NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Vinton Studios Commercial Division Renamed LAIKA/house

Lourri Hammack Named President

Philip H. Knight, owner and Chairman of the Board of LAIKA, announced today that the commercial division of the company, formerly operating as Vinton Studios, will be known as LAIKA/house, effective immediately. LAIKA was formed in July of this year after absorbing Vinton Studios, a leading producer of character animation in all formats for over 30 years.

Mr. Knight also announced the appointment of Lourri Hammack as President of LAIKA/house, replacing Paul Golden, who left the studio recently to pursue other interests. Ms. Hammack, a veteran animation production executive and award-winning animation producer, had been Head of Production at Vinton Studios since 2002, supervising all artists and creative operations for the commercial division.

LAIKA/house is one of the top animation companies creating computer animation, cel animation, stop-motion animation, and mixed media for its advertising client roster, which includes M&Ms, Samsung Korea, Coca-Cola, Honda, Esure UK, Trident, Arby's, Starbucks, and Wrigleys, among many others.

"LAIKA/house has an unparalleled lineup of animated commercial production talent and a proven record of innovative, award-winning campaigns," says Mr. Knight. "Lourri Hammack is the kind of leader who, through her impeccable artistic instincts and taste, will inspire her colleagues to build upon that history of excellence to achieve even greater success."

Ms. Hammack joined Vinton Studios in 1999 working on their stop-motion television series "Gary & Mike" and soon thereafter moved into the Commercial Division in a senior producer capacity. Personally experienced with a broad range of animation techniques, Ms. Hammack spearheaded the creation of numerous national and international television commercials and under her supervision the Commercial division's campaigns drew worldwide praise and numerous awards. She also shepherded production of studio short films, most notably the acclaimed "Ananda," directed by Mike Smith, and "Joe Blow," directed by Mark Gustafson.

Ms. Hammack honed her production skills with Michael Curry Design Inc., creators of live-performance characters for Cirque du Soleil, Disney Theatrical Productions, the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway's "The Lion King." Born and raised in the South, Lourri entered the world of production after migrating to the Pacific Northwest. She earned her animation stripes as a producer for innovator Jim Blashfield, whose experimental music videos for Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon and Michael Jackson won international acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s.

"LAIKA/house is a creative village of dedicated filmmakers," says Ms. Hammack. "As we embark on our new journey, we're enriched by 30 years of unparalleled experience, excited by the heightened desire for animation in the marketplace, and proud of our roster of directors, producers, animators, and designers, who distinguish themselves with each project. With the support and guidance of Phil Knight, we feel our future is filled with boundless opportunities."

Formerly as Vinton Studios and now as LAIKA, the brand new, 30-year-old company has become synonymous with innovation, achieving many industry "firsts," from the groundbreaking and award-winning Claymation(TM) (a technique the Studio created) television specials starring the enormously popular California Raisins, to the multiple Emmy Award-winning series "The PJs," co-produced with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment and Eddie Murphy Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, the first ever stop-motion animation series on prime time television, to its current award-winning commercial campaigns. Throughout its history, the company has won 11 Clio Awards, three London International Advertising & Design Awards, five Mobius Advertising Awards, two Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival awards, two Academy Awards® out of five nominations, 11 Prime time Emmy Awards, and honors from the New York International Film & TV Festival, Annecy Awards, Annie Awards, and the World Animation Celebration Festival.

LAIKA/house joins LAIKA Entertainment, the recently announced entertainment division of the company, which has a full slate of animated feature films in various stages of development and production. "Coraline," based on the Hugo Award-winning, international bestselling children's book by Neil Gaiman, will star Dakota Fanning as the voice of the title character, a young girl who discovers an alternative version of her own life while investigating her new home. Henry Selick, the director of "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach," who joined the company as supervising director in 2004, is writing and directing "Coraline." LAIKA will produce the animated film in association with former Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman and CEO Bill Mechanic and his Pandemonium films.

"Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure" is an original idea from LAIKA Entertainment's Director of Story Jorgen Klubien, who lists "The Lion King," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc.," "A Bug's Life," and "Nightmare Before Christmas," among his credits.The CG family film, a tale of survival, brotherly love and grand adventure set in the animal kingdom, will be written and directed by Klubien. In addition, LAIKA Entertainment is a production entity on "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," and its initial CG animated project, director Henry Selick's short film "Moongirl," recently won the "Short Film Special Jury Prize" at the prestigious Ottawa International Animation Festival.

LAIKA is based in Portland, Oregon. For more information about the company or to view recent work, please visit www.laika.com.

Distributed by Market Wire