For Indies

Creative District Offers Grants in Support of Worthy Projects Profiled on Its Network 

LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Creative District, a venture backed by Technicolor (Euronext Paris:TCH) (OTCQX:TCLRY), launches today an online professional network for filmmakers and other creative professionals to connect, collaborate, display and develop their projects. The platform offers creatives a new networking experience to establish and maintain valuable professional relationships online. Whether users are looking to hire a team, get feedback on their project, or acquire the right gear or location, Creative District is designed to connect them to the right people at the right time to get their projects done.

"Creative projects require a different approach to securing talent. Creative workers jump from project to project and often discover opportunities through word of mouth or social networks. Creative District provides a place to display their portfolio of work, find the best collaborators to help complete their projects, build their network, and take their careers and work to the next level," explains Creative District General Manager, Micki Krimmel.

The network makes it easy for users to highlight their portfolio of creative work at one destination and allows them to customize and share content-rich profiles and project pages with text, video, and photos. Project owners can highlight their current collaborators and post open positions to find new ones. With these features, Creative District provides filmmakers and other creative professionals a place to showcase their experience to attract more work and expand their network of talent.

Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, developed the initial Creative District concept and is funding the venture. Creative District is another example of Technicolor's innovative approach to serving the entire creative life cycle from ideation to appreciation.

"In the last decade, the new digital age has drastically reduced the price of content creation and distribution, allowing millions of new creators to enter the market," says Alejandro Guerrero, Managing Partner, Technicolor New Ventures. "We are excited to support and empower this new generation of artists through Creative District, continuing Technicolor's legacy as a trusted partner to the community."

As part of Creative District's commitment to help film and media makers create more, it has established a Grant Program to distribute up to $5,000 in monthly grants to further support the creative community. March's grant was awarded to directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers to help finish their comedy Fort Tilden, which premiered at this year's SXSW Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature. Other notable films on the platform include Joe Donovan Project, a documentary from Jason Pugatch and Casey Affleck, and popular indie filmmaker Arin Crumley's upcoming feature.

To learn more, visit CreativeDistrict.com.

About Creative District

Creative District is an online professional network for filmmakers and creative professionals to connect, collaborate, and share the resources they need to get more projects completed. Funded by Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the Media & Entertainment sector, Creative District expands upon Technicolor's commitment to remaining a trusted partner in the creative community. Creative District helps creatives build their online professional network, showcase their experience through rich user profiles, and post projects in development to find collaborators during each phase. In line with its mission to help the community create more, Creative District also offers a grant program that distributes up to $5000 each month to the community to help complete existing projects. For more information visit http://creativedistrict.com/#/

Follow us on Twitter: @creativedistrct and use the hashtag #createmore

About Technicolor

Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, is at the forefront of digital innovation. Our world class research and innovation laboratories enable us to lead the market in delivering advanced video services to content creators and distributors. We also benefit from an extensive intellectual property portfolio focused on imaging and sound technologies, based on a thriving licensing business. Our commitment: supporting the delivery of exciting new experiences for consumers in theaters, homes and on-the-go.

Euronext Paris: TCH www.technicolor.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/TechnicolorCo

Steve Macallister and Howard Kiedaisch join board as Screenburn Media announces major investment round.

Zodiak Rights Chief Executive and former BBC Worldwide sales chief Steve Macallister is advising the company during its expansion

Screenburn is exciting because it offers content owners an opportunity to reach out to people already engaged with a brand or a particular release online

London (PRWEB UK) 20 March 2014

A Facebook VoD platform, which enables the sale of video content from a Facebook page, has announced $500,000 in angel investment as well as board appointment of high profile industry figures including Zodiak Rights Chief Executive Steve Macallister and Arts Alliance Media CEO Howard Kiedaisch.

London-based Screenburn Media has already seen success with films from Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones and is working with major music and content companies on a number of releases this year. The funding will enable the company to move forward effectively with its business plans in 2014.

Andrew Weisz of Lean Investments LP led the funding round, which saw many senior angels joining the raise such as Tom Singh and Michael and Simon Blakey from Avonmore Investments. Zodiak Rights Chief Executive and former BBC Worldwide sales chief Steve Macallister has also joined the board of directors advising the company during its expansion, along with Howard Kiedaisch, CEO of Arts Alliance Media.

The white label app sits on the existing Facebook page of a film or music artist and enables content owners to sell directly to their existing Facebook fan base. Screenburn director and founder Tom Raffe says: “Content owners may already have thousands or even millions of fans on Facebook, the app works very well to monetise this existing audience.  “The app also takes full advantage of Facebook’s sharing functionality to find new fans and increase distribution to a nationwide or worldwide audience. This funding is a great qualification of our business model and plans for this year.”

Steve Macallister said: “There’s no question that much of the future of long form video content lies with digital streaming. Screenburn is exciting because it offers content owners an opportunity to reach out to people already engaged with a brand or a particular release online. In an age where physical releases are seeing a downward turn, finding additional revenue streams is now a real priority for many companies looking to promote content.”

Howard Kiedaisch, who has overseen cinema distribution of hugely successful alternative content releases such as films by Coldplay and Pearl Jam, added: “Screenburn already has an established track record and it was exciting to see the team working with some great content owners from major record labels to independent film distributors. I’m looking forward to working with them as the company continues to mature and build on its existing portfolio of work.”

Pulse Films has used the platform to sell the Libertines documentary ‘There are No Innocent Bystanders’ on the official Libertines fan page. Pulse Distribution Manager Anna Sissons commented: “This is a great way for us to reach the artist’s fan-bases direct. It will also help increase our global distribution for each film and find new and lapsed fans that have not yet engaged in the theatrical & physical releases of each project.”

Screenburn launched in December 2012 with Soda Pictures to release Pete Doherty’s debut feature ‘Confession of a Child of the Century’. Since then it has launched over 200 films on Facebook for distributors all around the world.

Tom Raffe added: “Our momentum has continued to build and we’re already looking to bring some great releases to Facebook this year from some high profile musical artists, as well as sport and TV series.

“Having the collective support of a tremendously experienced board behind us is incredibly validating and we’re very excited for the year ahead.”

The network will feature highly curated feature films, television episodes, web series, live panel conversations, original programming and an e-commerce component.

Releasing widely on internet connected devices, the network will be accessible to Comic Con fans via mobile, tablets, gaming consoles, connected TVs and set top boxes.

February 12, 2014 11:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) announced today it has partnered with Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) to create a direct-to-consumer, branded digital network targeted to Comic Con fans and curated with a wide array of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, action, adventure, gamer, anime, animation and comedy content, as well as an e-commerce retail destination featuring collectible and exclusive merchandise.

“This is an exciting day for the fans of pop-culture around the country”

With Cinedigm's vast library of over 33,000 films and TV episodes, 650 digital content partnerships and an acquisitions team sourcing new films, series and other original programming, the new network will provide Comic Con enthusiasts with year-round access to compelling content. Both free-to-consumer, advertising supported streaming, as well as a premium subscription option will be available, featuring exclusive access to the events, panels, talent, and fans that make the Comic Con experience so exciting.

Wizard World is the leading producer of live pop culture multimedia conventions across North America and will host 16 Wizard World Comic Con conventions in 2014, with a broader schedule planned for 2015. The conventions bring communities together to celebrate their favorite films, TV shows, celebrities, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels. With an active database of over one million followers, and more than 250 million impressions on Twitter, Wizard World’s Comic Con fans are rabid entertainment enthusiasts, collectors and technology savants, ideally positioned to support a Comic Con-focused digital network.

“This is an exciting day for the fans of pop-culture around the country,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World’s CEO. “To have 24/7 access to all the content that Cinedigm and Wizard World provide collectively provide, at the touch of a button, provides tremendous value for our fans.”

The yet-to-be named channel will include films, TV episodes and web-originated programming targeted to 18-44 year old consumers, including titles from Cinedigm’s nearly 2,000 episode anime library. Wizard World has already started compiling top panels and talent from Comic Cons nationwide to premier on the network and will continue filming at upcoming Comic Cons across North America throughout the winter and spring. Fans can expect to see between 150-200 hours of new footage in 2014. Additionally, Wizard World is leveraging its more than 2,000 vendor, exhibitor and artist relationships to create an exclusive Comic Con shopping experience on the digital network for its collector fans.

Already, the quickly evolving digital entertainment ecosystem is demonstrating the staying power of digital video streaming. Game-changing digital networks are now bringing broadcast-quality TV experiences to audiences wherever and whenever they want to watch on the connected device(s) of their choice. Cinedigm’s first channel, DOCURAMA, launched as part of YouTube’s Paid Channel initiative in summer 2013, and is currently available on Roku, Xbox and Samsung, with additional platforms rolling out by April 2014. Leveraging its vast library of content and digital expertise, Cinedigm plans to launch a series of new branded digital channels over the next 18 months.

“We are excited to be diving further into this emerging, high growth business and have found an ideal partner in Wizard World for this Comic Con-targeted digital network,” said Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cinedigm. “We are confident that the combination of their fan base, live event expertise, access to talent, audience focus and in-house production capabilities coupled with Cinedigm’s infrastructure, technology, content and distribution expertise, positions us for great success.”

The parties were advised on the partnership by ROAR, a Beverly Hills based entertainment management and consulting company.

ABOUT CINEDIGM

Cinedigm is the leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with over 60,000 physical stores and digital retailers, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as the national Video On Demand platform on cable television. The company’s library of over 32,000 titles and episodes encompasses award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films®, next-gen Indies from Flatiron Film Company®, acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Films and a wide range of content from brand name suppliers, including National Geographic, Discovery, Scholastic, WWE, NFL, Shout Factory, Hallmark, Jim Henson and more.

Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp www.cinedigm.com. [CIDM-G]

http://www.cinedigm.com/ http://twitter.com/cinedigm http://facebook.com/cinedigm http://youtube.com/cinedigm

ABOUT WIZARD WORLD

Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD) is the leading provider of multiple Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across the world that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, celebrities, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Wizard World 2014 Schedule: January 24-26 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con February 7-9 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con March 7-9 – Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con March 28-30 – Wizard World Louisville Comic Con April 4-6 – Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con May 2-4 – Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con May 30-June 1 – Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con June 19-22 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con August 1-3 – Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con August 21-24 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con September 12-14 – Wizard World Richmond Comic Con September 26-28 – Wizard World Nashville Comic Con October 2-4 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con October 31-November 2 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con November 7-9 – Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con November 21-23 – Wizard World Reno Comic Con