In-Game Charity Event “Chocolate Harbour Rescue” to Benefit Oceana and UNICEF

Hong Kong – Sept. 9, 2010 – Roll up your virtual sleeves: throughout September Sanrio Digital is hosting a unique online charity event in Hello Kitty Online (HKO), the official massively multi-player online game (MMOG) of Hello Kitty®, to raise money for initiatives by Oceana, an international organization focused on ocean conservation, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In the month of September, Hello Kitty Online’s “Chocolate Harbour Rescue” allows players to generate donations in response to two current concerns: the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the massive floods that have destroyed much of Pakistan.

Chocolate Harbour Rescue is a brand new Hello Kitty Online in-game charity event running September 9 – 30, 2010. When an accident at an offshore chocolate refinery spills tons of the sweet stuff into the sea, Sanrio Harbour is inundated by sugary threats. The whole zone is a mess, but fortunately Pochacco is on the scene to recruit volunteers. Interested players should talk to Pochacco in Sanrio Harbour to receive a free Mop-A-Choc which they can use to help clean up the chocolaty mess and generate donation points. When the chocolates are all cleaned up, players will receive virtual chocolate bags full of special rewards.

“Chocolate Harbour Rescue is an event that gives players the opportunity to do something about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the tragic floods in Pakistan while having fun in our exciting virtual world,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president of publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital. “One of the goals of Hello Kitty Online is to encourage all players to contribute to relief efforts for real world problems. Our in-game events are our way of promoting charitable causes.”

At the end of the month-long event, Sanrio Digital will use the total donation points generated by all HKO players to calculate cash donations to Oceana and UNICEF, with each receiving 50% of the total. Oceana is an ocean conservation society that is researching the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest such spill in history. UNICEF is an international organization providing humanitarian assistance in developing countries, currently working to deliver aid in flood-devastated Pakistan. In August, UNICEF issued a press release warning that its life-saving operations in Pakistan are in jeopardy due to a shortfall in funding. Hello Kitty Online encourages players and fans to donate and/or volunteer directly by visiting http://na.oceana.org/, http://www.unicef.org/, and other charitable organizations.

Chocolate Harbour Rescue continues Hello Kitty Online’s drive to recruit players to participate in socially responsible causes. Highly popular HKO charity events have already benefited Doctors Without Borders’ mission in earthquake-struck Haiti, UNICEF, The Asian Youth Orchestra, and the Po Leung Kuk orphanage. A sample of Hello Kitty Online charity events is available at http://www.hellokittyonline.com/charity.

Hello Kitty Online officially launched in August 2010. The game is set in a lavishly designed fantasy world featuring Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters. Players travel to exciting places such as classy London, busy Tokyo and fashion-forward Paris. Along the way they will meet their favorite Sanrio® characters, including Hello Kitty®, Badtz-Maru®, Keroppi®, My Melody®, Cinnamoroll® and many others. Hello Kitty Online is the first MMOG to integrate true social networking services in the form of blogs, video sharing and Hello Kitty email provided by SanrioTown. The innovative online game boasts a captivating storyline, a myriad of quests, farms, housing, pets, guilds, thousands of options to customize player avatars, and much more.

For more information about Hello Kitty Online and the Chocolate Harbour Rescue charity event, please visit www.hellokittyonline.com.

LOS ANGELES and MIAMI – Sept. 1, 2010 – Bigfoot Entertainment, Inc. agreed to acquire an interest in Miami Film School and Palm Beach Film School, vocational filmmaking training schools with campuses in Hollywood and West Palm Beach, Fla. This marks Bigfoot Entertainment’s latest strategic investment in strengthening its portfolio of international film schools. Bigfoot also invested in the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT), through parent company International Film School Holdings (BVI) Ltd., which boasts campuses in Cebu, Philippines and Hong Kong.

“Our affiliation with the Miami and Palm Beach Film Schools helps fulfill the aspirations of many local IAFT graduates by creating exciting inroads into the U.S. – a market that will continue to dominate the international film and media production scene for many years to come,” said Kacy Andrews, CEO of Bigfoot Entertainment and International Film School Holdings (BVI) Ltd.

This strategic venture will also provide a significant talent pool for Bigfoot Entertainment to draw upon for its various productions. With state-of-the-art production studios in Asia, the independent entertainment company produced more than 13 feature films and documentaries over the course of six years, with a slate of feature films and television series in the pipeline.

“The Miami and Palm Beach Film Schools continue to be committed to delivering a practical, hands-on approach in their filmmaking training programs,” said Jim York, founder and executive director, Miami and Palm Beach Film Schools. “By affiliation with a global entertainment company, our students can now look forward to a chance to work on real-world feature film productions, under guidance from experienced and acclaimed industry professionals as mentors. They can also look forward to a host of prospects such as internship programs and permanent job placements upon graduation that Bigfoot Entertainment offers.”

For more information about Bigfoot Entertainment and its affiliated film schools, please visit: http://www.bigfoot.com/filmschool.php.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Aug. 26, 2010 – Aeria Games, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment, released a major update for Shaiya, the company’s free-to-play fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Hundreds of new quests, monsters and items now appear in Shaiya. Players need more power than ever to face these new challenges. To accommodate these needs, the update increases the level cap to 70, for the first time in Shaiya’s history. Arriving in a free update entitled “Relic of Mystra,” the new content for Shaiya represents the most sweeping changes to the game since its launch nearly three years ago.

Shaiya is a critically acclaimed free-to-play MMORPG set in a strange and distant fantasy world. Players must take sides in an age-old blood feud between two warring factions: the Union of Fury and the Alliance of Light. With today’s update, the world is now larger than ever before, including: Entirely new areas with new enemies to defeat, exciting quests and new loot to discover. Players test their might against these challenges while utilizing over 150 new character skills and climbing towards the increased level cap of 70.

The unexplored dangers of Canos Ilium and Regnum await players with hundreds of new monsters and challenges, including battles against elemental demi-gods of ice and fire. Players also face new challenges against one another, with a new map added to the game made specifically for Shaiya’s fast-paced Realm vs. Realm combat.

For more details about Shaiya and to sign up for a free game account, please visit http://shaiya.aeriagames.com.

About Aeria Games & Entertainment

Aeria Games, a leading destination for online entertainment, provides an unrivaled MMO gaming experience to a growing community of more than 13 million members. The online gaming portal offers a broad selection of fun, high-quality games, including Fantasy MMORPGs, FPS, Casual MMOs and Facebook games. Aeria Games is committed to its position as the world’s premier publisher and portal, with high-quality, innovative content and outstanding customer service.

Based in Silicon Valley, Calif., Aeria Games & Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 2006 and has offices in the United States, Japan, Germany and Brazil. More information about Aeria Games can be found at www.aeriagames.com.

A big update just hit Alliance of Valiant Arms (A.V.A), including an all-new map and multiplayer game mode. Players looking to jump straight into the fast-paced deathmatch action in A.V.A can now quickly get their fill in the new [AI] Annihilation mode without having to wait for a full team in the online shooter. Players can start matches with as little as one person on each side of the conflict, as computer-controlled bots will fill in the open spots on each team to create a full match. AI combatants can spawn with weapons not currently available in A.V.A’s in-game store, allowing players to pick up new weapons from downed opponents.

The twitch-based fast action-multiplayer online first person shooter (MOFPS) from ijji.com also introduces Pyramid, a challenging map where the opposing factions navigate narrow corridors as they battle for control.

To enlist in the clash, visit http://ava.ijji.com. For exciting A.V.A action on the go, check out the A.V.A Gun app for iPhone via iTunes App Store, search term: “ijji AVA.”

ijji.com’s Popular Action Adventure Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Game Presents New Art Style, Map and Community System Features in Latest Update

Lunia just received a major visual face lift. The exciting action arcade MMORPG enhanced its already-stunning art style with a new graphics augmentation in the game’s most recent update. On top of its new look, Lunia offers gamers a new map and a new community system, making it easier than ever to connect with friends in the game. The graphics boost offers Lunia players a totally revamped look for the game that shifts from the traditional top-down look to a cel-shaded, over-the-shoulder third-person perspective. Fans of Lunia’s classic look can turn this option off and play the game with the traditional art style if they prefer.

Other updates include:

• New Map - Forest of Water: This new map presents plenty of new challenges even for the mightiest of Lunians. Forest of Water, the first underwater level in Lunia, challenges players to navigate through delicate air bubbles to stay alive while battling deadly water monsters.

• Improved Community System: New “Quick Join” and “View Existing Party” options make it easier than ever to swiftly connect with friends and fellow Lunians.

• Friend Invitation System: Players can click a button in the game to generate a link they can post to their Facebook or Twitter account to invite new friends to join Lunia.

To celebrate, ijji.com is offering fans the opportunity to use the Friend Invitation System to rack up huge amounts of points that can be redeemed for in-game prizes. Lunia fans can use the Friend Invitation System to generate a link and earn a point for every friend who uses their link to join Lunia. Players will also receive a point every time that friend levels up.

Lunia fans eager to take on the next challenges in the gorgeous new environment can sign up, download and play Lunia for free at ijji.com.

Previous VeriSign Vice President of Multimedia Applications and
Former Director of Product Management at Offerpal Media Join BilltoMobile™

San Jose, Calif. – Aug. 27, 2010 – BilltoMobile™, a payments solution at the forefront of the global evolution in the e-commerce mobile payments space welcomes two top industry executives to its leadership team: Warren Faleiro joins the company as the vice president of engineering and technology and Madhura Belani joins BilltoMobile as the senior director of product and marketing.

“As our service continues to expand, we welcome Warren and Madhura into important company leadership positions,” said Jim Greenwell, president and CEO, BilltoMobile. “Warren’s deep technical knowledge of the mobile carrier environment and Madhura’s payment and product experience enables BilltoMobile to provide an optimal service. As our U.S. presence continues to rapidly expand with major mobile carriers and online merchants, our management team will play an important role in growing effectively with our partners and customers.”

With more than 12 years of experience launching new initiatives in online payments, e-commerce, and social gaming, Madhura joined BilltoMobile from Offerpal Media, a leader in monetization platforms for social games. While at Offerpal, Madhura spearheaded many initiatives and strategies as the director of product management, and identified and integrated many international and alternate payment providers. She grew the payment platform from the ground up to include more than 20 partners in less than one year. Before joining Offerpal, Madhura performed market research, drove new product development, and managed client and vendor relationships at PayPal.

Prior to joining BilltoMobile Warren served as vice president of multimedia applications at VeriSign Inc. where he was responsible for driving technology delivery and maintaining strategic relationships with tier one mobile operators. Also at VeriSign, he led a team developing innovative carrier grade services including a highly scalable Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MMSC), a media sharing portal, social networking gateways and embedded mobile application software. Warren has helped several other top mobile and telecom organizations build effective product and engineering teams as well as create and leverage strong relationships with their strategic partners.

David Cho, who previously served as vice president of engineering and technology at BilltoMobile, has taken on new responsibilities, including leading the development of the International Payment Network (IPN) for the company, in his expanded role as vice president of global payment strategy.

Hello Kitty Online Launches in U.S., Canada and Europe; Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition Retail SKU with Exclusive Bonus Materials Now Available in North America

Hong Kong – Aug. 24, 2010 – Hello Kitty fans around the world rejoice! Hello Kitty Online (HKO), the official massively multi-player online game (MMOG) featuring Hello Kitty, has officially launched in North America and Europe. To celebrate, Sanrio Digital is offering a collectible Premium Edition Retail SKU available at retailers across the U.S. and Canada. Fans both young and old can share their love of Hello Kitty, either through the free downloadable client or the Premium Edition retail version.

The collectible Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition comes in a specially designed pink and black box that includes:

• $15 in Sanrio Cash Points to equip your character with premium items

• Choice of one out of four exclusive and cute virtual pets to be your faithful companion on your adventures

• Hello Kitty Online game client on DVD

• Full-color Hello Kitty Online game manual (82 pages)

• Hello Kitty Online collector’s postcards to share with friends…or to keep!

Hello Kitty Online is set in a magical world featuring Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio® characters. Players travel to exciting places such as London, Tokyo and Paris. Along the way they will meet their favorite Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty®, Badtz-Maru®, Keroppi®, My Melody®, Cinnamoroll® and many others. Hello Kitty Online is the first MMOG to integrate true social networking services in the form of blogs, video sharing and Hello Kitty email provided by SanrioTown. The innovative online game boasts a captivating storyline, a myriad of quests, farms, housing, pets, guilds, thousands of options to customize player avatars, and much more. With today’s commercial release of Hello Kitty Online the game service now offers an item mall where players have an option to purchase a variety of in-game virtual items to enhance their game experience. The item mall also offers players the ability to use a variety of online payment methods for their purchases. Additionally, Hello Kitty Online branded prepaid game cards will soon launch at key retailers.

“Sanrio Digital has created an entertaining digital world for our fans to engage with Hello Kitty and Sanrio friends in a truly social gaming environment,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president of publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital. “To celebrate Sanrio’s 50th anniversary, we are excited to launch Hello Kitty Online and offer our Premium Edition Retail SKU to both current and soon-to-be fans.”

Retail distribution of the Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition SKU will be managed by Zoo Entertainment across North America. Zoo Entertainment also manages publishing and distribution of Sanrio Digital’s Nintendo DS and Wii titles.

“Offering Hello Kitty Online as a retail SKU makes for a great addition to the Sanrio Digital line-up of Hello Kitty gaming SKUs Zoo offers at retail in North America, “ said Mark Seremet, CEO, Zoo Entertainment. “We are excited to bring HKO to retail for the fall and holiday season.”

Rated “E” for Everyone, Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition is available now at retailers across the U.S and Canada with a family-friendly MSRP of $19.99, and will be coming soon to Europe. For a list of participating North American retailers please visit www.hellokittyonline.com. Hello Kitty fans can also download the standard version of the online game for free at the official website, and upgrade to the Premium Edition retail version at any time.

Independent Los Angeles-Based Agency Helming PR for Sanrio Digital and its line-up of Hello Kitty® video games, and Heatwave’s Gods & Heroes Online Game, Platinum Life: Web Edition and iSamJackson Apps, among others

LOS ANGELES – Aug. 19, 2010 – Sanrio Digital, a company dedicated to digitally enhancing the Sanrio experience, and Heatwave Interactive, a game development studio and online publisher creating innovative cross-media entertainment experiences, have both chosen Wonacott Communications to spearhead their respective public relations efforts. An award-winning full-service independent public relations and integrated communications agency, Wonacott was selected based on the agency’s extensive experience and involvement within the interactive entertainment industry and the company’s proven track record of successfully building brand awareness for digital entertainment companies.

Wonacott will helm PR efforts for Sanrio Digital’s highly anticipated Hello Kitty® Online, the official massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) of the Hello Kitty universe. Sanrio Digital manages the game development, retail and online publishing of the game, and also operates SanrioTown, the Sanrio-themed portal and social networking site integrated within Hello Kitty Online. Wonacott will also support future projects on behalf of Sanrio Digital, including the forthcoming Wii game, Hello Kitty Seasons.

“Knowing Jason Wonacott’s expertise and seeing his team’s hands-on approach and outstanding results, I believe Wonacott Communications has taken a lead position in understanding today’s interactive and social entertainment space,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital.  “The Wonacott team is extremely passionate about their work and we look forward to partnering with such a well-respected agency as we expand our efforts in North America and beyond.”

Heatwave Interactive selected Wonacott to spearhead the studio’s product offerings following a recent agency review. Heatwave’s portfolio includes Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, a full-scale action adventure massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) that immerses the audience in Roman mythology, the hip-hop themed social game Platinum Life: Web Edition, and iSamJackson, for iPhone and iPod touch, among other unannounced projects.

“Heatwave is taking a different approach to the often cookie cutter social gaming industry, so it is important for us to work with a PR partner that understands and appreciates our vision – and can provide results against it,” said Anthony Castoro, co-founder and CEO, Heatwave Interactive. “Wonacott is entrenched in today’s quickly evolving technologies, forms of entertainment and communications mediums. We truly look forward to the future and meeting our growth goals with Wonacott on our frontline.”

“We’re really excited about developing and executing top-notch public relations programs for both of these innovative social gaming companies with great brands, Sanrio Digital and Heatwave,” said Jason Wonacott, CEO, Wonacott Communications.  “We look forward to kicking off our respective partnerships and helping our clients make a huge splash in North America, while providing sustained visibility within the interactive gaming community and beyond.” 

Wonacott Communications is looking for a Director- or VP-level PR professional for our award-winning Los Angeles-based agency to work with entertainment (digital, social and interactive), consumer technology and consumer lifestyle clients.  This position will oversee planning and execution of Client programs, including client relations, staff management, budgeting and media relations. He/she will also contribute expanding existing business and winning new business.

What you’ll do:

·         Develop and grow relationships with key client contacts.

·         Provide strategic and creative counsel and direction of accounts.

·         Provide ideas to Client(s) to maximize communications results and/or anticipate issues.

·         Lead all aspects of strategic media relations planning and execution.

·         Develop complete communications plan for Client(s).

·         Manage and motivate team to ensure superior client service.

·         Maintain and grow existing Client business.

·         Manage profitability and financial aspects of accounts.

·         Develop and pitch new business opportunities.

·         Maintain industry contacts to stay informed of industry trends and changes.

Your skills:

·         Creative thinker; strategic planner.

·         Set the standard for verbal, writing and editing skills.

·         Can motivate, develop and lead others.

·         Proven interpersonal and influencing skills.

·         Can budget programs and manage finances, maintain profitability.

·         Proven media relations and crisis communications.

·         Solid knowledge and understanding of digital media, including social media, viral marketing, community development and engagement, and content distribution.

·         Ability to assess and win potential new business opportunities.

·         Highly skilled at developing and delivering presentations and pitches for Clients and prospective Clients.

 Your background and experience:

·         Minimum of 8 years of professional experience with a majority of that time in an agency environment.

·         Proven experience in handling public relations for digital entertainment, consumer technology and/or consumer lifestyle industries.

·         Comprehensive understanding of public relations field generally.

·         Experience managing teams and developing staff.

An ideal company and opportunity:

·         Offices in West Los Angeles conveniently located near the 405 and 10 freeways, near some pretty darned good restaurants

·         Competitive salary and great benefits package

·         Unique chance to help grow an agency; generous bonus potential

·         Relaxed work environment

·         Young and aggressive agency with great clients that you’ll enjoy working with

If you are interested, please send a resume and a compelling cover letter, complete with your salary history and a clear statement on why you would be the perfect person to join this team, to careers@wonacottpr.com.  Please have “Director/VP” in the subject line.  No phone calls, please.

Wonacott Communications, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

LOS ANGELES – Aug. 11, 2010 – Millions of gamers and Facebook fans are jumping on board Sometrics’ recently launched virtual marketplace and community site: GameCoins.com. Among other big announcements, Sometrics went into a recent partnership with Bigpoint, one of the leading gaming portals worldwide. Bigpoint is the latest to join Sometrics’ list of high-profile online gaming partners, which includes Nexon, GameDuell, PopCap, IMVU, NHN and others. Sometrics’ reach now extends to more than 228 million gamers in the virtual goods market.

“Sometrics’ solution is unique in the sense that it provides a thorough assessment of our gaming audience,” said Linus Menden, head of finance at Bigpoint. “Sometrics has a strong presence internationally and provides useful input and customized service to Bigpoint. Not only has it been successful in increasing revenue, but it also increases the conversion of paying users.”

“Our partnership with Bigpoint is the latest of high profile gaming clients we are helping with their virtual goods monetization,” said Ian Swanson, founder and CEO, Sometrics. “The wide variety of customized services we are providing for Bigpoint and all of its titles are a great example of what makes Sometrics a valuable partner for online publishers.”

In addition to providing payment and optimization services to publishers, Sometrics’ Game Coins virtual currency introduces players to hundreds of online games. Sometrics also rewards players for informing friends through Facebook about the GameCoins.com missions they complete, with more than 200,000 missions completed to date. Gamers that shared the news across Facebook reached a network of 1.5 million “friends” and attained more than 2.5 million Facebook newsfeed impressions.

GameCoins.com is a virtual goods marketplace and destination site featuring top free-to-play online games and other leading virtual worlds and social games. Designed to create excitement and promote the sharing of real game experiences through exclusive raffles, missions and more, members earn and spend Game Coins on the games they already love, as well as newly discovered favorites.