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EXHIBIT 99.1
WSi INTERACTIVE CORPORATION Symbols: CDNX -- WIZ OTC -- WIZZF
June 12, 2000
NEWS RELEASE
WSI INTERACTIVE AND DEVINE ENTERTAINMENT TO CREATE CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT AND
EDUCATION WEB PORTAL
WSi-Interactive Corporation (CDNX: WIZ; OTCBB: WIZZF) and Devine Entertainment
Corporation (TSE:DVN) jointly announced today, a letter of intent whereby Devine
Entertainment and WSi will create a joint venture company that will
commercialize Devine's award-winning website www.devinetime.com. Devine
Entertainment will continue to supply creative content for the site, while WSi
will invest Cdn$1 million dollars, assume its management and execute strategies
to drive traffic and increase sales to the site. Devine and WSi will enter into
an equal partnership and it is the intent of the agreement that both parties
eventually spin off www.devinetime.com into a separate public entity.
The Devinetime site was developed over the past year at a cost of Cdn$1 million,
with the support of the Bell and Stentor New Media Initiatives and Devine
Entertainment. The site presently showcases and markets the history of invention
from the renaissance to present day, drawing from Devine's films which have
garnered 11 Emmy nominations in the past year alone. "It is a remarkable
interactive journey through time," said David Devine, President & CEO of Devine
Entertainment. "Our goal is to educate the imaginations of young people while
entertaining them in a way that makes science fun."
Theo Sanidas, President of WSi, said "The arrangement with Devine is a perfect
example of WSi's model of expanding its network of Internet businesses by
partnering with companies of quality and integrity to build equity and revenue
for WSi."
WSi will assign a team to significantly increase content with creative guidance
from Devine Entertainment and will utilize broadband for streaming capabilities.
Devine will further develop the site by adding content from its award-winning
library of films, extending the interactive journey with biographies of artists
and composers. "Our mission is to deliver high-quality interactive entertainment
and educational content that will add revenue for Devine Entertainment and
complement our established, award-winning brand positioning," added David
Devine. The site's e-commerce facilities will offer visitors access to
high-quality family and children's entertainment featuring Devine's proprietary
video library, as well as other products and services families can trust.
The transaction is subject to a due diligence process and board approvals by
both parties. Devine Entertainment Corporation is one of the world's finest
producers of high-quality children's and family films for worldwide television
and cable, international home video and internet applications. Devine's films
have received 12 Emmy Nominations and 5 Emmy Awards, as well as honours from the
American Library Association, KidsFirst! Coalition for Quality Children's Media,
Parents' Choice and the prestigious Humanitas prize. Devine's award-winning
interactive website, www.devinetime.com, features profiles of 100 inventors, a
trivia game, a flight lab and an e-commerce store.
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Devine Entertainment's films are based on historical and timeless stories that
educate and inspire self-esteem in young people. Beginning with the highly
successful "Beethoven Lives Upstairs," Devine's films bring history's great
geniuses to life through the eyes of children. "The Composers' Specials" feature
the lives and music of Handel, Bach, Liszt, Rossini, Strauss and Bizet. "The
Inventors' Specials" focus on the minds of Leonardo, Galileo, Newton, Curie,
Edison and Einstein. "The Artists' Specials" showcase the lives and works of
Degas, Cassatt, Monet, Rembrandt, Goya, and Homer. All 19 specials were produced
for HBO Original Programming and are international co-productions with Ireland,
Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Croatia.
WSi Interactive Corporation is an innovative Internet business development and
marketing firm, whose objective is to capitalize on business opportunities on
the Internet. WSi builds, manages and markets online businesses using its unique
combination of technology, marketing and venture capital to build successful
on-line ventures. WSi focuses on companies where it can add significant value to
the investment through a network of relationships and strategic alliances, and
our experience in helping Internet companies build traffic, develop brands, and
capitalize on a variety of revenue streams. In this regard, WSi is modeling
itself on CMGI (Nasdaq: CMGI - news). Like CMGI, WSi started as a direct
marketing agency in 1990 and has grown to become a specialist in e-advertising
and e- commerce. WSi plans to establish itself as a recognized leader in the
Internet economy, by creating a one-stop shop for e-commerce and e-advertising,
plus financial information and entertainment.
WSi properties include: Medianetsolutions.com, comparable to Razorfish (Nasdaq:
RAZF - news), Targetpacks.com, comparable to Yesmail (Nasdaq: YESM - news ).
Westernshores.com, Stocksecrets.com, comparable to Freereal time (Nasdaq BB,
FRTI) Yourwinestore.com, Healthcreator.com, a developing health & wellness
portal similar to WebMD (Nasdaq: HLTH - news), Investmentworldnews.com and
several others.
Website: www.ws-1.com
ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY
/s/ Theo Sanidas
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Theo Sanidas, President
This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing and
general economic conditions as they affect the Company's clients. Actual results
and developments may therefore differ materially from those described in this
release. No regulatory authority has reviewed nor accepted any responsibility
for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this release.
