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News
Update: October 7, 2004
Burton and Guber Take Hollywood
LOS ANGELES and BURLINGTON, VT (October 6, 2004) -- Fueled by unparalleled passion for their respective industries, Jake Burton and Peter Guber have set the standard for quality and creativity in snowboarding and entertainment. Through a partnership announced today, those passions will merge as Burton's namesake company and Guber's Mandalay Entertainment join forces to create and distribute snowboarding themed entertainment properties for all media platforms.
Burton is by far the most recognized and leading brand in snowboarding equipment, apparel, events, as well as sponsoring a team of the world's most renowned professional snowboarders and Mandalay has achieved critical and commercial success in film, television, branded entertainment, sports franchise ownership and operation and new media by focusing on the core components of storytelling and entertaining the audience.
"Throughout my career in entertainment and more recently through our sports franchise ownership, I've realized that these two fields inspire more passion among audiences of consumers than any others combined," said Guber. "The storytelling opportunities available through snowboarding and the action sports culture are limitless, and we're excited to work with Jake and his team in bringing an original look at snowboarding and the lifestyle of those at both the professional and grassroots levels to big screens, television screens and much more."
Burton and Mandalay have begun development of a number of properties that will capitalize on and showcase Burton's position as the leader and true innovator in snowboarding, detailing the evolution of the sport and culture. Included in the development plans are theatrical features, television programming in all formats including original entertainment, reality and event coverage, new media and much more. Through these varied properties, the partnership will bring both new events and activities as well as showcase Burton's vast history and knowledge to new and expanded audiences.
"Back in the early days of snowboarding Burton was the leading video producer," said Burton. "We made a decision to get out of the medium in order to give independent producers a chance to help shape the sport. Independent snowboard filmmakers are on solid ground now and are a big part of our world. Snowboarding wouldn't be the same without them. That said, there has been public interest in seeing us once again develop content which will tell people more about our team, company and sport. In order to do this right we felt a partnership with some pros in the entertainment industry was a necessity. After extensive discussions with Peter and his company, we felt confident they had the wherewithal to make a relationship with Burton flourish and result in the type of content people want to see."
Integral to the relationship is Burton and Mandalay's premise that entertainment and action sports, specifically snowboarding, are driven by very similar consumer demographics. Burton's history and the excitement generated worldwide by action sports provides an ideal platform for the creation of compelling content that embraces the core snowboarding audience while filling an "aspirational" role for those who have never been to the top of a mountain.
The partnership will include efforts from multiple divisions of both companies, led by Mandalay's Sports Action Entertainment division and its president David Salzberg and Bryan Johnston, Burton's vice president of global marketing. Providing support will be varied Mandalay entities including Mandalay Sports Entertainment, owner/operator of some of the most successful franchises in professional sports. Burton's Events and Entertainment Group, along with their roster of professional snowboarders, will be involved in development and production.
About Burton Snowboards
Burton Snowboards, the world's first snowboard manufacturer, is a pure snowboard brand solely dedicated to creating and perfecting a full range of the best snowboarding equipment on the planet. Founded in 1977, Burton Snowboards has fueled worldwide growth of snowboarding through its team of top snowboarders and successful programs such as Learn To Ride (LTR), the Chill Foundation and the Open Snowboarding Championships. Headquartered in Burlington, Vermont with international offices in Innsbruck, Austria and Tokyo, Japan, Burton Snowboards has been the industry leader since its inception.
About Mandalay
Mandalay Entertainment is one of the most diverse and successful companies in the sports entertainment field. Mandalay Pictures has financed and produced more than $700 million in films for worldwide theater audiences, garnering critical acclaim and achieving commercial success. Mandalay has two films set for 2005 release, The Jacket, directed by John Maybury and starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, and Into the Blue, directed by John Stockwell and starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan and Josh Brolin. Mandalay Mosaic Television Group is a producer of series and feature entertainment for broadcast and cable and owns Dick Clark Productions, through which it produces some of the most recognized and successful televised awards shows. Mandalay Sports Entertainment is a leading owner/operator of professional sports franchises, including two of the most successful in professional sports, the Dayton Dragons and the Frisco RoughRiders. Mandalay Sports Action Entertainment is a leading producer of branded entertainment properties and wide ranging marketing programs for all mediums.
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