-year-old advertising executive Ben Relles
Ben Relles
Ben Relles is the founder and creator of Barely Political. He was born in Wisconsin and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Badger. He founded his own marketing company, MarketVision Inc. in Philadelphia, and from 1997 to 2002 grew the business as its...
. "I Got A Crush...On Obama" was co-written and produced by Rick Friedrich. The creators sold two shirts and the red shorts used in the video in an eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
auction. One of the shirts garnered $1,000. Proceeds from the auction were donated to the Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness. On May 25, 2007 Ben Relles placed an ad on the online classified website, Craigslist
Craigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
, seeking a music video director. The ad was answered by filmmakers Kevin Arbouet
Kevin Arbouet
Kevin Daniel Arbouet is an Award-winning director, writer and producer. He was born May 29, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York. He and his partner Larry Strong directed the viral video, "I Got a Crush.....
and Larry Strong
Larry Strong
Larry Strong is an award-winning director, writer and producer. He is a graduate of Long Island University C.W. Post Campus where he majored in film and theatre. He and his partner Kevin Arbouet are noted for directing the viral video, "I Got a Crush... on Obama"...
. Filming began later that same day in and around various New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
landmarks. Arbouet and Strong co-directed and shot the entire video in about six hours. The whole film project took approximately two to three weeks.
On June 13, 2007 the video was posted to the video sharing website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and garnered over one thousand views within the first five hours of its posting. By the second day the American news media had taken notice of the video's growing popularity. Relles, Ettinger
Amber Lee Ettinger
Amber Lee Ettinger is an American actress, internet celebrity, and model. She first rose to fame as Obama Girl in her Internet video "I Got a Crush... on Obama", in which she expressed her admiration of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama...
and Kauffman appeared on many television news programs. The video was nominated in the Politics category in the 2007 YouTube Awards
YouTube Awards
The YouTube Awards are awards given out as formalizedic or comedy genres, as voted by the YouTube community. The awards were organized in 2007 to "call out some of the most popular videos and let the users choose which ones deserve some additional recognition"...
.
Obama's response
When asked about the video by the Des Moines RegisterDes Moines Register
The Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.-History:...
on June 18, 2007, Obama said, "It's just one more example of the fertile imagination of the Internet. More stuff like this will be popping up all the time." Obama told the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
that the Obama Girl video had upset his daughters and said, "You do wish people would think about what impact their actions have on kids and families."
Obama's campaign stated they had nothing to do with the video's creation. Kauffman and Ettinger confirmed this during their June 15, 2007 appearance on Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends is an American morning television show on the Fox News Channel.-History:The show begins at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time with the latest Fox News Live headlines and analyzes the news of the morning...
, where they said that the video was not made to support Barack Obama in his campaign but rather for fun. They also expressed interest in making more videos of the same genre for other candidates of other parties as well.