Contact: Beth Fisher, Regis McKenna Inc. (415) 354-4436
Sally Swift, Regis McKenna, Inc. (415) 354-4464
Coleen Lim, MacroMind Inc. (415) 442-0200
MACROMIND FORMS ALLIANCE WITH THE MULTIMEDIA CORP.SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 1990--MacroMind® Inc., the leading vendor of multimedia software, announced today that the company has formed a strategic alliance with the newly formed British Broadcasting Corporation subsidiary, the MultiMedia Corporation of England (MMC).
This alliance includes an agreement for both companies to jointly develop products in 1990 derived from the multimedia software technology known as MediaMaker. In addition, MacroMind will be publishing these products. A product prototype of MediaMaker has been displayed worldwide for several months and has won wide acclaim for its intuitive user interface and rich funtionality. MediaMaker is a visually-based video editing system that can sequence still and moving pictures, and synchronize them with sound. More detailed product specifics and ship dates are not available at this time.
"We are very excited about our relationship with the MultiMedia Corporation. We feel this exciting MediaMaker technology, together with the MMC's knowledge and expertise, will allow us to explore and develop better multimedia tools for a broader range of users," said John Scull, MacroMind's president and CEO.
The MultiMedia Corporation was created following the successful management buy-out of the British Broadcasting Corporation's Interactive Television Unit, which was formed in 1987 to develop interactive multimedia television programming. The Multimedia Corporation has now been established as an independent organization but will still maintain a close relationship with the BBC as an associate company. During the coming year, the MMC will be developing CD-ROM and video disk products for the Apple Macintosh® and other platforms.
"Our new company aims to become a leading publisher of interactive information
and entertainment products on optical disk and other media," said Max Whitby, production director of the MultiMedia Corporation. "MacroMind is an impressive company with the vision to establish all-important software standards in the emerging world of multimedia content publishing. Together our two organizations will be a powerful force in this industry."
MacroMind Director version 2.0 ($695) will be available in retail stores in April 1990. MacroMind Three-D ($1,495), a three-dimensional animation, rendering, and image manipulation tool for the Macintosh, will be available directly form MacroMind during the second quarter of 1990. MacroMind Director version 1.0.1 ($695) and MacroMind Accelerator ($195), a software utility program that speeds up and smooths animations for professional-quality output, are currently available from computer dealers and other resellers. The company also offers clip sound and animations sequences available in CD-ROM format ($195) or floppy disk format ($59.95 per disk).
Established in 1984, MacroMind is a privately held company backed by the Cole Gilburne Fund and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
###MacroMind and MacroMind Director are registered trademarks of MacroMind, Inc.
Macintosh and HyperCard are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
