LOS
ANGELES--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--60Frames Entertainment, a
new company dedicated to the
financing, ad sales and
syndication of
professionally-produced online
content, launched today.
60Frames provides professional
content creators access to
financing, speed to market,
greater ownership over their
intellectual property and
participation in all revenue
streams including advertising.
The company will also
collaborate with advertisers to
create immersive online branding
to better connect their company
and products to targeted
audiences. Consumers will be
able to view 60Frames’
original programming through top
video portals, social network
Web sites, and mobile and
emerging broadband outlets.
60Frames will be working with
artists that include visionary
filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen,
who will create content for
60Frames, as well as serve on a
Creative Advisory Board.
60Frames has
raised $3.5 million in funding.
It was incubated by leading
Hollywood talent and literary
agency United Talent Agency (UTA)
and innovative Internet-based
advertising agency Spot Runner.
The company was formed in
response to the creative and
advertising communities’
need to optimize the financial
and creative potential of
digital content distributed
through the Internet. It is
backed by prominent
institutional and individual
investors, including Tudor
Investment Corporation1
and the Pilot Group co-founded
by Robert Pittman.
Brent Weinstein,
a veteran digital entertainment
executive, has been named CEO of
60Frames. He is transitioning to
this new role from UTA, where he
previously spearheaded UTA’s
Digital Media Department and the
agency’s
new UTA Online division.
“The
Internet is radically
transforming entertainment and
advertising, and 60Frames is in
the position to be at the
forefront of this revolution,”
said Weinstein.
“In
the same way that television
developed iconic brands in the
last century, 60Frames will help
professional artists to create
new formats, characters and
stories that will be the brands
of the 21st century.”
“60Frames
was born out of the belief that
the bar for quality content
produced on the Web will rise,”
said Jeremy Zimmer, board member
and partner at UTA.
“60Frames
is the direct response to the
growing interest in the Internet
by professional artists and
their requirement that it be as
business-friendly as possible."
Spot Runner’s
expertise and innovations in
advertising and technology give
60Frames an unprecedented
advantage in developing
interactive marketing around
groundbreaking online content.
Spot Runner will work with
60Frames to build advertising
models, formats and
technologies. In addition, Spot
Runner’s
sales force will represent
60Frames in creating
relationships with leading
marketers and selling
advertising inventory.
“Many
of Spot Runner’s
clients want to participate in
online entertainment but are not
comfortable with the brand risks
associated with user-generated
content,”
said Nick Grouf, CEO of Spot
Runner. “60Frames
provides companies with an ideal
way to connect with their
customers through original,
top-notch content created by
leading Hollywood talent. Spot
Runner’s
mission is to transform the way
advertising is created,
targeted, and bought and sold,
and 60Frames is an important
step towards achieving this
change.”
James J.
Pallotta, Tudor Investment
Corporation’s
vice chairman and director-US
Equity Securities Group, said,
“We
saw tremendous synergy between
Spot Runner and UTA. We believe
that 60Frames will deliver
unparalleled opportunities for
entertainment professionals
looking to monetize, promote and
distribute their original
content online.”
60Frames'
programming will initially focus
on short-form comedic
productions and will expand to
include dramatic, informative,
educational and other types of
online video. Additional
announcements concerning
artists, content, advertising
and distribution partners will
be made shortly.
About
60Frames
60Frames
Entertainment is a new company
dedicated to the financing, ad
sales and syndication of
professionally produced online
content. The company provides
professional content creators
access to financing, an
artist-friendly development
environment, speed to market,
participation in all revenue
streams including advertising
and greater ownership over their
intellectual property. In
addition, 60Frames will
collaborate with advertisers to
deliver immersive experiences to
connect their brands with
relevant online audiences.
60Frames plans to distribute
through the top video portals,
social network websites, mobile
and emerging broadband outlets.
The name “60Frames”
originates from the different
frame rates used in digital
video and represents the company’s
commitment to deliver
high-quality, short-form content
to consumers through digital
platforms.
www.60frames.com
About UTA
United Talent
Agency is one of the
entertainment industry’s
premier talent and literary
agencies, representing many of
the world’s
most widely-known figures in
every current and emerging area
of entertainment, including
motion pictures, television,
digital media, publishing,
music, mobile and live
entertainment. Collectively, UTA
agents represent a significant
cross-section of today’s
most acclaimed and inspiring
artists and entertainers,
including nominees and winners
of Academy, Emmy, Grammy, Screen
Actors Guild, Directors Guild,
Writers Guild, Producers Guild,
Golden Globe and People’s
Choice awards. The agency is
also globally recognized in the
areas of film finance, corporate
consulting, branding &
licensing, endorsements and the
representation of production
talent. The agency also recently
launched UTA Online, the first
dedicated broadband
representation division of a
major agency.
www.unitedtalent.com
About Spot
Runner
Headquartered in
Los Angeles, Spot Runner is a
privately held, Internet-based
ad agency that makes it fast,
easy and affordable for local
business to advertise on TV. Its
revolutionary approach to
commercial production, media
planning and media buying gives
local businesses access to a
powerful marketing tool that was
previously out of their reach.
The entire process is automated
online, making it cost-effective
for even the smallest business
to use. The company's
co-founders, Nick Grouf and
David Waxman, previously founded
PeoplePC and Firefly Network,
which were acquired by EarthLink
and Microsoft respectively.
Visit Spot Runner online at
www.spotrunner.com.
