Communications

Advertising Communications Graphic Design Internet Marketing Media Publishing SEO
News Release Digital Asset Direct

Clearbanc and Pencil partner to help ecommerce businesses grow using creative AI

Stockwood Strategy

Creative AI company Pencil has partnered with the world’s largest e-commerce investor Clearbanc to provide their customers with the latest innovation in online video advertising, Machine Generated Creative (MGC). These ads can be created in minutes and consistently double return on ad spend for brands. It is anticipated that companies using the Pencil platform will be able to unlock new audiences on Facebook and Instagram and grow revenue faster. MGC online video ads are generated by artificial intelligence (AI), while learning what resonates with audiences, in order to systematically deliver better results for brands. Using historic ad performance data, Pencil is able to understand what in the ad is resonating with customers. It can then generate new batches of ad ideas which are new and distinct, but which share winning characteristics with past winners. In this way Pencil learns what works while continuously exploring new ideas that could resonate with audiences. Pencil analysed over 100 campaigns that used MGC video ads and found the best MGC ads delivered an average return on ad spend (ROAS) 2x that of other ads the brands were running. One brand’s MGC campaign delivered 7x higher ROAS. Will Hanschell, CEO and co-founder of Pencil commented: “This partnership with Clearbanc underlines the success we’ve had with our Machine Generated Creative ads for brands around the world. These ads are helping ecommerce brands and agencies grow, and I am confident we can help them scale further.” This partnership announcement comes hot o n the heels of Pencil joining as a creative partner in Facebook Marketing Partners, a program that connects businesses to an ecosystem of specialists. More than 200 million businesses worldwide use Facebook’s apps to connect with customers and grow, and over 10 million of them run advertising campaigns each month. Pencil customer James Harding, Head of Growth at Lyka Pet Food commented: "Pencil gives us the ability to generate ads quickly and more importantly, come up with ideas we might not have otherwise. It's been a massive win for us essentially." Pencil leverages proprietary technology to generate ad video, derive insights and make predictions, as well as integrating the OpenAI API to generate ad copy. The OpenAI API provides access to GPT-3, one of the world’s most powerful language models. Pencil is among the first companies approved to use it commercially. This approval requires strict criteria in AI safety and ethics. Daniel Rodic, Head of Market Development commented: “Clearbanc was created to help Founders grow their businesses by using our non-dilutive capital to invest in predictable and repeatable expenses like marketing spend. Pencil’s technology offers a simple solution for brands in our portfolio to improve their return on ad spend and ultimately maximize the effectiveness of the capital they deploy.” Clearbanc has deployed over US$1.6b to more than 4,000 ecommerce and SaaS businesses. EndS Notes to the editor About Pencil Pencil is a Creative AI company on a mission to generate unexpected ideas that get results. Pencil generates ads that learn to perform, delivering the return on ad spend that helps brands scale their businesses. Pencil invented Machine Generated Creative (MGC), a new way of making ads that algorithmically optimises for creative novelty, brand relevance and return on advertising spend. It always starts from a human brief and it always involves total human editorial control. Pencil’s MGC platform generates ads in minutes and has been shown to generate ads that double returns for brands. Pencil was founded in 2018 with a team from Google, Facebook and Uber and is backed by Sequoia Capital India, Wavemaker Partners, Singapore Innovate and Entrepreneur First. About Clearbanc Founded in 2015 by Michele Romanow (Canada’s Shark Tank), Andrew D’Souza, Ivan Gritsiniak, Charlie Feng, and Tanay Delima, Clearbanc is changing the way companies raise money by providing fast, affordable capital to online brands and B2B SaaS companies. Clearbanc’s data-driven algorithm has invested in 4,000+ companies across 50 states and backed 8x more female-founders than traditional VC. Clearbanc customers span small businesses across the United States, Canada, and the UK to some of the fastest-growing consumer brands today, like Le Tote, Leesa Sleep, Farmgirl Flowers, and Public Goods. For more information visit Clearbanc.com Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 press@trypencil.com Company Website https://www.trypencil.com/

March 17, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

News Direct And Media Outreach Form Distribution Partnership For Asia Pacific And America

News Direct

News Direct and Media OutReach - two newswires that are revolutionizing the news distribution industry with advances in technology, analytics, security and workflow - have entered into a reciprocal press release distribution arrangement covering the United States and Asia Pacific region. Media OutReach clients will benefit from News Direct's full-fledged access to The Associated Press distribution network in the US, which includes the nation's leading newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and online sites. Additionally, releases are posted to AP's popular app and apnews.com, the news agency's heavily trafficked consumer-facing site. News Direct's geographic distribution capabilities are supplemented by its robust industry-specific reach, allowing for highly relevant targeting. Trade sector and consumer-focused lists are refreshed with each use for maximum effectiveness. The partnership also allows Media OutReach clients to issue multimedia such as infographics, videos and images as independent assets in line with journalistic preferences. As a confirmation of ROI, clients receive a robust Performance Report that includes postings on major portals including Yahoo! Finance and MarketWatch. Media OutReach is the first global newswire founded in Asia Pacific and has a unique, in-depth understanding of the media landscape in the region. Its success has been driven by its technology-led distribution platform with an unrivaled Asia Pacific network, comprehensive database and precise editorial targeting capabilities which has proven to be highly-effective for PR professionals to reach out to journalists and editors - including influencers in their target media and countries. Through this partnership, News Direct clients can expand their reach and build direct connections with journalists in the region. Additionally, News Direct clients can leverage Media OutReach’s extensive media partnerships which guarantee online postings. As such, they will see their stories posted on leading news portals such as SINA, Viet Nam News and AsiaOne among others, further enhancing their exposure in Asia Pacific. News Direct clients will have access to the Media OutReach automated post release reports which provide qualitative and quantitative performance metrics. Importantly, this includes access to the proprietary Media and Journalist Insights dashboard, which provides insights such as the interaction between journalists and the press release including story open rates by publication, by country and eventual write ups. "News Direct aims to differentiate itself in many ways," noted founder and CEO Gregg Castano. " but above all we want to be known for the unrivaled quality of our distribution network. We are proud to partner with Media OutReach, which has earned its reputation as Asia's most innovative and dynamic distribution service." Jennifer Kok, founder and CEO of Media OutReach said, "This partnership enhances our USA distribution capabilities and customers can now distribute their news release and multimedia through its leading-edge delivery platform in America. Overall, this adds further strength to Media OutReach’s global distribution network, and we are pleased to be working with News Direct. The team at News Direct are industry veterans, many of whom are formerly from Business Wire and have built on their expertise to create an exceptionally strong distribution platform and service.” About News Direct News Direct provides news and content distribution for PR, IR, Corporate Communications and Marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely-reimagined, intuitive workflow, industry-leading security, transparent, flat-rate pricing and actionable analytics. Further, News Direct has deployed an array of innovation including advanced automation, isolation cloud technology and custom software for the most dynamic, efficient and flexible platform available today. To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. About Media OutReach Founded and headquartered in Hong Kong in 2009, Media OutReach is the first global newswire founded in Asia Pacific with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, China and Taiwan as well as international reseller partnerships in Canada, USA and Europe. Media OutReach is the only newswire that owns its distribution network across 24 countries across Asia Pacific; possessing a database of more than 130,000 journalists across at least 400 trade categories and 460 media partnerships, it is revolutionizing the industry by providing guaranteed online news postings, by language, for each distribution. With proprietary technology at its core, Media OutReach Newswire distributes multi-language and multimedia press release contents directly to the inbox of targeted editors and journalists to optimize news write up, build media relations and automates the reporting process with key performance metrics and its pioneering post-release reports gives insights into if journalists are actually accessing the release by publication and by country. Media OutReach Newswire is the go-to news release and content distribution partner for public relations, social marketing, digital agencies, and organizations in Asia Pacific. For more information on Media OutReach, please visit media-outreach.com. Contact Details News Direct Martha Pearlstone +1 203-295-7566 martha.pearlstone@newsdirect.com Media Outreach Ken Man +852 3594 6640 ken.man@media-outreach.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

March 17, 2021 08:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time

TeamSnap Announces New Technology Partnership with NFL FLAG

TeamSnap

TeamSnap, the industry-leading sports management platform provider for youth sports, today announced a new technology partnership with NFL FLAG, the official flag football league of the National Football League (NFL) and the largest youth flag football organization in the United States. With a multi-year agreement, TeamSnap Tournaments will serve as the official tournament app of NFL FLAG. NFL FLAG organizes and operates 12 marquee tournaments in partnership with NFL clubs and eight expanded tournaments, NFL FLAG Opens, each year. This includes the NFL FLAG Bowl and NFL FLAG Championships at Pro Bowl which attract hundreds of teams from across the country. NFL FLAG is operated by Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX). TeamSnap is a long-time partner of Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), sister company to RCX. Both businesses are owned by Reigning Champs. “As the NFL FLAG Tournament Series continues to expand, we need the best technology partners to support our growing event infrastructure,” said Garland Cooper, Vice President of Event Operations for Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX). “TeamSnap’s customizable platform allows us the flexibility to create exactly what we need to help NFL FLAG provide a world class flag football experience.” “NFL FLAG is a fun and accessible way to get kids across the country involved in football. TeamSnap is thrilled to provide a comprehensive management solution to support NFL FLAG’s tournaments and scheduling needs,” said Dave DuPont, TeamSnap co-founder and CEO. “Reigning Champs has been a leader in the youth sports industry. We look forward to expanding our relationship by working with RCX and supporting the iconic NFL FLAG brand.” NFL FLAG is a NFL-licensed property of more than 1,600 leagues and 500,000 youth athletes across 50 states. TeamSnap supports more than 24 million users, 3 million unique teams and 19,000 clubs across 100 different sports. ABOUT TEAMSNAP Since its formation in 2009, TeamSnap has been single-mindedly focused on taking the work out of play. 24 million coaches, administrators, players and parents rely on TeamSnap’s powerful and easy-to-use tools for communication, scheduling, payment collection and registration, organizing every sport and group activity in the world. For more information, visit https://www.teamsnap.com/. About NFL FLAG NFL FLAG is an NFL-licensed property of more than 1,600 locally operated leagues and over 500,000 youth athletes across all 50 states. NFL FLAG is a fun and accessible non-contact program available for girls and boys ages 5-17. Players benefit by being physically active through non-contact, continuous action while learning the fundamentals of football as well as lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship. Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX) is the official operator of NFL FLAG. About Reigning Champs Experiences Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX) is the premier youth-sports experiences business, running and operating leagues, camps, combines, tournaments and events. Part of Reigning Champs LLC, RCX works with professional leagues, national governing bodies, sports-centric businesses and brands to reimagine youth sports experiences. RCX produces events with world-class partners including the NFL, Jr. NBA, NAIA, Rivals.com and the 2022 World Games. RCX is committed to improving the accessibility and inclusivity of sports by enhancing the youth sports experience and creating opportunities for all athletes to play. We believe sports have the power to transform lives and that every athlete should have the opportunity to experience the value of sports. For more information, visit www.rcxexperiences.com. Contact Details TeamSnap Greg McIsaac +1 416-458-3591 greg.mcisaac@teamsnap.com Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX) Lauren Pulte 248-885-2607 lpulte@reigningchamps.com Company Website https://www.teamsnap.com/

March 16, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

News Release

Location-Based Services Innovator GeoSolutions Alleges RICO Violations and Unfair Competition by Weibo Corporation, Sina Corporation, and Others

GeoSolutions

This is a statement issued by GeoSolutions: "Chinese media conglomerate Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) and its subsidiary Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) used their unusually complex corporate structure to steal technology to enhance and monetize their leading “Weibo” social network—a Chinese-based hybrid of Twitter and Facebook. This is according to a new lawsuit filed on March 15, 2021 in a California court. The scheme enabled the Chinese companies to avoid paying rightful revenues to the creators of the software, GeoSolutions B.V. and GeoSolutions Holdings N.V. ( GeoSolutions ), the companies who filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of the State of California in Santa Clara County. GeoSolutions’ location-based services (LBS) technology is the driving force behind Weibo’s nearly $12 billion market cap. The lawsuit alleges that Sina Corporation (Sina), Weibo Corporation (Weibo), and at least 10 other related entities and two individuals at the top of the organization, carried out an elaborate scheme over several years to pilfer the technology and know-how of GeoSolutions, particularly its effective integration of LBS into social networking. This was done through a series of misrepresentations using subsidiaries and Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) to conceal Sina’s agenda and play a corporate shell game to hide the generated revenue. “As numerous market observers and scholars have maintained, Sina’s complex corporate structure is neither honest nor transparent,” said Adam Fox, lead counsel for GeoSolutions. “Its peculiar corporate structure circumvents the law and hides the truth by design.” Central to the claims in the case is the fact that GeoSolutions entered into a series of agreements with various members of the larger Sina group of companies to allow access to GeoSolutions’ LBS technology and the know-how of its effective use in social networking. Sina then deployed this software on its Weibo platform without paying any remuneration. GeoSolutions has never been paid any compensation from Weibo and alleges that various other Sina companies are also using the LBS technology and claiming it as their own. LBS technology has become essential to most mobile device users. It powers user queries for restaurants or other businesses “near me,” enables “check ins” at a location, tracks packages ordered online, locates your ride-share driver, and much more. This makes it valuable to many companies who want to advertise or offer additional services to consumers. In a prospectus for investors ahead of the Weibo initial public offering (IPO) in April 2014, Sina credited the LBS platform as a substantial means to generate revenue from its Weibo app. Sina now claims it created the platform when in fact it is really GeoSolutions’ technology. Weibo’s market value has grown dramatically since its joint venture with GeoSolutions. At the time of its IPO, Weibo was valued at $3.6 billion. Today its market cap is nearly $12 billion. However, GeoSolutions has never received any compensation from Weibo. “Our experience and engineering know-how allowed us to identify the early market opportunity in mobile location and to invest in developing the GeoSolutions LBS platform. We had a growing client base, operational experience, and the ability to utilize our GyPSii subsidiary. We were extremely well positioned. It made sense that Sina and Weibo saw us as a target," said Jay Cahill, co-founder and general partner at Bluefin Technology Partners and former Vice President of Operations for GeoSolutions. “In the end, deception by Sina and Weibo and the harm it did to GyPSii, GeoSolutions, and our team was devastating. We lost jobs and severances. To see something into which so many of us put years of effort, know-how, and our hearts be so diminished is deeply saddening.” The “sham” corporate structure GeoSolutions alleges in the complaint reflects a series of Chinese VIEs. This case is the first time a United States court has been asked to rule on the legality of this structure, which numerous legal and financial commentators say is used to evade Chinese law that prevents foreign ownership of domestic businesses in certain industries. Some of these commentators also say the VIE structure overstates company assets and exposes investors to underappreciated risks. GeoSolutions claims that Sina used its network of VIEs to steal its technology and hide revenue from GeoSolutions. “Sina used a series of shell companies to hide GeoSolutions’ technology and keep the company from knowing how widely its software was being shared – and monetized – across the labyrinth of Sina entities,” added Fox. “GeoSolutions entered the agreements in good faith. Now the company has lost its intellectual property and its expected stream of income. Most of its employees had to be laid off due to Sina’s greed.” Sina Corporation reports ownership of more than 20 “significant subsidiaries and VIEs,” including Palo Alto-based SINA.COM Online, one of the other defendants. In its own 2019 annual report, Sina admits that its use of VIEs is intended to circumvent Chinese law while exercising (in theory) operational control over the business. In the same report, Sina states that it “cannot be sure that the PRC government would view our contractual arrangements to be in compliance with PRC licensing, registration, or other regulatory requirements.” It is this questionable, and some commentators argue illegal, corporate structure that allowed Sina and Weibo to misrepresent their intentions to GeoSolutions. Impartial third-party experts agree that GeoSolutions’ LBS technology was stolen. In December 2019, a distinguished international arbitration tribunal unanimously ruled in favor of GeoSolutions. Among other things, the award held that Sina Hong Kong Limited, one of many subsidiaries of Sina and also a defendant in this new lawsuit, facilitated the unlawful use of GeoSolutions’ technology. Sina Hong Kong was ordered to pay GeoSolutions damages of more than $115 million, plus interest. The award was limited to damages incurred by GeoSolutions from August 11, 2014 through August 10, 2017, the time period defined in the terms of a 2014 software license agreement. More than a year later, Sina Hong Kong has still not paid the award. This is despite the fact that Sina publicly announced shortly after the ruling that it had set the money aside. The tribunal’s ruling also concluded that “evidence shows that other Sina entities made use of the Licensed Software, had possession of servers on which the software was based, and controlled usage data.” These facts had been hidden from GeoSolutions until December 2018 when they were revealed in testimony compelled from Sina witnesses during the arbitration. The complaint filed by GeoSolutions on March 15 lists six causes of action against Weibo and Sina: 1) Declaratory Relief, 2) Violation of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 1961, et seq.); 3) Violation of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1836 et seq.); 4) Intentional Misrepresentation; 5) Negligent Misrepresentation; and 6) Unfair Competition (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200, et seq.). The other entities named as defendants in the suit are part of the web of VIE entities and include SINA.COM Online, Weibo R&D Limited, New Wave MMXV Ltd., Sina Hong Kong Limited, GyPSii (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Beijing Sina Internet Information Service Company Ltd., Beijing New Media Technology Information Company, Beijing Weimeng Technology Co., Ltd., Sina (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., SINA.COM Technology (China) Co., Ltd., and individuals Cao Guowei (aka Chao Guowei aka Charles Chao) and Wang Gaofei, respectively the CEOs of Sina Corporation and Weibo Corporation. Among the relief GeoSolutions is seeking are damages for all injuries suffered as a result of the defendants’ conduct, treble damages pursuant to RICO claims, disgorgement of wrongfully obtained profits, and injunctive relief prohibiting the defendants from engaging in the conduct described herein." To view the full complaint, visit www.GeoSolutionsTech.com. About GeoSolutions GeoSolutions Holdings N.V. and its subsidiary GeoSolutions B.V. (GeoSolutions) are the creators of location-based services (LBS) and social networking services (SNS) software, primarily for use on cell phones, laptops, notebooks, and other portable devices. LBS technology allows device users to search for and identify their contacts by location in real time. This functionality pioneered a significant, new functionality to SNS and created a way to monetize social media that is used extensively today across the world’s most popular platforms. For more information, go to www.GeoSolutionsTech.com. Contact Details GeoSolutions Melissa Arnoff kglobal for GeoSolutions +1 301-785-3329 GeoSolutions@kglobal.com Company Website https://geosolutionstech.com/

March 16, 2021 09:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time

SMALL BUSINESSES IN WASHINGTON HIT BY ECONOMIC CHALLENGES CAN NOW APPLY FOR RELIEF GRANTS FROM GSBA AND COMCAST

Comcast West Division

GSBA – Washington’s LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce – and Comcast Washington are now accepting applications from small businesses throughout the state seeking financial assistance. Eligible BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-owned small businesses may apply starting today, March 15 through Friday, April 9, 2021 at theGSBA.org/ready-for-business. Selected businesses will receive $2,500 grants from the Ready for Business Fund formed by GSBA and Comcast. The Ready for Business Fund has expanded to support small businesses statewide this year with a $50,000 investment from Comcast and GSBA continuing its role as the fund and program manager. The statewide expansion will also focus on providing support for qualifying small businesses located in rural areas of Washington who have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and lack of proximity to resources. The grant application is short and easy to complete. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of volunteers from around the state representing diverse backgrounds and skill sets. All grant recipients will receive wrap-around services from GSBA that include membership and business consulting. All grant applicants will be notified the week of April 26. Grants from the fund are made possible by securing contributions from companies and individuals. In addition to contributions from Comcast, GSBA has received $61,000 in contributions from BECU, T-Mobile, Symetra, Microsoft, and Harborstone Credit Union and others. The Ready for Business Fund was originally established in the summer of 2020 with a $100,000 investment from Comcast and GSBA as the fund and program manager. The fund distributed $2,500 cash grants to more than 60 BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-owned small businesses in the Seattle metro area last year. Within a month of the Ready for Business Fund application being open last summer, GSBA received nearly 500 applications from local businesses. Business owners who applied to the Ready for Business Fund last year reported a devastating impact from the economic downturn, including up to 85 percent annual revenue loss, laying-off employees, and significant loss of business. When asked how the grant money would support their businesses, the most common responses included necessities such as paying for rent, bills, payroll, and groceries. The GSBA survey information from previous applicants underscores the economic challenges of 2020 and how the small business community in Washington continues to struggle. About GSBA Established in 1981, GSBA is Washington State's LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce and is the largest of its kind in North America. The chamber represents over 1,400 small business, corporate, and nonprofit members who share the values of promoting diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. GSBA proudly serves as a connector across the region, bringing communities together through business while advocating for civil rights and small business. GSBA also promotes LGBTQ tourism through Travel Out Seattle, advocates for small businesses in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood through the Capitol Hill Business Alliance (CHBA) and invests in the next generation of LGBTQ and allied leaders through the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Andy Colley +1 425-248-5438 Andy_Colley@Comcast.com Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time

COMCAST LAUNCHING 35 COMMUNITY WIFI “LIFT ZONES” ACROSS UTAH

Comcast West Division

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) today announced plans with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Ogden City Mayor Mike Caldwell to equip 35 locations throughout Utah with free WiFi-connected “Lift Zones,” or public WiFi hot spots, by the end of 2021. With an ongoing commitment to connect low-income families to the Internet, the partnership members are expanding WiFi hotspots in Utah’s most aggressive plan to date. “We are investing in this project because the pandemic has put countless low-income students at risk of being left behind,” said Deneiva Knight, director of external affairs at Comcast. “That has accelerated the need for comprehensive digital equity and Internet access and adoption programs, such as Lift Zones.” Lift Zones are designed to help those students who may be unable to connect to distance learning at home or who want or need another place in which to study. “The urgency of this service has never been greater,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “Kids can now have dependable Internet resources in a good learning environment. That reliable internet is key component of our YouthCity programming service, the Comcast partnership will help keep our students connected.” The partnership will expand Utah’s network of public WiFi hotspots with Comcast providing robust, free WiFi service in safe spaces, such as parks and recreation centers, and other non-profit and community centers – in low-income neighborhoods – where need to help connect students and families is greatest. “We expect to help tens of thousands of low-income students get online, participate in distance learning and do their homework when schools reopen and it's safe to gather in a socially distanced manner,” Knight said. Initially, Lift Zones will be activated at Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake, Youth Impact Center of Ogden, Suazo Business Center, YWCA Utah and Tracy Aviary Jordan River Nature Center. “Tech and innovation have always been critical and foundational parts of my vision for our capital city,” said Mendenhall. “There's an incredible value in these public-private partnerships that we simply can't afford to bring the level and the quality of internet that our residents need and deserve. “Through these public-private partnerships, we are able to leverage these foundational needs so much farther. We're grateful and we're thrilled.” “Our goal is to provide free Internet connectivity and access to hundreds of hours of educational and digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning,” Knight said. “Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which, since 2011, has helped connect millions low-income people to the Internet at home.” In addition to the WiFi Lift Zones initiative, public, private and non-profit partners are working together to provide internet access to hundreds of Utahns in need, including seniors and families. Visit https://utah.comcast.com/lift-zones/ for more information and the latest updates. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Deneiva Knight +1 801-401-2636 deneiva_knight@cable.comcast.com Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake Machelle Lake 801-322-4415 mlake@gslclubs.org Salt Lake City Lindsey Nikola 801-535-6040 lindsey.nikola@slcgov.com Company Website https://utah.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

COMCAST LAUNCHING MORE THAN 30 WIFI-CONNECTED “LIFT ZONES” ACROSS NEW MEXICO

Comcast West Division

As part of its ongoing commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet so they can fully participate in educational opportunities and the digital economy, Comcast today announced plans to equip more than 30 locations across New Mexico with WiFi-connected “Lift Zones” before the end of 2021. Working with its network of nonprofit, community, and city partners, Comcast is providing robust, free WiFi in safe spaces for students and adults to get online, participate in distance learning and workforce development trainings, and access critical resources. This initiative provides free connectivity inside partner centers for the next three years. Youth Development, Inc. (YDI) is one of the first Lift Zones installed in New Mexico. For nearly 50 years, YDI has been fighting poverty in New Mexico through a variety of youth and family services programs. “Transforming two of our YDI centers into Lift Zones has made a huge difference in the lives of the students we serve," said Robert Chavez, CFO/COO, Youth Development, Inc. “Many of the kids who come to YDI either don’t have internet at home or they can’t study at home and need somewhere safe to go. We’re so glad to be able to work with Comcast to give our students a safe, clean, and connected space where they can stay in school even when schools are closed.” “During the pandemic we stepped up to fill an urgent need, providing WiFi hotspots at nearly 60 community centers, libraries, and in neighborhoods for students who don't have access to the internet at home,” said Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque. “This partnership to add Comcast Lift Zones will build on that work to expand access to a basic need for both workers and students during this pandemic and into the future.” New Mexico organizations working with Comcast to establish Lift Zones in their respective facilities include: Albuquerque Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Mexico City of Albuquerque Community & Senior Centers - multiple locations to be announced City of Albuquerque Childcare Centers- multiple locations to be announced Goodwill of New Mexico San Mateo Center GoodBuys Center New Day Youth & Family Services South Valley Economic Development Center Youth Development Inc Main location South Valley location Farmington Boys & Girls Clubs of Farmington Main Clubhouse Hilltop Clubhouse Bloomfield Clubhouse City of Farmington Recreation Centers multiple locations to be announced Goodwill of New Mexico – Farmington Center Las Cruces Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Cruces City of Las Cruces Community Centers multiple locations to be announced Santa Fe Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe Zona Clubhouse Camino De Jacobo Clubhouse Valle Vista Clubhouse City of Santa Fe Community Centers Girls Inc of Santa Fe Silver City Silver City Senior Center El Grito Early Learning Center Additional New Mexico Lift Zones sites are currently under consideration, with the goal to have all locations installed by the end of 2021. “Partnering with Comcast to provide Lift Zones at three Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte locations is crucial for the success of our students. These connectivity sites will help ensure our students can access critical resources and participate in their education online,” said Roman Abeyta, Chief Professional Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe. “Access to the Internet is a critical component of digital equity, and we’re proud to partner with so many key community organizations in making that possible through our Lift Zones,” said Chris Dunkeson, Area Vice President, Comcast. “There is no single answer to address the distance learning challenges of COVID-19, but we’re working hard to bridge the gap for as many students and families across New Mexico as possible.” In addition, the company is providing free access to all outdoor WiFi hotspots through June 30, 2021, plus hundreds of hours of digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning. Lift Zone sites complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which has helped connect millions of low-income students and families to the Internet at home. New Internet Essentials customers who sign up by June 30, 2021 will also be eligible to receive 60-days of free Internet service. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Julianne Phares +1 505-218-0961 julianne_phares@cable.comcast.com Company Website https://newmexico.comcast.com/

March 15, 2021 09:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time

CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Engagement Agreement with DRAGOS

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years is excited to announce a partnership with Dragos, Inc., the global leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments. This unique partnership will extend efforts to identify and include proven capabilities within the CMMC COE Marketplace to improve cybersecurity protection and resilience for the global defense industrial base network of contractors, vendors, and suppliers. Far too often, the cybersecurity protection and resilience discussion fails to include any true focus on industrial control systems or operational technology. Dragos has a deep bench of expert ICS/OT cybersecurity practitioners committed to helping its customers detect, prevent, investigate and respond to attacks from threat actors. “This is exciting opportunity for us”, said Mr. John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. “Dragos believes the adoption of the CMMC model for ICS / OT cybersecurity is a critical step in our mission to safeguard civilization,” said Steve Applegate, Chief Information Security Officer, Dragos, Inc. “We are excited to join the CMMC COE Global Cyber Policy & Governance Working Group and lend our expertise to this vital initiative.” The executed Engagement Agreement establishes a collaborative engagement between Dragos and the CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC-based cybersecurity practices, risk management, and compliance for the DIB contractor, vendor, and supplier community of providers creating a broader CMMC ecosystem globally to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Work across industry, government, and academia to build on CMMC requirements to include and focus on attention to security and resilience of industrial control systems and operational technology. The CMMC-COE and Dragos partnership will focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small and medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 About Dragos, Inc Dragos has a global mission: to safeguard civilization from those trying to disrupt the industrial infrastructure we depend on every day. The practitioners who founded Dragos were drawn to this mission through decades of government and private sector experience. Dragos codifies the knowledge of our cybersecurity experts into an integrated software platform that provides customers critical visibility into ICS and OT networks so that threats are identified and can be addressed before they become significant events. Our solutions protect organizations across a range of industries, including electric and water utilities, energy, and manufacturing, and are optimized for emerging applications like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). Dragos is privately held and headquartered in the Washington, DC area with regional presence around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East. For more information on Dragos, please visit https://www.dragos.com/ About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

March 15, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Direct Partners With Latinx Newswire To Reach The Influential Hispanic Market

News Direct

With today's heightened focus on multicultural marketing, News Direct has entered into a reciprocal distribution agreement with Latinx Newswire, whose social media channels enable clients to connect to over 10,000 Hispanic media, bloggers and influencers. Founded by the team that pioneered Hispanic news distribution more than two decades ago, the next-level value proposition of Latinx combines flat-rate pricing, comprehensive targeting of U.S. Hispanic and Puerto Rico media and influencers, an SEO-enhanced multimedia platform, and the expertise of a management team that has collectively swept every top PR award. Latinx Newswire features a multichannel platform that segments news into 18 categories to facilitate journalist access, coupled with guaranteed postings to dozens of influential Hispanic sites. The reciprocal relationship enables Latinx clients seeking to convey their message beyond the Hispanic community to leverage the expansive global network of News Direct, which includes comprehensive U.S. coverage and access to Latin America markets. The founders of Latinx Newswire literally invented the category with the launch of Hispanic PR Wire in 2000, which was subsequently sold to a UK-based media conglomerate. Latinx Newswire represents the evolution of their distribution model, updated to reflect the advanced digital and social enhancements that have been introduced in the intervening years. "With today's emphasis on diversity and equity, we are proud to be partnering with Latinx Newswire to reach the Hispanic community," noted Gregg Castano, Founder/CEO of News Direct. "Latinos are influencing every segment of society and should be an integral part of all communications campaigns. No one has a better understanding of how to reach the Hispanic community than Latinx Newswire." About News Direct News Direct provides news and content distribution for PR, IR, Corporate Communications and Marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely-reimagined, intuitive workflow, industry-leading security, transparent, flat-rate pricing and actionable analytics. Further, News Direct has deployed an array of innovation including advanced automation, isolation cloud technology and custom software for the most dynamic, efficient and flexible platform available today. To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. About Latinx Newswire Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Latinx Newswire is the affordable, multimedia press release wire service tailored for brands, event producers, celebrities, media, and marketing agencies who want to reach the U.S. Hispanic and Puerto Rico media and digital influencer communities. Latinx Newswire releases routinely feature 135+ online and content aggregator placements on platforms like Google News, Diario Las Americas, AOL, Yahoo! Finance, and more. The service also features complimentary reports for its online placements as well as flat rate press release wire services that range from city to state to national distributions. Led by award-winning 40-year veterans of the social media and press release wire industries, our newswire features a wide range of budget-friendly multimedia capabilities that are priced at a fraction of what traditional wire services cost and deliver value every time. Contact Details Martha Pearlstone +1 203-295-7566 martha.pearlstone@newsdirect.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

March 15, 2021 07:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time

1 ... 315 316 317 318 319 ... 348