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
MIAMI, March 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 Digital Media, '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."
For more information please visit "Cybergeddon" on Facebook or follow @cybergeddon on Twitter
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.