TRIBECA FLASHPOINT MEDIA ARTS ACADEMY - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

TRIBECA ENTERPRISES AND FLASHPOINT ACADEMY ANNOUNCE
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP SET TO OPERATE UNDER NEW BANNER:
TRIBECA FLASHPOINT MEDIA ARTS ACADEMY

Tribeca Becomes Fifty-Percent Partner in Chicago-Based Digital Media Arts & Sciences Academy, Expanding the Digital Media Education Model

Academy Expands Tribeca’s Presence in Education, Innovation and Digital Media

New York, NY and Chicago, IL (April 14, 2010) – Tribeca Enterprises and Flashpoint Academy today announced that Tribeca Educational Ventures LLC, a Tribeca Enterprises subsidiary, will partner with Chicago-based Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts & Sciences. The two-year Digital Media Arts College is set to be re-named Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy and will provide students with an enhanced hands-on education in film and broadcast, game and interactive media development, recording arts and visual effects and animation.

Founded in 2007, Flashpoint was created as an alternative to traditional media arts education. The school focuses on immersive learning using the tools, methods, latest technology and trends used in today’s converging digital entertainment industries. Currently, 450 students learn to produce films, video games, music videos, animation and broadcast projects inside Flashpoint’s 75,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility and two large-scale production stages in Chicago. Flashpoint’s first class graduated in the spring of 2009, with students going on to careers and internships with media, gaming and production companies, including Reveille, FOX Searchlight, Tap Me! Games and Robomodo Games, Draft FCB, Young & Rubicam, Chicago Recording Company and IATSE Local 2.

Tribeca has become a 50% partner in Flashpoint and will enhance the college’s curriculum and programs by offering students access to industry-recognized talent and visiting lecturers, increasing real world work experience through student participation in Tribeca Enterprises initiatives and Tribeca Film Festival projects; and by providing access to Tribeca partners, sponsors and industry contacts that strengthen student job prospects upon graduation.

“Flashpoint stood out as an extraordinary opportunity to complement and expand our educational and digital media ecosystem,” said Craig Hatkoff, Co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises. “Tribeca Flashpoint’s platform is scalable; the emphasis on hands-on learning using the latest technologies will prepare the first generation of digital natives for the transition from the classroom into the marketplace. We believe innovation and creativity are teachable skills that will be necessary for success amidst the ongoing disruption of traditional business models.”

“Education has always been a part of the fabric of Tribeca,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises. “The media industry is rapidly evolving and the skills required for success are as well. We are excited about Tribeca Flashpoint’s ability to provide students with a digital media education, training, opportunities and hands-on experience they need to become the future of our industry.”

“Flashpoint Academy has always used a forward-thinking, collaborative approach to digital media education,” said Flashpoint CEO Howard A. Tullman. “As these crucial media industries continue to merge – with games demanding increased narrative structures – and films requiring more and more animation, visual effects as well as powerful music, we think convergence is the key to the future. Working hand in hand with Tribeca, we are confident that the school will continue to be a leader in education and provide our students with even more opportunities to break into all of these industries.”

“Tribeca’s investment in Flashpoint is part of our continued commitment to our industry,” said Tribeca Enterprises co-founder Robert De Niro. “We have always sought to nurture young aspiring talent and I am proud that this new venture will continue to do just that.”

Tribeca Enterprises is the umbrella organization for the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Cinemas, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, a new national distribution initiative, Tribeca Film and the first-ever Tribeca Film Festival Virtual. Through its investment in Flashpoint, Tribeca will further extend its digital media portfolio and presence beyond New York City. Tribeca Flashpoint has the opportunity to strengthen the media arts education landscape and create new opportunities for digital media students by focusing on hands-on experience and job-placement.

Tribeca Flashpoint students will receive a comprehensive digital media arts education based on a collaborative, real-world model and graduate from Tribeca Flashpoint equipped with the skills and work product to enter the digital work force.

Enrollment for the fall 2010 semester at the Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy is currently open. For additional information, please visit www.tribecaflashpoint.com. Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy is located at 28 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL.

About Tribeca Enterprises

Tribeca Enterprises is a diversified global media company based in New York City. Established in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the company currently operates a network of branded entertainment businesses including the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival International, Tribeca Cinemas, and the newly announced distribution initiative, Tribeca Film. The Company's mission is to provide artists with unique platforms to expand the audience for their works and to broaden the access point for consumers to experience independent film and media. Jonathan Tisch, through Walnut Hill Media, is a minority investor in Tribeca Enterprises and is a member of the Board of Directors.