Daniel Myrick, Co-Creator of The Blair Witch Project, Debuts The Strand in Park City, Utah

Daniel Myrick, Co-Creator of The Blair Witch Project, Debuts The Strand in Park City, Utah

Cutting-Edge Series Adopts BitPass to Power Distribution and $0.99 Downloads

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Strand is the first live-action, independently produced, narrative episodic intended specifically for the web, hence the term "webisodic." This landmark production by Gearhead Pictures (Dan Myrick's production company) marks a series of firsts for filmmaking, digital content, and e-commerce. The first webisode will premiere at http://www.strandvenice.com/ and be FREE of CHARGE. Audiences will be asked to pay $0.99 for each of the subsequent webisodes.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050128/LAFRU9 )

The Strand is an uncensored look at the lives of several off-beat characters that inhabit the unique world of Venice Beach, California, and how they are all connected. Utilizing many of the method-film techniques that were incorporated into Blair Witch, The Strand maintains a sense of authenticity that cannot be found in large-scale productions. Real people and actors populate a fictional world in which spontaneous as well as scripted dialogue bring a sense of unpredictability and realism to the characters and situations. The Strand incorporates BitPass digital payments technology, which will enable VIPs, critics, reviewers and early website visitors to view the first episode using free passes from the BitPass platform for digital content commerce. The Strand and BitPass demonstrate the future of filmmaking, in which filmmakers can utilize the Internet for distribution while protecting their content with technology that manages licenses, payments and promotions of digital content.

"While the entertainment industry continually grows more risk-averse, the Internet still beckons with its promise of becoming the great equalizer," said Dan Myrick, director of The Strand and president of Gearhead Pictures. "BitPass enables independent production companies like us to make a show 'for the people, by the people,' where production is sponsored by people who watch it, leaving its destiny in the hands of those who care most about its future."

"BitPass is excited to be working with Dan Myrick, one of the most respected and creative film mavericks, to launch The Strand on the Internet with an appealing $0.99 pricing model for consumers," said Michael O'Donnell, CEO of BitPass. "BitPass' system for paid digital content makes it easy and economical for filmmakers and other digital content providers to sell their products to the mass market over the Internet, at any price point."

The Strand website will also serve as an interactive centerpiece that will document the entire production process. Much as with Blair, The Strand will encourage audience interaction and feedback to help guide and shape future episodes, as well as interaction with characters, filmmakers and each other. Audition videos, chat rooms and even point-of-view cameras that virtually put the audience in the actors' heads as they work through scenes will all be part of the online experience as the show progresses.

Availability and Pricing

The show debuts today (January 25, 2005) to critics, reviewers and the press, and will be available to the public in early February at http://www.strandvenice.com/ . The first webisode will be available without charge to website visitors with a free BitPass account.

About Gearhead Pictures

Established in 2001, Gearhead Pictures was formed by Daniel Myrick to help facilitate various solo projects, ranging from feature films to Internet content. For more information and press inquiries, email info@gearheadpictures.com or phone Julia Fair at Gearhead Pictures' main line, 626-395-7674.

About BitPass

BitPass was founded in December 2002 to address the growing demand for paid digital content (music, video, photos, news, patents, etc.) and the need for publishers to efficiently monetize their online offerings through a-la-carte and subscription-based payment models. Since the company's production release of its service in December 2003, BitPass has signed over 1,900 digital content merchants. The company has received venture funding from Worldview Technology Partners, Steamboat Ventures (the venture capital arm of The Walt Disney Company), RRE Ventures, First Data Corp., Garage Technology Ventures, Cardinal Venture Capital, Amicus Capital and others. For more information, visit http://www.bitpass.com/ .

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050128/LAFRU9
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BitPass, Inc.

CONTACT: Duane Kuroda of BitPass, Inc., +1-650-387-0027, or
pr@bitpass.com

Web site: http://www.strandvenice.com/

Web site: http://www.bitpass.com/


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