Members of the Digital Coast Community:

The new millennium is here! And if that's not enough to cause for celebration, business throughout the local Internet and digital media industries is white hot and shows no signs of slowing down soon.

The headlines have acknowledged that LA's new media industry has arrived and that we are virtually guaranteed to become the convergence capital of the world. Venture capital has entered the region en masse, new Internet startups are born here every day and several companies outside the region are setting up shop here. So now what? How will our companies, professional organizations and individuals expand from here in 2000? Along with growth come many challenges. Among the issues facing many high growth businesses in our community are infrastructure and bandwidth needs and the demand for affordable and functional office space. Also on the minds of many Internet professionals are the development of a skilled workforce and senior management with Internet business experience.

The Digital Coast Roundtable is addressing these and other concerns, including education, and cultivation of the talent pool. The Industry Relations Committee and the leaders of its member organizations are also contributing to building a more cohesive digital media industry community by fostering more communication between our organizations and collaboration through social events, job fairs and an expanded Industry Briefing newsletter.

Thanks to all who attended the first annual Digital Coast Holiday Reception in December. The success of that event was further evidence of the booming Internet industry in Los Angeles and evidence that the collaborative efforts of the Industry Relations Committee are working to bring the Digital Coast community even closer together.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Industry Briefing and I look forward to seeing you at one of the many upcoming events of the IRC and our member organizations.

Best regards,

Tony Winders
Chairman, Industry Relations Committee
President, InterActive Agency, Inc. (iAgency)
tony@iagency.com

Our host, the Digital Coast Roundtable (DCR), was founded in 1998 and brings together industry, academic and government leaders to promote the success of the new media industry and meet the needs of a wide range of market interests in the Southern California area. The mission of the DCR is to define, map and brand LA's and Southern California's new media industry; to participate in focused public/private partnerships to upgrade the infrastructure and connectivity of the new media industry; and to support efforts to improve LA's educational infrastructure in order to develop a first class technical and creative workforce. The DCR will support favorable tax and zoning environment for the new media industry in the LA area.

The Digital Coast Roundtable has partnered with several community organizations that promote educational programs, training, employment and advocacy initiatives throughout the region. These programs are available to you at little or no cost and add tremendous value to our local students and their mentors.

For the month of February, Groundhog Job Shadow Day is being promoted. It is a project of General Colin Powell's America's Promise that was started in 1997 and has grown from 100,000 students to over half a million in 1999. We estimate that approximately 30 industry employers in the Los Angeles area hosted 150 students last year out of a total of 10,000 participating students from Southern California. Groundhog Job Shadow Day 2000 is spearheaded by a coalition of organizations, including Junior Achievement, American Society of Association Executives, and the National School-to-Work Opportunities Office.

The Industry Relations Committee is a service of the Digital Coast Roundtable and brings together on a quarterly basis the presidents of Los Angeles' technology and media professional associations to discuss timely issues and events facing the companies and individuals in our local digital media industries. The Industry Relations Committee also provides a forum for the Digital Coast Roundtable to communicate its agenda to the community through its leadership. The Industry Relations Committee publishes a quarterly newsletter, "The Digital Coast Industry Briefing," to communicate to all parties the news, events and information affecting Los Angeles digital media industry. Ernst & Young has generously underwritten the cost of the Industry Relations Committee's quarterly events.

Working Criteria for Participation in the committee includes membership- based interactive media, technology and entertainment professional associations, user groups, networking organizations or trade unions with at least 25 members or a formalized Board of Directors, regularly scheduled meetings.

Associations currently participating in the Industry Relations Committee include:

Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
http://www.interactive.org

MARTIN SHORT TO HOST THIRD ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Awards To Be Presented In Los Angeles on May 11, First Day of E3 Expo-

Top Video, Computer, and Online Games, Software, and Online Entertainment to be Honored at Gala Evening Event-

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) (www.interactive.org), the professional Academy of the $6 billion interactive entertainment software industry, today announced that comedian Martin Short will host its third annual Interactive Achievement Awards in Los Angeles on May 11, 2000, the first day of the E3 Expo.

One of the most recognizable faces in comedy, Martin Short is best known for his roles in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II. He earned an Emmy nomination in 1998 for his work in the miniseries Merlin, and has starred in such films as Three Fugitives, Innerspace, and The Three Amigos. The native Canadian gained his early fame on television in Second City's SCTV, and later as a regular on Saturday Night Live. Short has always had a penchant for the stage, having appeared on Broadway in such productions as Neil Simon's musical version of The Goodbye Girl. His most recent project is the launching of his own nationally syndicated talk show entitled The Martin Short Show.

"The Academy is honored to have Martin Short as its host for the 2000 Awards," said Jim Charne, President of the Academy. "His presence and talent is a fitting tribute to the blossoming of our interactive entertainment industry. In 1999, for example, video and computer game software sales totaled $6.1 billion, close to the film industry's reported $7.4 billion box office for the same period."

Charne continued, "Interactive Achievement Awards are our industry's way of recognizing the very best games, entertainment software, and online services. The reason our industry has grown so rapidly is the high quality and entertainment value of software created by Academy members and other skilled developers."

Nominations for the Awards opened on January 3, and will close at 5 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, February 25. Nomination packets are available now from the Academy by e-mail at academy@interactive.org are offered in pdf file form through the Academy Web site (www.interactive.org).

Important dates to note for the 2000 awards:
January 3, 2000 - Nominations opened
February 25, 2000 - Nominating period closes
March 6, 2000 - Preliminary judging by Academy Peer Committees begins
March 7, 2000 - Preliminary voting by Academy members for overall, console, and computer Games of the Year begins
April 10, 2000 - Finalists announcement
April 17, 2000 - Final member voting begins
May 1, 2000 - Final member voting ends
May 11, 2000 - Award recipients announced and honored during the festivities of E3

Association of Internet Professionals - AIP
http://la.association.org

AIP-LA welcomes its new president Tory Duff, formerly president of Webgrrls-LA. Drawing on her 25 years in Wall Street institutional investment banking, Duff plans to emphasize AIP's role as The Trade Association for the Internet/New Media Industry.

"AIP-LA will be the bridge between the digital and traditional industries," said Duff. "It is time for us to reach outside our industry to companies that are trying to learn what the Internet can do for their businesses and how to develop an effective Internet presence, whether it's business to business or consumer-targeted e-commerce."

AIP-LA, as the Los Angeles Chapter of the Trade Association for the Internet/ New Media Industry, has been working hard to build a bridge between the non-Internet/new media industry corporations that want to learn about how the Internet can help their businesses, and Internet/new media professionals. Please join us for our monthly meetings held on the third Tuesdays of the month. For more information, please go to www.la.us.association.org, and visit us at the AIP booth at iWorld 2000.

Directors Guild of America
http://www.dga.org

The Directors Guild of America represents more than 10,000 members working in U.S. cities and abroad. Their creative work is represented in theatrical, industrial, educational and documentary films, as well as television live, filmed and taped radio, videos and commercials.

Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter - ISOC-LA
http://www.ISOC-LosAngeles.org

The Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter is experiencing a fantastic year already! The great programs we've had in the past are being exceeded in value and interest to our members and visitors. We already covered "Investing In and On the Internet" and are looking forward to programs touching on the subjects of "Adults on the Net", "Fraud on the Net", "Language Translation on the Net", and many more. We are also in the process of instituting an educational program that will get students involved in our web site and also presenting regular classes for introducing folks to the Internet. Our Special Interest Group activities are reaching out to many different groups and individuals. We are looking forward to great growth and influence this year. It is also a real pleasure to meet and work with the leadership of the other members of the Industry Relations Committee.

1) March 14th Meeting - Fraud on the Internet

Community Education Series - Fraud on the Internet

Unscrupulous individuals who attempt to increase their own fortunes and influence by using fraud on unsuspecting individuals affect the Internet, just like every other sector of our societies. Come to our monthly meeting to learn about fraud and other crimes on the Internet and find out how to protect yourself and your organization from these criminal activities.

Sgt. Louk of the Computer Crimes Task Force in Torrance will be our main speaker. Torrance has been recognized by the FBI and other law enforcement organizations in our area as being at the forefront of this area of crime investigation and prevention.

Don't miss this program. There is much at stake...

Date, Time, and Location:
Tuesday, March 14, 2000 7:00 pm SHARP (but come 6-6:30 for pre-meeting activities)
Glendale Career College
1015 Grandview Avenue
Glendale, CA 91201

Check our web site at www.isoc-losangeles.org for directions and a map

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2) April 11th Meeting - Security and Privacy

Community Education Series - Security and Privacy on the Internet

Everyone is afraid of keeping their transactions on the Internet secure and away from prying eyes. Businesses with high-speed connections have to take care to keep their networks safe from hackers.

Security and privacy are huge concerns these days, both for end users and companies connected to the Internet. Come to our April meeting and hear what is being done and what you can do to protect yourself on the Internet.

Our speakers will include people from A-OK, a local company involved in secure transaction processing and others.

Date, Time, and Location:
Tuesday, April 11th, 2000 7:00 pm SHARP (but come 6-6:30 for pre-meeting activities)
American Intercontinental University
12655 West Jefferson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA (Playa del Rey)

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3) Web and Mail Moved

We have now completed moving our web site and electronic mail to a new host. We now have much more control over our site and much better tools available.

In the future, we are planning such features as a job bank, an event calendar, online membership applications, online member status, etc. We are also planning on redesigning our web site to make it easier to use. Stay tuned and keep checking back!

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4) Membership information

Join the Los Angeles Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-LA) www.ISOC-LosAngeles.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the accessibility to, and the usefulness of, the Internet for the Los Angeles Community.

Our Parent organization, the Internet Society, www.ISOC.org is an international organization established in 1992 for the global cooperation and coordination of the Internet and its Internet-working technologies and applications.

Please visit www.ISOC-LosAngeles.org for more information.

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5) Our sponsors

The following organizations have generously provided us with sponsorship:

American Intercontinental University
Glendale Career College
IRamp Inc. LLC
Warever Computing
xactimage Internet

LAWNMOWER - The New Media Roundtable
http://www.lawnmoweronline.com

LAWNMOWER Media, a recent spin-off company of LAWNMOWER -The New Media Roundtable, is focused on telling the story of successful net entrepreneurs. LAWNMOWER Media is developing a range of products and content which explore the human-interest aspects of the leaders of the new economy in an entertaining and accessible format. The distribution channels for LAWNMOWER Media's human-interest content will blend traditional media with both online distribution and new interactive media formats.

LAWNMOWER Media's first product is "The Digital Diary" which explores the innovative visions and ideas that are catapulting net entrepreneurs toward unprecedented success. "The Digital Diary" is a two-minute airing on Sky Television's technology program "Bunting's Window" broadcast on United Airlines, US Airways and TWA which premiered in-flight on March 1, 2000.

Through an alliance with BroadBridge Media, production is underway on a HyperCD version of "The Digital Diary" which will be distributed to new media professionals worldwide.

An advisory board of new media experts have been assembled to assist LAWNMOWER Media which includes: Tony Greenberg, senior vice president, Digital Entertainment Network (DEN), Kurt Knutsson, host and executive producer, "Kurt the CyberGuy" as seen on "Extra" and "KTLA's News," and Patrick Barry, vice president, of Business Development Animation, Brilliant Digital Entertainment.

Jim Dolbear, owner and managing director, Larkin Associates, Origami Media and Technology, and LAWNMOWER-The New Media Roundtable and Molly Lavik, executive director, LAWNMOWER-The New Media Roundtable are the co-founders of LAWNMOWER Media. Lavik is the creator of "The Digital Diary" copyright May, 1999.

Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance - LARTA
http://www.larta.org

As you know, LARTA is very involved in educating entrepreneurs, assisting their growth and connecting them to vital resources. TechNet Ed (www.larta.org/technet_ed2.html) and the Southern California Technology Venture Forum (www.SCTVF.org) are just two examples of programs we offer to meet the mission of our organization and the needs of the technology community. We have also been active with global technology companies and organizations under the Global Technology Partners umbrella.

In an effort to connect the region's entrepreneurs with global markets and opportunities, LARTA has launched a series of events under the title of Mobile Magic. This series is designed to connect entrepreneurs in Internet and wireless companies in Southern California with overseas investors and partners. Each presenting company goes through a detailed mentoring program with industry experts and members of the investment community. The first event, March 9th, was presented with the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO). The second event, Mobile Magic 2, will be held on April 3rd is Mobile Magic 2, in partnership with STATT and Tekes, technology partners from Sweden and Finland respectively. Open registration begins March 24th.

Also, California's premier venture capital forum, the 6th Annual Southern California Technology Venture Forum (SCTVF), is happening April 18th at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. Since 1995, this forum has assisted presenting companies in raising more than $340 million in private investment. Go to www.sctvf.org to register.

For further information about LARTA programs, contact Nicole Huntington at nhuntington@larta.org.

Software Council of Southern California
http:www.SCSC.org

The Software Council of Southern California (SCSC) is a non-profit, membership-only trade association, comprised of software development organizations, as well as those companies that provide support and services to the local software industry. The organization brings people and information together to strengthen its member companies and to enhance the region's climate for growth and the quality of the software industry, to make southern California a nationally recognized hub for software development. SCSC voices the concerns of the software industry in Southern California and serves as a clearinghouse for industry information. Regular meetings are held in Orange County.

The issue of turning one-time shoppers into repeat customers will be addressed at the Software Council of Southern California's E-Commerce/Extranet SIG's breakfast meeting on Jan. 14, at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Culver City, starting at 7:30 a.m.

Guest speaker Michael Moskowitz will address business concerns of increasing repeat sales and enhancing service value. The discussion will cover using conventional database marketing and Internet technology to anchor buyers to businesses. Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Santa Monica-based Interval Inc., which is an expert in Internet technology, consumer data management and software development.

Admission to the meeting is free for SCSC members, $25 for non-members. Attendance is limited to companies which are currently implementing E-Commerce/Extranets within their organizations. The event is sponsored by CRESA Partners and Irell Manella.

Venice Interactive Community - VIC
http://www.thevic.org

VIC continues to grow aggressively in 2000, with numerous educational and social programs being produced each month. Upcoming event highlights include the VIC Broadband Summit on March 21 and VIC@The Mayan 2000 on April 5, promising to be the hot ticket on the Internet World party circuit.

A complete calendar of events is accessible at the new VIC Web site, located at http://www.thevic.org. The newly launched site will be continually enhanced, with the job board already serving as a valuable resource for both members and non-members alike.

This year, VIC will offer two categories of membership in response to current members' feedback. Standard membership is $125 for the year and includes access to all members-only events, access to password protected areas of the Web site, subscription to VIC/e, our monthly newsletter covering the Southern California digital media scene, listing in the VIC membership directory, industry discounts and much more. Premier membership includes all standard membership benefits, plus access to invitation-only events preferred parking privileges, special VIC VALUE NETWORK discount offers. Student, group and non-profit membership rates are available.

Web Grrls - LA
http://www.webgrrls-la.com

Kris Kahrs has been named Chapter President of Webgrrls-la.com, Tory Duff as Chairman of the Board effective January 15. Kris Kahrs has established a reputation for internet savvy from her tenure in the Entertainment industry. Kahr's also played an integral role in NBC's launch into new media particularly the strategic partnership between NBC and Microsoft to create MSNBC.

"The opportunities that Webgrrls has for both the self-employed individual and the internet start-up are very compelling. I'm looking forward to working closely with a visionary like Tory Duff and the rest of the very talented Webgrrls team," said Kahrs.

Tory Duff, 20 years on Wall Street, opened her own business firm specializing in turning her clients' e-commerce ideas into solid, fundable ebusiness. "My new roles, Chairman of the WGLA Board of Directors, and President of AIP-LA, will allow me to focus on bringing together female and male Industry Leaders behind the goal of creating and protecting a level playing field of opportunity where talented people can thrive regardless of their gender," said Duff.

Webgrrls L.A. is the largest networking organization in Southern California for women in New Media. The organization is a diverse group of women from every background and skill level. As a chapter of the largest New Media women's organization in the world, Webgrrls L.A. is part of an international network with contacts ranging from Beijing to Berlin, Sydney to Singapore.

Women In Film
http://www.wif.org

Women in Film is holding an online auction in partnership with FilmFestivals.com and E-Bay auction site. They will hold up for auction memorabilia from this year's Oscar-nominated films. Date: Oscar week/late March. Proceeds to benefit Women In Film's Film Finishing Fund.

WIF-- New Media Council, Co-Chairs: Lynne Weaver and Elaine Palmer. Provides education, networking, creative and business opportunities where technology and entertainment converge. The committee's goal is to generate sponsored activities live and on the web aimed at stimulating the interest of the Women In Film membership . The New Media Council represents Women In Film by participating in related industry seminars, conferences and forums. For further information: lweaver@interWeaveinc.com or e@ecommercemedia.com

Women In New Technologies (WINT)

Women In New Technologies (WINT) is an informal group for women, providing support and information related to the ever-expanding opportunities and technology innovations within the multimedia community.

Women's New Media Alliance - WNMA
http://www.wnma.org

Women's New Media Alliance is boasting a brand new Web site as of March 1! The new site features newsletter archives, Board member and Advisory Board member bios, resources and additional information about WNMA benefits, programs and mailing lists. Check out the new site at www.wnma.org.

WNMA's also got a (nearly) new Board of Directors. 5 new Directors have come on Board in the past 2 months to further assist the group in its aggressive campaign to provide mentoring, education and community outreach.

WNMA recently affiliated with the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE), the largest women's professional association and the largest women business owners' organization in the country. The affiliation creates opportunities for both organizations and most importantly, facilitates the distribution of business development and new media information to women executives.

WNMA is hosting it's first Quarterly Power Breakfast Series on Saturday, March 25. The topic is "Career and business building for the New Media Executive."

Writers Guild of America
http://www.wga.org

"If it's not on the page, it's not on the stage." You may have heard this entertainment industry expression for years... but what happens when the world's stage is now online? Industry execs say that interesting and enduring creative content is the primary way to keep viewers coming back to websites. If so, it makes sense to hire professional writers for new media projects.... That's where the Writers Guild of America comes in.

The WGA is an industry labor union representing over 8,500 of the best creative writers in film, television and interactive new media. WGA writers have been defining creative content for years, and this tradition extends to digital and online media as well.

Each Internet or interactive project is slightly different. Questions such as, "Does it contain full motion video?" "How long are the segments?" "Is this an animated project or do you use live actors?" etc., affect what type of contract the Guild uses, so it is best to call or email the WGA Department of Industry Alliances for more information when hiring a writer for new media projects.

The WGA will send you (as the hiring entity) - the Directory of Interactive and Informational Writers and either an easy-to-use Interactive Program Contract (securing Pension and Health coverage for the writer) or, if your project meets certain conditions, a WGA representative will customize a deal for your online project on a case-by-case basis. It is also possible for writers to become WGA members through their interactive or online work.

More information may be found on the WGA website at www.wga.org and by a keyword search using "New Media" or by contacting the WGA Department of Industry Alliances by phone (323) 782-4511, fax (323) 782-4810 or email at industryalliances@wga.org.