FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
ABCNEWS.com, Lauren Kapp, <a
href=”mailto:lauren.kapp@abc.com”>lauren.kapp@abc.com, 212.456.2478
Michael Kaminer Public Relations
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com, 212.627.8098
Maria Landin-Charley, maria@mkpr.com
San Francisco (May 29, 2001) – Giving fans around the globe a front row seat to the
Internet?s biggest night of the year, ABCNEWS.com will host the live Webcast of
The 5th Annual Webby Awards to be held on Wednesday, July 18th,
at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.
The Webcast will kick-off with the Webby pre-show, which will
be hosted by Sam Donaldson, the host of <a
href=”mailto:SamDonaldson@ABCNEWS.com”>SamDonaldson@ABCNEWS.com and ABC
News? This Week with Sam Donaldson and
Cokie Roberts. Donaldson will also
present an award at this year?s event. The live Webcast will begin at 7:00 PM
PT at http://www.abcnews.com.
?The Webby Awards have become <i
style=’mso-bidi-font-style:normal’>the event for the who?s who of the
Internet community,? said Donaldson. ?I
am pleased to be with the people who have successfully taken advantage of all
that the World Wide Web and new technologies offer us.<span
style=”mso-spacerun: yes”> I wouldn?t be here if I didn?t feel so
strongly that the Webbys represent the future.?
Hailed as ?The ?It? Award? by Vanity Fair and ?The Hot Ticket? by Entertainment Weekly, The Webby Awards are the leading
international honors for Web sites and individual achievement in creativity and
technology. More than 3,000 technology luminaries and leaders in an array of
traditional fields will attend the Webbys, which has become a major
international event thanks to its critically acclaimed production, outrageous
fashions, five-words-or-less speech limit, and celebrity judges. Past judges
have included David Bowie, Tina Brown, Matt Groening, and Larry
Ellison. The awards are presented by the Academy, a 350-member
organization dedicated to the creative, professional, and technical advancement
of new media.
The ABCNEWS.com real-time Webcast will provide complete
coverage of Webby?s night, including Donaldson?s VIP pre-show showcasing interviews
with this year?s Internet newsmakers, the ceremony and the post-event
celebration. All footage will be
archived for viewing on demand.
For the first time, the Academy will also present a new award that will recognize a single Web site that serves as a model of excellence in each of the judging criteria: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience. This year the Academy will also institute a series of awards recognizing individual achievement in several categories.
The Webby Awards voting process is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Winners will be announced at The 2001 Webby Awards 2000 on July 18, 2001 at at San Francisco’s elegant War Memorial Opera House. The entire event will be Webcast at http://www.webbyawards.com beginning at 8:00 PM PST.
About ABCNEWS.com
ABCNEWS.com, the 24-hour news service of ABC News and part
of the Walt Disney Internet Group, was the winner of the 4th Annual
People?s Voice Webby in the news category.
The Walt Disney Internet Group is one of five business units of The Walt
Disney Company and manages many of the most popular Web sites and services,
including Disney.com, the number one Web site for kids and families; ESPN.com,
the leading sports site; ABC.com, the leading broadcast network site; and
ABCNEWS.com, one of the leading news sites. Additional properties include
Family.com, Mr.Showbiz, Movies.com, Wall of Sound, DisneyAuctions.com,
DisneyStore.com, DisneyVacations.com, Soccernet.com and NFL.com. Walt Disney
Internet Group also produces Enhanced TV telecasts in conjunction with select
ABC Television and ESPN programming and includes the catalog operations of The
Walt Disney Company and 19 Disney-branded international properties. Steve
Wadsworth is the president of Walt Disney Internet Group, which is
headquartered in North Hollywood, CA, and has operations in Bristol, CT;
Seattle; New York; Tokyo; and London.
About the Webby Awards
The Webby Awards is the leading international
honor for Web sites and individual achievement in technology and
creativity. The critically acclaimed theatre production attended by 3000
people, includes films, animations, installation art and performances. The
International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences selects the nominees,
winners, and presents the awards event. Sponsors for The Fifth Annual Webby
Awards include Intel, Adobe, IDG, Metropolis Editorial, The Creative Group,
Commission Junction, Earthlink, Diesel Design, Getty Images, Rare Medium, Variety,
Access Magazine, Wired, Entertainment Weekly and Artbyte. Balloting is audited
by PricewaterhouseCoopers. For more information visit <a
href=”http://www.webbyawards.com/”>http://www.webbyawards.com.
About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is
dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet
and evolving forms of interactive media. The Academy?s goal is to assemble a
brilliant panel of leading new media experts, visionaries, journalists, and
luminaries to propel the Internet and Interactive Technology into the future.
The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 350
members such as film director Francis Ford Coppola, musician Bjork, Chairman of
Miramax Talk Media Tina Brown, cyberguru Esther Dyson, creator of “The
Simpsons” Matt Groening, Public Radio International Personality Ira Glass,
and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. Members also include writers and editors
from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, Details, Fast
Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper. For more
information, visit http://www.iadas.net/