Media Release - Mobifest LA Winners

Los Angeles, CA [April 4, 2007] – Animators Steve Ogden and Steven Topham were last night’s winners at MOBIFEST LA, a one-of-a-kind event celebrating the best in made-for-mobile animation. Hosted by Mike Judge (Office Space, King of the Hill) and presented by The Animation Show and Mobifest Film Festival, the screening and awards ceremony was attended by an enthusiastic crowd of animators, fans, and celebrities.

“My thumb is numb from hitting the “play” button on my cell phone,” said Mike Judge, who screened each of the submissions received. “Every animation we got was great,” continued Judge. “It was hard work deciding which one would walk away the winner.”

In the end, the MOBIFEST LA “Grand Prize” was awarded to Baltimore-based artist and writer Steve Ogden for his animated short, “Flakes”. Runners-up in this category included: Tim Heiderich (“Emergency 411: Atomic Bomb”), Justin Cooper and Kun–I Chang (“Havidol: Just What I Needed”), Dave Carter (“How Can I Say No To Sex at School”) and Brad Wolfley (“I Am Not a Biscuit”). Honorable mentions were awarded to Dave Carter (“Daddy and James”) and Nigel Wood (“One Small Step”).

Steven Topham, a film studies graduate of the University Of California-Santa Barbara, was the winner in the NESTLE® BUTTERFINGER®-sponsored “Sweet Dreams” category. Topham’s submission, “Strip Tease” was singled-out for its creative use of 2D and 3D animation. In addition to receiving a year’s supply of chocolate bars and a Microsoft Zune™ digital media player, Topham will get the opportunity to work on an upcoming viral marketing campaign for NESTLE® BUTTERFINGER®.

MOBIFEST LA is the first collaborative event from The Animation Show and Mobifest, the world’s largest independent mobile film festival. Event sponsors included Nestlé® Butterfinger®, Microsoft, Palm Inc., and Vidavee.

All animated shorts submitted to MOBIFEST LA can be viewed at http://www.mobifest.net.

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For more information, contact:
Julie Giles, Mobifest
Tel: 416-537-9774
E-mail: julie@mobifest.net