ATOMFILMS®
LAUNCHES ALL-NEW
BROADBAND
TELEVISION WEB SITE
Relaunch of
AtomFilms.com Marks Online Video
Pioneer's Debut as a Service of MTV
Networks
New Site Offers
Enhanced Features and Original
Programming From
AtomFilms Studio(TM)
and Comedy Central New Releases
Include the Horror-Comedy
Series"Hellholes”
SAN
FRANCISCO, CA December 4, 2006
AtomFilms® (www.atomfilms.com)
debuted an all-new version of its
award-winning entertainment web site
today, introducing a broadband
television experience that makes it
easy to discover, watch and share
thousands of original short movies
and web shows. Among the site's new
features are a syndicated video
player that can be embedded on other
sites, a high-resolution video
playback option, and customizable
channels and content alerts. The
re-launch marks AtomFilms' official
debut as a service of MTV Networks,
with AtomFilms providing a pipeline
of new talent and original content
that can be distributed on popular
television networks such as Comedy
Central and Spike TV.
"AtomFilms
is a network for original, legal and
highly entertaining independent
content,” said AtomFilms General
Manager Scott Roesch. "Our new site
and our position at MTV Networks
will enable us to expand on our
mission of bringing creative and
innovative content to large
audiences, and supporting talented
independent creators.”
AtomFilms Shows Creators the Money
Millions of Dollars and Counting
Since
pioneering the online video field in
1999, AtomFilms has been an
effective incubator of new
entertainment talent, paying
millions of dollars to creators
through its innovative
revenue-sharing program. Financial
and promotional support from
AtomFilms has helped many creators
begin successful careers -- in 2006,
for example, several AtomFilms
directors went on to release
successful feature films, including
Jason Reitman ("Thank You For
Smoking”), the Duplass Brothers
("The Puffy Chair”), and Greg
Coolidge ("Employee of the Month”).
"AtomFilms
has a proven track record as a
developer and programmer of
original, popular broadband
entertainment,” said Doug Herzog,
president of Comedy Central and
Spike TV. "We are working closely
with AtomFilms as an important
source of new talent and original
content for our networks.”
New
Site is a Gateway to "Hellholes”
and More
Premiering on AtomFilms today is the
pilot episode of the creepy
horror-comedy series "Hellholes,”
funded and developed by AtomFilms
Studio and created by filmmakers
Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle. The
special-effects-driven series tells
the story of a hapless dork who buys
a mobile home for one dollar, and
then finds that it's a gateway to
Hell. Rankin and Potelle have worked
with AtomFilms on multiple projects
since the 2002 debut of their
feature film, The Battle of Shaker
Heights (produced through HBO's
Project Greenlight program).
AtomFilms Studio currently has a
dozen new series in production, and
is accepting pitches for new
projects through the AtomFilms site.
Also
launching on AtomFilms today is a
new Comedy Central channel,
featuring episodes from several
Comedy Central web shows, including
the new hits "Good God,” set in the
Man Upstairs' heavenly office, and
Baxter & McGuire, about a pair of
buddies who just happen to be
testicles.
A
Broadband Television Experience
Online video fans will find that the
new AtomFilms site offers a
"broadband television” experience
that offers daily new releases of
original content and provides users
a suite of new viewing, sharing, and
personalization features.
• High-resolution
viewing option (700 kbps --
near-DVD-quality)
• Large
screen player that can be expanded
to full-screen
• Flash
Video streaming, ensuring ease of
use and cross-platform compatibility
• Preview
video clips enabling ad-free content
sampling and surfing
• Same-screen
video playback, without a separate
pop-up window
On-Demand Sharing and
Personalization Features:
• Syndicated
video player that can be embedded in
blogs and social networking sites
• "My
Channel” module that collects
AtomFilms favorites and films to
watch later
• Customizable
RSS and e-mail content alerts
• AtomFilms
To Go, featuring content
downloadable for playback on iPods
and PSPs
• Upload
feature enabling users and creators
to digitally submit their content
for review
Enhanced Content Discovery Tools:
• Contextual
navigation throughout thousands of
titles programmed in 150 custom
channels including Dick and Dubya,
Creep-o-Rama, Oscar® Shorts, Anime,
and more
• Audience-driven
programming based on viewing and
rating data
The
AtomFilms relaunch is supported by
Verizon Wireless' exclusive
sponsorship, which makes AtomFilms'
high-res full-screen video playback
available to all users without
registration throughout December.
Verizon Wireless is also AtomFilms'
exclusive mobile video partner,
offering a popular AtomFilms channel
on its V CAST subscription service.
AtomFilms is a broadband
entertainment network that is unique
among online video services,
licensing and developing original
content in partnership with
filmmakers and animators. Since
pioneering the online video category
in 1998-99, AtomFilms has attracted
a loyal audience of millions of
users with its consistently
outstanding short-form programming.
The network compensates filmmakers
and animators based on revenues
generated from its advertising and
distribution businesses, and its
payments to creators have totaled
millions of dollars. AtomFilms is a
service of MTV Networks, following
MTVN's September 2006 acquisition of
Atom Entertainment, Inc.
MTV
Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:
VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's
leading creators of programming and
content across all media platforms.
MTV
Networks, with more than 130
channels worldwide, owns and
operates the following television
programming services - MTV: MUSIC
TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU,
NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY
CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT,
NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN
INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE
FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13
digital services, with all of these
networks trademarks of MTV
Networks. MTV Networks connects
with its audiences through its
robust consumer products businesses
and its more than 100 interactive
properties worldwide, including
online, broadband, wireless and
interactive television services and
also has licensing agreements, joint
ventures, and syndication deals
whereby all of its programming
services can be seen worldwide.
AtomFilms and AtomFilms Studio are
trademarks owned by Atom
Entertainment, Inc. All other
trademarks mentioned in this
document are the property of their
respective owners.