XRAYMEDIA Partners with Noted Hollywood Producer Mark Canton In "the Screenwriter Dig," a New Worldwide Movie and TV Series Idea Contest
NEW YORK & VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2004--XRAYMEDIA, Inc. (OTCBB:XRYM - News), the media industry's leader in real-time negotiating technology, announced that the company has entered into a joint venture with noted entertainment industry executive and producer Mark Canton for an exciting new movie and television series idea contest called The Screenwriter Dig, which is designed to "unearth new talent" throughout the world. During his more than two decades as a studio executive and independent producer, Mr. Canton has brought more than 300 pictures to the screen including such mega-hits as Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets and the Batman and Lethal Weapon franchises, amongst others.
Mr. Canton's deal with XRAYMEDIA was structured by his manager, Relativity Management.
The Screenwriter Dig gives the general public a golden opportunity, regardless of their experience, to potentially have their ideas brought to life as either a theatrical feature film or television series. The contest will provide the average person with direct access to a seasoned Hollywood producer, with a proven blockbuster track record. Unlike traditional screenplay contests that generally target seasoned writers who are actively trying to "break-in" to Hollywood to showcase their talents, The Screenwriter Dig will be aggressively pursuing the millions of people across the world that may simply have a "pitch", an "idea", or "a story to tell".
At the end of each contest for The Screenwriter Dig there will be two main prizewinners, with one Motion Picture submission, and one Television Series submission chosen for further development and potential production by Mark Canton.
Targeting millions of people worldwide, The Screenwriter Dig has the potential to generate significant revenues, while keeping the pricing structure competitive with similar contests such as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Project Greenlight, who through their web-based screenwriting contest, received thousands of original script submissions. The Screenwriter Dig will have nominal submission fees ranging from $10.00 up to $29.00 per submission. Conservative overall cash flow is projected at over $8,000,000 for the first year of the competition with 25% increases for each subsequent year. This type of revenue provides a significant springboard for The Screenwriter Dig to be very creative in the prizes and awards for sub categories and of course the main prize of having the winners' work in the limelight. Motion picture box office records are shattered almost each year, and television-advertising revenues are at all-time highs, with no signs of slowing down. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, revenues from all sources of media and entertainment (film, music, video games, publishing, etc.) are expected to reach $571 billion within a year and a half. Please visit www.xraymedia.com for more details.
About Mark Canton
A native of New York, Canton is a 1971 UCLA graduate (magna cum laude) and a member of UCLA's National Honor Society for American Studies. Mark Canton has been an unsurpassed force in the entertainment industry for over two decades. By helping to bring more than 300 pictures to the screen in his capacity as studio executive and producer, Mr. Canton has left his mark on the big screen with high caliber films like As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt; Oscar-winner Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr.; Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones; and the Julia Roberts romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding, just to name a few. During this time, Mr. Canton has held many auspicious positions within the entertainment industry, and his creative influence has brought some of today's most powerful filmmakers to the forefront, as well as some of the most successful films to the screen. Mark Canton initially joined Warner Bros. in 1980, as Vice President of Production. He then rose to Senior Vice President in 1983 and President of Worldwide Theatrical Production in 1985. During his tenure at the studio, Mr. Canton was pivotal in creating the notable Batman, Lethal Weapon and National Lampoon's Vacation film franchises. After departing Warner Bros. in 1991, Mr. Canton joined Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia Pictures as Chairman. By 1994, he had risen to Chairman of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Companies. This move helped him revitalize motion picture production operations, by restructuring the marketing and distribution companies, and releasing a wide range of critically acclaimed motion picture hits, among them: A Few Good Men, Groundhog Day, In the Line of Fire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Bad Boys, The Net, The Professional, The Fifth Element, and Jumanji. Returning to Warner Bros. in 1997, Mr. Canton created his own production entity, The Canton Company. In early 2002 he joined Artists Production Group as a partner, Chairman and CEO. Most recently in December 2003, Canton and Daedalus Media Partners launched a new entrepreneurial venture, Atmosphere Entertainment MM - a unique, asset-rich, fully funded company that develops, produces and finances theatrical motion pictures and television programming.
You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as "will", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "goal", "expects", "future", "intends" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons, including the risks we face as described in this press release. For further information about XRAYMEDIA INC., please refer to its Form 10-ksb filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
|