Streamedia Establishes European Base
Streamedia Communications, Inc., www.streamedia.net and www.streambroadcast.com(NASDAQ: SMIL - news, SMILW - news; BOS: STA, STAW), announced today that it will be establishing European headquarters for its networks and channels, as well as for its series of B2B services, Streamedia Digital Solutions(TM).
James D. Rupp, Streamedia's President and CEO, reports that, to support its expansion, Streamedia will co-sponsor, with Loudeye (NASDAQ: LOUD - news), the second annual Streaming Media Europe conference, scheduled in London October 10-12, 2000 (
http://www.streamingmedia.com/europe/index.asp).Streamedia was a founding sponsor of the first conference in Amsterdam in 1999.
Streamedia's European headquarters will be established this April, in Amsterdam, by Dimitri Devyatkin, who for the past five years has beenDirector of Special Projects for the Cable Television Group of Metromedia International Telecommunications, Inc. (AMEX: MMG - news) based in Moscow.
Devyatkin, a native New Yorker, was recently appointed Vice President, Streamedia Europe. He and his wife, along with their two young children,will relocate from Moscow to Amsterdam.
"Jupiter Communications has identified Europe as the leading Internet 'opportunity', and efforts in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe to open the Continent to unmetered broadband access have accelerated the need for major Internet communications companies to establish an earlyfootprint,'' said Rupp. "Web-based streaming communications is by its nature a global broadcast enterprise, and Devyatkin is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts throughout the European and West Asian regions. Hisexperience and connections in Moscow alone, one of the largest depositories of important historical film footage in the world, will be invaluable to us going forward. We have encountered interesting opportunities involvingcontent and alliances overseas, but we recognize that, to most effectively capitalize on these potential opportunities, we need to initiate our own presence in the region.''
Streamedia joins Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - news) on the list of U.S. companies opening headquarters in Amsterdam. Last week, Haico Meijerink of Cisco cited "the high level of education and deep technical knowledge, linguistic abilities and multinational trade spirit of the Dutch'' as reasons for choosing The Netherlands.
For Streamedia Europe, Devyatkin's duties will include the supervision of the Company's widening content acquisition program; marketing businesssolutions to Streamedia clients and prospects throughout the Continent; and the production of a proposed new international channel, Streamedia World Culture.
Devyatkin will also represent the Company's growing entertainment-oriented relationships, and will lead Streamedia's delegation to various European shows and exhibitions, including Streaming Media Europe, where he will speak.
A graduate of City University of New York in cinema, Devyatkin also studied under Roman Kamen at the Cinema Institute in Moscow. He has produced shows for PBS; ABC stations; WTN Worldwide Television News; British, French andGerman television; and for CBS in Moscow, where he was an Associate Producer for the Evening News. Devyatkin is fluent in English and Russian,and speaks French.
As soon as phones and e-mail are installed, contact information for Streamedia Europe will be posted on the Company's corporate site athttp://www.streamedia.net.