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Past Editions

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- May 10, 2002
===================================================
Subscribe for free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Xbox Co-Creator Launches Game Development Firm, Raises $40 Million
o Digital Rights Management Provider InterTrust Slashes 70% of Staff
o Sony Reports 30 Million PlayStation 2 Consoles Shipped Worldwide
o Newsbytes: RIAA Repsonds to Jupiter Report on File-Sharing, Music Sales
o Sony Pictures to Begin Production of Digitally Animated Films
o Butterfly.net Closes First $1 Million of Its Ongoing Second Round
o Snowball Changes Name to IGN Entertainment, Will Focus on Video Games
> Featured Event/Company: ContentWorld 2002, Bender/Helper Impact
o Briefly Noted: Konami - Disney Interactive, QuVis - "Star Wars," Mythic
Entertainment - Capcom, XM Satellite Radio - ESPNEWS, Technicolor Digital
Cinema, Aphex Twin
_____________________________________________

> Jobs: Account Executive, Dir. of Product Management, Online Marketing
Coordinator, Business Development Manager, District Sales Manager, VP
Marketing, Online Research Analyst, Bus. Development and Sales

> Events: KMZ Breakfast Series

> Marketplace: Digital PCS Phone System, Digital Copying Machine,
Medium Format Camera

Full text of ads located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad, contact David Peebler at
david@digitalmediawire.com
_____________________________________________

o Xbox Co-Creator Launches Game Development Firm, Raises $40 Million

Seattle -- Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley, who recently announced his
departure from Microsoft, on Friday launched a new game development
company called Capital Entertainment Group (CEG). The venture will start
with a game production fund of between $40 and $50 million, raised from
undisclosed investors. Other principals in the company include Eugene
Mauro, former Sierra Interactive executive J. Mark Hood and Kevin Bachus,
another member of Microsoft's Xbox team. Seattle-based CEG will fund and
oversee the creation of titles by independent game developers, and will
sell the resulting games to publishers. The company already has a deal to
create two games for Sega of America. "This company was founded on a
desire to create truly groundbreaking games -- the sort of original but
risky projects that otherwise would never get made," said Eugene Mauro,
CEO and founder of CEG. "Beyond financing game development, CEG brings
support and discipline to the production process, freeing both developers
and publishers to focus on what they do best."
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/221300083&ticker=
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-908740.html?tag=fd_top
http://www.ceggames.com
_____________________________________________

o Digital Rights Management Provider InterTrust Slashes 70% of Staff

Santa Clara, Calif. -- InterTrust Technologies, a developer of digital
rights management technology, announced on Friday a significant
restructuring that will include the termination of 70 percent of the
company's staff, from 115 employees today to approximately 35 by June 30.
Chief operating officer Mark Ashida also announced that he will leave the
company to pursue other opportunities. The company said reasoning for the
layoffs comes from reduced staffing needs in engineering and business
development, and that the layoffs are expected to reduce the company's
third quarter burn rate to $4 million. Santa Clara-based InterTrust's
technology prevents against the unauthorized copying of digital media
including movies, music and images. Licensees of its technology include
AOL, Adobe, BMG and Universal Music Group. "We are confident of our future
as an intellectual property company," said InterTrust CEO David Lockwood.
"Our confidence is based on two beliefs: DRM and trusted computing are
essential for the future of digital commerce; and InterTrust's patents are
essential for DRM and trusted computing."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020509/sfth052_1.html
http://www.intertrust.com
_____________________________________________

o Sony Reports 30 Million PlayStation 2 Consoles Shipped Worldwide

Tokyo -- Sony Computer Entertainment announced on Friday that as of May 5,
worldwide shipments of its PlayStation 2 video game console have reached
30 million. The company has shipped 11.3 million units in North America,
9.9 million in Japan/Asia and 8.8 million in Europe. "PlayStation has
delivered on its entertainment promise to consumers, and, in turn, our
growing loyal fan base continues to propel the platform to unprecedented
heights," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief operating officer of Sony
Computer Entertainment America.
http://www.scea.com
_____________________________________________

o Newsbytes: RIAA Repsonds to Jupiter Report on File-Sharing, Music Sales

Washington -- Newsbytes is currently featuring an article that chronicles
the response to a recent Jupiter Media Metrix research report that stated
that online file-sharing and CD burning actually increase music spending
among consumers. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),
which represents the major record labels and blames the recent decline in
worldwide music sales on digital piracy, responded to the Jupiter report
by pointing out their consumer survey didn't include consumers under 18,
who are some of the most avid file-sharers. The RIAA mentioned a study it
commissioned by Peter D. Hart Research Associates that found that many
consumers reported spending less money on music in 2001 because they could
find it online for free. "They're simply off base, and it's a gross
misrepresentation of our data," said Aram Sinnreich, author of the Jupiter
report. "It borders on libel, because we have taken such pains to engineer
our survey that would not create those kinds of meaningless correlations."
The RIAA's Jonathan Lamy responded to Sinnreich's statement: "We think Mr.
Sinnreich doth protest too much. He is taking this too personally. Our
analysis of Jupiter's flawed research in this report speaks for itself,"
Lamy told Newsbytes.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176497.html
http://www.jmm.com
http://www.riaa.org/PR_Story.cfm?id=512
_____________________________________________

o Sony Pictures to Begin Production of Digitally Animated Films

Los Angeles -- Film studio Sony Pictures Entertainment announced the
creation of a new unit that will produce digitally animated feature films,
The Los Angeles Times reported. The goal is to compete for the box office
dollars generated by hits such as Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story," Fox's "Ice
Age" and DreamWorks' "Shrek." Sony said the new animation unit will be run
by Sandra Rabins and Penney Finkelman Cox, who recently left DreamWorks
and served as the executive producers for "Shrek." "This new generation of
animation is creatively and financially significant in the opportunities
it presents," said Sony Pictures CEO John Calley. Sony Pictures' sister
studio Columbia Pictures will finance, market and distribute the films.
Sony's visual effects unit, Imageworks, which created many of the effects
in "Spider-Man," will also collaborate in production.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-000032796may09.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dbusiness
http://www.sonypictures.com
http://www.imageworks.com
_____________________________________________

o Butterfly.net Closes First $1 Million of Its Ongoing Second Round

Shepherdstown, W.Va. -- VentureWire reported on Friday that Butterfly.net,
a 2-year-old developer of online video games and provider of
infrastructure services to the market, has closed the first $1 million of
its ongoing second round. On Thursday, the company and IBM announced the
deployment of a "commercial grid" for the online video gaming market,
enabling online game providers to support a massive number of players
within the same game by allocating computing resources. The software was
built by Butterfly.net over the past two years using IBM e-business
infrastructure technology. Online video games historically have segmented
players onto separate servers, limiting the number that could interact and
creating several technology obstacles. West Virginia-based Butterfly
employs 12 employees, and also has an office in Los Angeles.
http://www.butterfly.net
http://www.venturewire.com
_____________________________________________

o Snowball Changes Name to IGN Entertainment, Will Focus on Video Games

San Francisco -- Snowball, which operates the IGN.com entertainment and
video game portal, announced that it will change its name to IGN
Entertainment and focus exclusively on providing video game news and
information. "IGN, with over 8 million unique monthly users, a database of
more than 4.7 million registered users and a paid subscriber base of over
45,000, has an established leadership position delivering quality content
and services to gaming enthusiasts and providing business customers with
access to this valuable audience," said IGN Entertainment CEO Mark Jung.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020509/90159_1.html
http://www.ign.com
_____________________________________________

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=================
FEATURED SECTION
=================

ContentWorld 2002 Conference & Exhibition - May 14-16, 2002 - San Jose, CA

ContentWorld 2002 is a universe of information to help Global 2000
Companies meet increasing demands for content management and technology
surrounding all aspects of the electronic content industry. For more
information view the on-line brochure at:
http://www.contentworld.com/conference/2002conference/index.html
Save $200 off your full Conference pass - Type "DMW" as the Priority Code
at the bottom of the Registration Form.
To register: https://www715.vwh1.net/cont94/2002_reg_form.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Bender/Helper Impact - Public Relations Agency

Bender/Helper Impact is a full-service, mid-sized public relations agency
with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The agency, which was founded in
1986, offers strong expertise in the areas of digital entertainment and
convergence, new media, electronic gaming, technology and consumer
electronics. Current clients include: Dolby, 20th Century Fox, Konami,
DreamWorks, Marvel Enterprises, MGM and Warner Bros., among many others.
To find out how Bender/Helper can impact your business, contact Steve
Honig at: 310-473-4147 or steve_honig@bhimpact.com

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______________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Redwood City, Calif.) Japanese game developer Konami announced on Friday
that it has partnered with Disney Interactive to develop and market a
series of sports video games, tentatively titled "Disney All-Star Sports."
The games will feature Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse competing in
sports including football, basketball, soccer, snowboarding, skateboarding
and motocross. The first titles for Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy
Advance are due to be released this summer.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020510/102227_1.html
http://www.konami.com
http://www.disneyinteractive.com

(Topeka, Kan.) QuVis, a provider of digital cinema technology, said on
Friday that film studio Twentieth Century Fox will use its servers to
digitally distribute the upcoming "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the
Clones" in 11 U.S. theaters. In the participating theaters, Kansas-based
QuVis' QuBit digital motion image recorder will be used to encode, store
and play back the film, which was originally captured by director George
Lucas in digital format.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/221302183&ticker=
http://www.quvis.com

(Fairfax, Va.) Mythic Entertainment, a developer of online games, said on
Friday that Japanese game distributor Capcom will release its "Dark Age of
Camelot" massively multiplayer online roleplaying game in Japan this
summer. The initial release will be in English with all packaging and
documentation translated into Japanese. Virginia-based Mythic will handle
online hosting and community management for the game, which counts 200,000
subscribers in North America and Europe.
http://www.capcom.com
http://www.mythicentertainment.com
http://www.darkageofcamelot.com

(Washington) XM Satellite Radio, a provider of nationwide
satellite-delivered digital radio programming, said on Friday that it will
begin broadcasting ESPNEWS, a sports news audio channel, on May 15. The
channel will replace its CNN/Sports Illustrated channel, which is being
discontinued by TBS.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020510/dcf009_1.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espnews

(Burbank, Calif.) Technicolor Digital Cinema, a joint venture between
Technicolor and wireless developer Qualcomm, announced on Friday that it
has reached an agreement with movie theater operator Odeon to install a
digital cinema system in the 2000-seat Leicester Square theater in London.
Burbank-based Technicolor Digital Cinema said the installation will be
completed in time for the digital premiere of "Star Wars Episode II" on
May 14.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/221302182&ticker=
http://www.technicolordigital.com

(San Francisco) Wired News reported on Friday on the discovery of
an image embedded into an audio recording released by electronica artist
Aphex Twin. An image of the face of Aphex Twin's Richard James can be
viewed while listening to the group's 1999 Windowlicker EP using
spectrographic software, which displays the different frequencies of a
song as a graph against time. The facial image and others discovered on
the CD were created using software developed by U&I Software called
MetaSynth.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,52426,00.html
http://www.tp.spt.fi/~cleth/projects/aphexface/index.htm
http://www.uisoftware.com/PAGES/acceuil_meta.html
http://www.aphex-twin.com
______________________

===================
CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
===================

Account Executive, Interactive -- Avenue-e - New York, NY

Avenue-e is seeking an Account Executive to work with the managing
director, assisting with the development of interactive programs and
online initiatives. Candidates should have 2 or more years experience in
the interactive field, along with some ad agency experience. Please send
resume as Word attachment to roger_gilmore@nyc.sudler.com OR by FAX to
212-598-5477 OR by mail to: Sudler & Hennessey, 230 Park Avenue South, New
York 10003
_____________________________________________

Director of Product Management -- Sony Music Entertainment - New York, NY

Responsible For Development and Implementation of Marketing Campaigns for
Selected Artists; All Marketing Expenditures; Supervision of Package
Development and Management of the Production Process. Also Responsible For
Long-Term Artist Development & Marketing Strategies and For Development of
Artist And Product Promotion Campaigns. Must Have 3-5 Years of Hands-On
Record Business Experience, Including Pop Marketing and Sales & Promotion.
Writing Skills Very Important. Please submit cover letter, resume and
salary requirement to: elena_avila@sonymusic.com
_____________________________________________

Online Marketing Coordinator -- 20th Century Fox Domestic Home
Entertainment - Los Angeles, CA

Twentieth Century Fox's Domestic Home Entertainment has an opportunity for
a highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive individual to provide
administrative support as the Coordinator, Online Marketing. This position
offers the opportunity to develop and use your marketing ability to
advance home video Internet marketing initiatives. In this position you
will be responsible for providing general clerical and administrative
support the Business Development department, including making travel
arrangements & scheduling. Forward resume & cover letter to:
HJC946RP@foxresumes.com
_____________________________________________

Business Development Manager -- AtmosphereBBDO - New York, NY

AtmosphereBBDO is looking to add to our growing and dynamic team. We are
seeking a motivated and proven Business Development Manager to support our
Managing Director of Business Development in pursuing key New Business
initiatives. Job entails managing/coordinating internal resources in
preparation for new business pitches, contributing to the
writing/development of new business presentations, and participating in
new business pitches/presentations. Send qualified responses (resume with
cover letter) to Ken Seligman, Operations Manager, via e-mail to
ken@atmosphere.net
_____________________________________________

District Sales Manager -- 101communications - Los Angeles

Award-winning IT publisher seeks a high-energy advertising sales
professional. We are looking for an ambitious, self-motivated individual
to sell advertising pages for one of our print publications, Federal
Computer Week. The person in this position will strive to achieve sales
goals through prospecting, cold-calling, calling on and making
presentations to clients and advertising agencies, preparing proposals,
and closing sales. Based in the Los Angeles/OrangeCounty area, this
position will maintain current accounts and develop new business in the
south-west territory. Submit resume and a cover letter via fax to (703)
876-5089.
_____________________________________________

Vice President, Marketing -- Genealogy.com - Fremont, CA

Manage the Direct Marketing and Product Management activities of A&E
Television Network's Genealogy.com division, including software
applications, online subscriptions, and data CDs. We are looking for
someone who can deliver revenue and profit goals of the business, drive
the promotional marketing activities for the business, and perform
competitive intelligence, customer research and trend analysis. Manage
staff of 5. BA/BS, MBA strongly preferred with a minimum of 12 years
marketing experience, with previous experience at the VP level. Please
send resumes to: jobs@genealogy.com or by
Fax: 510-494-2822.
_____________________________________________

Online Research Analyst -- Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment - Culver
City, CA

This position will be required to analyze weekly website activity for
Screenblast.com, online marketing campaigns and effectively present
results. Assist in providing recommendations for future actions for
"Screenblast" the company's online product. Bachelor's and at least 1 year
of experience preferred. SPDE is an operating unit of Sony Pictures
Entertainment that oversees online assets including Sony Pictures
Imageworks, Sony Online Entertainment, the Digital Networks Division, and
Sony Pictures Integrated Network. Please forward your resume via our
career website: www.sonypicturesjobs.com under Sony Pictures Digital
Entertainment - Research Analyst.
_____________________________________________

Business Development and Sales -- RampRate - Santa Monica, CA

Imagine selling trust and over 100 vendors in an objective, integrity
driven environment. RampRate an upbeat, profitable, technology brokerseeks
a smart, strategic person to oversee Bus. Dev. and Sales. Your talents:
extensive Rolodex and direct client/var/vc relationships; managed a top
post in sales; strong ability to handle deals throughout the negotiating
process with Fortune 2500 companies; skilled consultative selling
emphasizing value proposition; Experience in managing large
channel/reseller programs. For immediate consideration, email your cover
letter ("VP Bus. Dev. & Sales" in the subject line), resume and salary
history to hr@ramprate.com
_____________________________________________

=====================
CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
=====================

KMZ Breakfast Series - Friday, May 10, 2002 - Los Angeles, CA

Katten Muchin Zavis & Rosenman and Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zuckin present
"Libraries and Other Intellectual Property Acquisitions." Katten Muchin
attorney, Alan Friel, will give an overview of legal issues touching on
different types of entertainment industry transactions. The event, which
starts promptly at 8:30AM and ends at 9:30AM is free to attend and will be
held at the offices of Katten Muchin at 2029 Century Park East - 27th
Floor. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first
served basis. For additional information, please contact
kathryn.gepner@kmzr.com
_____________________________________________

==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
==========================

Samsung DCS Digital Phone System - $5250

No office telephone system offers more for less. This system was
originally purchased new for $16,358.00 at the beginning of 2000. The
system comes complete with everything required to get your office
communications up and running immediately. The DCS is a modular,
future-proof telephone system, which gives unrivalled flexibility and
functionality and can be configured as a PABX, key system or any
combination of these, according to your specific requirements. For further
details go to
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1729532922&r=
0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=1021650149&indexURL=0&rd=1
or contact djpeebs@aol.com
_____________________________________________

Sharp AR-5132 Digital Copier -- Excellent working condition - $999.95

Used for a year, this copier is in great shape and priced to sell. Its
parts work fine - including all internal mechanisms, paper feeders,
trays, and the optional 20-bin sorter - and it produces clean,
professional copies. It is only in need of a new drum, which requires
periodic replacement, to be fully operational. Instructions Manuals are
included. This workhorse of a copying machine was originally purchased for
$4800 and is offered for far less than you are likely to find it anywhere
else, especially when compared to used models selling for over $2200 on
the web. Must pick-up or arrange delivery (in LA). Contact djpeebs@aol.com
_____________________________________________

Fuji GW670III Medium Format Camera -- Mint Condition w/Box - $725

This Fuji GW670III comes complete and is true MINT condition. The
GW670III is a 6 x 7cm medium format rangefinder camera with the famed 90mm
f/3.5 EBC Fujinon lens. The optics are perfect - crystal clear with a big,
bright viewfinder. This is THE camera for sweeping landscapes, events or
group shots. The results are stunning with breathtaking detail. Lens cap,
Hoya UV filter, strap, instruction manual, box/packaging, and carrying
case included along with 9 rolls of new professional grade 120 & 220 film.
A wonderful opportunity to own this legendary camera at half of its $1410
"street" price. For further info, please contact djpeebs@aol.com
______________________

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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire