Award Winning Film Director, Author, Animator Tim Burton Links With Shockwave.com To Develop, Produce Original Online Animation

Shockwave.com, together with award-winning film director, author and animator Tim Burton, have entered into an agreement to develop a series of animated shorts for the Internet exclusively on www.shockwave.com. As part of the deal, Mr. Burton, noted for his critically acclaimed directorial efforts on ""Batman,"" ""Beetlejuice,"" ""Edward Scissorhands"" and ""Sleepy Hollow"" among others, will retain full artistic control over the characters and properties he licenses to, and creates for, shockwave.com Burton-inspired content, which will include the animated character ""Stainboy"" who appears in Burtonís book ""The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories,"" is scheduled to debut in Spring 2000 at www.shockwave.com to an audience of more than ten million. The William Morris Agency's Corporate Advisory/New Media Department brought Mr. Burton to shockwave.com; his deal was negotiated by WMA and the law firm of Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Diemer & Klein with Michael Yanover at shockwave.com and the law firm of Loeb & Loeb. New Burton-created characters and short features can be viewed free of charge with the Macromedia Flash Player which has an installed consumer audience of more than 200 million worldwide. After the anticipated Spring 2000 debut of the new programming, viewers will be able to tune in regularly to experience newly updated animation programs. Mr. Burton stated, ""Itís really exciting to make this move with shockwave.com. Although Iíve worked with high-end CGI in several films, the interesting thing about Flash technology is how it brings computer animation down to such a personal level."" ""We're thrilled to be in business with Tim, one of the best storytellers of our day,"" said Rob Burgess, chairman and CEO of shockwave.com. ""The design sensibilities of Stainboy are perfect for todayís Internet."" ""Shockwave.comís proprietary technology is a great tool for a multi-talented artist such a Tim,"" noted Mike Simpson, Executive Vice President and co-worldwide motion picture head of William Morris. ""Itís powerful, but itís also easy to work with. Directors familiar with traditional formats involving hundreds of technicians have a new tool for expression they can carry around in a backpack, which provides them a direct connection with a worldwide audience. Theatrical film and even television canít compete with this level of immediacy, which is very attractive to an artist like Tim."" Many of the stories and characters created by Mr. Burton and debuting as shorts on shockwave.com may become episodic television and feature film formats, allowing them to move seamlessly between various platforms. Lewis Henderson, William Morris Vice President, head of New Media, added: ""As we concentrate more and more on crossing clients over from traditional forms of entertainment to exploring new media opportunities and the emerging technology associated with it, shockwave.com has become an important destination for us and the content- creators we represent. They are redefining the business of entertainment as we know it."" Melanie Cook of Bloom, Hergott, Cook noted, ""Timís genius for creating characters and content will be exemplified in this new partnership and weíre delighted to have been a part of the team forging a relationship with Tim and shockwave.com"" Michael Yanover, business development executive at shockwave.com, said: ""We are thrilled to have someone of Tim's caliber entertaining our users and look forward to pushing the technological boundaries of Internet animation with his unique style"" In addition to introducing the new programming in Spring 2000, shockwave.com will feature the new characters and shorts in other popular shockwave games, greetings, puzzles and creative content tools. About Shockwave.com Shockwave.com, Inc. (www.shockwave.com) is the Internet entertainment destination committed to providing the best interactive experience on the Web. shockwave.com features cutting-edge games, cartoons and music. In partnership with major entertainment companies and Web distribution and technology leaders, shockwave.com also offers artists and publishers a new and powerful distribution model. About William Morris Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency, the largest talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville and London is a privately held company representing clients in all segments of the entertainment industry including theatrical motion pictures, network, cable and syndicated television, news, theater, music, public appearance, publishing, commercials, new media and corporate advisory.