Hollywood Heavyweights Move to Mentor With Launch of Nibblebox; Creating ``Nibbles`` of Entertainment Online

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--March 9, 2000--Entertainment, media and Internet industry veterans Dave Bartis, Doug Liman and Elizabeth Hamburg hope to redefine the way Internet entertainment content is developed, created and distributed with the formation of Nibblebox.

Using a vast high school, college and university affiliate network and teams of leading entertainment industry mentors, Nibblebox will ''incubate'' students and their ideas to create the first generation of true Internet content creators.

Nibblebox`s unique brand of Internet entertainment programming will launch in spring 2000 with the premiere of five original episodic programs and 24-hour-a-day college radio programming. Nibblebox.com will be a destination for college students and a place to test programming with people who are already using broadband today.

''We feel most Internet entertainment content is aggregated, not created specifically for this medium,'' said Bartis, who expects to exit his post as president of 3 Arts Entertainment to join his new partners -- and former Brown University classmates -- in the new venture.

''Most entertainment Web site content is simply repurposed from other media. By starting now with a new generation of creators -- and by applying the principles of development and production from television and film to bring out the best in their ideas -- we believe that if anybody will figure out what entertainment on the Internet will look like, it will be this group.''

Billing itself as ''Entertainment Bytes,'' Nibblebox has, in a few short months, signed more than 50 colleges and universities as affiliates and is already receiving innovative content submissions from around the country. Nibblebox has also attracted a stellar list of entertainment industry leaders who will serve as mentors to the students, helping them understand what makes compelling content while at the same time learning about the Internet themselves. Among those currently on board are Larry Karaszewski (''The People Vs. Larry Flynt''), John Leguizamo (''Freak''), Steven Soderbergh (''Out of Sight'') and Arielle Tepper
(''Spic-o-rama'').

For young people interested in tackling this new medium, Nibblebox will be the source for information, tools, networking and opportunities. Students whose content is selected will receive equipment, mentoring, funding and distribution of the final product on the Nibblebox.com site.

To consumers (who initially will also be college students with high-speed Internet connections), the Nibblebox brand will represent smart, innovative, irreverent entertainment available nowhere else. To the entertainment industry, Nibblebox will be the breeding ground for the next generation of creative talent.

In addition to producing content from schools across the country, Nibblebox will broadcast affiliates` radio stations and create NBX radio, programming from the best college stations. Students will also get the chance to create their own local minisites within Nibblebox.com to broadcast content and information tailored to the school and its region.

Nibblebox`s senior management represents an uncommonly talented, ''best of breed'' team from their respective disciplines.

David Bartis, formerly head of NBC Studios and senior vice president, prime time series, expects to leave his current post as president of 3 Arts Entertainment to serve as co-chief executive officer of Nibblebox.

Bartis has not only developed some of the most popular series on television (''Providence,'' ''Everybody Loves Raymond,'' ''Will and Grace,'' ''Martin,'' ''Ben Stiller Show,'' ''Spawn''), but has also been instrumental in successfully launching innovative media vehicles for such companies as HBO, Quincy Jones Entertainment and NBC. Prior to NBC, Bartis served as vice president of programming at HBO Independent Productions, vice president of original programming for HBO and director of creative affairs at Quincy Jones Entertainment.

Doug Liman, Nibblebox`s chairman, has established himself as an independent, innovative director with the success of films like ''Swingers'' and ''Go.'' In addition to his demonstrated skills as a director, Liman has a keen eye for up-and-coming young actors. He was among the first to work with talent including Matthew Perry (''Friends''), Calista Flockhart (''Ally McBeal''), Heather Graham
(''Austin Powers''), Vince Vaughn (''The Lost World''), Taye Diggs (''The Best Man'') and Katie Holmes (''Dawson`s Creek'').

Liman said: ''I`ve spoken at schools across the country. The talent, enthusiasm and energy is amazing. These are the people who are going to crack this new medium. But we can help by giving them tools and guidance. The mentors and I all wish that we had an opportunity like this when we were starting out. Our goal is for the mentors to learn as much from the students about this new medium as the students will learn from them.''

Elizabeth Hamburg, co-chief executive officer, has extensive experience launching innovative communications and new media companies. As president of Upstart Ventures LLC, an incubator and investment firm focusing on early-stage new media and technology companies, Hamburg has developed and invested in Internet companies in e-commerce, distance learning, entertainment, content and technology.

Hamburg was one of the founders and a director of the board of Vimpel Communications, the leading cellular company in Russia and first Russian company to IPO on the NYSE. She has also launched new products for Reuters and Fujisankei Communications, one of Japan`s largest media conglomerates, where she worked on the first international television home shopping show and played a leading role in the introduction of Nintendo game software into the United States.

Hamburg said: ''Doug, Dave and I have all been at the forefront of starting up new ideas and taking risks, and we know that this is the team to lead this challenge. Today, the word doesn`t even exist to describe `television on the Internet.` But, we`re confident that together, we can develop something really exciting.''

Together, the trio traces deep roots into the collaborative vision that has emerged as Nibblebox. As undergraduates at Brown, they founded the school`s first television station, BTV. Before they graduated, Liman and Bartis went on to form the National Association of College Broadcasters, which became the country`s largest association of college radio and television stations.

Nibblebox is a brand of Enigma Media LLC, with offices in New York and Los Angeles.