FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Tony Panaccio or Joy Capps
Representing Stan Lee Media
Hill and Knowlton
813-221-0030
Marcee Rondan/
Mitch Schneider/
Todd Brodginski
Representing The Backstreet Boys
MSO
818-380-0400
BACKSTREET BOYS PARTNER WITH STAN LEE MEDIA TO CREATE INTERNET-BASED SERIES
"The Backstreet Project" To Turn Pop Group Into Super Heroes
Los Angeles, February 8, 2000 – The Backstreet Boys – presently recognized as the biggest pop group in the world – and Stan Lee Media (OTC BB: SLEE), comicbook icon Stan Lee's globally branded Internet animation production and marketing company, have entered into a partnership to produce a Web-based franchise chronicling the adventures of the platinum-selling singers as super heroes.
The Backstreet Project, www.BackstreetProject.com, will debut as a special edition collector's comicbook to be sold exclusively at Backstreet Boys concerts starting Feb. 19, 2000 and on the Internet. The animated series will be launched on the Web in the summer of 2000 using Macromedia Flash animation.
"The Web-isode series will be derived from The Backstreet Project comicbook," said Stan, Chairman and Chief Creative officer of Stan Lee Media. Stan is co-creating the series with Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. "We will use the comicbook to introduce the super-hero story to fans, so those fans not yet connected to the internet can share in the excitement that is created by the animated Web-isodes."
"I'm ecstatic to be involved with Stan Lee," says the BACKSTREET BOYS' Nick Carter. "A comic book is something I've always wanted to do and we've finally made it happen."
The partnership between The BACKSTREET BOYS – Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson – and Stan Lee Media in co-creating a musically-themed internet animation series is unprecedented. The jointly owned creative property will later be developed for all other media and merchandising opportunities.
"The internet based collaboration between the most popular musical performing group in the world with the most successful Super Hero creator in history is bound to produce the most exciting character franchise of the new millenium," said Peter Paul, co-founder of Stan Lee Media. "This Internet initiative by Stan demonstrates his commitment to build a new global youth audience for the Super Hero genre that has missed out on comics."
About The Backstreet Boys
The BACKSTREET BOYS' latest release MILLENNIUM has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has already spent over 36 weeks on Billboard's "Top 200 albums" chart (the majority of it in the Top Ten). In addition to receiving gold and platinum awards in 45 countries, MILLENNIUM was recently honored with five Grammy nominations: "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Album" for the ten-times platinum MILLENNIUM album; as well as "Record of the Year," "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal" and "Song of the Year" (a songwriter's award) for "I Want It That Way," the LP's first single.
About Stan Lee Media, Inc.
Stan Lee Media, Inc. (www.stanleemedia.com) is an Internet-based, multimedia content production, marketing and licensing company founded by pop/pop culture icon Stan Lee to extend his globally recognized brand name, signature style of content and character creation to all niche markets of the global popular culture. Using the Internet to launch new branded Super Hero, science fiction and fantasy related content while building the largest global online youth community, the company will pioneer the full integration of all ancillary entertainment and marketing media with the World Wide Web.
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This release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Exchange Act and Section 27A of the Securities Act. The stockholders of Stan Lee Media are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in this release resulting from the following reasons (among others): the impact of the ongoing economic conditions and situation in the Asia Pacific region and South America, the level of available sales in the rest of the world, the timing of sales and deliveries under existing contracts, costs of sales and the ability of the company to maintain pricing levels necessary to maintain gross profit margins, the level of selling, general and administrative costs, the performance by the company under existing purchase contracts and the ability to obtain new contracts, the success of the company's owned and operating strategy, the success of the company's film software and the effects of competition. In addition, the company's shareholders are urged to carefully review the risk factors discussed in the documents the company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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BACKSTREET BOYS PARTNER WITH STAN LEE MEDIA TO CREATE INTERNET-BASED SERIES