Countable Announces Two Powerhouses Are Joining the Team
Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 16, 2016 -- Countable, the fastest rising politics and policy app in the iOS App Store, is announcing two heavyweights in media and politics are joining as advisers, today. Rick Kaplan, who has been an innovator in television news since guiding Nightline, and veteran communications strategist and Democratic operative Amanda Crumley, an SVP at Forbes Tate Partners, will help shape the future of Countable.
“Countable is going to be a game-changing app, and I’m excited to join the team,” said Kaplan. “Countable is doing something that no one else does. Under one roof and right at your fingertips, Countable makes news and issues easily understandable and digestible, then provides a way to make it easily actionable. It helps open the closed doors of Washington politics, and makes personal engagement easy and accessible. Countable is breaking down the barriers that have discouraged people from becoming involved in the debates that most affect their lives. It has the potential to be the most powerful click on anyone’s phone.”
“Countable helps people demystify government, decode complex legislation and issues, and gives them a voice in the process in a way that is easy, engaging and fast,” said Crumley. “To get more people civically engaged, we must reach them where they are – and that is on their smartphones and tablets – with technology that lets them use those devices as tools to have an impact on issues they care about. And that’s what Countable does. Through both our mobile app and our customized embeddable advocacy widget, we connect people directly to their lawmakers – local, state or federal. And with the power of just one click, people can advocate on issues through a phone call, email or 30-second video. This is a groundbreaking tool that will revolutionize the advocacy space and empower citizens.”
RICK KAPLAN BIO
Rick Kaplan has been a broadcast journalist for more than 40 years for four major news networks, in positions ranging from field production and news coverage to senior decision-making and program creation. In addition, for more than 15 years, Mr. Kaplan has been actively involved with journalism departments at a number of leading universities, teaching, lecturing and working as a Fellow.
He now heads a consulting and production company that he founded, Kaplan Media Partners, which works with a variety of communications companies, in television networks and in digital platforms. Kaplan also works with corporations to develop media strategies to better communicate with their own employees and clients and with the business world at large.
When news organizations need innovation and a new direction, Rick is often who they call. He has headed both MSNBC and CNN, and served as the executive producer of ABC World News Tonight and The CBS Evening News. Rick also launched ABC’s Primetime Live, headed the network’s 2012 election coverage, and advised the critically acclaimed HBO drama, “The Newsroom.”
AMANDA CRUMLEY BIO
Amanda Crumley is a communications, public affairs and campaign strategist with 24 years of experience devising communications strategy, managing campaigns and advising candidates and other clients in high-stakes winning elections, public affairs and issue advocacy campaigns across the country.
She is a Senior Vice President at Forbes Tate Partners, a government and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. For ten years prior to joining the firm, Amanda ran Crumley Communications & Public Strategies where she provided message development, public affairs, and strategic communications advice to a broad range of major non-profit, political, entertainment, legal, and corporate clients.
She has worked on a number of high profile issues, including serving as a senior advisor to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the LGBT rights organization that advanced the landmark Perry v. Schwarzenegger marriage equality case to a successful conclusion at the United States Supreme Court.
Crumley is a veteran of three presidential and numerous local and statewide campaigns, and spent more than four years in the Clinton White House. She has served as communications director for Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa, and as communications director on the winning gubernatorial campaigns of Governors Mike Easley (D-North Carolina) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia), and for gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides (D-California).
Campaigns & Elections, the nation's leading magazine for political professionals, named Crumley as a “Rising Star of Politic” in 2002. The Arkansas Times named her a “Visionary Arkansan” in August 2014 for her work as co-founder and executive director of Southern Progress, a political action committee dedicated to helping elect progressives in the South. She lives in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
ABOUT COUNTABLE
Countable can be found on the web at http://www.countable.us and downloaded as an app on your mobile device at http://www.getcountable.com.
It can also be viewed directly on the iOS store, here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/countable-contact-congress/id893853823?mt=8
And Google Play, here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.countable.countableapp&hl=en
Countable is currently a top 50 free news app in Apple’s App Store, having been heralded by The New York Times, GQ, TechCrunch, Politico, Wired and more.
Countable takes confusing legislation in Congress and presents it in simple, easy-to-understand summaries, complete with the arguments being used in favor and in opposition to each bill. From the summary page, users can tap “Yea” or “Nay” to automatically send an email to their appropriate lawmaker, urging them to vote yes or no on any bill. Countable users can add their own opinion about legislation, and upvote other opinions. In this way, the Countable community can put forth their best arguments for or against any bill.
Countable also has developed a “widget” – a free web tool that can be plugged into any website, allowing readers to quickly and easily communicate their opinion with their lawmakers, on any issue.
Recently, Countable launched the only “video message your lawmaker” function in existence. When voting on legislation within the app, or through the widget, any person can now record a video from their phone or computer, and have that video delivered directly to their lawmaker’s office.
Since launching in 2014, nearly 2 million emails on legislation have been sent to Capitol Hill, via Countable, with users taking over 4 million positions on bills.
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Eric Schmeltzer, SchmeltzerPR, +1 (646) 290-8586, [email protected]
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