PHOENIX, Feb. 24, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Viastar Holdings Inc. (OTCBB:VISH) announced today that a management review of the last quarter's artist signings, distribution agreements and executive hiring in both the music and distribution divisions has the Company ahead of its projected goals for 2004.
Significant to the quarter's activities was the filling of key management positions in the Viastar Music Group and Viastar Distribution Group. In addition, the board appointed Kenneth J. Yonika as the Company's Chief Financial Officer and the newest member to the Board of Directors and named William A. Grazier as the Company's Chief Information Officer.
A twenty-year finance veteran, Mr. Yonika has an extensive background in corporate finance and "Big Six" public accounting. He is an expert in the all facets of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, capital formation, business valuation and has served as liaison with corporate underwriters, auditors, various regulatory bodies, investors and venture capitalists. Coupled with industry experience in distribution and manufacturing, Mr. Yonika was the optimum choice to fill this critical management position as Viastar's Chief Financial Officer.
Viastar's Chief Information Officer, William A. Grazier, brings over sixteen years of complex systems engineering and audio/video processing and encoding experience to the Viastar team. For over ten years, he has served in executive level positions where he guided engineering and technical teams in countless large-scale systems design and implementation projects. Mr. Grazier is managing a crucial aspect of Viastar's business plan, as the Company positions itself to be on the leading edge of the digital music revolution; both as a content provider and distributor.
Viastar brought in music industry veteran, Courtney Proffitt to serve as Senior VP of Viastar Distribution Group. Ms. Proffitt came to the Company after serving as Executive Director for the Association for Independent Music (AFIM) and a 12-year management career with BMG Distribution.
During her short time with Viastar, Ms. Proffitt has already brought in the high profile Acclaim Records for a long-term Exclusive Distribution Agreement with the Company. Acclaim's artists including, legendary Country songwriter Charlie Craig, (who has written hits for Travis Tritt, Reba McIntyre, Alan Jackson, Lorrie Morgan, Johnny Cash, George Strait and Dolly Parton) and newcomer Tyler Alexander, (a 19-year-old Country sensation preparing to launch his first album in spring 2004) both are currently receiving significant national attention as well as network television exposure.
The Viastar Music Group, guided by Senior VP Gardner Cole, hired major label veterans Jon Bergen (formerly of Mercury/Polygram) as its National Director of Sales and Marketing, and Shiva Baum (formerly of Triloka/Artemis and Gold Circle) as Director of A&R and Promotions.
The addition of both Mr. Bergen and Mr. Baum have seen significant and immediate results in the development of the Viastar roster. The Company is in negotiation with several prominent international artists and has secured Exclusive Artists and Merchandising Agreements with the Los Angeles-based Crossover/Hip-Hop sensation, "The Booty Boys", as well as 24-year-old, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Jaryd Burton. In addition, Viastar Records made an important signing with the heavy metal super group, "Erotic Liquid Culture."
Also, during the past quarter, production for "Gardner Cole, Past to Present" got underway, with the project expected to be ready for solicitation to Viastar's retail partners by second-quarter 2004. Mr. Cole was named "No. 2 Songwriter for 1988" by Billboard Magazine, and has in excess of 150 of his songs recorded worldwide on over 35 million albums.
Additionally, last quarter has seen considerable national interest in the "Music From God" series, which is the musical production of compositions mathematically derived from the original Hebrew text of the Bible. The launch of the first in the series has been set to coincide with the most important of the Jewish and Christian holidays this spring, and the release will include an enhanced video program.
"Our team and our Company are well ahead of pace on all fronts," stated Company CEO John D. Aquilino, "The opportunities created over the last quarter are expected to translate into 14 new titles in five genres for 2004, which far exceeds our projections for the Company's business plan. With new label contracts, we anticipate a substantial increase in business with the number of distributed titles to be over 300 by year end; all of which should translate into a significant increase in shareholder value over the coming months."
For more information visit Viastar's web site at http://www.viastarcorp.com/
About Viastar
Viastar Holdings, Inc. is engaged in development, production and distribution of entertainment related media for film, television, music and publishing interests. The Company's portfolio currently includes ownership of Viastar Distribution Group, A.V.O. Studios, Moving Pictures International, Viastar Records, Quadra Records, Light of the Spirit Records, and Viastar Classical.
Except historical matter contained herein, matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties, which may affect the Company's business and prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements.