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ROBOT WARS LLC
74O BROADWAY
NEW YORK, NY 10003
For immediate release: New York, NY March 5, 1999
Robot Wars Back On Track
Steven Plotnicki, President of Profile Holdings, Inc. (fka as Profile Records)
and Marc Thorpe are happy to announce that the United States Bankruptcy Court
in Santa Rosa, California, has approved the terms of a settlement that provides
for the acquisition of Marc Thorpeõs interest in the Robot Wars Joint Venture.
The business will be known as Robot Wars LLC. Thorpe will continue to have a
financial interest in Robot Wars through ongoing royalty payments.
Robot Wars was first staged in the summer of 1994 at Fort Mason in San Francisco.
It was an immediate artistic as well as critical success. The event was widely
reported in the worldwide media and from 1994 through 1997 the live event grew
as the number of contestants went from 17 to 70 and attendance increased from
1,000 to over 5,000 people.
In the spring of 1997, the British Broadcasting Company commissioned a television
program based on Robot Wars and in November of 1997, Mentorn, Barracough, Carey
produced six episodes which were broadcast on the BBC2 in the spring of 1998.
The show was met with so much enthusiasm that the BBC ordered eighteen new episodes
that began airing in the fall of 1998. Robot Wars is currently a weekly series
watched by over 6,000,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Robot Wars is the highest rated childrenõs television program in the UK, with
over 2,000,000 children viewing each week. Building on the series success, the
show is beginning to spawn licenses around the Robot Wars brand. A book about
Robot Wars was just published in the United Kingdom by Boxtree. A home video
about Robot Wars is in production and will be released in the UK by Polygram
. In addition, a live competition for United Kingdom competitors is in the works
for later this year.
śNow that the litigation is behind us, we can finally get the property back
on track in the U.S.,™ says Plotnicki. Over 7,500 people in the United Kingdom
have joined the Robot Wars Club and more than 400 people built robots for last
years series. śConsidering that the U.S. television market is more than four
times the size of the UKõs, the potential here is enormous,™ adds Plotnicki.
śPlans are in motion for a live Robot Wars event to be held in San Francisco
this summer. I know that the U.S. robot makers have been anxious for the event
to be held. Now they will once again have their chance to compete during the
summer of 1999,™ says Thorpe. The success of the UK program has created some
interest among U.S. broadcasters. śDiscussions are underway to broadcast this
summerõs event,™ says Plotnicki. In addition, a weekly television program is
being planned.
Marc Thorpe will also be connected to the property as its roving ambassador.
Robot Wars' Gary Pini says, śWeõre hoping that we can bring Marcõs original
vision into every household in the world. The evolution of the quality of robot
building has been phenomenal. We believe we are on the road to finding enough
star-quality robots to make Robot Wars a premier television program and live
entertainment property throughout the world.™
The Robot Wars website (robotwars.com),
will soon be updated to provide more information for contestants as well as
fans. For press/media information, please contact Tracey Miller at 201-531-0484.
For other inquiries, contact Gary Pini at 212-529-2600.
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