Westminster Teams With DreamWorks Animation SKG to Make History

Westminster Teams With DreamWorks Animation SKG to Make History

Aardman's Gromit Will Host Breed Competition, to Be Shown on Streaming Video on WKC Website

NEW YORK, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, one of America's oldest and most prestigious sporting events, is partnering with DreamWorks Animation SKG to inaugurate an historic innovation to showcase the 2005 show. This marks the first time in Westminster's illustrious history that the dog show has accepted a sponsorship partner outside of a dog food company.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050128/LAF037)

For the first time ever, highlights of the competition in the 165 breeds and varieties during the two days of the show will be shot using handheld cameras and posted on streaming video on the Westminster website (www.westminsterkennelclub.org). These highlights will be posted within two hours of the actual competition for any particular breed or variety. This will allow viewers to see the progression of the different breed contenders as they vie to be Best of Breed. While amplifying the already significant impact of America's greatest dog show, the streaming video will also serve to educate millions of people about the many attributes of each breed and what it really takes to earn the coveted title Best In Show.

The streaming video is being sponsored by DreamWorks Animation SKG and will be hosted by Gromit, the canine half of the beloved clay-animated duo Wallace & Gromit. DreamWorks Animation will be presenting Aardman's first Wallace & Gromit feature length film, which opens on October 7, 2005.

Since 1948, Westminster's evening competition in the groups, featuring each of the breed winners, has been broadcast live on local television and, since 1984, on USA Network (February 14-15, 8PM Live ET). This new feature of Westminster coverage will show how those winners advanced to their group competition. In the past, audiences who were not fortunate enough to have a ringside seat at New York's Madison Square Garden only saw the breed winners in the seven group rings. Now, by way of the streaming video on the Internet, viewers can watch hundreds of breed champions, ranging from Golden Retrievers to Komondors, from Mastiffs to Pekingese, and from Rhodesian Ridgebacks to Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, strut their stuff as they try to win the favor of the judges.

"Our goal, beginning with our very first show in 1877, has always been to educate the general public about purebred dogs, responsible dog ownership and dog shows," said show chairman Thomas H. Bradley, 3d. "We have been televising our dog show live for over 50 years (since 1948). At that time, television was the cutting edge of available technology. Today, it's streaming video on the Internet, which can have an even greater impact in reaching dog owners and dog lovers everywhere. We are excited to have DreamWorks as a new partner. With their enthusiastic support, we will be able to bring even more to the millions of viewers who tune in to see Westminster on live television every year."

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg stated, "DreamWorks Animation is thrilled to be collaborating with the Westminster Kennel Club to bring the excitement of their annual dog show to audiences in an entirely new way. Knowing how selective the Kennel Club is about working with new partners on what is regarded as one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world, we consider it a true honor to have Aardman's mascot Gromit chosen to host their online presence."

Wallace & Gromit creator, director and writer Nick Park added, "Although he is not a purebred, I am certain that Gromit will have no problem going nose to nose with the other dogs at the competition. After all, how many of them have been to the moon and back?"

"The introduction of streaming video during the breed judging is a significant enhancement to this great annual event," said USA Network Senior Vice President Gordon Beck. "Video from the early sessions will help continue to build excitement and drama throughout the days until primetime coverage of the group finals and, ultimately, Best In Show."

The Westminster website (www.westminsterkennelclub.org) draws over 100,000 hits each day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the show. The opportunity to see individual breed competitions will drive an enormous amount of additional traffic to the website. The breed videos will remain on the website throughout the year, accompanied by highlights of the Group competition and Best In Show, to be added following the events.

The 129th Annual Dog Show, sponsored again by Pedigree, is broadcast live on USA Networks, 8:00pm to 11:00pm (EST) on both Monday February 14th and Tuesday February 15th, 2005.

THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB

The Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. Established in 1877, Westminster's influence has been felt for more than a century through its famous all breed, benched dog show held every year at New York's Madison Square Garden. The show is America's second longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby. Westminster will stage its 129th consecutive show on February 14-15, 2005, nationally televised on USA Network.

USA NETWORK

USA Network is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. USA Network is seen in over 88 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Website is located at www.usanetwork.com. USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION SKG

DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE:DWA) is principally devoted to developing and producing computer-animated, or CG-animated, feature films, as well as consumer products to support the release of its films.

http://www.usanetwork.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050128/LAF037
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Westminster Kennel Club

CONTACT: David Frei of Westminster Kennel Club, +1-212-213-3212; or
Diana Loomis of DreamWorks Animation, +1-212-588-6141

Web site: http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/


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