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Telematics can Now Issue Crypto Token for Driver Engagement, Powered by Damoov

Damoov

We are fast advancing to an age where the lines separating our real life from our virtual life are blurring. From Virtual Concerts to sites that let you buy virtual property anywhere in the world - it's all there already, and there is more coming up. In the latest development, Telematics major Damoov has announced the integration of the popular crypto networks of today, Solana and NEAR, to its Telematics platform. The integration opens up two significant possibilities. Firstly, companies building telematics-based apps can provide drivers with new ways of engaging by accruing crypto tokens for safe driving, eco driving or driver performance. The crypto tokens that have all known benefits and may be transferred to wallets across the entire blockchain ecosystem. On the other hand, gaming companies can easily build Play to Earn games where gamers can be rewarded with crypto for their real-life driving skills. Telematics is the field that studies vehicle movement and position data to arrive at actionable insights about driving skills, safety, and vehicle longevity. Companies like Damoov use machine learning to analyze the data to derive such insights. Damoov's APIs have been used by Automakers, Fleet Management Companies, Driving Schools, and Insurance companies to build their smartphone app for telematics. As per Ivan Shornikov, the CEO of Damoov, the promise is immense. " All existing smartphone telematics products are struggling with low driver's engagement. That is a game-changing step for driver engagement and future telematics. The new service unlocks huge opportunities to use crypto to improve safe driving, eco-driving, and driver performance," says Shornikov. " Most Importantly, this engagement feature doesn't require months of development. In as little as 30 mins, you can add crypto earning capabilities to your existing telematics-based apps for safe driving. " So, how does it work? Damoov's proprietary machine learning-based algorithm measures smartphone sensors data and translates it into driving behaviors, vehicle position and other variables to calculate Safe Driving Score, Eco Driving Score, and other performance metrics. These metrics can then be used as input for rewarding drivers as well as vehicle utilization. While such rewarding capabilities were already present in Damoov's telematics suite, the rewards get more real with the new developments. When it comes to Crypto gaming, we are also looking at some exciting possibilities. " We are in talks with Crypto Game Developers as well. We will soon see games where your real-life driving skills are linked to your virtual car and can reward you in the virtual world via crypto tokens," adds Shornikov. Damoov supports any 3rd party tokens launched on Solana or NEAR protocols, so Developers can launch their own tokens and connect them to Damoov platform. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Washington, Damoov has so far raised funding from Alchemist Accelerator and StartaVC. Contact Details Ivan Shornikov PR Contact connect@damoov.com Company Website https://damoov.com

May 25, 2022 07:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Metaverse UGC platform BUD raises $36.8M Series B

BUD

BUD, a metaverse user-generated platform, announces its $36.8M Series B round led by Sequoia Capital India with participation from ClearVue Partners, NetEase and Northern Light Venture Capital. Existing investors GGV Capital, Qiming Venture Partners and Source Code Capital also participated in the round. Founded in 2019 by former Snap engineers, Risa Feng and Shawn Lin, Singapore-headquartered BUD is a leading global metaverse UGC platform encouraging users to create and share 3D interactive experiences with its easy-to-use creation tools. To date, over 15 million 3D experiences and assets have been created on the platform and user-generated 3D assets have been traded more than 150 million times. Since its global launch in November 2021, BUD skyrocketed to the list of top 10 social apps in more than 38 countries around the world including North America, Southeast Asia and South America. With the right mix of technology and art, BUD greatly fulfills Gen Z's desire for entertainment, creation and sharing. It is becoming a preferred platform for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha to socialize in 3D immersive worlds. In addition to customizing unique avatars, users can also create and explore millions of experiences ranging from hangout places to battle royale games. The mobile-native creation tools require no prior coding knowledge. Without providing any preset 3D templates, BUD allows creators to build 3D experiences from scratch by using geometric modules and interactive props. Apart from adding texts, pictures, music and videos to enrich experiences, lighting and sky-box can be adjusted as well to create an immersive environment. Many aesthetic scenes and interactive experiences in BUD can look like they are created using professional PC software by professionals but they are actually all created by users on their mobile devices.. BUD’s users are young and digital natives, most of whom are teenage girls who likely do not have any coding experience but are creative and love self-expression. BUD is a virtual platform for them to showcase this creativity and get to know others with similar interests. The company intends to use the fresh funding to further develop its creation tools, grow its global user base and roll out web3 products for its metaverse ecosystem. The company has revealed clear plans to launch its own NFT marketplace. "The media of the next era will not be limited to familiar forms like text, pictures or videos, but will turn to more immersive and interactive formats. BUD is such a user-generated platform for the 3D world where everyone, not just hard-core gamers or professionals, has the chance to create and share whatever they want," shared Risa, CEO and co-founder at BUD. Graduated from Cornell with a degree in Computer Science, Risa joined Snapchat’s AR Division in 2017 and worked on frontier Lens experiences prior to founding BUD. "While BUD makes 3D content creation possible for mainstream gen-z consumers, we will continue to bring blockchain to mainstream consumers and allow our creators to truly own and monetize their creations," said Shawn, co-founder at BUD. Prior to founding BUD, Shawn spent three years at Snap, working on its performance optimization, developer framework and user growth. “BUD is establishing itself as a social destination for GenZ while uniquely enabling ownership of content in the metaverse. Millions of users are creating content on BUD and sharing their creations on social media, aiding the inherent virality of the BUD platform. We are impressed by the passion with which the founders have built BUD, and are excited about their future plans for localisation and growth.” Aakash Kapoor, VP, Sequoia India. “The immersive and interactive experience created by BUD users brings happiness to GenZ around the world. We’re excited for the progress BUD has made and look forward to the launch of its new web3 products.” said Jenny Lee, managing partner at GGV Capital. “With the immersive 3D experience of the product and explosive growth among GenZ users around the world, BUD is rapidly growing as a leading UGC platform in the emerging metaverse,” said William Chen, Founding Managing Partner of ClearVue Partners. "We are excited to work with this innovative team and to bring together our resources and experience in the global consumer, media, and entertainment industries.” About BUD BUD is a leading global metaverse UGC platform encouraging users to create and share 3D interactive experiences with its easy-to-use creation tools. Former Snap engineers Risa Feng and Shawn Lin founded BUD in 2019, and have grown the firm into a team of more than 100 people strong. It is expected to reach 200 employees by the end of this year. Headquartered in Singapore, BUD will have localization teams across the world. To date, over 15 million 3D experiences and assets have been created on the platform and user-generated 3D assets have been traded more than 150 million times. Since its global launch in November 2021, BUD skyrocketed to the list of top 10 social apps in more than 38 countries around the world including North America, Southeast Asia and South America. BUD has become a digital social hub where millions of people come to create, play and hangout. Contact Details BUD Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmoood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.joinbudapp.com/

May 23, 2022 02:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time

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ZERO LATENCY PUSHES IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FORWARD WITH NEXT GENERATION PLATFORM RELEASE, AVAILABLE GLOBALLY NOW

Zero Latency

Zero Latency, the company that introduced the world to free-roam VR, has partnered with tech giant HTC to launch a first-of-its-kind multiplayer immersive entertainment platform. For the first time ever, groups as large as eight can discover Zero Latency’s award-winning experiences with nothing more than a headset – the game-changing HTC VIVE Focus 3. The new platform uses an exclusive remote rendering stack and the latest 6E wireless technology to seamlessly stream 5K VR to up to 8 players simultaneously, delivering up to 16x performance over traditional all-in-one headsets. With no backpack computers, sensors, or other distractions, Zero Latency’s world-first platform offers players the deepest, most effortless immersive experience available today. “With this new partnership, we’re taking a giant leap in the virtual entertainment space,” said Tim Ruse, chief executive officer at Zero Latency. “The evolution to remote rendering and 6E streaming not only improves performance, but removes the need for backpack PCs, cables, and other player distractions–it’s the most streamlined, natural experience yet for both our customers and our operators. Zero Latency has always invested heavily in innovation, and we’re excited to once again push the industry forward in partnership with HTC.” Zero Latency’s new platform is the best way yet to discover Zero Latency’s award-winning library of experiences, including Ubisoft’s AAA exclusive, Far Cry VR; cooperative zombie survival adventure, Undead Arena; mind-bending space mission, Singularity; and the all-action competitive world of Sol Raiders VR eSports. Players can take advantage of Zero Latency’s custom-designed VR gun controller to get in the thick of the action; the company is also investigating the use of hand-tracking in future titles. “Our customers often tell us Zero Latency is the best VR experience they’ve ever had,” said Scott Vandonkelaar, chief technology officer at Zero Latency. “Delivering experiences as deep and interactive as ours has never been possible with an all-in-one headset, so we built our own solution. Remote rendering and 6E wireless streaming means we can deliver our experiences at previously impossible performance levels, with less technology and fewer player distractions than ever. We’re blown away by the results and can’t wait for customers to experience it for themselves.” The new generation of Zero Latency is made possible in part through an exciting partnership with VR technology veterans HTC. “Partnering with Zero Latency to expand customer access to truly immersive virtual entertainment is a massive win for the industry,” said Thomas Dexmier, HTC Vive ANZ - Country Manager. “Bringing the VIVE Focus 3 headset to a company with the size and scale of Zero Latency reduces complicated hardware needs and ensures an interruption-free experience for players worldwide.” The VIVE Focus 3 headset brings a new set of unique capabilities to players, including: An innovative design: The VIVE Focus 3 is the most ergonomic and comfortable VR headset yet with an innovative counterweight design with equivalent front-back balance, perfect for intense, extended gameplay sessions. The new headset suits a wide range of both face shapes and vision types – including those with glasses High-resolution video: The headset features industry-leading 5K resolution (a combined resolution of 4896 x 2448 pixels), a wide 120-degree field of view, and a smooth 90-hertz refresh rate, delivering crisp and natural visuals Immersive sound: Featuring dual microphones with noise cancellation, the headset delivers 3D spatial sound and sound leakage reduction for unparalleled immersion Map sharing and LBE mode: Heavily customized for the location-based entertainment (LBE) industry, the VIVE Focus 3 headset allows users to create boundaries based on the available space and operate accurate co-location tracking to deliver a realistic, free-roaming experience Designed for high-traffic venues: Made with durable materials, the VIVE Focus 3 delivers long-lasting VR performance with its swappable battery, dramatically reducing the operational complexity in the venues. The headset is easy to clean with its magnetic cushions. And in an effort to optimize the customer turnaround, HTC’s patented quick-release button allows users to easily put on the headset to start playing without delays. For more information about Zero Latency, go to https://zerolatencyvr.com/. ### ABOUT ZERO LATENCY: Zero Latency is a global leader in immersive entertainment, working at the cutting edge of VR and location-based experiences. With 57 venues across 26 countries, Zero Latency is the largest free-roam VR network in the world. Since opening the world’s first free-roam VR venue in 2015, Zero Latency has thrilled more than 2 million players worldwide. Over the past year alone the company has seen a 124% jump in games played within the U.S. and 288% growth globally. Zero Latency is continuously innovating to raise the bar for customers, owners, and operators. Other first include: Partnering with Microsoft in 2019 to develop “inside out” tracking technology Launching Sol Raiders in 2019, the world’s first free-roam eSports game Releasing the AAA exclusive Far Cry VR experience alongside Ubisoft in 2021 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Instagram and TikTok: @zerolatencyvr LinkedIn: Zero Latency VR Contact Details Jive PR + Digital Ashley Areeda +1 734-891-4013 aareeda@jiveprdigital.com Company Website https://zerolatencyvr.com/

May 19, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Retention Cloud Leader CleverTap Acquires Leanplum

CleverTap

CleverTap, the world’s No.1 retention cloud, today announced it has signed definitive agreements to fully acquire San Francisco based Leanplum, a leading multi-channel customer engagement platform, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition will make CleverTap a truly global company with development centers and customer-facing and success teams across North America, Europe, Latin America, India, South East Asia and the Middle East. Combining the product stack of the two organizations, this acquisition will enhance CleverTap’s capabilities and take its total customer base to over 1200 customers in more than 100 countries around the world. The deal is expected to close in Q2 of 2022. Together CleverTap and Leanplum will work with digital brands to help increase their users’ engagement, retention and lifetime value by making every user experience hyper-personalized, relevant and contextual at scale in real time. As more businesses become digital-first, brands need to serve their users with delightful moments where they are, when they want and on their preferred channel. CleverTap and Leanplum will now bring real-time hyper-personalization, A/B testing and increased scalability to its omnichannel engagement, analytics and segmentation product lines. As a result, growth and marketing teams globally will now be able to utilize the only end-to-end user engagement and retention cloud platform, enabling them to break down user communication silos and increase the overall lifetime value of each user. “We are seeing a seismic shift in the marketing technology landscape,” says Sunil Thomas, CleverTap Co-founder and Executive Chairman. “Users today demand to be treated as individuals, and this has forced brands to change how they engage with them. CleverTap and Leanplum have both purposely built for a mobile-centric omnichannel world.” The acquisition, he says, combines platforms and teams to deliver the best behavior analytics, segmentation, and engagement tools that will enable digital brands to build valuable, long-term relationships with their users. “Our combined strength will be a game-changing force for user engagement, retention and monetization, creating tremendous value for our customers. I am very excited to welcome Leanplum to the CleverTap family.” “When we started Leanplum, our vision was to meet customers' real-time needs at the cutting edge of technology,” says Momchil Kyurkchiev, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Leanplum. “We have succeeded in that, but as the market has matured, to fully meet the increasing demands put on brands today, we needed to bring in the best analytics, segmentation, and engagement tools, to help our customers build valuable, long-term relationships with their customers. This is why joining forces with CleverTap makes the most sense, and I am excited about the combined capabilities we will now bring to Leanplum customers worldwide.” “I am looking forward to the journey with Leanplum. This coming together with Leanplum marks a monumental moment across the marketing technology landscape,” says Sidharth Malik, CleverTap Chief Executive Officer. “This bridges the gap created by multiple martech tools and customer data platforms and will meet the growing needs of user-obsessed digital brands in a much more efficient way. Our ‘better together’ vision is about integrating our cumulative strengths around people, process and technology to cement our position as the global leader in the user engagement and retention space. Joining forces allows us to bring advanced product and technology capabilities as brands strive to do live segmentation, anticipate user intentions and actions, automate and deploy real-time campaigns for the highest possible conversions, all from one single dashboard.” About CleverTap CleverTap is the modern, integrated retention cloud that empowers digital consumer brands to increase customer retention and lifetime value. For brands that understand and value user retention, CleverTap drives context and individualization with the help of a unified and deep data layer, AI/ML powered insights and automation. Customers around the world representing over 10,000 apps, including Vodafone Idea, SonyLIV, Daimler, Gojek, Carousell, and Premier League, trust CleverTap to achieve their retention and engagement goals, growing their long term revenue. Backed by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, and Accel, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Dubai. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap’s belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could amount in the actual result being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or any related damages. Contact Details Sony Shetty sony@clevertap.com Company Website https://clevertap.com/

May 19, 2022 08:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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viBe Theater Experience Walks the Talk and Promotes from Within

viBe Theater Experience

Contact Details Cheryl Overton +1 917-373-3514 cheryl@cheryloverton.com Company Website https://www.vibetheater.org

May 18, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Over 50,000 Meals Distributed to Homeless after Sir Paul McCartney Licenses Song to Homeless Charity, with support from Iconic Songwriter Mike Stoller

The Man/Kind Initiative Inc.

On any given night, over half a million homeless people in the United States go to bed hungry. Because of major support from Mike Stoller and wife Corky Hale, and the gift of music from Sir Paul McCartney, TheMan/Kind Initiative announced that they had distributed 50,000 meals to the homeless and needy in the Los Angeles area. When iconic songwriter Mike Stoller (Leiber and Stoller) along with his wife, activist and musician Corky Hale decided to support The Man/Kind Initiative’s #CovidKindness outreach to the homeless, they never expected that Sir Paul McCartney would be joining them in this mission. “ We reached out to Sir Paul’s office to ask permission to use his song ‘Junk’ from his first solo album”, explained Man/Kind Initiative’s founder and CEO Richard Stellar. “The song reminded me of a homeless guy who lived out of his car at the end of the street where I grew up, and it always played in my head when we were feeding the homeless. So, I wrote to Paul in care of his company, and he responded that he was ‘happy to give us the song’. I’m pretty sure that having Mike and Corky on board didn’t hurt.” Mike Stoller commented: “Richard Stellar of the Man/Kind Initiative is the kind of activist who collects and personally hands food to the homeless where they are—in the streets and under overpasses. Corky and I are in awe of his energy and his compassion, and we’re thrilled that Paul lent his support to the fantastic work of the organization Richard leads.” The video made from Sir Paul’s song and voiced by actor and activist Anne-Marie Johnson got this small non-profit on the radar of FoodCycle, LA. From this, The Man/Kind Initiative was able to affiliate with distribution partners like Bristol Farms, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. To learn more about The Man/Kind initiative and to support their work with the homeless, please visit mankindhomeless.com. See Paul McCartney / Man/Kind Initiative video at mankindhomeless.com Or on YouTube here. The Man/Kind Initiative is a California non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide food directly to the homeless where they live, in the streets. They also distribute EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof) mobile shelters. To learn more about The Man/Kind Initiative and to support their work with the homeless, please visit mankindhomeless.com About the principals (available for on air or phone-in/Zoom interviews - contact Richard Stellar - richard@mankindinitiative.org or 213-369-1097 to schedule) Richard Stellar, founder of The Man/Kind Initiative is known for his ‘vituperative blogs’ - Vanity Fair on social issues impacting the motion picture and television industry. Richard has won several first place Los Angeles Press Club National Journalism and Entertainment Journalism awards. He was instrumental in the successful fight for motion picture industry elderly and won Los Angeles Press Club’s Best Facebook Group for his online group AGE: Activists for Geriatric Equality. Richard has worked on campaigns that fight anti-Semitism, systemic racism and is the producer of TEARS: The Event Against Racism and Stereotyping. Anne-Marie Johnson, past Vice President of the Screen Actors Guild is a well-known actor and activist. Anne-Marie represented the Screen Actors Guild as a national board member and 4 term First Vice President from 1997 - 2013. She was the first African American to be elected to that position in the union’s history. Anne-Marie was honored to be presented the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Ralph Morgan Award, the highest honor an actor can receive for service to their union and the first African American to receive the honor. Contact Details The Man/Kind Initiative Richard Stellar +1 213-369-1097 richard@mankindinitiative.org Company Website https://mankindhomeless.com/

May 17, 2022 08:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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Telos Offers Fast-Tracked Grants To Support Terra Developers

Telos Foundation

The Telos community offers its sympathy and full support to Terra developers for the hardships endured during this tumultuous period. In light of this, Telos welcomes all Terra dApps to join the 12 million TLOS Ignite grant and ventures program. The team will fast-track applications from Terra dApps seeking refuge with investments, marketing support, and technical assistance. Terra developers are encouraged to communicate with Telos' team via Discord, Telegram, or apply for a grant directly through the following link: https://ignite.telos.net “We feel for the talented teams and projects that have fallen victim to the collapse of Terra. We know many of you are long-term builders of the Web 3 future, and for those that are looking for a blockchain that shares your long-term vision, you will find an amazing home at Telos.” AJ Dinger, Telos Head of Business Development If the abundance of congested, pausing, and, more recently, failing blockchain networks has taught us anything, it's that dApp developers must choose wisely when finding a home to deploy their dApps. The Telos Mainnet has been live with zero downtime since 2018, can finalize a billion transactions per day with zero carbon footprint, and is home to the world's most robust EVM. We look forward to working with LUNA developers to help foster uncharted growth with the support of our team and a purely grassroots community. About Telos Live since 2018, Telos Blockchain (ticker: TLOS) is a third-generation smart contract platform that offers compatibility with Solidity, Vyper, and Native C++ smart contracts. Telos provides full EVM/Solidity support with fixed low-cost gas fees and no front running and, more uniquely, offers a path to fee-less transactions via its robust native C++ smart contract support. Even while operating as a Net Zero Blockchain, Telos still sustainably supports hundreds of millions of transactions per day, produces blocks in 0.5 second intervals (on a first-in-first-out basis, eliminating front running on the network), and securely validates transactions via a credibly neutral and globally decentralized block producer network. As a result, the Telos blockchain has the throughput needed to facilitate and scale the thriving Metaverse / Web 3.0 landscape better than any other blockchain in existence. Its performance is unrivaled in the industry and was purpose-built to offer speed, scalability, cost-effectiveness, credible decentralization, and end-user fairness. Telos harnesses its power by utilizing tight C++ on the frontend and a custom WASM runtime environment on the backend. About The Foundation The Telos Foundation is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization established as a promotional and funding body to advance the Telos Blockchain Network and provide support to network applications. Contact Details The Team hello@telosfoundation.io Company Website https://www.telos.net/

May 17, 2022 10:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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viBe Theater Experience Names New Co-Executive Directors Beryl Briane Ford and Michelan Le’Monier

viBe Theater Experience

viBe Theater Experience’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Beryl Briane Ford and Michelan Le’Monier as the organization’s new Executive Co-Directors. The organization has been under their interim leadership in this capacity since November 2021, and viBe’s Board unanimously approved their permanent appointments in March 2022. Ford and Le’Monier are well suited to lead viBe in its next chapter, having lived, institutional experience and demonstrated success in growing the organization’s operations, budget and programming. They are poised to shape, manage and inspire viBe's advancement as collaborators and in partnership with its talented staff and deeply committed Board of Directors and Junior Board. “I’m very ecstatic to be co-leading this organization with Beryl Briane! Ever since my participation in the viBeApprentices program in 2017, I knew that I wanted to contribute something to this community of artists and being in this position really brings my experiences as a participant and as a staff member full circle. As Co-Executive Director, my vision is for abundance to be a lifestyle, not a privilege for Black girls, young women, and femmes through art and wellness. viBe has grown immensely over the past few years and it’s my goal to continue to guide that growth with the support of our Board and Staff."- Michelan Le’Monier “I firmly believe that investing in the leadership of Black girls, young women, and gender expansive youth is one of many critical pathways to liberation. I am eager to build and sustain these pathways in my new role as Co-Executive Director. I came to viBe in October 2020 from The Museum of Modern Art with a desire to support viBe’s larger mission of creating safer spaces for youth to make art that’s deeply rooted in their lived experiences. It’s an honor to be amplifying their work alongside Michelan, viBe’s Staff & Board. I am thrilled to be co-leading an organization that’s responsible for nurturing the artistic & professional praxis of emerging artists, administrators, and educators. I look forward to continuing this legacy.”- Beryl Briane This shared leadership model is a living manifestation of viBe’s ethos of investing in and activating leadership opportunities for young people. So much of viBe’s work uniquely positions the organization in the larger nonprofit sector, cultivating pathways for program participants to become arts practitioners in the field, and leaders in their own right. In fact, the co-executive leadership model is not new to viBe – the organization was co-founded and led by Dana Edell and Chandra Thomas when they were both under the age of 25. Ford and Le’Monier look forward to continuing the organization’s nearly 20 year commitment to centering the voices of young Black women. Both Ford and LeMonier have tenured histories as leaders within viBe Theater Experience, having been trained and mentored by former Executive Director, Toya Lillard, as Development Associate and Operations Director respectively. “As Board Chair, I couldn’t be more proud of viBe’s growth and impact — and our new co-leaders are proof positive that our way WORKS! Inclusive and dynamic programming, an unwavering purpose, implicit trust in Black women, centering lived experiences and cultivating leaders from within is what we practice and preach.” Cheryl Overton Ford and LeMonier are committed to continuing viBe’s impact within the theater community both locally in NYC and nationally, bringing greater visibility and supporting more young people who seek to share their artistic genius with the world around them. They’re committed to deepening the organization’s advocacy work in its core areas of focus: racial equity, gender & healing justice, youth and women’s empowerment, and financial equity. Together, they will strive to ensure that viBe’s at the forefront of these issues through key partnerships with individuals, community and impact-oriented organizations, and mission-aligned corporations. With a clear vision for the present and a larger vision for viBe’s future, their appointment will preserve viBe’s historical impact while also leading the organization into a new era of growth. Their appointment demonstrates a deep commitment to centering Black women’s leadership in the arts. As an organization, viBe is dedicated to building pathways for the professional and artistic advancement of Black women. This appointment not only exemplifies this investment, it‘s also a clarion call to the larger community to consider and build up the systems and structures that will ensure the success and advancement of Black women in the arts. viBe Theater Experience produces original theater, music and media written and performed by NYC teens, young women and nonbinary youth of color about their lived experiences. For more information, visit www.vibetheater.org For downloadable high-resolution images, visit vibetheater.org/press-room Contact Details viBe Theater Experience Cheryl Overton, Board Chair +1 917-373-3514 cheryl@cheryloverton.com viBe Theater Experience viBe Marketing & Communications Team us@vibetheater.org Company Website https://www.vibetheater.org

May 17, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

VFS Partners with Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games for $200,000 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games Fund

Vancouver Film School

Announcement Highlights: The fund features three full-tuition scholarships for VFS’s Game Design program and one full-tuition scholarship for VFS’s 3D Animation & Visual Effects program. The total fund is valued at over US$200,000. Scholarship winners will be selected by Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games. Winners will also receive monthly mentorship from VFS instructors and design professionals from either Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, or Timbre Games, as well as a four to six-month paid design contract at their respective game studio upon graduation. Submission process is currently open and closes on June 8, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. (Vancouver, BC) May 9, 2022 - Vancouver Film School (VFS), in partnership with Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games Studio is pleased to present the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games, including mentorship and a paid internship. The scholarship fund, valued at over US$200,000, is open to applicants 18 years of age and older who identify as First Nations (status or non-status), Inuit, or Métis, and who are looking to enter the game industry as developers. The deadline to apply is June 8, and winners will be announced on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21. The Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games is a collaborative initiative between VFS and Vancouver-based game studios Blackbird Interactive ( Homeworld 3, Hardspace: Shipbreaker ), East Side Games ( The Office: Somehow We Manage, RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar, Trailer Park Boys: Greasy Money ), and Timbre Games Studio (part of The Sumo Group). Three full-tuition scholarships for VFS’s Game Design program and one full-tuition scholarship for the 3D Animation & Visual Effects program will be awarded and may be applied to either the October 24, 2022, or January 3, 2023 intakes. Winners will be selected directly by top-tier AAA studios Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games, the latter of which will also select the winner who will enrol in the 3D Animation & Visual Effects program. Additionally, all winners will receive private mentorship by design professionals from Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games or Timbre Games, as well as by their instructors at VFS. Upon graduation, these winners will also receive a paid four to six-month work contract at their respective studio. Finally, each of the winners will be provided with a laptop for use during the program and to keep. The winner chosen by Blackbird Interactive will also receive a $5,000 housing stipend while studying at VFS. "Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is honoured to be collaborating with local gaming studios and VFS on the Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games. We are working to create impactful opportunities that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students can explore, fulfilling their creative technology aspirations in meaningful ways. An education from VFS helps open the door to careers in film, games, 3D animation, and VR/AR design, among other fields. We believe that actions speak louder than words and that young people are the future. There is a lot more that needs to be done, but this is a small and important step for just one of our many local industries.” -Rob Cunningham – CEO & Co-Founder, Blackbird Interactive "Communities thrive on diversity. Whether we’re talking about games, entertainment, or film, we need to ensure we’re including voices and perspectives representative of the community around us. The Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games through Vancouver Film School can do just that. As a member of the Métis community, it is an honour to be able to support a program taking a step in the right direction towards a more inclusive creative landscape. While there's much work to be done, this is a good start." -Josh Nilson – Co-Founder, Studio Head and General Manager, East Side Games “At Timbre Games, our mission is driven by the idea that ‘culture drives creative’. The opportunity to support and collaborate with VFS, Blackbird Interactive and East Side Games on the Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games is a small first step to removing systemic barriers in entering the game industry for the Métis, Inuit, and First Nations people. All of us at Timbre are thrilled to be a small part of creating space in the games industry for these communities. I believe these students will play a significant role in the world of interactive entertainment in the years to come and we are grateful to have the opportunity to support their careers along the way. There is more hard work to be done in this space and Timbre is committed to listening and learning as we embark on our own journey.” -Joe Nickolls – President and Co-Founder, Timbre Games “It is a pleasure for VFS to be joining forces with three outstanding Vancouver studios to offer the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games. This scholarship aims to foster more diversity and more inclusion in the game industry with the aim to have more Indigenous developers actively designing the next generation of games. At VFS, we are proud of the many Indigenous graduates from our programs who now have successful careers both in Vancouver and globally, and this scholarship is Vancouver Film School’s privilege and opportunity to play a role in emerging Indigenous developers building their creative careers.” -Christopher Mitchell – Head of Game Design and Programming for Games, Web & Mobile, VFS Vancouver Film School is committed to fostering and growing Indigenous representation in the video game industry. Indigenous artists, performers, and storytellers are a foundational thread in the fabric of the Canadian narrative, continuing to grow stronger as key voices within our country’s multidimensional creative landscape. For more information about the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games, or to apply, visit https://vfs.edu/scholarships/indigenous-scholarship-2022. About Vancouver Film School In 1987, Vancouver Film School introduced the world’s first true immersion film program. Today, VFS is Canada’s premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution, offering an immersive curriculum in film, animation, design, and beyond. VFS is known for providing high-quality education in accelerated time frames and offers 15 industry-integrated programs in which students graduate in 12 months as an in-demand, industry-ready creative professional. VFS alumni are consistently credited on the highest grossing films, television shows, and games worldwide, in a global industry set to generate US$2.1 trillion in revenue in 2022. VFS Media Contact: Evan Biswanger Creative Director & Head of Marketing Vancouver Film School Follow VFS on Social Media: www.VFS.edu YouTube: www.youtube.com/VancouverFilmSchool Facebook: www.facebook.com/vancouverfilmschool Twitter: www.twitter.com/VFS Instagram: www.instagram.com/vancouverfilmschool Contact Details ebiswanger@vfs.com ebiswanger@vfs.com Company Website https://vfs.edu/

May 10, 2022 03:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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