FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Judie Mulligan, mulligaj@fleishman.com
Fleishman-Hillard Public Relations, 415.356.1086
REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE WEBBY AWARDS® AT THE FIRST-EVER LIVE 3-D WEBCAST
Techie-Turned Comedian to Emcee the Webby Awards, March 6
San Francisco (February 11, 1998) – The 1998 Webby Awards® are coming at you.
Literally.
In a milestone for the Web, The 1998 Webby Awards® http://www.webbyawards.com
will host the first-ever live 3-D Webcast on March 6 when more than 2,000 movers
and shakers in cyberculture, media, and entertainment gather in San Francisco to
honor the best Web sites of the year.
According to Tiffany Shlain, Producer/Creative Director of The Webbys™, online
viewers around the globe will be able to watch the Webby Awards in
state-of-the-art 3-D with the aid of free, custom-made 3-D glasses. The landmark
3-D Webcast will air live at 8:00 p.m. PST on March 6, 1998, and the free
glasses can be ordered online at The Webby Awards® Web site
http://www.webbyawards.com/webcast.html
“3-D technology was cutting edge back in its day, so it’s a kick to be able to
share it with a wired audience in 1998,” Shlain said. “The Web is all about
community, and you can’t get any closer than 3-D.”
The 1998 Webby Awards® will be chosen by a distinguished judging panel of 95
celebrities, new media experts, and journalists, including Chicago Bulls
superstar Dennis Rodman, former California Governor Jerry Brown, Dilbert creator
Scott Adams, Jane magazine editor Jane Pratt, and film director Kevin Smith
(Chasing Amy, Clerks). A complete list of judges can be found at
http://www.webbyawards.com/judges.html
The specially designed 3-D glasses were created by Chromatek and sponsored by
Absolut. The live 3-D Webcast is produced by The Who and How Entertainment
Network.
100,000 Online Users Vote for Webbies’™ “People’s Voice Awards”
If the overwhelming response to The Webbies’™ 1998 “People’s Voice Awards” is any
indication, the limited amount of 3-D glasses should sell out quickly.
Shlain said that more than 100,000 individuals registered to vote for their own favorite
sites of the year at The Webby Awards® Web site, up from 40,000 voters in 1997.
Winners of the “People’s Voice Awards” will also be announced at The Webby
Awards® ceremony on March 6.
“We’re absolutely thrilled by the turnout,” said Shlain. “It confirms The Webby
Awards® as the preeminent Web awards show.”
“Do You Think a Hard Drive is the Stretch of Road Between LAX and Hollywood?”
In other news, Shlain announced that attendees and viewers of this year’s
Webbies™ should get ready to laugh at themselves.
Chris McGuire, a former manager at a large software company who has made a
career out of poking fun at the high-tech world, will be this year’s Webby
Awards® Master of Ceremonies.
Hailed by The Boston Globe as “offbeat and nouveau slapstick,” McGuire takes
center stage at The Webbies™ following a tour with Adam Sandler and a
side-splitting stint on Comedy Central.
About The Webby Awards®
The Webby Awards® honor the best creative and
innovative Web sites of the year-and the talented editorial, technical, and
design teams behind them.
The Webbies™ are the biggest night of the year for the online world. To date,
the sponsors of this year’s event include Absolut, Alice 97.3 FM, LinkExchange,
PC World, Rocket Lab LLC, San Francisco Chronicle, The Internet Industry
Standard, Princeton Graphic Systems, Odwalla, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Gateway
Limousine, and Hotel Triton. The Webcast, sponsored by Netopia, RealNetworks,
AboveNet, and Rent-A-Computer, will be produced by The Who and How Entertainment Network.