Demand Media and First Book Partner to Provide New Books to Children in Need

Santa Monica, California - December 1, 2009 - Demand Media, Inc. the leader in distributed social media, today announced its "Write for a Cause" Program to its community of over 5,000 freelance members of Demand Studios.  In partnership with First Book, Demand Media will donate new books on behalf of studio writers and copy editors who participate in the effort to increase childhood literacy.  The "Write for a Cause" program is simple:  for every eight articles written and approved in the month of December, Demand Media will donate a book on behalf of its writers and copy editors.

Demand Media partnered with First Book, the award-winning nonprofit that has provided 68 million books to children in need, to create this program for its freelance community to inspire them to take action and make a difference. 

"Our Studio has one of the largest communities of freelance writers and copy editors, so we created the 'Write for a Cause' program to enable them to address an issue that we know they are passionate about - illiteracy," explained Stewart Marlborough, general manager of Demand Studios, the content-creation arm of Demand Media. "We have found a wonderful partner in First Book, who understand and share this passion and can make fighting illiteracy a reality for us." 

By providing new books to children in preschools and after-school programs, mentoring and tutoring programs, shelters and day care centers and beyond, First Book provides resources to empower teachers and administrators. With access to high-quality books, educational materials and more, these caring leaders can better teach, plan curriculum and impart a love of learning, elevating the quality of the programs and opportunities available to children in need.

"As writers and copy editors, the talented freelance community at Demand Media knows all too well the power of books can open doors to exploration, adventure and learning," said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. "We are excited to work together to bring new books to children, families and communities who need them most."

For more information, go to http://www.demandstudios.com/first-book.html?utm_source=WFC

About First Book
First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy - access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org.

About Demand Studios
Demand Studios^® produces valuable, high-quality content for leading digital brands by providing a range of consistently available work to talented freelancers. Employing writers, filmmakers, copy editors, experts and many other roles, Demand Studios is one of the largest producers of content on the Web today. The company is also largest provider of video content to YouTube, and its articles and videos are seen on popular websites such as LIVESTRONG.COM, eHow^TM, GolfLink^®, Trails.com^® and many more. For additional information, please visit: www.demandstudios.com

About Demand Media
As the leader in distributed social media, Demand Media^TM makes possible more than 3 billion conversations every month. The Demand Media platform harnesses the creativity of individuals to deliver valuable content and help websites grow by providing content and community features that consumers truly want. The privately held company was founded in May 2006 and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY and London, UK. For more information about Demand Media, Inc., please visit: www.demandmedia.com

© 2009 Demand Media, Inc.

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Contacts:
Demand Media
Quinn Daly
310-394-6429
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First Book
Joan Sahlgren
202-639-0150
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