Former Mandalan Media and USWeb/CKS Executive Hired as VP, Online
Former Development Executive of Lotus Notes Hired as VP, Engineering
PASADENA, Calif. (August 6, 2008) — Big Stage Entertainment, the leader in vivid personal projection into online media, today announced the appointment of two key executives to expand the management team and help grow the company. Both will report to Big Stage President and CEO, Phil Ressler.
James Brennan joins Big Stage as Vice President, Online. He will be responsible for developing the company’s online presence and executing key business objectives including user experience, community, monetization, and developing private-label solutions for media and brand partners.
Richard Diephuis joins Big Stage as Vice President, Engineering. He will lead product development initiatives across the company, from core technology to future innovations in response to consumer needs. This includes leading all engineering, technical operations, and quality assurance functions.
Big Stage’s breakthrough technology allows web users to easily create a life-like 3-D avatar of themselves, called an @ctorTM, and integrate it into content, networks and communities in the digital realm, from famous movie scenes, TV shows and video games, to music videos, short video clips, virtual worlds, still images, user-generated content, instant messages, e-mails, social networks and more – instantly. The company’s avatar creation system stems from advanced stereo reconstruction technology funded by multiple government grants, including the CIA, as part of a nine-year cumulative research project at the University of Southern California.
“We are delighted to have these two capable, experienced professionals join us at Big Stage,” said Phil Ressler, President & CEO. “Rich has a long history of building pioneering functionality into ambitious software for visionary companies, and James was building new media techniques into user-centric reference applications before the Web hit, mastering evolving online media mechanics continuously since then.”
Mr. Brennan joins Big Stage from LA-based digital consultancy, Mandalan Media. He brings fifteen years of experience in entertainment and interactive media, with a diverse expertise spanning content, community, and Web 2.0 strategies to support digital publishing, online gaming, PPV/VOD distribution, and interactive television programming. Past experience includes serving as president and CEO of content management services company Experiant, director of strategy for the New Ventures division of Internet consulting firm USWeb/CKS, and engagement manager for Accenture’s Media & Entertainment practice. Consulting clients have included Electronic Arts, Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBC Universal and Sí TV. In his spare time, Mr. Brennan serves as an active member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has served as an advisor to the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab program.
“I’m thrilled to join such an innovative company with a true chance to transform the Web,” said Mr. Brennan. “In a very real way, we’re going to make it easy for you to project a digital version of yourself across the connected landscape, from social networks to virtual worlds and video games. That’s going to be an incredible experience, and mark an amazing shift in the way we all have fun and communicate online.”
Mr. Diephuis has had a distinguished 30-year career in software and product development. Past experience includes executive roles with Lotus Development, Applicon, Polygen, Paracel (purchased by Celera Genomics) as well as Evolution Robotics and Desktop Factory (Idealab companies). Key accomplishments include leading the development and release of the first three versions of Lotus Notes, the award-winning software suite that defined the “groupware” category and has now surpassed 135 million total users. While at Paracel, Rich was responsible for developing leading edge parallel computers, text filtering software, and bioinformatics analysis software used globally by the intelligence and pharmaceutical communities. Other accomplishments include leading the development of ESRP (Evolution Robotics’ Behavior-Based Software Platform), the ER1 hobbyist robot kit, the ER2 home robot prototype, and the Desktop Factory 3D printer while at Idealab.
“The technical challenge this company has undertaken is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest,” said Mr. Diephuis. “Core technology alone [to create your BigStage.com 3-D avatar] benefits from over 10 years of development to-date, and we’re not stopping. I feel privileged to be working with such unique and exciting technology, as well as the brilliant team of developers who will bring it all to life.”
Big Stage’s proprietary 3-D capture technology will automatically map the contours of a user’s face for free, using advanced stereo reconstruction technology. Anyone can do it using a standard, handheld digital camera, without the need for complex multi-camera or laser scanner arrays. With just three easy photos, Bigstage.com generates an incredibly accurate personal digital replica that is fully-equipped for animation. In less than a minute, an @ctor is born, alive with realistic movements and gestures. Users can then style their @ctor with a host of accessories, from hair to eyeglasses, hats and more. After users create and style their @ctors, they can drop them into the library of Big Stage-enabled user- and professionally-created content or scenes. Big Stage will launch a consumer test this summer, with general availability planned for the fourth quarter of 2008.
About Big Stage Entertainment
Big Stage Entertainment is a new generation digital media company enabling vivid personal projection in online activities. BigStage.com, currently in restricted beta, offers breakthrough technology allowing users to easily create and integrate a life-like 3-D avatar of themselves, called an @ctor, into everything from famous movie scenes, TV shows and video games, to music videos, short video clips, virtual worlds, still images, user-generated content, instant messages, e-mails, social networks and more – instantly. Big Stage will launch a consumers test this summer, with general availability planned for the fourth quarter of 2008. For more information and to sign up for the Big Stage beta program, please visit www.BigStage.com.
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