[Washington DC, April 2, 2002] nextPix, an independent media production company, and WebDelSol.com, the nation's leading literary Web portal, have launched a joint Web venture called SolPix, a unique collaboration that offers the first Web-based bridge between the new online literary arts movement and the independent film community.

States nextPix president Don Thompson, "With SolPix, the original vision of the nextPix online presence is coming to fruition, while expanding that vision to include writers who are interested in promoting their stories to independent producers and filmmakers."

Through its Project Exchange, SolPix showcases a wide range of project ideas from short stories to novels -- even poetry. The Project Exchange allows writers to describe their project idea and vision, including source material as appropriate. The Exchange has already attracted award-winning authors through a selective process that involves agent and individual solicitation. States Mike Neff, Executive Director of WebDelSol: "We want to present the best of what's out there in the literary world, and offer that to the filmmaking community -- whether that be an independent producer or a Hollywood Studio. The Exchange is flexible and can account for the no-budget short film that will showcase the writer and filmmaker, all the way up to a high concept genre project involving a Hollywood producer. We cast a wide net because we feel that the short film arena is the nurturing ground for future filmmakers, and that we want to help establish writer-director relationships early, promoting the translation of quality fiction into quality film."

One of the most powerful aspects of the Internet is its global reach. With this in mind, Thompson and Neff feel that a Collaborative Space, powered by one of the new collaborative Web software providers, can be used in an innovative way by media producers and artists. States Thompson: "Internet collaboration is the key to allowing artists from all over the world to work together to create compelling art. With the rise of digital filmmaking, we believe that collaboration between directors, editors, writers, musicians and storytellers over the Internet will allow an expansion of the creative pool so that a director can work with artists on a worldwide basis." The SolPix Collaborative Space is powered by Communicast, a leading provider of Net-based collaborative software.

A driving force behind SolPix is an underlying belief that the Internet and broadband revolution will change the media landscape dramatically (even if more slowly than anticipated), offering a whole new set of choices for audiences. Don Thompson notes, "In the music industry, the introduction of digital technology ultimately allowed individuals to become powerful editors of their own experience. We know this will also occur for film. Moreover, the literary world is much more flexible and free form in terms of the themes and content you see out there. With the lowered cost of digital filmmaking, the economics become such that filmmakers can address a more niche oriented world of Web media and translate the incredible diversity seen in literature to the world of digital film. As the Web and TV combine in the coming years, people will increasingly dictate what they see and when. There needs to be quality, diverse media for that environment. We want to help foster the relationships necessary to create it."

The site includes several Web innovations. The "Best of the Net" section overviews some of the best streaming media available through the Internet -- a first. The site also offers a wide range of resources to both writers and filmmakers, including a comprehensive guide to filmmaker software, a forum for discussion threads via an online "Salon", a roadmap to various film-related websites, and suggested reading for those interested in breaking into the media business. In addition, the site provides New Wave media criticism, film reviews and media personality interviews with a unique, alternative slant not usually seen in the mainstream press.

For more information regarding SolPix, please contact Diana Takata at 212-465-3125.

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