Yahoo! to Unveil Visionary Storyteller Anthony E. Zuiker's Innovative New Media Franchise "Cybergeddon"
March 21, 2012
First-Of-Its-Kind Motion Picture Event from Dolphin Digital Studios
to Break Film Distribution Model with Global Release on Yahoo!
Norton by Symantec Lends Authenticity and Accuracy to Script with
Real Life Insights into the World of Cybercrime
LOS ANGELES --
Anthony E. Zuiker, the visionary creator of the CSI franchise and his
production company Dare to Pass, and Yahoo! Inc, the premier digital
media company, today announced that casting and production will
officially begin on the much anticipated "Cybergeddon" project, a
groundbreaking motion picture event which will bring to life the growing
threat of cybercrime. Written by Miles Chapman ("The Tomb"),
"Cybergeddon" executive producers include Anthony E. Zuiker, Matthew
Weinberg, President, Dare to Pass and Bill O'Dowd, CEO, Dolphin Digital
Studios. True to his storytelling form, Zuiker has engaged Norton by
Symantec to leverage its technical credibility and security insights to
help inform and guide the narrative. Progressive financier and
distribution company Dolphin Digital Media backed the project in a deal
brokered and packaged by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
"'Cybergeddon' is the evolution of the crime genre," says creator
Anthony E. Zuiker. "Through an invaluable partnership with Norton and
embracing the forward-thinking vision of Dolphin Entertainment,
‘Cybergeddon' will be a motion picture event released through Yahoo!'s
global online distribution. Instead of opening 'wide' at 5000 screens,
‘Cybergeddon' has the potential to premiere on 50 million online screens
all over the world at the same time. This global distribution model is
the future of storytelling with unprecedented scale."
"Cybergeddon" will be launching globally, first on Yahoo! this Fall, as
a series of installments to roll out sequentially. "Cybergeddon" will
engage Yahoo!'s worldwide audience of 700 million unique visitors,
through an immersive storytelling, social media and gaming experience.
Yahoo! sets the bar for best-in-class original video programming with 21
out of the top 25 most-watched online series (comScore, US) and captures
61 million unique viewers a month (comScore, US) who come to Yahoo! to
watch video. Yahoo! has been making strides in original programming by
teaming up with world-class storytellers, starting with ‘Electric City,'
its first original scripted series announcement earlier this year and
most recently the roll out of a new comedy slate.
"We're thrilled to bring a concept like ‘Cybergeddon' to our audience.
Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful storytellers in
Hollywood and there is no better home for ‘Cybergeddon' than Yahoo!,"
said Erin McPherson VP & Head of Video at Yahoo!. "Together we have the
opportunity to bring this compelling and cutting-edge story exclusively
to our users and do it in a way that entertains and informs through an
engaging and immersive experience that will truly bring ‘Cybergeddon' to
life."
With its perceptive foresight and expertise in producing award-winning
premium digital properties, Dolphin is poised to introduce "Cybergeddon"
to audiences worldwide.
"When you think about what HBO did for television and what Netflix did
for video rentals, they were trailblazers of their time," said Dolphin
Digital Studios CEO, Bill O'Dowd. "By bringing together a group of
visionaries such as Anthony, Yahoo!, Dolphin, CAA and Norton, you can
expect that ‘Cybergeddon' is going to break new ground for how consumers
experience entertainment around the world and across multiple platforms."
Throughout the creative process, Zuiker engaged Norton by Symantec and
its team of experts to inspire, guide and inform some of the technical
aspects of cybercrime, including its investigation and prosecution, and
to provide real-world insights into how people can protect themselves
from digital threats.
"People learn through storytelling and our partnership with Anthony
Zuiker in the production of ‘Cybergeddon' allows us to reach new
audiences in a fresh way," said Sally Jenkins, Vice President, Worldwide
Consumer Marketing at Symantec. "Through entertainment and
dramatization, ‘Cybergeddon' will illuminate the serious issue of how
our constantly connected lives can be vulnerable to cybercrime, breaches
of online privacy and theft."
About Anthony E. Zuiker
Anthony E. Zuiker is one of the most creative and multifaceted
individuals working in Hollywood today. He is the creator of
television's hugely successful CSI franchise, and in July of 2011,
Zuiker, and his production company, Dare to Pass, signed a three-year
first-look deal with ABC Studios. In addition to expanding his film and
television efforts, Zuiker continues to delve into the worlds of gaming,
publishing and cross-platform storytelling. He is a pioneer of the
"Digi-novel" genre and author of the Level 26 series published by
Dutton/Penguin Group, and the final book in the series, Dark
Revelations, was released in December of 2011. Around that same time,
Zuiker also released a personal memoir, MR. CSI : How a Vegas Dreamer
Made a Killing in Hollywood, One Body at a Time, published by Harper
Collins. Zuiker is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and CAA.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) is the premier digital media company, creating
deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion
people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around
the globe. That's how we deliver your world, your way. And Yahoo!'s
unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the
consumers who build their businesses. For more information, visit the
pressroom (
pressroom.yahoo.com)
or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal (
yodel.yahoo.com).
Yahoo! is the trademark and/or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. All
other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
About Dolphin Digital Studios, Inc.
Dolphin Digital Media, Inc. is dedicated to the production of
high-quality digital content. With the launch of Dolphin Digital
Studios, the Company is at the forefront of the growing digital
entertainment sector. Dolphin Digital Studios is committed to
consistently delivering premium, best-in-class entertainment and
securing premiere distribution partners to maximize audience reach and
commercial advertising potential.
Dolphin Digital Studios' first two web series, co-financed through an
agreement with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, are the action-packed
high school spy thriller Aim High from multi-talented Executive
Producer and Director McG (Director of Charlie's Angels and Terminator:
Salvation and Executive Producer of television series Chuck and
Supernatural) and the futuristic survival tale H+: The Digital
Series from blockbuster Director / Producer Bryan Singer (Director
of X-Men, Superman Returns and The Usual Suspects,
and Executive Producer of hit television series House).
Aim High simultaneously premiered on Facebook and Cambio (AOL's
Teen Site) in October, 2011. Aim High won the Writer's Guild
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Original New Media at
the Writer's Guild Awards ceremony hosted by Joel McHale and Zooey
Deschanel on February 19, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. H+: The
Digital Series is scheduled to be released this summer.
About Norton
Norton
http://us.norton.com/
from Symantec Corporation protects the Stuff that matters to consumers,
across all aspects of their digital lives. Norton provides a range of
security solutions including technologies for PCs and mobile devices,
live tech support services and online backup. Like Norton on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/norton.
Symantec, the Symantec Logo, and Norton are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries.
Source: Yahoo!
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