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Giant Realm, Fast Growing Online Media Company Reaching Influential 16 - 34 Male Audience, Receives Financing From Comcast Interactive Capital, Edison Venture Fund

Posted on: Monday, 10 March 2008, 12:00 CDT

Giant Realm, Inc., the rapidly growing online publisher group and affiliate network of video game and entertainment sites reaching a core audience of men ages 16-34, today announced that it has secured $3.5 million in financing. The investment is being led by Comcast Interactive Capital, with existing investor, Edison Venture Fund, also participating. The two parties join the William Morris Agency, which founded and funded the Company previously.

The funds will be used to accelerate Giant Realm's growth initiatives, including further development of the online publisher group, expansion of its sales and marketing teams, and enhancement of the Giant Realm destination site at www.giantrealm.com.

The Giant Realm Publisher Group addresses advertisers' challenge of reaching this elusive audience of active consumers who have turned their attention away from more traditional online media destinations. The publisher group is comprised of nearly two dozen owned or affiliated entertainment websites appealing to specific passion points such as video gaming, indie music, film, and sci-fi. Visitors to Giant Realm's best of breed sites are characteristically early adopters who are first in line for new gadgets, games and entertainment offerings, and whose opinions are highly regarded within their peer groups. A growing list of advertisers, including HP, Sony Pictures, NBC, Scion, and Microsoft, have advertised with Giant Realm in order to reach this demographic.

According to January 2008 comScore Media Metrix data, the Giant Realm Publisher Group now attracts over 3.75 million unique monthly visitors, a 33% increase over the previous month. The network also became a top ten destination within the Games Information category in comScore in January.

"We are proud to have attracted such a high caliber group of investors as we move aggressively into Giant Realm's next stage of growth," said James Green, CEO of Giant Realm. "We are experiencing strong interest from marketers who are eager to connect with this previously untapped audience. By filling this void, we are giving advertisers an effective way to reach millions of young men with a propensity for consuming the latest entertainment, technology, and consumer products."

"Online advertising spending continues to grow at an extraordinary rate," said Peter Rokkos, Principal and General Counsel, Comcast Interactive Capital. "Giant Realm has developed an attractive business proposition by aggregating category-leading web properties that appeal to an influential audience with active spending habits. We are enthusiastic about the company's growth opportunities, and its ability to provide scale to advertisers."

As part of the investment, Peter Rokkos, along with David B. Horowitz, Principal, Comcast Interactive Capital, have been appointed to Giant Realm's Board of Directors, joining Ryan Ziegler, Principal, Edison Venture Fund and James Green.

About Giant Realm, Inc.

Giant Realm, Inc. is a rapidly growing online media company which helps marketers reach the male 16-34 demographic that has disappeared from the traditional media landscape. GiantRealm.com and its growing publisher group deliver original content and community for enthusiasts of niche entertainment platforms within video gaming, television, film, music and humor. According to Google Analytics, the company currently reaches over 11 million individuals every month, while comScore Media Metrix's January 2008 report indicates that Giant Realm is one of the fastest growing entities on the web. Based in New York City, Giant Realm's shareholders include Comcast Interactive Capital, The William Morris Agency and Edison Venture Fund.

About Comcast Interactive Capital

Comcast Interactive Capital (CIC) is a venture capital fund focused on broadband, enterprise and interactive technologies. CIC is affiliated with Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSK, CMCSA), a diversified global leader in cable, broadband services, telecommunications, and entertainment. CIC's primary goal is to generate superior financial returns from private equity investments in early and growth stage technology and services companies. To achieve this goal CIC works to foster the success of its portfolio companies by bringing to bear the unique resources, contacts, experience, and insight of both CIC and the Comcast family of companies. Additional information is available at www.civentures.com.

About Edison Venture Fund

Established in 1986, Edison partners with entrepreneurs, service providers and other financing sources to build successful companies. Edison provides capital and value-added services to expansion stage ($5 to 20 million revenue), information technology businesses. Initial investments range from $4 to 7 million. Edison typically serves as a sole or lead investor in financings up to $10 million. In addition to providing expansion capital, Edison funds management buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock purchases.

Edison's investment professionals are based in Lawrenceville, NJ, New York, NY, West Chester, PA, and McLean, VA. Industry specialties include application software, communications, financial technology, interactive marketing, healthcare & pharmaceutical IT. Edison's successes include Axent, Best Software, Gain Capital, Liberty Tax, MathSoft, Princeton Financial, Visual Networks, Vocus and many other information technology leaders, which have a combined market value exceeding $5 billion. Edison currently has $550 million under management and is actively making new investments. www.edisonventure.com

About the William Morris Agency

At the forefront of the marketing, media and entertainment industries, The William Morris Agency has principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai, China. WMA represents clients from all artistic disciplines, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, commercial endorsements, sports, digital media, and video games. William Morris Consulting, the company's corporate advisory group, works with some of the world's most recognized consumer brands to create entertainment-based marketing strategies. The William Morris Agency can be found at http://www.wma.com.


Source: Business Wire

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