A short, Election 2008 documentary won Franco Carapellotti ’10 and his hometown friend, Zach Hawrot, an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., to help cover the presidential inauguration for CNN.com.

Their video, “Electoral College: Obama and McCain College Roommates,” takes a humorous look at the lives of President-Elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain if they had lived together at college. They submitted their entry at the 11th hour in a CNN.com film competition held during the presidential election.

Carapellotti, Hawrot, and their new high-definition camera, will arrive in Washington Jan. 19, which also is Franco’s 21st birthday. While they do not yet have a specific assignment, they have media credentials for the inauguration parade route and will stay at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, where CNN is housing reporters and other staff.

Their story has been featured locally on WEWS-TV5 and WTOV-TV9 in Steubenville, where the duo attended high school together.

In addition to local coverage, Franco and Zach's photo graced teh cover of the January issue of Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Connections magazine.

Tune in to their website: www.zfproductions.com to view their video and follow their inaugural adventure.

WEWS News Channel 5 interviews Franco Carapellotti

CNN story about Franco and Zach's video

WTOV-TV9 interview