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August Media & Classic Media Sign Ten Series Production Deal

Singapore based August Media Holdings and Classic Media, a global media company with a portfolio of some of the world’s leading family entertainment brands, have entered into an agreement to develop and produce up to ten television series, based on classic American properties, for the international market.

Press Release from Classic Media

Cannes, October 4, 2010 – Singapore based August Media Holdings and Classic Media, a global media company with a portfolio of some of the world’s leading family entertainment brands, have entered into an agreement to develop and produce up to ten television series, based on classic American properties, for the international market. The announcement was made today by Jyotirmoy Saha (Moy), CEO of August Media, and Eric Ellenbogen, co-CEO of Classic Media.

The agreement will see an initial production of five new television series based on properties from the Classic Media catalogue. [Classic’s extensive library includes such enduring film and TV titles as George of the Jungle, Underdog, Mr. Magoo, The Lone Ranger, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Richie Rich and Little Lulu.]. Selected properties will be reinvented, ranging from live-action to animation, led by Ken Anderson’s teams at Red Kite in Edinburgh and Singapore, and Classic Media's creative teams in New York and London.

Commenting on the partnership, Eric Ellenbogen, co-CEO of Classic Media said, “Classic Media has had a long-standing relationship with the founder of August Media and we are delighted to announce this new partnership, which will bring new productions based on some of our most famous characters to audiences worldwide.”

Jyotirmoy Saha, CEO of August Media added, “Classic properties are one of the major revenue drivers of the global TV business. This collaboration is an exciting step for August Media and we really look forward to working with Classic Media and its fantastic portfolio of renowned properties. It is important for us to develop indigenous talent and studios and we aim to position ourselves as the main point of entry for Singaporean companies looking to break into international territories.”

August Media and Classic Media are already in discussion with Co-production partners, studios and broadcasters for the development of the first five series.

For August Media, the production agreement with Classic Media represents an important strategic step towards establishing itself within the global market and also comes at an early stage in the Company’s development. In addition, many local kids’ companies based in Singapore are expected to benefit from this deal, as August Media will be signing on local partners to play various roles in the production process.

Leading the delegation of Singaporean companies to MIPCOM 2010, Dr. Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore's Media Development Authority said, "The deal, which is one of the largest co-productions for a Singapore animation company, dovetails with Singapore's longstanding co-production strategy of partnering with the international media production community. It is a positive development for the country's animation industry, allowing Singapore companies working on these projects with August Media to deepen their capability to produce quality animation content for global audiences."

About Classic Media Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. More than 3,600 hours of Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music. Visit us at http://www.classicmedia.tv.

About August Media HoldingsFounded by industry veteran Jyotirmoy Saha (Moy), August Media is a Singapore based media company. August Media’s mandate is to create an integrated media company producing, financing and distributing live action, animated and online content. The company’s business strategy is to actively seek inorganic growth opportunities through acquisition of existing successful businesses that give it access to different markets and territories. The first major step towards this goal has been the recent acquisition of Scottish children’s content producer Red Kite Animations.

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