As fans and gamers have fired up their fret boards with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith®, there has been unbridled excitement, across the board, surrounding the epic collaboration between Aerosmith and the #1 music video game, Guitar Hero®. The game combines the interactive video gaming with Aerosmith’s stellar 30-year career to create the ultimate music game experience. To help fans get inside Aerosmith’s body of work and learn about the band’s history, Aerosmith members were interviewed extensively on camera by Paid Inc. Video & Film Production (OTCBB: PAYD) (http://www.paidvfp.com/index.htm).
These candid interview segments are interspersed with related interactive content as gamers experience each stage of the band’s career. The actual video footage provides the band members’ insights and reflections on the songs, their careers and their relationships specific to the venue being played. In the game, players can also unlock behind the scenes video footage.
Keith Garde, president of Paid Inc. Video & Film Production (Paid VFP), directed the production and post-production of the video interviews and has directed or produced numerous other award-winning video projects and music videos for Aerosmith as well as other musical artists.
He noted, “Aerosmith has had such an incredible reign in rock and roll, so capturing the band member’s expression of their history as part of this project has been just an incredible experience. The interviews with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer punctuate the important milestones and the emotions of the band members at each juncture of their career and provide a personal connection to the band for gamer. At the same time, the video segments profoundly spotlight the talent of the development team Neversoft’s amazingly accurate and lifelike motion capture of the band members in the game. The video and animation complement each other for an intense interactive experience that raises the bar to a new level.”
Paid VFP produced and directed the in-game live interview content and produced video interview spots for use in the game’s internet and digital marketing campaigns. Paid contributed to and oversaw the development of all marketing materials for the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, including in-store standing graphics, bus wraps and online marketing visuals and content. Paid also designed and produced a 16 page in-game AEROSMITH Tour Book, one of the most enticing elements of a special package available only to those who purchased the game by pre-order.
“We are proud to have worked in association with Aerosmith, Activision and RedOctane as creative consultants on all elements of marketing, and on the content of the game product itself,” Garde said. “AEROSMITH’s diversity and sheer volume of great music made them the perfect choice for a Guitar Hero game that focuses on a single group of artists. And this was an exciting challenge for our very talented video production team.”
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these quintessential rock legends to the interactive realm to create the ultimate gaming experience. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits including various tracks re-mastered by the legendary band for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way. Highlighting the list of celebrated artists is an in-game guest appearance from one of the pioneers of hip-hop and kings of rock, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame.
About Aerosmith
For more than 30 years AEROSMITH has defined American Rock 'n' Roll. Just a brief overview of their remarkable career is truly mind-boggling: over 150 million albums sold, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, countless awards (four GRAMMY Awards, eight American Music Awards, six Billboard Awards, and 12 MTV Awards), electrifying sold-out concerts around the world and a diehard "Blue Army" fan-base numbering in the millions worldwide. Described by Mojo editor Phil Alexander in a May '07 cover story as "America's greatest hard rock act," the members of AEROSMITH--STEVEN TYLER (vocals), JOE PERRY (guitar), BRAD WHITFORD (guitar), TOM HAMILTON (bass) and JOEY KRAMER (drums)--remain creatively vital, and are the platinum standard for artistic and commercial success in the music business. Through it all they have defeated the odds, silenced their critics and have undeniably withstood the test of time. AEROSMITH are beginning to work on their next studio album, the follow-up to 2004's critically acclaimed HONKIN ON BOBO, which received a four-star Rolling Stone review.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.
About Paid, Inc.:
Paid, Inc. operates a diversified set of businesses, including its celebrity services and AuctionInc ecommerce technology businesses. Paid, Inc.’s celebrity services provides celebrities and organizations with official Web sites and fan club services that include e-commerce storefronts, ticketing and fan experience packages and web site content to attract tens of thousands of visitors daily. Using proprietary patented technology, Paid's innovative AuctionInc brand shipping calculation and auction management software and services are utilized to streamline online auctions, ecommerce and web site development and hosting. The Company's common stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol PAYD. For further information, visit http://www.paid.com.
Forward Looking Statements:
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, including matters related to the Company's operations, profitability, business development efforts, and expectations about celebrity programs and fan club activities, technologies, and services. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-QSB with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contacts:
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