Their 1997 flagship project was an in-house series called Bozlo Beaver which Warner Bros. featured on its site and continues to distribute. The success of the popular, irreverent character won them their first toggled advertisers and soon other marketers and entertainment companies came to call. In just a few short years, togglethis has signed on some of the hottest clients in the business, creating toggled shows for Cartoon Network Online (Space Ghost), Disney (Mulan), Universal New Media (Xippy Malone, Cub Reporter) and New Line Cinema (Lost in Space). This summer the company worked again with New Line to create an animated series for Austin Powers, to coincide with the sequel's theatrical release (www.austinpowers.com/togglethis). The added spice in these episodes is the cross-promotion antics of an animated Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airlines. This series is also, Singer feels, "a good example of how we integrate traditional, serialized storytelling, however non-linear that may be."

The Interactive Austin Powers. Courtesy of togglethis.

toggled shows work like this: once a viewer signs up (and downloads the IC engine), they are emailed weekly episodes which they can screen on their desktops at any time. Having the key art and music already on their hard drives, viewers can almost instantaneously play each new episode's content. On or offline, viewers can push, pull and drag the comedic characters around, interacting with and affecting the outcome of the show. Singer says they concentrate on using animated programming because, "It's all about communication and building a relationship with the character -- and everyone loves animation." Although they occasionally scan in original artwork, the majority of their projects are complete digital productions. Their unique email-based distribution system means low bandwidth restrictions haven't been a real problem for them. They do, however, continue to improve on and release new versions of the software (the next coming in late September), and Singer points out that this on-going internal development will enable more dynamic sound and richer content as time goes by.

togglethis also licenses their patent-pending software to outside companies, providing them the choice of handling their own creative process with franchise characters and brands. Although they encourage this side of the business, Singer acknowledges that: "It's cool technology but then the question is really, in the software world, what's the application? What are you going to do with it?" He admits his company's strong creative track-record as a production studio is why the majority of clients still rely on them to develop the fun mix of entertainment and interactivity that will stand the test of time.

Audiences can get togglethis productions from a variety of sites including HotWired's Animation Express (www.hotwired.com/animation) and the group's own Web site (www.togglethis.com). Additionally, an exciting new deal with Lycos (www.lycos.com) not only covers the distribution of certain toggled shows, but will also launch the company's new series Superheroes and Sidekicks, an interactive, prize-giving game show featuring the portal's mascot, Lycos the Dog.

Electronic Hollywood
Electronic Hollywood is best described as "a full service production studio for the Internet." With over 10 years experience in new media creation, CEO and founder Jaime Levy runs a broad-based company with a wide array of clients including SonicNet, IBM, MSNBC and Samsung. The studio produces content and animated projects for interactive advertising, `net cartoons, on-line games and communities, as well as providing cutting-edge interface design. As Levy states with a laugh, "I'm not about one `opp.' It's about being prolific." Included among the studio's varied campaigns, they have produced two Shockwave action games running on World Opponent Network (Die Roach Die and Dog Run), conceptually designed and built the Silicon Alley Reporter Top 100 site, and created "MalicePalace," a graphical chat environment set in a virtual post-apocalyptic city.

An apartment broker shows the star of Cyberslacker one of his deluxe offerings. Courtesy of Electronic Hollywood.

A current priority for the company is Cyberslacker, an animated series that chronicles the life of a 22-year-old hacker chick who moves to New York's East Village with "not much money, a fat cat, and plenty of attitude." The 10-minute pilot is up at www.cyberslacker.com while Levy negotiates for a net distribution deal. Developed in Flash, the pilot broke ground as the first full-screen, long-format toon on the Web. Levy was determined to produce the project with a dense, high quality audio track (featuring music from Bad Religion), so the company pushed hard at the limits of RealPlayer technology to enable a smooth, synced streaming in both Flash (for the animation) and Real (for the audio file). "We have a total commitment to enhancing the viewer's online experience," she says, "whether doing paid work for clients or our own cool stuff."