FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MAYOR RIORDAN DECLARES LOS ANGELES
NEW MEDIA REGION "DIGITAL COAST."

LOS ANGELES, February 18, 1998 - Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles New Media Roundtable today revealed 'Digital Coast' as the name the industry will use to promote and support the area's burgeoning new media community. The announcement was made at the Los Angeles Public Library.
Digital Coast will be used to help promote the Los Angeles region as the new media capitol of the world, bringing together the diverse blend of technology, content and distribution companies that together employ 133,000 people, more than New York and the San Francisco bay area combined.

"Digital Coast companies exemplify the region's creative and entrepreneurial strengths," stated Riordan. "Together we can create an optimum business environment to build out the world-class technology infrastructure needed to grow this vital industry in the new millenium. The Roundtable should be given tremendous credit for their hard work."

The naming process was a community-wide effort that encompassed numerous grass-roots organizations, companies who volunteered their time as well as members of the Los Angeles New Media Roundtable.

"We wanted a name that would reflect companies serving constituencies as diverse as entertainment, eCommerce, education and core technology as well as represent us geographically," said Kevin Wall, president and CEO, BoxTop-IXL and head of the Marketing Committee. "We wanted a name that would be timely yet timeless."

Digital Coast will be used for a web site, www.digitalcoast.org, intended to become a resource for the new media community, signage and banners that will appear at local new media events and in common written or verbal use by companies in the region as they refer to themselves.

"'Digital' was a key word for the organization because it covers both a broad spectrum of companies and incorporates the medium we all work in regardless of whether we're in the entertainment, multimedia or pure technology sectors of our business," said Bob Davis, vice-president marketing, CyberMedia. "The term 'coast' has always been most closely associated with Los Angeles and most of our companies are, in fact, located near the coast."

"Digital Coast covers companies who are part of the entertainment industry, like those who do special effects for films and 2D and 3D animation companies, and those who are responsible for connectivity and underlying core technology, ranging from ISPs, eCommerce, telecommunications to multimedia education and training companies and distance learning," said Scott Tolleson of MediaOne.

"Finding a name we could all support was important to us because of what we hope to accomplish for our region and our industry," explained Jon Goodman, executive director EC2 at USC, The Annenberg Incubator Project. "In order to continue our growth, we need to increase the availability of capital and financial resources and attract and educate a high caliber talent pool."

"By coming together we can also address issues like tax and zoning legislation affecting us as well," stated Suzanne Biegel, president Internal and External Communication Inc. "The commitment of our industry's leaders, coupled with the enthusiasm of companies and individuals who have volunteered both time and creativity, are the force behind LA's leadership position in the new media industry," said Jonassen, founder, Los Angeles New Media Roundtable, LAwN MoweR and the LarkinGroup. "The community exists, declaring it Digital Coast simply recognizes and brands it."

The Los Angeles New Media Roundtable represents members from the infrastructure, content, technology and information segments of the new media industry and also includes other public sector leaders from the educational organizations, governmental bodies and cities critical to the growth of the new media industry.

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