Released on: October 11, 2007, 1:41 am

Press Release Author: StoryMakers Studio

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: StoryMakers Studio (www.StoryMakersStudio.com) is proud to
announce the launch of the Animation Arts Society.
The organization will enable animation fans worldwide to enjoy intimate
conversations with some of the most influential artists in the animation world
including top directors, producers, writers and voice artists. Members are able to
listen to podcasts of these conversations on a subscription basis beginning later
this fall.


Press Release Body: (Hollywood, CA)-- In response to countless requests from
animation fans around the world, StoryMakers Studio (www.StoryMakersStudio.com) is
proud to announce today's launch of the Animation Arts Society flagship program,
"Live and Unscripted from Hollywood."

The organization will enable animation fans worldwide to enjoy intimate one-on-one
conversations with some of the most influential artists in the animation world
including top directors, producers, writers and voice artists. Members are able to
listen to podcasts of these conversations on a subscription basis beginning later
this fall.

"It all began this summer when we presented our 'Salute to Woody Woodpecker,'"
explains Gordon Meyer, the talk show's creator and host. "We had people contacting
us from countries like the UK, Germany, India, Australia, Brazil, even Indonesia. In
fact we've heard from people in just about every continent on the planet wanting to
know more about the event and how they could see, or at least hear, the all-star
panel we assembled. And the calls and emails continue to come in months later."

Meyer himself is a long-time animation fan, as are many of his colleagues at
StoryMakers Studio. With the growing popularity of animation in its various forms,
from the traditional 2-D animation associated with classic Disney cartoons to anime,
computer generated animation and even the increasingly sophisticated animation
utilized in popular video games, the StoryMakers Studio team soon came to the
conclusion that the company needed to set up a dedicated division specifically to
celebrate the artistry and legacy of almost 175 years of animation.

"Believe it or not animation actually pre-dates motion pictures," explains Meyer.
"Animation as we know it dates back to the 1831 introduction of the phenakistoscope,
a spinning disc with a series of pictures that gave you a few seconds of movement as
you watched through a slit in the disc."

Although the technologies used in animation have dramatically evolved over the
years, the one remaining constant is the fact that audience favorites and most
enduring animated films feature memorable, endearing characters and their great
stories. This was the impetus in which Meyer decided that the Animation Arts
Society is a natural extension of what they do with StoryMakers Studio.

At StoryMakers Studio's flagship "Live and Unscripted from Hollywood" program, they
tell the story of how a particular film is made through the eyes of the people who
make it, usually a combination of cast members joined by the director, writer,
and/or producer.

"Although we may be presenting similar or even co-branded events through the
Animation Arts Society down the line, these shows will be more intimate one-on-one
conversations that will focus on the overall craft and processes defining the work
of animation. As part of these conversations, we will be able to include much more
of our guests' overall body of work than we normally would do during a typical
StoryMakers Studio program," explains Ronn Campbell, one of the series' Executive
Producers.

Animation Arts Society members are encouraged to not only nominate the artists
they're most interested in listening to, they also have the opportunity to post
questions for them. "This is an important membership benefit," adds Campbell. "We
see the Animation Arts Society as a virtual community of people who love animation.
We are giving our members not only a means to interact with each other, but also
opportunities to interact with our guests."

Campbell went on to say that members will be notified about upcoming guests well in
advance so they can send their questions, the best of which will be used as part of
the monthly series.

In fact, since many of the people who contacted StoryMakers Studio about their
"Woody Woodpecker" event work in animation, Meyer and Campbell anticipate many
professionals will end up becoming members as well. This will give animation fans
and professionals from around the world a forum in which they can discuss and even
debate the entire spectrum of animation.

Such 'animated' discussions will offer classic cartoons of the mid-twentieth
century, contemporary prime time series like "The Simpsons," the latest
computer-generated feature films, experimental shorts and even video games.

"No matter what form of animation we're talking about, whether it's traditional 2D
animation, the kind of stop-motion puppet-based animation used in classic films like
the original 'King Kong' and Ray Harryhausen classics or the latest 3D CGI
extravaganza from Pixar or DreamWorks, at the end of the day it's really all about
the artists themselves and the humanity they bring to their work. That's the
ultimate appeal to the best animated programs and that's what we're really all
about," concludes Meyer.

StoryMakers Studio's Animation Arts Society invites animation lovers from around the
world to become charter members and to subscribe to the "Live and Unscripted from
Hollywood" monthly series podcasts featuring intimate conversations with some of the
premiere artists in the field.
Membership information is available at the organization's website,
www.AnimationArtsSociety.com.

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Web Site: http://www.AnimationArtsSociety.com.

Contact Details: For StoryMakers Studio:
CATHERINE HIGHFILL
615/479-3144