LOCAL DIGITAL MEDIA ENTREPRENEURS WIN BIG
Hotrocket leads the pack at Fusion Digital Media Venture Forum and Alberta Business Awards
Edmonton - March 18, 2008 - FOG Studios' exclusive client Hotrocket, the international award-winning Alberta interactive production company, has made its mark at two high profile events in Western Canada. In February, the company was named "Best of Show" at the 2008 Fusion Digital Media Venture Forum in Vancouver, beating out 20 of Canada's hottest digital media companies. Later that month, the company picked up another win, recognized with the Marketing Award of Distinction at the 2008 Alberta Business Awards in Calgary.
"It's been an amazing month," said Ken Bautista, 30, CEO of Hotrocket, who started his most recent road trip in New York at the 2008 KidScreen Summit, where they won the international pitch competition the previous year. "We got great exposure after last year's win for our cross-platform kids game CIE, so we had a busy week of meetings in the Big Apple with new projects, clients and production partners."
After KidScreen, Bautista flew to San Francisco for meetings at the Game Developers Conference with business partner Jason Suriano, and then headed to Vancouver to pitch at the Fusion Forum. Explains Bautista, "Fusion is the only financing event in the west dedicated to digital media, so we were excited to have the opportunity to pitch to investors from Vancouver, Seattle and Silicon Valley very familiar with the digital entertainment space." After an 8-minute pitch, and a barrage of questions, the judging investors awarded Hotrocket with first prize. As a result of this recognition, Hotrocket will have the opportunity to travel to Seattle and Silicon Valley for follow up meetings with groups of top-tier venture capital firms over the next month.
Shortly after, Bautista headed to Calgary as a finalist for the Marketing Award of Distinction at the Alberta Business Awards gala event (hosted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce). Up against stiff competition from Micralyne (Edmonton), Calgary Public Library, and Community Savings (Red Deer), Hotrocket won the award, which was presented by Ruth Kelly from Alberta Venture. Asked about the highlight of the night, Bautista replied, "Being personally congratulated for our achievements by Premier Ed Stelmach was a pretty sweet highlight and a great honor."
For more information on Hotrocket, please visit www.hotrocket.ca
Or Contact Ken Bautista, CEO and Executive Producer at 780-993-8794, or ken@hotrocket.ca
About FOG Studios
FOG Studios has been responsible for the creation of over $3 Billion dollars of revenue for its clients and customers via the placement of over 5,600 interactive titles into the international marketplace since 1979. The world's first and most successful interactive representation agency, FOG exclusively represents independent videogame development studios, brand and intellectual property owners, and service providers to the interactive entertainment industry from around the world. FOG creates opportunity for its exclusive list of clients on all platforms from cellular phones to next generation console games by packaging intellectual property rights with the developers and resources necessary to bring them to market. FOG helps publishers and other potential distributors of the products to make fully-informed decisions expeditiously and with confidence based on the longstanding proven track record of success we have uniquely achieved. Noteworthy gaming franchises created in FOG's history include, but are not limited to: ESPN, Command & Conquer, Test Drive, Kings Quest, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania and Warlords. FOG has placed titles with all of the top 10 publishers as well as countless other smaller publishers. FOG's roster of over 550 clients have included, among others: United Media, BMI, Ubisoft, Atari, Sierra, Westwood Studios, Sega, Paramount, Viacom, Robert Maxwell, Koei, FROM Software, Platinum Studios, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, the US Army Rangers, the Foreign Legion, Jenga, Arthur C. Clark, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, The Three Stooges (Estate), Paramount, Warner Brothers, Marvel, America On-Line, Yahoo, Ebay, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For more information please visit www.fogstudios.com or call 506-459-5604.
Contact: Adam Spencer
adamspencer@fogstudios.com
506-459-5604
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