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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- January 16, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com 

o Animation Distributor Mondo Media Raises $17 Million in Third Round
o RealNetworks Acquires Digital Rights Firm Aegisoft Corp.
o Digital Music Firm RioPort Receives Investment From Microsoft
o Wireless Streaming Video Firm Celvibe Raises $12 Million
o Shockwave.com Acquisition of AtomFilms Completed
o Content Syndication Software Developer Kinecta Raises $17 Million
o Alwaysi To Launch Paid Subscription Service For Online Independent Films
o Web Video Services Provider Talkway Communications Raises $10 Million
o Streaming Media Producer iLive To Acquire Assets of WebPayPerView.com
o Centrix Media Corporation Acquires Film Site Indie-Underground.com
> Digital Media Wire Networking Event: New York City
o Briefly Noted: NPR.org - PBS.org, U8TV.com, WizardWorld.com -
"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," Vitaminic - Sony Music Entertainment,
Intertainer - EMI, XFL - Sandbox.com
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Account Executive, Sr. Copywriter, Account Executive/Sr.
Account Executive, SW & FPGA Engineers, Market Technology Manager, Account Manager

> Events: iHollywood Forum

Full Job/Event descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section or at
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html 

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html 
To Post an Event: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html 
_____________________________________________

o Animation Distributor Mondo Media Raises $17 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- Mondo Media, an online animation studio and syndication
provider, announced that it has raised $17 million in its third round of
venture capital financing. SBVC led the investment round; Venturepark,
Foundation Capital, Sofinnova Ventures and Red Rock Ventures also
contributed. The funds will go to expanding the company's distribution
network in Europe. San Francisco-based Mondo Media creates animated web
programming which it then syndicates to a network of companies like
Entertaindom, Excite@Home, iWon, Lycos, Real Networks and shockwave.com.
http://rm.minishows.com/fansite/press_releases/view_press_release.asp?idPressRelease=26 
http://www.mondomedia.com 
_____________________________________________

o RealNetworks Acquires Digital Rights Firm Aegisoft Corp.

Seattle -- RealNetworks, a provider of digital media delivery announced
that it has acquired digital rights management software developer Aegisoft
Corp. RealNetworks will purchase the company for about $12 million, with
former Aegisoft stockholders receiving about 1.2 million shares of
Seattle-based RealNetworks' stock and the future right to receive up to
300,000 additional shares. Maryland-based Aegisoft develops software that
encrypts digital media as it is sent to users, helping to prevent
unauthorized copying.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010115/wa_real_ae.html 
http://www.aegisoftcorp.com 
http://www.realnetworks.com 
_____________________________________________

o Digital Music Firm RioPort Receives Investment From Microsoft

San Jose, Calif. -- RioPort, a provider of digital music retail software,
announced on Tuesday that Microsoft Corp. has made an undisclosed
investment in the company. The investment is part of an expanded
partnership to improve the delivery of rich audio and video content to PCs
and entertainment devices. The two companies previously announced they
would work together to develop technology that secures the transfer of
digital media on portable devices, applications and storage media.
http://www.rioport.com/RioCorpPressReleases/1,3614,2001,00.html 
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Streaming Video Firm Celvibe Raises $12 Million

Natanya, Israel -- Celvibe, a developer of streaming video technology for
wireless networks, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $12 million in
its second round of funding. The Challenge Fund led the round with a $3
million investment; Poalim Venture Capital, Eurofund 2000, ECI Telecom,
Deutsche Telecom and Ofir Technologies also participated. Israel-based
Celvibe develops technology that allows live MPEG-4 video such as
television broadcasts to be streamed to wireless devices in real-time. The
company will use the funds for further research and development, and to
seek partnerships with telcos in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
http://www.celvibe.com 
_____________________________________________

o Shockwave.com Acquisition of AtomFilms Completed

San Francisco -- Entertainment site Shockwave.com announced that it has
completed its stock-for-stock acquisition of short films site AtomFilms.
As a result of the transaction, Seattle-based AtomFilms now owns 30
percent of the consolidated company. The company did not announce further
plans, other than to note that it will "deliver new forms of content to
on-line and off-line consumers and businesses worldwide." The deal,
announced on Dec. 15, links one of the most successful entertainment sites
online, San Francisco-based Shockwave.com, with a leading distributor of
short films to both online and off-line channels.
http://www.atomfilms.com/about/press/01-01-16.asp 
http://www.shockwave.com 
_____________________________________________

o Content Syndication Software Developer Kinecta Raises $17 Million

San Francisco -- Kinecta, a provider of content syndication and
aggregation software, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $17 million
in its third round of financing. Adobe Ventures led the investment round;
new investors Granite Ventures and Fenway Partners as well as previous
investors Canaan Partners, Greenhouse Fund, Fidelity Ventures and iMinds
Ventures also participated. San Francisco-based Kinecta develops software
that lets distributors automate the disbursal of content to a network of
syndication outlets. Companies like Red Herring, Reuters and Astrology.com
use the company's product to syndicate their content to a network that
includes Yahoo News, Excite, Lycos and CNBC.com.
http://www.kinecta.com/news/releases/pr_010116_seriesc_funding.html 
_____________________________________________

o Alwaysi To Launch Paid Subscription Service For Online Independent Films

San Francisco -- Alwaysi, an independent feature-length and short film
site, announced on Tuesday that it will launch a paid subscription service
that offers streaming video of its library of 1500 independent
feature-length and short films. The service will cost $4.99 per month, and
will stream movies to users' computers in Windows Media format.
San Francisco-based Alwaysi's library includes independently produced
films and older films now in the public domain.
http://www.alwaysi.com/CompanyInfo.asp?what=PR23 
_____________________________________________

o Web Video Services Provider Talkway Communications Raises $10 Million

Fremont, Calif. -- Talkway Communications, a provider of web video
production and encoding services, announced on Tuesday that it has raised
$10 million in its first round of venture funding. The investments came
from Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Ventures, Asset Management Associates and Asset Management Partners. Fremont-based Talkway provides encoding and
hosting services that allow Internet marketers and other clients to
create, send and receive personalized rich media content over the
Internet.
http://www.talkway.com 
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Media Producer iLive To Acquire Assets of WebPayPerView.com

Los Angeles -- iLive Inc., a broadcaster and producer of streaming media,
announced on Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the
assets of WebPayPerView.com, a producer and distributor of pay-per-view
video programming. The transaction must be approved by both parties, and
if approved is expected to close by the end of January. Los Angeles-based
iLive said it hopes to capitalize on the market for pay-per-view live
boxing, wrestling and other events.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010116/ca_ilive_i.html 
http://www.wppv.com 
http://www.ilive.com 
_____________________________________________

o Centrix Media Corporation Acquires Film Site Indie-Underground.com

New York -- Centrix Media Corporation (CMC), a Delaware-based holding
company for media-related ventures, announced on Tuesday that it has
acquired Indie-Underground Distribution LLC, an independent film
distributor that operates indie-underground.com. The site offers films and
documentaries featured at various independent film festivals for viewing
and licensing. CMC said it will offer filmmakers equity in the company in
addition to revenue generated by their films on the site. "Centrix Media
Corporation will be offering filmmakers stock in addition to a percentage
of their project's revenues," said CMC chairman Larry Provost. "This
represents an unprecedented, groundbreaking opportunity."
http://www.indie-underground.com/011601_CMC-IU_Press_Release.htm 
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Networking Event: New York City

Digital Media Wire will host its next networking event in New York City on
Tuesday, January 23, 2001 for subscribers and those interested in the
convergence of entertainment, technology and the Internet. Light hors
d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar. There is no charge
for the event and registration is not necessary.

Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2001
Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Location: Bar 13
35 E 13th St. - New York City

For additional details: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/dmw_event1.html 
_____________________________________________ 

o Briefly Noted:

(Pasadena, Calif.) National Public Radio (NPR) announced that it has
partnered with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to co-produce live
web events and collaborate on online marketing and e-commerce efforts. In
addition, NPR will offer some of its audio news content on the PBS.org
website. The two public service programmers will also work together on
television programming.
http://www.npr.org 
http://www.pbs.org 

(Toronto) Alliance Atlantis, a Canadian specialty television broadcaster,
announced on Tuesday the launch of U8TV.com, a web-based reality
television channel. Eight young people living in a fully-wired loft will
be videotaped as they go about their daily lives. In addition, three hours
of entertainment, information and lifestyle programming daily on the site.
Half-hour segments about the residents will also be aired daily on
television on Alliance Atlantis' Life Network.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010115/alliance_a.html 
http://www.allianceatlantis.com 
http://www.u8tv.com 

(New York) WizardWorld.com, a site for comic book, action figure and
collectible cards games enthusiasts, announced on Tuesday a contest
offering one winner a walk-on, non-speaking role in director Kevin Smith's
upcoming film, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." Smith is the director of
and an actor in films including "Dogma," "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy."
http://www.wizardworld.com 

(San Francisco) Vitaminic, a distributor of digital music, announced on
Tuesday that it has become a retail partner with Sony Music Entertainment,
and will sell almost 600 tracks from Sony artists on its network of
websites. The tracks will be available to purchase in ATRAC3 format with
Windows Media digital rights management, as well as Windows Media format.
http://www.vitaminic.com 
http://www.sonymusic.com 

(Los Angeles) Intertainer, a broadband entertainment site, announced on
Tuesday that it has partnered with EMI Recorded Music. Under the terms of
the deal, Los Angeles-based Intertainer gains the right to offer music
videos from EMI's library on its site. The company will also work with EMI
to promote the label's new and established artists on the site.
http://www.intertainer.com 
http://www.emigroup.com 

(Stamford, Conn.) The XFL, an alternative football league to the NFL owned
by pro-wrestling interests, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered
with Sandbox Inc. to create two free online "fantasy football" games for
the league's first season. Under the terms, Arizona-based Sandbox will
create and maintain the games, while the XFL will sell all game
sponsorships and banner advertising on the associated pages.
http://www.sandbox.com/xcontact/pub-doc/home.html 
http://www.xfl.com 

===================================================
Job Postings:
===================================================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html 

> Directrix, Account Executive - Los Angeles

Identify and acquire new customers in the Content Provider and .com space.
Digital asset service provider seeks aggressive sales person with content
distribution network knowledge to expand new area of business: primarily
the Adult web site area. Must work independently to exceed revenue
targets. Identify opps., cold call and close target prospects. BA/BS
preferred with 5+ years successful, quota carrying, direct high-tech sales
experience. Solution and/or Value Selling training preferred. Send resumes to
lmoutal@directrix.com

http://www.directrix.com
______________________

> FCB Interactive, Sr. Copywriter - Web - New York City

Understand business needs and translate them into artistic solutions,
which are consistent with the brand goals and deliver superior value to
the customer. Work with Art Director to develop concepts and then execute
all copy treatments. Oversee all copy of freelance writers. Present the
work to the client along with the Creative Director. Must be able to
think visually as well as verbally and work with little supervision. Send
resumes to KPicariello@fcb.com (attn: KP-Sr. Copy).
http://www.fcb.com
______________________

> GCI Group, Account Executive/Senior Account Executive - Los Angeles

GCI Group, a leading, global public relations firm, has a great
opportunity to work in our Los Angeles office as a member of the Consumer
Technology team. We are currently seeking an Account Executive and Senior
Account Executive with 2 to 3 years experience in public relations.
Excellent written and communication skills a must. Send resume, cover
letter and salary requirements to Jeri Gardner: jgardner@gcigroup.com
http://www.gcigroup.com
______________________

> Convergent Companies, Inc., SW & FPGA Engineers - Greenbelt, MD

We are developing break-through video compression technologies for the
Internet and are looking for FPGA and Software engineers with 1-8 yrs
experience. BSEE/CS familiarity with C++, image processing, object
programming. FPGA position, exp FPGA programming, DSP architectures esp
w/Xilinx. Check out Employment section of our website for details.
Send resumes to jobs@convergentcompanies.com
http://www.convergentcompanies.com
______________________

> Cambridge Technology Partners, Market Technology Manager - Los Angeles

If you're an experienced, team-oriented technical architect who has a
passion for providing leadership and mentorship to a talented technical
community, ensuring high quality project delivery and supporting business
development efforts, please send us your resume. Broad technical delivery
experience including client/server and Web architectures is required.
Send resumes to Joe Young: jyoung03@ctp.com
http://www.ctp.com
______________________

> pogo.com, Account Manager - Internet Sales - San Francisco

You will be selling Internet advertising and sponsorships on the company's
network of 13 family entertainment websites. Must be creative, motivated
and organized individual who loves to prospect and build long-lasting
business relationships. This position will be responsible for agency and
direct advertiser accounts. Must have 1 to 3 years interactive
advertising sales experience, with 1 to 5 years of other media sales
experience a plus. Send resume and cover letter to resumes@pogo.com
http://www.pogo.com

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Event Postings:
===================================================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> iHollywood Forum: How Adult Entertainment Profits From the Internet

Whatever one's attitude toward adult entertainment, one fact is
undeniable: it's the only segment of the entertainment industry that
consistently makes money on the Internet. Panelists include: Larry Flynt,
Publisher of Hustler Magazine; Gail Harris, CEO and President of Falcon
Foto; David Schlesinger, Vice President of Internet Marketing at Vivid
Video; Fred Lane, Author of "Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of
Pornography in the Cyber Age" (Routledge 2000); Mike Rick, Co-founder of
Cybersynergism (Webmaster Superstore for Online Adult Entertainment) and
kSEXRadio.com. When: Wednesday January 17, 6:00 pm-10pm; Where: Santa
Monica Doubletree.
To Register: http://www.ihollywoodforum.com/new/events/jan17_2001.htm
______________________

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