Viva! Vision Secures $5 Million in Funding From Equal Elements and Names New President and Chief Operating Officer

Viva! Vision Secures $5 Million in Funding From Equal Elements and Names New President and Chief Operating Officer

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Viva! Vision(TM), the leading provider of branded, user-generated and original mobile video programming worldwide, announced today that it has secured USD $5 Million of funding from its leading investors, Equal Elements, to fuel the company's continued growth. The company also promoted Nick Montes to President of the company. Justin Stockton will serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Together they are now responsible for leading Viva! Vision through its next phase of growth as the company solidifies its leadership position in delivering mobile content targeted at specific demographic groups.

"We are driving the company as it secures an industry leading position in mobile content. The commitment of the investors and the senior management team provide the company with the ability to continue to grow," said, Curtis Hutten, CEO of Equal Elements and Co-Chairman of Viva! Vision. "With its unique focus on niche mobile programming Viva! Vision is poised to fill a gap by delivering content targeted to underserved communities."

Montes previously served as Vice President and General Manager for the company. He was responsible for driving the company's Sales, Marketing and Content efforts world-wide. Under his leadership, Viva! Vision signed agreements with leading wireless providers in North and Latin America. Before joining Viva! Vision, he was Vice President of Mobile Sales and Marketing at American Greetings Interactive, where he was responsible for sales, marketing and strategic planning for the company's wireless division. He directly managed carrier distribution channels, business development, content creation, licensing and leading brand partners such as Univision Communications, Def Jam Enterprises, and Sports Illustrated/Time Inc. Prior to AG Interactive, Montes spent ten years in senior marketing positions at Verizon Wireless where most recently he was Director of Multicultural Marketing, driving customer growth across all Multicultural segments including the Latino market. During Montes tenure, Verizon Wireless became the leader in acquiring Hispanic subscribers and helped drive significant market share within the Hispanic Market.

Stockton previously served as Vice President, Content and Operations, and was responsible for content and licensing efforts as well as defining Viva! Vision's internal processes and structure. Prior to Viva! Vision, he worked for leading operators in both Europe and the United States. He served as Director of Marketing for Music & Ringtones for Mobile Virtual Network Operator Virgin Mobile USA. In this role, he was responsible for development of the company's music strategy, product development, operations, programming and merchandising, and content licensing, driving content sponsorship and marketing programs with MTV. Prior to Virgin, Stockton worked at Eurotel (now Telefonica O2), the largest mobile operator in the Czech Republic. Stockton and Eurotel earned the 2004 Mobile Entertainment Forum's "Most Innovative Application" award for its full track OTA music service.

About Viva! Vision

Viva! Vision, the leading provider of live and on-demand video to wireless devices provides the hottest branded, original and user generated mobile video programming worldwide.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Viva! Vision(TM) has been delivering multimedia solutions to mobile customers worldwide since 1999. Viva! provides fresh, original, and compelling content such as live sporting events, mobile dramas, music videos, comedy, and behind-the-scenes fare to mobile operators globally. With innovative, interactive mobile applications for BREW, J2ME, WAP, and Smartphone-based devices, Viva! provides the broadest possible subscriber reach. With a history of innovation and an award-winning technology portfolio, the company has "on-deck" distribution with 14 carriers in North and South America and consumer reach of more than 70 million subscribers. Viva! Vision, an Equal Elements invested company, is privately held and has offices in San Diego, Santa Monica, Miami and Mexico City. For more information, please visit www.vivavision.com.

About Equal Elements

Equal Elements is a proactive, private equity, investment group. Unlike traditional sources of capital, Equal Elements has a track record of supplying essential cash to emerging companies in days; not in weeks or months. In conjunction with this capital, Equal Elements has a proven team of partners that have made major contributions to a wide range of companies; from Microsoft and ESPN to Nestle, Neutrogena and Verizon. These partners are available to Equal Elements' companies and provide immediate access to decision makers and opinion leaders. No other source of capital can move as quickly while providing strategic support to an emerging company. Equal Elements has offices in Santa Monica, Calif. and New York City. For additional information or to submit business plans, please visit www.EqualElements.com or email info@EqualElements.com.

Source: Viva! Vision

CONTACT: Sherry Longstreth of Weber Shandwick, +1-425-452-5447, or
slongstreth@webershandwick.com, for Viva! Vision

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

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

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