Stars Stress Value of YouTube, Vimeo For Teen Filmmakers [PICS]

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Comedian Al Madrigal, a regular correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, thinks it's "an amazing time" to be a young filmmaker. Why? They have video-sharing websites.

"Now, it's a generation of people growing up with platforms on which they can launch their own stuff," he told Mashable at a gala benefit for Reel Works. "You've seen so many cases of things becoming popular just out of nowhere and getting viral."

Madrigal and other celebrities at the recent New York City event for Reel Works, which provides mentorship and training to teenagers interested in filmmaking, touted the importance of such sites as YouTube and Vimeo.

The fundraising event honored Emily Mortimer (actress on HBO's The Newsroom), Jeffrey Wright (actor in the forthcoming Hunger Games sequel) and media company Viacom for their contributions to Reel Works and filmmaking.

Also in attendance were The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin and Nickelodeon actor Avan Jogia.

"All of those platforms -- YouTube and Vimeo -- are kind of the way we see filmmaking now," Jogia said. "It already has changed everything, but now even more so, young actors and young filmmakers can have something on YouTube and when they go in for a job interview, they have actual credits for their resume."