Endemol USA Appoints Industry Veteran Eric LaVanchy to Lead Newly Formed Casual Games Group

Endemol USA Appoints Industry Veteran Eric LaVanchy to Lead Newly Formed Casual Games Group

Group to Develop Original Games based on New and Existing Endemol Shows

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Endemol USA, the world's largest independent production company and the market leader in interactive entertainment with global hit franchises such as Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100, today announced the formation of a U.S.-based casual games group to be led by newly appointed Director of Gaming, Eric LaVanchy.

The group will be a part of Endemol's Digital Media division and will develop casual games for new and existing Endemol programming, and also create original games. LaVanchy will report to Jon Vlassopulos, Senior Vice-President, Digital Media and Branded Entertainment, and will be based at Endemol USA's headquarters in Los Angeles.

"Endemol USA has a well established history of creating hit shows that have been enjoyed by tens of millions of TV viewers across the globe," said LaVanchy. "The brands have proven successful as licensed digital franchises, so further developing these titles into casual games is a natural next step and tremendous opportunity."

"With the formation of a casual games group, we have an opportunity to expand our digital media business into a new and exciting growth area where we will create engaging entertainment experiences for fans worldwide," said Jon Vlassopulos, Senior Vice President, Digital Media and Branded Entertainment. "We are excited to have a seasoned executive like Eric lead the team. With more than 15 years of experience designing and developing casual games, he will definitely be a valued asset to the company."

In his role as Director of Gaming, LaVanchy will be responsible for the development and execution of Endemol's casual gaming strategy in North America, which includes appointing a core group of technical, creative and business development staff. LaVanchy and his group will work closely with Endemol's London-based games group.

LaVanchy was previously Managing Director of The Ritz Club London Online. Prior to that, he was Founder and Vice President of Creative Development for New York-based Bottle Rocket, a pioneering online advergaming developer acquired by ACTV (now part of OpenTV) in 2000. In 1995, he created the football trivia game Two Minute Warning, the first Web-based advergame, for the NFL and sponsored by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Endemol USA currently produces several casual games for its online animation site, JoeCartoon, creators of the enormously successful Frog in a Blender and a leading producer and distributor of animated shorts on the Internet.

About Endemol USA

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television programming specializing in reality and non-scripted genres for network and cable television. The company produces the break-out hits "Deal or No Deal," "1 VS 100," "Fear Factor," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Big Brother." Endemol USA is a division of Endemol Holding, a prominent international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 21 countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol Entertainment is a subsidiary of the Consortium, a conglomerate formed by Mediacinco Cartera S.A., Cyrte Found II B.V., and GS Capital Partners VI Fund.

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Source: Endemol USA

CONTACT: Ayn Allen of BNC, +1-310-854-4800, aallen@bncpr.com, for
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