Communications

Advertising Communications Graphic Design Internet Marketing Media Publishing SEO
News Release Digital Asset Direct

Logitix Names CEO, Announces New Executive Chairperson, CFO, and Head of Engineering

Logitix

Logitix, the leader in live event ticketing technology and analytics, continues to strengthen its positioning in the marketplace by announcing enhancements to its leadership team. With a deep background in ticketing analytics and product, Stuart Halberg has been promoted to CEO. Sports and entertainment executive Kurt Schneider has been named Executive Chairperson. Additionally, Logitix furthered its leadership team with the hirings of Eric Ingram as CFO and Trent Stewart as Head of Engineering. Logitix optimizes ticket sales through proprietary dynamic pricing and distribution. Its unique platform analyzes millions of real-time data points, providing up-to-the-minute insights within the live event marketplace. Since 2013, Logitix has partnered with 18 concerts and live event promoters, 16 NFL teams, 14 NBA teams, 19 NHL teams, 16 MLB teams, 22 NCAA entities, five primary ticket providers, and more. Halberg has spent the last seven years as Logitix’s SVP of Strategy & Analytics, overseeing data and product strategy, as well as playing an integral role in developing its Pricing Intelligence Platform. He started his career with five seasons at the NHL’s Florida Panthers serving both hockey operations and business analytics. “We have an incredible team here at Logitix and I’m thrilled to take on the role of CEO,” said Halberg. “This is an exciting time as our partners welcome fans back into venues around the world. Our industry is ready for evolution and innovation, and we look forward to bringing our platform and services to our partners.” Schneider is the former CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters, where he rejuvenated the iconic brand and introduced the organization to a new generation of fans around the world producing record revenue and ticket sales year after year. Previously, he was EVP for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he oversaw the live events, marketing, international, and pay-per-view businesses. Schneider joins Logitix’s current board advisors, and industry veterans, Danielle Maged and Kraig Fox. “With the thousands and thousands of live events we produced at WWE and the Harlem Globetrotters, I’ve seen the evolution of the ticketing industry from waiting on the box office to open to up-to-the-minute dynamic pricing across all outlets,” said Schneider. “Logitix brings an offering of unique services to benefit every ticket seller in 2021 and beyond.” Logitix focuses on four unique services aimed to provide a single solution to all stakeholders in the live event ticketing industry. Logitix Lift focuses on optimizing pricing and yield management strategy. Logitix List is a distribution and fulfillment automation platform connecting ticket holders with all available sales channels. Logitix Live is a B2b ticket exchange bringing secondary ticket buyers and sellers together and Logitix Insights is a central hub for engagement of ticketing data. “I’m confident we have the team in place at Logitix to continue driving incremental revenue for our partners while protecting their brands and strengthening the core of their business.,” said Jordan Turkewitz, Co-Chief Investment Officer & Managing Partner at ZMC, the New York-based firm founded by Strauss Zelnick. Ingram comes to Logitix after serving seven years as CFO at TractManager, a SaaS provider for insights and compliance in the healthcare sector. During Eric’s time at TractManager, he led several initiatives resulting in 4x revenue growth. Eric previously spent nine years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Stewart joins Logitix after spending more than two years with Salesforce as a Director of Software Engineering, where he was responsible for infrastructure build services and leading the development efforts for Salesforce Government Cloud to support the US Government's adoption of Salesforce. Prior to that, he was with Microsoft for close to two decades holding various development and technology roles across the company. About Logitix Logitix is the preeminent monetization engine and ticketing platform for the live event industry, combining optimized pricing, distribution, and inventory management with real-time insights to help sellers and buyers respond to a rapidly changing market environment. The Logitix vision is to automate the entire ticket life cycle and provide data-driven insights to serve the diverse needs of its clients. The company is backed by ZMC and is privately held. For more information about Logitix, visit Logitix.com or find them on LinkedIn. About ZMC ZMC is a leading private equity firm comprised of experienced investors and executives that invests in and manages a diverse group of media and communications enterprises. Founded in 2001, ZMC’s investment philosophy centers on operational value creation driven by targeted investment themes, deep sector expertise, and strong partnerships with industry and operating executives. ZMC approaches its investments in collaboration with management teams and has a successful track record of actively adding value to portfolio companies. ZMC is currently investing out of ZMC III, L.P., which closed on $775 million in commitments. For more information, visit www.zmclp.com. Contact Details Eric Nemeth +1 602-502-2793 nemeth@ericpr.com Company Website https://logitix.com/

July 29, 2021 09:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

MY.GAMES Q2 Results Build Solid Performance with 18% YoY Revenue Growth for the First Half of 2021

MY.GAMES

MY.GAMES revenue in the first half of 2021 increased by 18% compared to the previous year and amounted to 22.1 billion rubles ($297m). EBITDA for the first half of the year increased by 42% and amounted to 4.1 billion rubles ($55m). Global gaming brand MY.GAMES (part of Mail.ru Group) today announced its results for Q2 2021 - with revenue increasing by 1% and surpassing Q2 2020 in absolute revenues. This is all despite no new internal game launches and no significant studio acquisitions year-to-date, as well as IDFA related changes and the base effect. MY.GAMES received 74% of their games revenue in Q2 2021 outside Russia and CIS with the key markets being the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. The company currently has more than 20 titles in the pipeline and the investment division - MCVG - also continues to develop the international and domestic business. War Robots, Warface, Hustle Castle, Rush Royale and Grand Hotel Mania were the main revenue contributors in the second quarter of 2021. The mobile segment accounted for 77% of the total revenue of MY.GAMES. The company enjoyed consolidated success in Q2 - with updates to existing games performing well and hit mobile titles Rush Royale, Hustle Castle and War Robots, launching on PC Allods Team has announced the game Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread, a two-dimensional platformer with elements of metroidvania. The game will be available in early access from September this year. Release dates on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, XboxSeries X|S will be announced soon. The mobile game Rush Royale reached the mark of 9 million downloads, although it was released only in December last year, and monthly revenue in June approached 400 million rubles (5.4m USD), which set the project to one of the most successful launches in MY.GAMES history. The Warface franchise reached 117.4 million players worldwide on all platforms during the second quarter of 2021, and still remains among the top three in terms of revenue among MY.GAMES projects. On consoles, Warface has received a cross-play feature that unites more than 24 million PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch players on shared servers. The game has also been released on the Epic Games Store, which expands the games’ reach further. As part of MY.GAMES ongoing investment in Cloud development June saw a strategic investment in Playkey as well as release of the MY.GAMES Cloud BETA for Mac OS in the Russian domestic market - the platform currently boasts more than 300 games and over 100k monthly active users (MAU). Vasily Maguryan, CEO at MY.GAMES commented: "In the second quarter of 2021, we managed to demonstrate growth against the background of a significant decline in the overall dynamics of the global games market. This was achieved by MY.GAMES strategic approach to portfolio diversification and our focus on organic product growth. The company's revenue grew by 18% in the first half of 2021, despite the effect of the high base of the previous year. In addition, we continue to successfully increase business efficiency — the second quarter of 2021 was the best in terms of marginality (24%) since the beginning of 2020." Overall Highlights for Q2: MY.GAMES Q2 EBITDA stood at RUB 2.7bn ($36.4m), delivering 13% YoY growth, with a margin of 24%, with the division on track to deliver a small margin improvement in 2021 and double-digit organic growth. The games War Robots, Warface franchise, Hustle Castle, Rush Royale and Grand Hotel Mania were the largest revenue contributors for the quarter. Share of revenue coming from markets outside Russia & CIS stood at 74%, with the US, Germany and the UK having the largest share in international revenue. Average MAU stood at 21.4mn in Q2 with a 4.7% share of paying monthly users, roughly unchanged versus the level seen in Q2 2020, during the peak of lockdowns and therefore player engagement. Highlights for the US Market are: Mobile advertising revenue up 117% y/y w mobile MAU up 2% y/y. PC revenue up 34% y/y w paying users share up 64% y/y. CB new users up 193% y/y w MAU up 173% y/y and revenue up 347% y/y. Grand Hotel Mania regs up 57% y/y w MAU up 291% y/y and revenue up 688% y/y. Left to Survive MAU up 7% y/y and revenue up 21% y/y. ARPPU up 12% y/y. Storyngton Hall sales up 18% q/q. Tacticool new users up 91% y/y w MAU up 64% y/y and revenue up 69% y/y. %PU up 15% y/y. Zero City new users up 26% y/y w MAU up 40% y/y and revenue up 39% y/y. Highlights for the mobile portfolio are: The top-5 revenue generating titles in Q2 remained War Robots, Hustle Castle, Rush Royale, Grand Hotel Mania and Left to Survive. War Robots (2014, Pixonic studio) shooter reached 197mn users in June, with average monthly revenue of ~RUB 800mn ($10.8m) in Q2 and significant positive EBITDA contribution. The RPG, Hustle Castle (2017, Nord Studio), reached 70mn downloads, with RUB 400mn ($5.4m) in monthly revenue in Q2. Other highlights from Nord Studio included Zero City (~19mn downloads, RUB 150mn ($2m) in monthly revenue) and American Dad! Apocalypse Soon, which performed well, with 9mn cumulative downloads as of the end of Q2. The Grand Hotel Mania (2020, Deus Craft) - a time management game reached 12mn installs, with ~RUB 300mn ($4m) in monthly revenue in Q2. Left to Survive (2018, Whalekit) shooter reached 38mn downloads and exceeded RUB 200mn ($2.7m) in monthly revenue in Q2, with >20% YoY growth along with almost 2x EBITDA improvement. Whalekit’s other title, Warface: Global Operations (2020), reached 18mn downloads. The Rush Royale (2020, IT Territory studio) a tower defense game reached 9mn downloads since its launch in December with monthly revenue exceeding RUB 400mn ($5.4m) in June, which makes it one of the most successful launches in MY.GAMES history. Tacticool (2019, Panzerdog) top-down pvp mobile shooter game reached ~20mn downloads and achieved a new monthly revenue record of RUB 150mn+ ($2m) in April with >50% YoY revenue growth. Highlights for the PC and Console portfolio are: The Warface (2013, PC/console/mobile) first-person shooter franchise reached 117.4mn players worldwide across all platforms and remains a top-3 revenue generator for MY.GAMES. Warface cross-play became available on console, connecting over 24mn of its players across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch to the same server. Warface was also added to Epic Games Store, broadening distribution of this key franchise title. Allods Team has announced a new title – Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread, which is 2D action-adventure platformer with metroidvania elements. It's coming to Steam later this year. Launch dates on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S will be announced soon. Lost Ark (PC, licensed from Smilegate) MMORPG released an update on Russia language servers and also announced an update with a 19th new class Demon Hunter on Russian language servers. Tactical action MMO Conqueror's Blade (2019, PC, licensed from Booming Games) reached 3.4mn in users and showed >50% YoY revenue growth in Q2 after another game update rolled out in March. Free-to-play MMO Skyforge (2017, PC, Allods Team) reached 13mn in registered users. In Q2 MY.GAMES continued to port its own mobile titles to PC on MY.GAMES Store as part of internal cross-selling and cross-integration, with Rush Royale, War Robots and Hustle Castle released in Q2. Highlights for Strategic Investments are: As part of its Cloud development efforts, in June MY.GAMES completed consolidation of Playkey, while also releasing the beta of MY.GAMES Cloud on Mac OS, with 300+ games and 100k MAU. MY.GAMES Store launched MY.GAMES Boost - a crowdfunding service based on the internal Boosty.to service, allowing content creators to receive donations for their work. Follow us on: Facebook LinkedIn Twitter MY.GAMES is an international gaming brand (part of Mail.ru Group) and a leading online entertainment company. MY.GAMES comprises 11 regional offices in Russia, Europe and the US, over 1,800 staff, and 13 development studios. MY.GAMES creates titles for the PC, consoles, and mobile devices. The company operates over 80 projects, with more than 150 titles in its portfolio including War Robots, Hustle Castle, Left to Survive, Skyforge, and Allods Online. MY.GAMES portfolio includes renowned titles like Warface, ArcheAge, Perfect World, Revelation Online, Conqueror's Blade, Lost Ark, and more. Contact Details Renaissance PR Stefano Petrullo +44 7828 692315 stefano@renaissancepr.biz Renaissance PR Emily Britt +44 7530 081191 emily@renaissancepr.biz Renaissance PR Vincent Gallopin +1 323-898-9891 vincent@renaissancepr.biz

July 29, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

Genpact and Not Impossible Join Forces, Leveraging Technology to Fight Food Insecurity at Scale

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/0ZgGIMRoOnk No family should have to choose between feeding their children and paying their rent, but that’s the exact choice millions of families are forced to make each day. Efforts to address this problem are time-consuming and difficult, and often come at the expense of personal dignity – from long lines at food pantries, to food stamps at grocery stores. The Not Impossible Foundation has joined forces with digital transformation firm Genpact (NYSE: G) to grow and improve its ability to confront food insecurity using “Technology for the Sake of Humanity.” The program will leverage the best of technology to create real-time transparency and increased connectedness so donors can see the direct impact of their compassionate giving. It’s an approach that could help non-profit and mutual aid efforts in your community understand their human impact and meet their goals. One key technology leveraged by the Not Impossible Foundation to combat hunger is Bento, a community-engagement platform that uses SMS text messaging to connect at-risk populations with convenient, nutritious, pre-paid meals from local restaurants. The process is stigma free for participants because meals are provided through existing online ordering systems. It also supports restaurants, many of which struggled during the pandemic. “We are a country with tremendous resources, yet food insecurity – the constant struggle to find enough to eat – is still a major social problem,” said Mick Ebeling, founder and chief executive officer of Bento and Not Impossible Labs. “The problem isn’t about the lack of food. It’s the lack of connectivity. Technology can connect people who can help to those who need help. Genpact will be instrumental in helping us do that at scale. Their innovative digital transformation has the potential to revolutionize charitable giving, while retaining the human element of social impact.” This first of its kind platform will create insights and transparency into donations that will enable individuals to see where funds go, be alerted in real time of the impact of their generosity on individuals, and create a richer end-to-end experience that fuels philanthropic engagement, retention, and commitment. To do this, Genpact will leverage its deep process and technology expertise, including user experience, machine learning, analytics, and automation. “No family should have to choose between feeding their children and paying their rent, but that’s the exact choice millions of families are forced to make each day,” said Stacy Simpson, chief marketing officer, global leader of corporate responsibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion, Genpact. “Contributing the best of our technology, humanity, and innovation to help eradicate hunger in America speaks directly to Genpact’s purpose: the relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people.” To bring additional awareness to this critical issue, Genpact leveraged its partnership with Envision Virgin Racing to add the Not Impossible Bento logo (NI Labs Bento) to its all-electric race cars during Formula E’s 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix. “Solving some of the world’s seemingly unsolvable problems requires all of us to step up and do something,” added Simpson. “Formula E fans are among the most engaged, passionate, and socially motivated audiences. Securing logo space on Envision Virgin Racing’s car for Not Impossible is about deliberately giving critical exposure to ending hunger, which is both a humanitarian and environmental issue.” For more information on this partnership or to donate, visit www.Genpact.com/NotImpossible. About Genpact: Genpact (NYSE: G) is a global professional services firm that makes business transformation real. Led by our purpose -- the relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people -- we drive digital-led innovation and digitally enabled intelligent operations for our clients. Guided by our experience reinventing and running thousands of processes for hundreds of clients, many of them Global Fortune 500 companies, we drive real-world transformation at scale. We think with design, dream in digital, and solve problems with data and analytics. Combining our expertise in end-to-end operations and our AI-based platform, Genpact Cora, we focus on the details – all 90,000+ of us. From New York to New Delhi, and more than 30 countries in between, we connect every dot, reimagine every process, and reinvent the ways companies work. We know that reimagining each step from start to finish creates better business outcomes. Whatever it is, we’ll be there with you – accelerating digital transformation to create bold, lasting results - because transformation happens here. Get to know us at Genpact.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. About Not Impossible Foundation: Not Impossible Foundation DEFIES the IMPOSSIBLE by creating access to POSSIBILITIES for those in need through technology-based solutions. The Not Impossible Foundation was born from the Not Impossible Lab’s belief in tackling the absurd through technology solutions for the sake of humanity. Harnessing the power of open-source thinking to unite great ideas with the people that need them, The Not Impossible Foundation is dedicated to scaling technology-based solutions and helping people in need. The Foundation strives to help the “many” from Not Impossible Labs motto of “help one, help many.” Through corporate support and personal donations, the Foundation is passionate about scaling solutions and expanding possibilities. For more information, please visit https://www.notimpossible.com/foundation MEDIA CONTACTS: Genpact Michael Schneider +1 (217) 260-5041 michael.schneider@genpact.com Not Impossible/Bento Susan Williams +1 (646) 753-0336 susan@gobento.com About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 28, 2021 10:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

CSG Partners with Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative to Empower Female ICT Entrepreneurs to Defy Social Norms in South Africa

CSG

CSG ® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced new growth in its partnership with Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi), one of Africa’s oldest tech incubators, to broaden the organisation’s Women in Business program nationwide as part of CSG South Africa’s commitment to making tech skills accessible and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). The Women in Business program supports female entrepreneurs to implement and adopt digital platforms and programs that up-skill their technological acuity to drive business growth and promote inclusion. This year, 30 female information and communications technology (ICT) entrepreneurs will participate in a ten-week course before three finalists are ultimately selected to continue in a ten-month entrepreneurial program that includes opportunities to connect with CSG women in leadership. “Creating space for women and underrepresented voices across the innovation and technology ecosystem is critical to driving economic impact in our communities and diversifying the tech talent pipeline,” said Channing Jones, chief diversity and social responsibility officer, CSG. “We are committed to supporting work that builds capacity and offers access to leadership skills crucial to success in entrepreneurship to foster a more inclusive economy. CSG is proud to partner with the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative to expand the Women in Business program across the region.” Established in 1999, CiTi works at the intersection of business, government, and society. Its mission is to build a future-fit, inclusive community and shape the future economy through innovation and technology. CiTi's Women in Business initiative is a flagship programme aimed at strategically supporting and developing female entrepreneurs. More than 1,700 women have gone through the program, and over 1,500 more have applied to join. "In Africa, women business owners are defying social norms in the face of systemic obstacles including limited access to funding, inadequate scaling resources, and challenges with work-life balance," said Lara Rosmarin, head of incubation and entrepreneurial development, Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative. "Through the Women in Business programme, we help women overcome these hurdles with strategic support, mentoring, peer to peer learning, and networking opportunities that enable them to navigate tough competition and thrive. With CSG’s support, we are thrilled to now accept nationwide requests and provide female business owners across all of South Africa with the powerful tools they need to grow their businesses." The program is open for submissions from Wednesday, 28th July 2021 to Thursday, 12th August 2021. Applications can be submitted at https://bit.ly/3yBL1RK. For more information on the CiTi Women in Business programme, email wibapps@citi.org.za. # # # About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetise, engage, and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California DMV, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative The Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi) is a Non-Profit Company with a mission to build a futureproof, inclusive society through technology and innovation. CiTi was established in 1999 and operates at the intersection of business, government and society to positively shape the future of the economy and society through the use of innovation and technology. We see this model as the key driver of systemic regional change and progression. CiTi achieves its mission through the following interventions: Entrepreneurial development, support and incubation; Digital job readiness and skills development - training young people to enter the digital economy; Open innovation clusters - picking industries of the future and supporting and stimulating their growth. CiTi continues to look at areas that will be transformative in 20 years and have an impact in five years. We are scaling our work throughout the continent to stimulate and build inclusive transformation within the digital economy. For more than 21 years, CiTi has helped businesses become more sustainable through the implementation of customised incubation, acceleration, training and support programmes for entrepreneurs, SMMEs and corporate businesses. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. CSG Contacts Kristine Østergaard Europe / Middle East / Africa Public Relations +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com CiTi Contacts Marietjie Engelbrecht Head of Marketing +27 82 822 8399 marietjie.engelbrecht@citi.org.za Contact Details Kristine Østergaard +44 7500 518412 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

July 28, 2021 01:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Ereka Vetrini’s Guide to Summertime Fun

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/4K2p1T5ok44 This is the second summer in a row that Americans must be thoughtful when planning family getaways. Whether hitting the road or planning a staycation, most head of households still have safety top of mind. However, being careful doesn’t mean family and friends cannot enjoy some fun in the sun together. As a TV host, Lifestyle Expert, and Working Mom, Ereka Vetrini has figured out a way to balance her career and family time. She has come up with four easy ways to get the party poppin’ and keep it cool as the temperatures heat up over the summer months. STICK WITH THE TRADITIONAL: According to a recent summertime survey, most parents plan on spending more time outside with their families. That’s why Ereka suggests sticking to the tried and true, like beach days, barbeques, and hanging out by the pool. That way families get to spend time together outdoors while being safe and socially distanced from strangers. Before heading out-and-about, Ereka recommends packing up a tote with a new book, games for the kids, and treats the whole family will love. There’s a tasty candy brand crafted in Italy that recently launched in the United States. Fruit-tella Soft Gummies are made with fruit puree as the first ingredient. They come in two flavors, Strawberry & Raspberry and Peach & Mango. These candies are quite flavorful and each one has a fun and playful fruit character shape that makes for the perfect summertime treat. Fruit-tella can be found at CVS stores nationwide. www.us.fruittella.com Instagram: @fruittellaus Twitter: @fruittellaus https://www.facebook.com/Fruittellaus/ GET THE PARTY POPPIN’: Americas’ streaming addiction has only increased during the pandemic and parents are looking for new ways to watch TV programs and movies with their families. Ereka suggests outdoor movie nights. She says setting up a big screen in a backyard can easily do the trick, especially if you add America’s favorite snack. The most popular moviegoers treat, popcorn, just received a major upgrade with the newest innovation in microwave popcorn from Opopop. The secret to this brand’s taste is that each kernel is individually wrapped in exceptional flavors and a perfect mix of ingredients, prior to popping. Opopop comes in six fun flavors, including reimagined classics like Fancy Butter, and uniquely created experiences with Maui Heat, Vanilla Cake Pop, Salted Umami, Cinnalicious, and Chedapeno. Opopop can be purchased at Opopop.com. www.opopop.com Instagram: @opopopco https://www.facebook.com/Opopopco/ CHILL OUT: July is National Ice Cream Month and the perfect time to cool off as we head into those long hot dog days of summer. Ereka says nothing screams summer more than ice cream cake! She suggests keeping it easy with a few pre-made ice cream cakes like the Carvel ® Confetti Cake and the new Carvel Cookie Dough Cake from I Love Ice Cream Cakes. Ereka recommends keeping one in the freezer for family barbecues, get-togethers, pool parties, and to make everyday moments a touch sweeter. These cakes and others are available online and at grocery stores in the bakery or freezer section. ILoveIceCreamCakes.com has a helpful product locator. www.Iloveicecreamcakes.com Instagram: @LoveIceCreamCakes www.facebook.com/ILoveIceCreamCakes/ GRAB GEAR & GO: Many families are road-tripping throughout the summer months and that means children can catch up on reading, summer schooling, or gaming while heading to a destination. As a conscious consumer and parent, Ereka is often concerned about protecting her family’s tech gadgets from cracked screens and other mishaps that happen on-the-go. OtterBox for Kids combines trusted protection from OtterBox with products designed with kids in mind. These easy-to-use cases come in three different colors and offer an EasyGrab case stand to help little hands carry their tablet or easily hang a tablet between head rests. Other gadgets like the OtterBox Kids EasyGrab Mobile Charging & Audio Cable Bundle are available to keep the fun going while vacationing. OtterBox products are available at Verizon and Verizon.com. www.Verizon.com Instagram: @otterbox Twitter: @otterbox https://www.facebook.com/otterbox/ Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 27, 2021 12:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

Distinguished Cannabis Industry Expert Joins Phase 4 Services as VP of Business Development

Phase 4 Services

Hemp and cannabis testing laboratory management and consulting firm Phase 4 Services has tapped Jonathan Wani of MCR Labs as their latest VP addition and leader of the group’s business development consulting team. As VP of Business Development, Wani will draw on his 7 years of experience in the cannabis testing space as well as more than a decade’s worth of knowledge and connections gathered advocating for medical marijuana and fighting against cannabis prohibition. He will assist Phase 4 clients with establishing footholds in new and expanding markets. “We knew how to figure out the science and chemistry we needed to start MCR Labs, but Jon was the x-factor that got us real traction in the industry,” said Michael Kahn, founder and CEO of MCR Labs, a cannabis testing lab operating in several legal cannabis markets. “He knew about the products we’d be testing, and he could talk the talk with all the growers we needed to be testing for.” Wani is known in the cannabis space for his awareness of industry shifts and knowledge of production processes and product lineages. His connections with influencers, cannabis cup organizers, and prominent growers and extractors have enabled him to establish strong relationships with some of the largest multistate operators in the expanding cannabis industry. He is also a sought-after speaker for educational and industry-focused events. Adding Wani to the team allows Phase 4 Services to offer their clients valuable industry insights and networking opportunities that guide strategy implementation and facilitate expansion initiatives. About Phase 4 Services: Phase 4 Services is a scientific consulting and laboratory management firm dedicated to growing, supporting, and enhancing hemp and cannabis testing laboratories. Founded by experts in analytical testing, pharmaceutical chemistry, business administration, and development strategy, our team is equipped with the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure partner laboratories are successful in their pursuit of advancing public health and safety for cannabis patients and consumers. For more information visit http://phase4services.com. Contact Details Phase 4 Services Joe Crinkley +1 857-230-0839 PR@phase4services.com Company Website https://phase4services.com/

July 27, 2021 10:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Gumlet builds a new-age media delivery infrastructure for the internet

Gumlet

Gumlet, a SaaS startup providing a new-age media delivery infrastructure to automate the media publishing pipeline, today announced US$1.6 million in funding by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. While media files such as images, GIFs, videos and animations are integral to all digital interactions and everyday experience, the current solutions for managing and publishing such content remain limited. This is largely due to their reliance on APIs that require deep integration, domain knowledge and constant maintenance. Gumlet helps developers across the globe automatically resize and optimise their images and videos as per the end user's device or browser, delivering high quality media at the lowest possible bandwidth. Founded in 2019, Gumlet saw an opportunity to create an easily-integrated tool to handle media processing for a plethora of formats, device sizes and platforms. Once integrated, all previous, new and upcoming images are automatically optimized for any user. Gumlet takes over resizing, compression, format conversion, transcoding, streaming, delivery and analytics for all media files. By providing low- or no-code integration plug-ins that automate the entire media publishing pipeline, Gumlet helps developers experience 30-50% better optimization without affecting quality. Gumlet currently serves more than 6,000 customers including online stores, news sites, blogs, EdTech startups, travel sites and crowdfunding portals. Customers include The Body Shop, Vera Moda, Gas Jeans, Hamleys, Colearn, Bloomberg Quint and Bestseller Group among others. Over four billion media files are delivered every week via Gumlet, resulting in 25% month-on month growth since the start of 2020. “Gumlet is all about offering a plug-and-play solution for media management and publishing. This in turn helps online businesses provide better UX, load pages faster, save cloud costs and improve SEO - resulting in tangible business impact. More than just delivering a SaaS tool for online publishers and businesses, our mission is to build a media delivery infrastructure for the internet,” said Aditya Patadia, Founder of Gumlet. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the media processing solutions market will reach an estimated value of USD 36.63 billion and grow at a CAGR of 13.85% in the forecast period of 2021 to 2028. Rise in the advancements in technology and significant growth of streaming services and platforms is an essential factor driving the media processing solutions market. “As the internet becomes increasingly global and data-hungry, serving images and video in a high-performance, low-latency environment is fundamental for all websites to earn customer trust. With Gumlet, developers never have to worry about managing different versions and sizes of media files again,” said Divyesh Patel, Co-Founder and CMO of Gumlet. Gumlet was founded by Aditya Patadia and Divyesh Patel, who previously built, scaled and successfully exited from Turing Analytics, a pioneering AI startup in the image recognition and visual search space. Aditya is also the creator of a popular open-source image resize library in the PHP language, which he launched in 2012. Angel investors Aakrit Vaish, Miten Sampat, Swapan Rajdev and Yash Kothari also participated in this round. Gumlet is part of Surge’s fifth cohort of 23 companies that have developed new digital solutions to help companies and individuals live, work and learn better in a rapidly evolving Southeast Asian landscape. About Gumlet Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Singapore, Gumlet helps developers across the globe automatically resize and optimise their images and videos as per the end user's device or browser, delivering high quality media at the lowest possible bandwidth. Gumlet currently serves more than 6,000 customers including online stores, news sites, blogs, EdTech startups, travel sites and crowdfunding portals.For further information visit: www.gumlet.com or follow on LinkedIn or Twitter. About Surge Surge is Sequoia Capital India’s rapid scale-up program for startups in India and Southeast Asia. Surge combines $1 million to $2 million of seed capital with company-building workshops, a global curriculum and support from a community of exceptional mentors and founders. The program’s goal is to supercharge early-stage startups and give founders an unfair advantage, right out of the gate. For more information on Surge, visit www.surgeahead.com. Contact Details Gumlet Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.gumlet.com

July 27, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

Summertime Fun Guide with Ereka Vetrini

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K2p1T5ok44&t=1s This is the second summer in a row that Americans must be thoughtful when planning family getaways. Whether hitting the road or planning a staycation, most head of households still have safety top of mind. However, being careful doesn’t mean family and friends cannot enjoy some fun in the sun together. As a TV host, Lifestyle Expert, and Working Mom, Ereka Vetrini has figured out a way to balance her career and family time. She has come up with four easy ways to get the party poppin’ and keep it cool as the temperatures heat up over the summer months. STICK WITH THE TRADITIONAL: According to a recent summertime survey, most parents plan on spending more time outside with their families. Ereka suggests sticking to the tried and true, like beach days, barbeques, and hanging out by the pool. That way families get to spend time together outdoors while being safe and socially distanced from strangers. Before heading out-and-about, She recommends packing up a tote with a new book, games for the kids, and treats the whole family will love. There’s a tasty candy brand crafted in Italy that recently launched in the United States. Fruit-tella Soft Gummies are made with fruit puree as the first ingredient. They come in two flavors, Strawberry & Raspberry and Peach & Mango. These candies are quite flavorful and each one has a fun and playful fruit character shape that makes for the perfect summertime treat. Fruit-tella can be found at CVS stores nationwide. www.us.fruittella.com Instagram: @fruittellaus Twitter: @fruittellaus https://www.facebook.com/Fruittellaus/ GET THE PARTY POPPIN’: Americas’ streaming addiction has only increased during the pandemic and parents are looking for new ways to watch TV programs and movies with their families. Ereka suggests outdoor movie nights. She says setting up a big screen in a backyard can easily do the trick, especially if you add America’s favorite snack. The most popular moviegoers treat, popcorn, just received a major upgrade with the newest innovation in microwave popcorn from Opopop. The secret to this brand’s taste is that each kernel is individually wrapped in exceptional flavors and a perfect mix of ingredients, prior to popping. Opopop comes in six fun flavors, including reimagined classics like Fancy Butter, and uniquely created experiences with Maui Heat, Vanilla Cake Pop, Salted Umami, Cinnalicious, and Chedapeno. Opopop can be purchased at Opopop.com. www.opopop.com Instagram: @opopopco https://www.facebook.com/Opopopco/ CHILL OUT: July is National Ice Cream Month and the perfect time to cool off as we head into those long hot dog days of summer. Ereka says nothing screams summer more than ice cream cake! She suggests keeping it easy with a few pre-made ice cream cakes like the Carvel Confetti Cake and the new Cookie Dough Cake from I Love Ice Cream Cakes. Ereka recommends storing one in the freezer for family barbecues, get-togethers, and pool parties. The Carvel Confetti Cake and new Cookie Dough Cake are available online at ILoveIceCreamCakes.com along with a helpful product locator or at your local grocer and bakery’s freezer section. www.Iloveicecreamcakes.com Instagram: @ILoveIceCreamCakes https://www.facebook.com/ILoveIceCreamCakes/ GRAB GEAR & GO: Many families are road-tripping throughout the summer months and that means children can catch up on reading, summer schooling, or gaming while heading to a destination. As a conscious consumer and parent, Ereka is often concerned about protecting her family’s tech gadgets from cracked screens and other mishaps that happen on-the-go. OtterBox for Kids combines trusted protection from OtterBox with products designed with kids in mind. These easy-to-use cases come in three different colors and offer an EasyGrab case stand to help little hands carry their tablet or easily hang a tablet between head rests. Other gadgets like the OtterBox Kids EasyGrab Mobile Charging & Audio Cable Bundle are available to keep the fun going while vacationing. OtterBox products are available at Verizon and Verizon.com. www.Verizon.com Instagram: @otterbox Twitter: @otterbox https://www.facebook.com/otterbox/ About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 26, 2021 10:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

Rebecca and Kirk Treece Open Minuteman Press Franchise in Missoula, Montana

Minuteman Press International Inc

Rebecca and Kirk Treece are the new owners of Minuteman Press in Missoula located at 2100 South Avenue West. They bought the long-running independent printing business Advertiser Montana Printing, which has a 40-year history in Missoula, and are now operating as a Minuteman Press franchise. Rebecca says, “It is a real honor to become part of Missoula’s thriving business community. The Palmers (former owners) had a 40-year long relationship with this community and their loyal customers have welcomed us and trusted us with their service, which has given us a great start here in Missoula.” She continues, “We are enjoying the opportunity to help others promote and grow their business. Getting the word out to the community that we are so much more than just a copy center has been key! We have been out meeting new people, marketing, and making connections through the Missoula Chamber of Commerce and BNI groups. Over the course of these six months, people have been welcoming and genuinely happy for us when we tell them about our new venture. Many have stopped by for a tour and have been responsive to learning more about the services we provide.” One of the ways Rebecca is looking to stand out as a new business owner is by expanding on the products and services offered by Minuteman Press and educating clients on what is in high demand right now. She explains, “Our high-demand products are business cards, menus, point of sale products like invoices and forms, and medical facility materials. As businesses open up, the demand for envelopes, letterhead, and other consumables has grown. Being part of Minuteman Press family has given us a huge opportunity to share with customers our expanded line of products like mailing, signage, apparel, and promotional items. It has really given us the ability to help people promote their business.” “Missoula is a growing, vibrant, and diverse community that includes the University of Montana. We are sitting on the confluence of three beautiful rivers, between two amazing national parks. Owning a business for me is all about making connections. My goal is to help people market their business so they can use their unique skills to serve their clients. These growing businesses make our community stronger and I am proud to be part of that.” -Rebecca Treece, owner, Minuteman Press Missoula (formerly Advertiser Montana Printing) Career Transition Prior to Minuteman Press, Rebecca and Kirk had varying careers. Rebecca shares, “Before owning my own business, I was utilizing my teaching degree as a vision therapist at an optometry office in Missoula, working with children and adults to improve their visual skills. My husband Kirk was previously a financial and operational manager for a large company. He and I also own a franchise of Fish Window Cleaning and Sunbelt Business Brokerage. We are familiar with business and the franchise concept, but were really drawn to the Minuteman Press structure, training, support and record of success.” While Rebecca and Kirk have experience owning a business, they had never been involved in the printing industry before. Minuteman Press really helped them fill those knowledge gaps and was crucial in finding the right business for them to buy through their special conversion program that connects sellers of independent print shops with qualified buyers. Rebecca says, “Advertiser Montana Printing was an independent print shop that had been in business for 40 years and they had a very loyal base of long-standing customers. An established customer base was the opportunity we were looking for when buying a new business. Our goal is 100% retention and we have worked diligently to meet and develop relationships with each customer. We hit the ground running and it gave us an opportunity to get experience across the board. Our local Minuteman Press field representatives were able to train us on every aspect of the business, which gave us the confidence to meet the demands of our customers.” “The support from Minuteman Press has been exceptional. The training was very comprehensive, and we felt like we were well-prepared for starting up and getting straight to work. We also know exactly who to call when we have a question or issue to manage. The network of Minuteman Press is amazing in the way that everyone is there for you at any time and in any capacity that you need. The expertise of the training and the continual mentoring are the powerful tools we need to succeed.” Owning a Business vs. Having a Job Reflecting on her experiences as an employee and as a business owner, Rebecca shares her insights on the key differences between the two. “As an employee, you work hard and serve the customer. However, you have very little control over the direction of the business. As business owners, we have the power to create the type of business we want and control its presence in the community.” As for Minuteman Press in Missoula, Rebecca and Kirk know exactly where they want to go. She says, “Our goal is to become the premier printing and advertising design company in Missoula and the Greater Northwestern Montana area. We want to develop the reputation for supplying the highest quality products and having superior customer service. We strive to make Minuteman Press in Missoula the place to go for all advice and services. The main lesson Minuteman Press impressed upon me is that if you do not like the current state of your business, change it! Get up, get out there, market, make connections, and grow your business. We have been given the tools and the support to create something great and that is extremely exciting for us.” When asked about the rewards of owning her own business, Rebecca answers, “We are truly fortunate to have a highly skilled and dedicated staff and I love coming in every day to work side-by-side with these incredible people. It is personally rewarding to create a workplace that fosters teamwork and allows employees to create and take pride in their work. It is also very satisfying to develop quality relationships with customers and members of the community.” She continues, “Professionally, our goals are to grow this business significantly over the next year and become more involved members of the community. Business ownership has many challenges but the rewards are well worth it. Owning our own business allows us to balance our work and home lives and gives us the power to make the right decisions for our future.” Minuteman Press in Missoula is located at 2100 South Avenue West, Missoula, MT 59801. For more information, call (406) 728-5200 or visit their website: https://missoula-mt.minutemanpress.com. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Independent printers looking to sell their printing business can learn more about Minuteman Press International's conversion program at http://bit.ly/minutemanpressconversions. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

July 26, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

1 ... 287 288 289 290 291 ... 344