Restoring FanLib's Deleted History
I'm supplying this for reference. Very little content on FanLib's origins still exists on the web. All the material at FanLib is gone, and so are many press releases. Edit: FanLib has excluded their site from the wayback machine. Wow do they suck.
Material includes the URL where it was once found. Most links now produce pinatas 404s.
Includes makeup of FanLib's original board, and detailed bios of the board members.
Includes gems such as: "Fan fiction has existed long before Al Gore invented the internet!"
FanLib's first press release for the fanfiction archive
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070510005297&newsLang=en
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FanLib®, the People Powered EntertainmentTM company, launches its flagship website today at www.FanLib.com. The online storytelling community destination fuses the power of the Web with the passion of the most avid entertainment fans. FanLib.com provides fans with a new home to write, showcase, discover, rant and rave about their favorite movies, TV shows, and books.
The launch of FanLib.com represents the coming of age of fan fiction, or "fanfic." Fan fiction is the original consumer generated media - original works of fiction written by fans and based on their favorite TV, film and book characters.
FanLib.com launches with co-promotional partners including HarperCollins, Penguin Books, Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster, and Starz Entertainment. The launch partners are heavily featured and have customized marketing integrated on the site while providing promotion for FanLib.com.
"For my most passionate fans, reading isn't enough - they want to extend the story, to put their favorite characters in new situations," said Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies trilogy. "FanLib.com helps these readers find each other and gives them a space to share what they've created."
"FanLib celebrates and showcases the passion and creativity of the most avid entertainment fans and brings them closer to the players behind their favorite TV series, movies and books," said Chris M. Williams, co-founder and CEO of FanLib. "Whether it's between sequels or after the series ends, FanLib.com is where the stories always continue." While fan fiction has existed for decades, FanLib is launching a new era by packaging it for mainstream audiences and introducing features including:
Official Fan Events - FanLib works with a growing list of entertainment partners such as HarperCollins, Showtime Networks, and MSN to produce collaborative, online storytelling events.
Sharing and Content Syndication - Similar to online video sharing sites, FanLib.com members can extend the audience for their fanfics by embedding customized promos in personal web pages, blogs, and e-mails.
FanLib's investors and advisors include notable names from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, including film producer Jon Landau (Titanic), high-powered entertainment attorney Jon Moonves, and FanLib Chairman Anil Singh, former Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Yahoo!.
As part of the FanLib.com launch festivities, readers and writers will be spotlighted on the site's home page. Those who visit the site and "take a bow" will win FanLib T-shirts and become eligible for FanLib's Premiere Grand Prize Drawing to "WIN A MOVIE THEATER FOR A DAY." FanLib will take over a movie theater in the winner's home town and host a private screening of the winner's favorite film. For complete contest rules, please visit http://www.fanlib.com/contests.do.
About FanLib
FanLib, Inc. is the People Powered Entertainment® company. FanLib's website (www.FanLib.com) is the home of fan fiction where entertainment fans can extend their experience with their favorite movies, television shows, and books. Since 2003, FanLib has been producing online storytelling events that bring fans together with well-known writers, publishers, and media companies including Showtime Networks and HarperCollins. FanLib, Inc. is a private, venture-funded company based in California with offices in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
Beck Media & Marketing (for FanLib)
Todd Beck/Steve Spignese, 310-689-7363
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115386919178817155.html
HarperCollins Turns to Web, In a Search for More Romance
BY JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG AND BRIAN STEINBERG
Word Count: 540 | Companies Featured in This Article: News Corp., IAC/Interactive
Attention, budding romance novelists: HarperCollins wants to hear from you.
In the latest example of how book publishers are using the Web to connect with readers, the News Corp. book publishing unit is teaming up with FanLib, which runs Web sites for consumer-generated content, to run an eight-week online writing contest for fans of romance novels.
HarperCollins's Avon Books romance imprint plans to use the contest to promote its existing stable of authors. HarperCollins Publishers and FanLib also hope the venture will generate revenue through sale of ads on the Web site hosting the contest, www.avonfanlit.com. The two companies will ...
http://www.cable360.net/events/conventions/23419.html
Showtime expanded its user-generated fan fiction deal with FanLib.com, which now counts CBS, Starz and other media companies as affiliates. [Release]
Links to:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070510/20070510005297.html?.v=1
No longer available
http://www.fanlib.com/aboutUs.do
About Us
FanLib is dedicated to promoting and celebrating fan creativity.
Fan fiction has existed long before Al Gore invented the internet. Today, there are millions of fanfic writers and thousands of sites featuring fanfic. Since 2003, FanLib has led the fan fiction charge by producing online events that bring fans together with well-known creators and brands from the entertainment world (see some of our press).
Our mission is to bring fan fiction out of the shadows and into the limelight.
Now, with your help, we aim to make FanLib.com the best darn fan fiction site ever. Whatever your fancy - from The A Team to Zorro, anime to westerns - you're invited to showcase, discover, rant, and rave about them all.
Share your creativity. Share your opinions. Let us know what you think about the site so we can keep making it better. And, stay tuned... We've got a slew of great new features and fun events coming your way soon.
FanLib.com - Where the stories continue...
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/background.html
Company Background
FanLib was founded in 2002 by veteran filmmaker Craig Singer, internet pioneer David B. Williams, and former Yahoo! executive and film producer Chris M. Williams as a division of their production company My2Centences. My2Centences was actively involved in the convergence of marketing, entertainment, and online media. While completing a series of feature films under the My2Centences banner, Singer conceived of the storytelling process that inspired FanLib's unique collaboration technology.
In October 2006, after a successful and well-publicized partnership with Showtime Networks around their hit series The L Word (fans were invited to help script an episode, or Fanisode™), Chris Williams led a successful effort to raise venture capital financing for FanLib, Inc., the new company dedicated solely to FanLib.
FanLib's investors and advisors include notable veterans from both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, including film producer Jon Landau (Titanic), esteemed entertainment attorney Jon Moonves, and FanLib Chairman Anil Singh, former Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Yahoo!.
FanLib, Inc. is a private, venture-funded company based in California with offices in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/bios.html
Chris M. Williams, Co-Founder & CEO
Chris M. Williams leads the FanLib team, building key business relationships, spearheading strategy and overseeing operations. His wide-ranging experience as a successful internet executive, film and television producer, and advertising sales director allow him to effectively bridge the worlds of marketing, entertainment and online media.
In 1996, Williams joined upstart Yahoo! as one of its first sales and business development executives. Over the next five years, he quickly rose to the position of Director of Market Development, generating over $300-million in revenue and managing a team of over thirty people. He personally developed signature relationships and negotiated complex partnership agreements with Viacom, Disney, Barnes & Noble and others.
After forming My2Centences LLC, an entertainment production company, with partner Craig Singer in late 2001, Williams set off producing feature films, including festival favorites "A Good Night to Die" and "Dead Dogs Lie." His recently completed horror film "Dark Ride" stars Jamie-Lynn Sigler of "The Sopranos" and was released in 500 theaters by Lionsgate Entertainment in November 2006. He also recently served as a Consulting Producer on the Spike Television series "King of Vegas."
As the media landscape has changed, Williams has channeled his unique expertise in the colliding industries of entertainment, marketing and online media by helping marketers and established entertainment companies connect with passionate fans online and get involved with consumer-generated media.
Williams graduated from Boston University's College of Communications in 1993 with a BS degree in Broadcast and Film. He currently lives in Beverly Hills with his wife Carrie and son Gabriel.
David B. Williams, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
An established online pioneer, David B. Williams employs expertise in both content and technology to produce FanLib's groundbreaking internet applications and cross-media programs. Williams is also instrumental in the planning and implementation of FanLib's overall strategies and business initiatives.
Best known as creator of the trailblazing WhirlGirl® and founder of the innovative studio that brought her to life, Williams has created a portfolio of world-class online properties and produced award-winning interactive solutions for numerous clients including Disney, USA Networks, Smithsonian Magazine, M&M/Mars, Lucent and IBM.
Launched in the Spring of 1997, the futuristic freedom-fighting superheroine, WhirlGirl, ushered in the era of dynamic online entertainment. From 1999 to 2001, she starred in over 70 animated episodes and a massive cross-media branding campaign for Showtime Networks. She made numerous appearances across the TV dial, including on Showtime, the Discovery Channel and Sci-Fi Network, and became the first outside franchise to be represented in the licensing arena by MTV.
In the early nineties, Williams led the development and production of the first-of-its-kind SHOPPING2OOO® e-commerce CD-ROM series and website, creating virtual storefronts for leading merchants JC Penney, Lands End, L.L. Bean, Sharper Image, Eddie Bauer and others.
Williams was educated at Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied fiction writing and produced avant-garde multimedia events. He currently resides in West Hollywood with his wife Danielle.
Craig Singer, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
An award-winning director/screenwriter, Craig Singer serves as FanLib's resident creative guru.
Born and raised in New Jersey, he studied film and theater at William Paterson University, then art history at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Mr. Singer's first feature film was "Animal Room," a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story starring Neil Patrick Harris, Matthew Lillard, and Amanda Peet.
Next, Singer completed a series of films under the banner of My2Centences, FanLib's former parent company, which he co-founded with partner Chris M. Williams. It was during this period that he also conceived of the storytelling process that was the inspiration for FanLib's flagship technology.
Singer's second feature, "A Good Night to Die," stars Michael Rapaport, Deborah Harry, Ralph Macchio, and Ally Sheedy. A gritty, urban fable that chronicles a day in the lives of two hit men, the film premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and was released in July 2003 by DEJ Films and Fox Home Entertainment.
After "Good Night," Singer helmed the powerful crime-drama "Dead Dogs Lie" featuring Tommy Flanagan and Peter Greene. "Dead Dogs Lie" won several awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Feature at The Atlantic City Film Festival and The Phoenix Film Festival.
Most recently, Singer completed "Dark Ride," a no-holds-barred horror film starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler of "The Sopranos." Co-authored and directed by Singer, the My2Centences production was distributed theatrically Nationwide by Lionsgate Entertainment in November of 2006.
Additionally, Singer directed the acclaimed short film "Kill Charlie," a parody about the Willie Wonka kids 25 years later, currently playing all over the web. He has written numerous screenplays, including: "Animal Room," "Dark Ride," "Paradiddle," "The Terminal Club," "Untitled Fall Project," "Caroline," "Car Guys," and "6:45."
Singer resides in Fair Haven, New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Anil Singh, Chairman
As Yahoo!'s first Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, SVP Business Operations, Anil helped guide Yahoo! from obscurity to the media powerhouse it is today. He is widely credited with growing revenues from zero to over $1-Billion. Anil joined Yahoo! in 1995 where he managed sales, corporate marketing, business development, distribution and U.S. operations. He has over 25 years experience with companies involved in the media, technology, networking and communications revolution.
Since leaving Yahoo! in 2001, Anil provides active guidance and investment for a small group of select start-up ventures including FanLib, Inc.
Jon Landau, Official Advisor
Academy Award®-winning producer Jon Landau has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to oversee and deliver major motion pictures. The combination of Landau's thorough understanding of the most complex state-of-the-art visual effects technologies, his ability to work hand-in-hand with the highest caliber of creative talent, and his motivational ability with crews of all sizes has enabled him to play a significant role in numerous major motion pictures. Currently in production on the widely-anticipated James Cameron film, AVATAR, Landau has also produced such films as James Cameron's TITANIC and Steven Soderbergh's SOLARIS, also under Cameron's "Lightstorm Entertainment" banner. In the past, Landau co-produced Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY and the family comedy hit HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS. Throughout the early '90's, Landau was Executive Vice President of Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox.
During the past several years, Cameron and Landau have been developing digital production tools that will enable filming and mass digital distribution of 3D movies. Landau is also working in close collaboration with Microsoft, and its partner AMD, to streamline the production and visual effect process through the use of cutting-edge "Virtual Production" technologies.
Jonathan D. Moonves, Official Advisor
Jon is a senior partner at the one of the nation's premier entertainment law firms Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano, where he primarily represents actors, writers, producers, executives and production entities in all aspects of the motion picture and television industries. Jon is a leading expert on television distribution and exploitation. Recently, Jon completed the trifecta as he negotiated the largest deal ever for a television actor; he helped put together what became the highest grossing independent, English language feature of all time; and he negotiated one of the highest television writer/producer deals of all time. Jon also has been asked to serve on several advisory boards to "new media" companies and is regularly invited to speak at seminars on various topics about the entertainment industry.
Jon received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. Jon is a member of the State Bar of California, the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Fred Sturgis, Board of Directors
As a Managing Director at H.I.G. Ventures, Fred focuses primarily on investments in the software, Internet, business services and wireless sectors. Fred's board seats in the Internet and enterprise software industries include FanLib, Invistics, Lancope, Nexidia, NorthStar and Savvion. His wireless investments include Funambol and LetsTalk.com.
Fred has spent his entire career working with and advising technology companies at all stages of growth, from start-up through initial public offering and beyond. Prior to joining H.I.G., he was most recently an officer in the technology investment banking group of Hambrecht & Quist (H&Q). At H&Q, Fred was largely responsible for the firm's East Coast software practice, advising clients on a variety of M&A and capital raising transactions and sponsoring several principal investments through the firm's $500 million venture capital fund. Previously, he was with the investment banking groups of both Alex Brown & Sons and Robinson-Humphrey. Fred began his career with Accenture, where he managed software development and operations strategy initiatives for large multinational clients, primarily in the high-tech and telecommunications industries.
Fred is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Technology Association of Georgia. In addition, he is Board Chairman of the Entrepreneur's Foundation of the Southeast and is the President of the Atlanta Venture Forum. Fred received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Furman University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.
David Shen, Official Advisor
David Shen is the President of David Shen Ventures, LLC. He advises and invests in early stage internet startups, helping them in the areas of user experience, product development and strategy, and online advertising.
Prior to David Shen Ventures, LLC, David was the Vice President of the User Experience and Design Team at Yahoo! for almost 8 years and has been involved in almost every product and service Yahoo! has built in the U.S. and internationally. As an early employee of Yahoo!, he lived the startup life of working long, committed, and satisfying hours and embodied the "do what it takes" attitude required for success in entrepreneurism. In living the early years of Yahoo!, David came to intimately know the fast, low-budget, "take care of your users and listen to them" and "let the consumer decide" method of internet product development. Having worked on so many Yahoo! products, David also has a broad knowledge of effective business models on the Web.
David was also involved in the online advertising revolution at Yahoo!, where he helped manage, evangelize (both internally and externally), research and implement many new forms of interactive advertising and advancing creativity and quality in online ad campaigns. He also led the Rich Media Task Force at the Internet Advertising Bureau for 2 years to gain industry and agency acceptance of new interactive ad formats and methods.
After running the User Experience group at Yahoo!, David became the VP of International Products, managing and fostering best practices in online product design worldwide. In his previous User Experience role and in this role, he gained broad knowledge in the complexities of running internet businesses in international markets and finding solutions for dealing with the effects of their cultural and regional differences.
Prior to Yahoo!, David worked as a product designer at a industrial and product design consultancy called frogdesign, where he worked on ergonomic keyboards, PCs, and toasters. He also worked for Apple Computer for 3.5 years, designing and shipping their first ergonomic keyboard (Apple Adjustable Keyboard), their first digital camera (Quicktake 100), and their first 17-inch multimedia monitors (AppleVision 1710AV) and has first hand experience in building products using OEM vendors and working with international partners.
David has given talks and been quoted in numerous articles. In the early days of the Internet, David contributed a chapter to the book, "Mastering Web Design" by John McCoy which featured David and other notables in the Internet design community. In 1999, he with two others taught a tutorial at CHI '99 entitled "User Interface Design for the Web". In 2002, he presented on Yahoo! and its design philosophies at the User Experience 2001-2002 Conference. David has also given talks evangelizing creativity in advertising at Yahoo!'s first ever creative conference, Creative is Key in late 2002.
David attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received his BS in Computer Engineering. He then went on to get his Master's degree in Computer Science at Stanford University. His eclectic background in design and engineering, coupled with a broad international product development experience base, makes David uniquely qualified to effectively deal with multidisciplinary teams worldwide.
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/partners.html
Partners
A growing list of companies including HarperCollins, Showtime Networks, and CBS work with FanLib to introduce special opportunities directly to their most ardent fans, and produce officially-sanctioned collaborative, online storytelling events using their popular franchises and characters.
Current Partners (in alphabetical order):
HarperCollins
Penguin Books
Showtime Networks
Simon & Schuster
Star Trek
Starz
I saved the information in May of 2007.
Material includes the URL where it was once found. Most links now produce pinatas 404s.
Includes makeup of FanLib's original board, and detailed bios of the board members.
Includes gems such as: "Fan fiction has existed long before Al Gore invented the internet!"
FanLib's first press release for the fanfiction archive
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070510005297&newsLang=en
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FanLib®, the People Powered EntertainmentTM company, launches its flagship website today at www.FanLib.com. The online storytelling community destination fuses the power of the Web with the passion of the most avid entertainment fans. FanLib.com provides fans with a new home to write, showcase, discover, rant and rave about their favorite movies, TV shows, and books.
The launch of FanLib.com represents the coming of age of fan fiction, or "fanfic." Fan fiction is the original consumer generated media - original works of fiction written by fans and based on their favorite TV, film and book characters.
FanLib.com launches with co-promotional partners including HarperCollins, Penguin Books, Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster, and Starz Entertainment. The launch partners are heavily featured and have customized marketing integrated on the site while providing promotion for FanLib.com.
"For my most passionate fans, reading isn't enough - they want to extend the story, to put their favorite characters in new situations," said Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies trilogy. "FanLib.com helps these readers find each other and gives them a space to share what they've created."
"FanLib celebrates and showcases the passion and creativity of the most avid entertainment fans and brings them closer to the players behind their favorite TV series, movies and books," said Chris M. Williams, co-founder and CEO of FanLib. "Whether it's between sequels or after the series ends, FanLib.com is where the stories always continue." While fan fiction has existed for decades, FanLib is launching a new era by packaging it for mainstream audiences and introducing features including:
Official Fan Events - FanLib works with a growing list of entertainment partners such as HarperCollins, Showtime Networks, and MSN to produce collaborative, online storytelling events.
Sharing and Content Syndication - Similar to online video sharing sites, FanLib.com members can extend the audience for their fanfics by embedding customized promos in personal web pages, blogs, and e-mails.
FanLib's investors and advisors include notable names from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, including film producer Jon Landau (Titanic), high-powered entertainment attorney Jon Moonves, and FanLib Chairman Anil Singh, former Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Yahoo!.
As part of the FanLib.com launch festivities, readers and writers will be spotlighted on the site's home page. Those who visit the site and "take a bow" will win FanLib T-shirts and become eligible for FanLib's Premiere Grand Prize Drawing to "WIN A MOVIE THEATER FOR A DAY." FanLib will take over a movie theater in the winner's home town and host a private screening of the winner's favorite film. For complete contest rules, please visit http://www.fanlib.com/contests.do.
About FanLib
FanLib, Inc. is the People Powered Entertainment® company. FanLib's website (www.FanLib.com) is the home of fan fiction where entertainment fans can extend their experience with their favorite movies, television shows, and books. Since 2003, FanLib has been producing online storytelling events that bring fans together with well-known writers, publishers, and media companies including Showtime Networks and HarperCollins. FanLib, Inc. is a private, venture-funded company based in California with offices in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
Beck Media & Marketing (for FanLib)
Todd Beck/Steve Spignese, 310-689-7363
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115386919178817155.html
HarperCollins Turns to Web, In a Search for More Romance
BY JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG AND BRIAN STEINBERG
Word Count: 540 | Companies Featured in This Article: News Corp., IAC/Interactive
Attention, budding romance novelists: HarperCollins wants to hear from you.
In the latest example of how book publishers are using the Web to connect with readers, the News Corp. book publishing unit is teaming up with FanLib, which runs Web sites for consumer-generated content, to run an eight-week online writing contest for fans of romance novels.
HarperCollins's Avon Books romance imprint plans to use the contest to promote its existing stable of authors. HarperCollins Publishers and FanLib also hope the venture will generate revenue through sale of ads on the Web site hosting the contest, www.avonfanlit.com. The two companies will ...
http://www.cable360.net/events/conventions/23419.html
Showtime expanded its user-generated fan fiction deal with FanLib.com, which now counts CBS, Starz and other media companies as affiliates. [Release]
Links to:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070510/20070510005297.html?.v=1
No longer available
http://www.fanlib.com/aboutUs.do
About Us
FanLib is dedicated to promoting and celebrating fan creativity.
Fan fiction has existed long before Al Gore invented the internet. Today, there are millions of fanfic writers and thousands of sites featuring fanfic. Since 2003, FanLib has led the fan fiction charge by producing online events that bring fans together with well-known creators and brands from the entertainment world (see some of our press).
Our mission is to bring fan fiction out of the shadows and into the limelight.
Now, with your help, we aim to make FanLib.com the best darn fan fiction site ever. Whatever your fancy - from The A Team to Zorro, anime to westerns - you're invited to showcase, discover, rant, and rave about them all.
Share your creativity. Share your opinions. Let us know what you think about the site so we can keep making it better. And, stay tuned... We've got a slew of great new features and fun events coming your way soon.
FanLib.com - Where the stories continue...
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/background.html
Company Background
FanLib was founded in 2002 by veteran filmmaker Craig Singer, internet pioneer David B. Williams, and former Yahoo! executive and film producer Chris M. Williams as a division of their production company My2Centences. My2Centences was actively involved in the convergence of marketing, entertainment, and online media. While completing a series of feature films under the My2Centences banner, Singer conceived of the storytelling process that inspired FanLib's unique collaboration technology.
In October 2006, after a successful and well-publicized partnership with Showtime Networks around their hit series The L Word (fans were invited to help script an episode, or Fanisode™), Chris Williams led a successful effort to raise venture capital financing for FanLib, Inc., the new company dedicated solely to FanLib.
FanLib's investors and advisors include notable veterans from both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, including film producer Jon Landau (Titanic), esteemed entertainment attorney Jon Moonves, and FanLib Chairman Anil Singh, former Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Yahoo!.
FanLib, Inc. is a private, venture-funded company based in California with offices in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/bios.html
Chris M. Williams, Co-Founder & CEO
Chris M. Williams leads the FanLib team, building key business relationships, spearheading strategy and overseeing operations. His wide-ranging experience as a successful internet executive, film and television producer, and advertising sales director allow him to effectively bridge the worlds of marketing, entertainment and online media.
In 1996, Williams joined upstart Yahoo! as one of its first sales and business development executives. Over the next five years, he quickly rose to the position of Director of Market Development, generating over $300-million in revenue and managing a team of over thirty people. He personally developed signature relationships and negotiated complex partnership agreements with Viacom, Disney, Barnes & Noble and others.
After forming My2Centences LLC, an entertainment production company, with partner Craig Singer in late 2001, Williams set off producing feature films, including festival favorites "A Good Night to Die" and "Dead Dogs Lie." His recently completed horror film "Dark Ride" stars Jamie-Lynn Sigler of "The Sopranos" and was released in 500 theaters by Lionsgate Entertainment in November 2006. He also recently served as a Consulting Producer on the Spike Television series "King of Vegas."
As the media landscape has changed, Williams has channeled his unique expertise in the colliding industries of entertainment, marketing and online media by helping marketers and established entertainment companies connect with passionate fans online and get involved with consumer-generated media.
Williams graduated from Boston University's College of Communications in 1993 with a BS degree in Broadcast and Film. He currently lives in Beverly Hills with his wife Carrie and son Gabriel.
David B. Williams, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
An established online pioneer, David B. Williams employs expertise in both content and technology to produce FanLib's groundbreaking internet applications and cross-media programs. Williams is also instrumental in the planning and implementation of FanLib's overall strategies and business initiatives.
Best known as creator of the trailblazing WhirlGirl® and founder of the innovative studio that brought her to life, Williams has created a portfolio of world-class online properties and produced award-winning interactive solutions for numerous clients including Disney, USA Networks, Smithsonian Magazine, M&M/Mars, Lucent and IBM.
Launched in the Spring of 1997, the futuristic freedom-fighting superheroine, WhirlGirl, ushered in the era of dynamic online entertainment. From 1999 to 2001, she starred in over 70 animated episodes and a massive cross-media branding campaign for Showtime Networks. She made numerous appearances across the TV dial, including on Showtime, the Discovery Channel and Sci-Fi Network, and became the first outside franchise to be represented in the licensing arena by MTV.
In the early nineties, Williams led the development and production of the first-of-its-kind SHOPPING2OOO® e-commerce CD-ROM series and website, creating virtual storefronts for leading merchants JC Penney, Lands End, L.L. Bean, Sharper Image, Eddie Bauer and others.
Williams was educated at Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied fiction writing and produced avant-garde multimedia events. He currently resides in West Hollywood with his wife Danielle.
Craig Singer, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
An award-winning director/screenwriter, Craig Singer serves as FanLib's resident creative guru.
Born and raised in New Jersey, he studied film and theater at William Paterson University, then art history at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Mr. Singer's first feature film was "Animal Room," a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story starring Neil Patrick Harris, Matthew Lillard, and Amanda Peet.
Next, Singer completed a series of films under the banner of My2Centences, FanLib's former parent company, which he co-founded with partner Chris M. Williams. It was during this period that he also conceived of the storytelling process that was the inspiration for FanLib's flagship technology.
Singer's second feature, "A Good Night to Die," stars Michael Rapaport, Deborah Harry, Ralph Macchio, and Ally Sheedy. A gritty, urban fable that chronicles a day in the lives of two hit men, the film premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and was released in July 2003 by DEJ Films and Fox Home Entertainment.
After "Good Night," Singer helmed the powerful crime-drama "Dead Dogs Lie" featuring Tommy Flanagan and Peter Greene. "Dead Dogs Lie" won several awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Feature at The Atlantic City Film Festival and The Phoenix Film Festival.
Most recently, Singer completed "Dark Ride," a no-holds-barred horror film starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler of "The Sopranos." Co-authored and directed by Singer, the My2Centences production was distributed theatrically Nationwide by Lionsgate Entertainment in November of 2006.
Additionally, Singer directed the acclaimed short film "Kill Charlie," a parody about the Willie Wonka kids 25 years later, currently playing all over the web. He has written numerous screenplays, including: "Animal Room," "Dark Ride," "Paradiddle," "The Terminal Club," "Untitled Fall Project," "Caroline," "Car Guys," and "6:45."
Singer resides in Fair Haven, New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Anil Singh, Chairman
As Yahoo!'s first Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, SVP Business Operations, Anil helped guide Yahoo! from obscurity to the media powerhouse it is today. He is widely credited with growing revenues from zero to over $1-Billion. Anil joined Yahoo! in 1995 where he managed sales, corporate marketing, business development, distribution and U.S. operations. He has over 25 years experience with companies involved in the media, technology, networking and communications revolution.
Since leaving Yahoo! in 2001, Anil provides active guidance and investment for a small group of select start-up ventures including FanLib, Inc.
Jon Landau, Official Advisor
Academy Award®-winning producer Jon Landau has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to oversee and deliver major motion pictures. The combination of Landau's thorough understanding of the most complex state-of-the-art visual effects technologies, his ability to work hand-in-hand with the highest caliber of creative talent, and his motivational ability with crews of all sizes has enabled him to play a significant role in numerous major motion pictures. Currently in production on the widely-anticipated James Cameron film, AVATAR, Landau has also produced such films as James Cameron's TITANIC and Steven Soderbergh's SOLARIS, also under Cameron's "Lightstorm Entertainment" banner. In the past, Landau co-produced Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY and the family comedy hit HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS. Throughout the early '90's, Landau was Executive Vice President of Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox.
During the past several years, Cameron and Landau have been developing digital production tools that will enable filming and mass digital distribution of 3D movies. Landau is also working in close collaboration with Microsoft, and its partner AMD, to streamline the production and visual effect process through the use of cutting-edge "Virtual Production" technologies.
Jonathan D. Moonves, Official Advisor
Jon is a senior partner at the one of the nation's premier entertainment law firms Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano, where he primarily represents actors, writers, producers, executives and production entities in all aspects of the motion picture and television industries. Jon is a leading expert on television distribution and exploitation. Recently, Jon completed the trifecta as he negotiated the largest deal ever for a television actor; he helped put together what became the highest grossing independent, English language feature of all time; and he negotiated one of the highest television writer/producer deals of all time. Jon also has been asked to serve on several advisory boards to "new media" companies and is regularly invited to speak at seminars on various topics about the entertainment industry.
Jon received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. Jon is a member of the State Bar of California, the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Fred Sturgis, Board of Directors
As a Managing Director at H.I.G. Ventures, Fred focuses primarily on investments in the software, Internet, business services and wireless sectors. Fred's board seats in the Internet and enterprise software industries include FanLib, Invistics, Lancope, Nexidia, NorthStar and Savvion. His wireless investments include Funambol and LetsTalk.com.
Fred has spent his entire career working with and advising technology companies at all stages of growth, from start-up through initial public offering and beyond. Prior to joining H.I.G., he was most recently an officer in the technology investment banking group of Hambrecht & Quist (H&Q). At H&Q, Fred was largely responsible for the firm's East Coast software practice, advising clients on a variety of M&A and capital raising transactions and sponsoring several principal investments through the firm's $500 million venture capital fund. Previously, he was with the investment banking groups of both Alex Brown & Sons and Robinson-Humphrey. Fred began his career with Accenture, where he managed software development and operations strategy initiatives for large multinational clients, primarily in the high-tech and telecommunications industries.
Fred is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Technology Association of Georgia. In addition, he is Board Chairman of the Entrepreneur's Foundation of the Southeast and is the President of the Atlanta Venture Forum. Fred received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Furman University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.
David Shen, Official Advisor
David Shen is the President of David Shen Ventures, LLC. He advises and invests in early stage internet startups, helping them in the areas of user experience, product development and strategy, and online advertising.
Prior to David Shen Ventures, LLC, David was the Vice President of the User Experience and Design Team at Yahoo! for almost 8 years and has been involved in almost every product and service Yahoo! has built in the U.S. and internationally. As an early employee of Yahoo!, he lived the startup life of working long, committed, and satisfying hours and embodied the "do what it takes" attitude required for success in entrepreneurism. In living the early years of Yahoo!, David came to intimately know the fast, low-budget, "take care of your users and listen to them" and "let the consumer decide" method of internet product development. Having worked on so many Yahoo! products, David also has a broad knowledge of effective business models on the Web.
David was also involved in the online advertising revolution at Yahoo!, where he helped manage, evangelize (both internally and externally), research and implement many new forms of interactive advertising and advancing creativity and quality in online ad campaigns. He also led the Rich Media Task Force at the Internet Advertising Bureau for 2 years to gain industry and agency acceptance of new interactive ad formats and methods.
After running the User Experience group at Yahoo!, David became the VP of International Products, managing and fostering best practices in online product design worldwide. In his previous User Experience role and in this role, he gained broad knowledge in the complexities of running internet businesses in international markets and finding solutions for dealing with the effects of their cultural and regional differences.
Prior to Yahoo!, David worked as a product designer at a industrial and product design consultancy called frogdesign, where he worked on ergonomic keyboards, PCs, and toasters. He also worked for Apple Computer for 3.5 years, designing and shipping their first ergonomic keyboard (Apple Adjustable Keyboard), their first digital camera (Quicktake 100), and their first 17-inch multimedia monitors (AppleVision 1710AV) and has first hand experience in building products using OEM vendors and working with international partners.
David has given talks and been quoted in numerous articles. In the early days of the Internet, David contributed a chapter to the book, "Mastering Web Design" by John McCoy which featured David and other notables in the Internet design community. In 1999, he with two others taught a tutorial at CHI '99 entitled "User Interface Design for the Web". In 2002, he presented on Yahoo! and its design philosophies at the User Experience 2001-2002 Conference. David has also given talks evangelizing creativity in advertising at Yahoo!'s first ever creative conference, Creative is Key in late 2002.
David attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received his BS in Computer Engineering. He then went on to get his Master's degree in Computer Science at Stanford University. His eclectic background in design and engineering, coupled with a broad international product development experience base, makes David uniquely qualified to effectively deal with multidisciplinary teams worldwide.
http://www.fanlib.com/cms.do?page=aboutus/partners.html
Partners
A growing list of companies including HarperCollins, Showtime Networks, and CBS work with FanLib to introduce special opportunities directly to their most ardent fans, and produce officially-sanctioned collaborative, online storytelling events using their popular franchises and characters.
Current Partners (in alphabetical order):
HarperCollins
Penguin Books
Showtime Networks
Simon & Schuster
Star Trek
Starz
I saved the information in May of 2007.