FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN DIEGO—The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad has invited American Academy of Arts principals to be keynote speakers for the First Beijing 2008 Digital Olympic International Film and TV Forum, taking place September 28-29, 2003. The forum is part of the first Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival, which includes an opening ceremony, exhibitions, seminars and forums to be televised to a Chinese audience in excess off 300 million.

Addressing the complexity of myriad broadcast elements associated with the various sporting venues and array of broadcast systems associated with the IBC (International Broadcast Center), the forum will focus on the distribution and transmission of the massive programming content to the broadcast rights holders worldwide, and the challenging integration of this content with the Chinese national television system.

The America Academy of Arts presentation will focus on how China can develop technical and human resources to ensure a successful Olympic spirit and create an infrastructure that will enable success long after the Olympics in Beijing are over. Key points will center around building strategies for successful Olympic training in the digital arts. The presentation will include state-of-the-art technology demonstrations relating to the digital arts. Additional topics will highlight the numerous ancillary benefits that result from a skilled workforce in the digital arts.

A3 speakers include:

STEVEN BONICA – A former Vice-President of Engineering with NBC and former President and COO of Panasonic Broadcast and Television Systems Co., during his tenure at NBC, Mr. Bonica was responsible for the overall technological direction of the network, which included advanced television broadcasting, high definition television, studio and recording technology, robotics and automation. Mr. Bonica was also responsible for the technology selection, system design and engineering staffing at the Seoul Olympic Games and was responsible for the engineering and system support of the U.S. broadcaster at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic Games. He directed NBC internal and external R&D programs including those at the David Sarnoff Research Center. He served as the Chairman for two terms of the technical board of the "Center for Advanced Television Studies" at M.I.T.; S.M.P.T.E. Governor, was a member of the President's Advisory Council and was on the executive board of the Advanced Television Systems Committee.

STAN FOSTER – Producer & Co-Founder of the American Academy of Arts, Mr. Foster has extensive executive management experience in the motion picture and television industries and in education.   He has been a member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America for 25 years where he was active in the writing, producing and directing of major television and feature film productions. His credits includes work on films directed by Steven Spielberg, Danny DeVito, Barry Levinson, James Cameron, Peter Bogdonovich, Jackie Cooper and Hal Ashby. In addition to being CEO of the American Academy of Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to training, developing, recognizing and awarding student achievement in the visual, digital and performing arts, Mr. Foster is also on the board of directors on several prestigious student film awards festivals.   

ROSS KALLEN – A Producer, Curriculum Designer and a Digital Media Specialist for over ten years, Mr. Kallen created the acclaimed Rancho Bernardo High School Digital Media Arts Program, recently honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with two National Student Television Excellence Awards.  He has led professional training seminars in the areas of live production, post-production, and studio design at state and national technology conferences and seminars. Mr. Kallen has also developed innovative curriculum that will be used at the School of Digital Film and Olympic Applications, Nantong Teachers University, P.R.C. He is currently designing the digital television and film track for a national student conference endorsed by NATAS, RTNDA, American Academy of Arts, Student Television Network, and the Annenberg Foundation to be held at the University of Southern California in January 2004. Many of his graduates have won awards at the local, regional, and international level, and have been showcased on Apple Computer's website (www.apple.com/educaton/profiles/rancho) and Sorenson Media's website (www.sorenson.com).  

JOEL MILLS - Director and Co-Founder of the American Academy of Arts and Distance Education Specialist, Mr. Mills' 20-year management career has encompassed satellite communications, information technology,  e-learning and media arts training. In 1985 he entered the field of communication and entertainment as Vice President of Special Projects SYNSAT, Westinghouse Group, Hollywood's number one distributor of satellite television programming. Mr. Mills is a convergence media expert and has helped to develop and manage several media arts education programs throughout California. He deployed one of the nation's first distance education video networks linking eight California universities, and later built distance-training networks for Fortune 500 companies. In 1994 he co-produced the film industry's first movie-CD-ROM, MGM's Stargate. Currently, as President of Key Partners, Inc., he is bringing to market the "MIGO", the first complete solution for the mobile computing and on-line transactions. 

The American Academy of Arts provides programs that offer hands-on, project-based learning with a focus on the digital media. Bringing in professional television and film producers, directors, graphics specialists and production teams to mentor students, its unique approach to education provides real-world experience on both professional-level and student projects, utilizing the latest media technology. Programs sponsored by the American Academy have won numerous awards at the state, national and international levels. Most recently their programs received recognition for student Television Excellence from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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