Qik and Katalyst Media Announce “24 Hours @ Sundance” With Global Production Partner Bellrock Media

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Qik (www.qik.com), the leading live mobile video streaming platform, and Katalyst Media (www.katalystfilms.com), an original content production company co-founded by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, announced “24 Hours @ Sundance” (www.24hoursatsundance.com). “24 Hours @ Sundance” is an online reality show competition, broadcast live from the Sundance Film Festival via Qik and shot using the Nokia N95 8GB and Nokia N85 handsets. The contest will pit four social media mavens – Meghan Asha, Matt Marshall, CJ Peters and Irina Slutsky – against one another in a time-based race to complete a number of challenging tasks. Bellrock Media (www.bellrockmedia.com), a digital media company backed by the Japanese entertainment giant Yoshimoto Kogyo, is a global production partner in this collaboration.

“When I was first exposed to Qik, I immediately recognized the entertainment potential of live mobile video on the Web”

Throughout a 24-hour period, co-hosts Actor/Producer Ashton Kutcher and Founder and Chief Architect of Digg (www.digg.com), Kevin Rose will assign contestants new challenges every three hours. The “24 Hours @ Sundance” final rankings and winner will be determined by the completion of tasks. Co-hosts Kutcher and Rose have final authority to determine the winner.

The trials and tribulations of each maven will be broadcast live via Qik and available at www.24hoursatsundance.com from 9:00 a.m. MST on Jan. 17 until 9:00 a.m. MST on Jan. 18. Qik and Katalyst Media have partnered with YouTube to make the footage available on YouTube indefinitely at www.youtube.com/24hoursatsundance.

“We are thrilled to team with Katalyst Media to broadcast the original content property ‘24 Hours @ Sundance’,” said Ramu Sunkara, co-founder and CEO of Qik. “This unique Web event will bolster Qik’s exposure to general entertainment, film, and media influencer communities as well as a larger audience of consumers. The Qik team could not be more excited to be involved—and to find out what will happen when Web celebrities compete—in this live reality show event at Sundance.”

Shortly after being introduced to Qik, Kutcher became an avid user, streaming video live from his cell phone to the Web while at work, at play, and even on his way to vote in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. He is now integrating Qik’s live mobile video capabilities into the concepts for several entertainment properties Katalyst is developing for digital and television broadcast media.

“When I was first exposed to Qik, I immediately recognized the entertainment potential of live mobile video on the Web,” said Kutcher, Katalyst Media co-founder. “At Katalyst Media, we began ‘Qikking’ in our development process, and soon became hooked on linking video-based interaction and community feedback with professionally produced, original content. Qik is a new genre of entertainment, and ‘24 Hours @ Sundance’ is our first experiment in live reality show programming on the Web, seen through the lens of a time-based event such as Sundance.”

Participating Online Personalities

Participating in “24 Hours @ Sundance” live from Park City, Utah on Jan. 17 and 18 are two co-hosts and four social media mavens:

• Ashton Kutcher, co-host – Kutcher is the co-founder of Katalyst Media, and a producer and actor. Kutcher is premiering the Katalyst-produced independent film Spread at Sundance.
• Kevin Rose, co-host – Rose is the founder and chief architect of Digg (www.digg.com), the voice of Diggnation, and a co-founder at Revision3 and Pownce (acquired by SixApart).
• Meghan Asha, contestant – Asha, co-founder of NonSociety (www.nonsociety.com), is a technology lifecaster who co-produces and hosts TMI Weekly (www.tmiweekly.com), a tri-weekly chat show featuring life, tech, and style content. Asha will be teamed with NonSociety Producer Megan Alagna throughout the competition.
• Matt Marshall, contestant – Marshall is the editor and CEO of VentureBeat (www.venturebeat.com), a leading news site about technology and innovation. Marshall will be teamed with blogger Shira Lazar (http://shiralazar.com/) throughout the competition.
• CJ Peters, contestant – Peters is the founder and CEO of Konsole Kingz (www.konsolekingz.com), a community where hip-hop and video games converge.
• Irina Slutsky, contestant – Slutsky is a technology reporter, online video personality and co-founder of Geek Entertainment TV (www.geekentertainment.tv).

About Qik

Qik, the world's leading mobile live video streaming platform, currently available on more than 100 cell phones, enables anyone to stream video live from their mobile device from anywhere, to anywhere. Its innovative, patent-pending technology allows anyone to share their moments live with their friends and family or the entire world. Notable live videos captured recently with Qik include exclusive backstage events with Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, as well as director Baz Luhrmann discussing his latest film. Find additional Qik videos, including those streaming live, here: http://qik.com/.

About Katalyst Media

Katalyst Media, based in Los Angeles and New York, is an original content production company creating Digital Media, Television and Film properties. The Katalyst mission is to create thought-provoking and compelling content for multiple platforms. Founded in 2005 by partners, Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, Katalyst film credits include The Butterfly Effect and Guess Who, as well as the upcoming feature film Spread. Television property credits include the hit series Punk'd and Beauty and the Geek. Katalyst is, additionally, producing two new network series, True Beauty for ABC and Game Show in my Head for CBS. Digital Media properties include the Blah Girls (www.blahgirls.com) and the upcoming reality series KatalystHQ.

About Bellrock Media

Bellrock Media, based in Los Angeles, Tokyo and San Francisco, is an original digital content production company focused on creating sponsored content for the broadband and mobile platforms. Bellrock Media is backed by Yoshimoto Kogyo, the largest media and entertainment company in Japan. The Bellrock Media group also includes Moderati, a leading U.S. mobile content company based in San Francisco and Sedona Capital, a venture fund focused on U.S. and Japan cross border opportunities in new media and entertainment.

Katalyst and all related logos are trademarks of Katalyst Media, Inc. Qik and all related logos are trademarks of Qik, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.