IC Places Announces New President, Joseph Collins, Jr. and Steve Samblis as CEO and Chairman of the Board

LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IC Places, Inc. (OTCQB: ICPA) -- The growth and development of the United States has always been catalyzed by forward-thinking visionaries who see a future not perceived by others, and who embrace as possibilities which are deemed impossible by their peers. Both Steve Samblis and Joseph Collins reflect these attributes. Steve Samblis, CEO of IC Places, Inc. is pleased to announce that industry veteran and former CEO of Punch TV Network, Joseph Collins Jr., has joined IC Places, a transmedia entertainment company, as President, effective July 10, 2012. This follows the purchase of Punch TV Network by IC Places earlier this month. Mr. Collins will be replacing Mr. Steve Samblis as President while Mr. Samblis will be CEO and Chairman of the Board of IC Places.

"IC Places welcomes the addition of Mr. Collins' wisdom, tenure and leadership in the entertainment industry to the IC Places community," said Mr. Steve Samblis, CEO and Chairman of the Board of IC Places. "Mr. Collins is an innovator and trailblazer in the industry and he will be an integral part of the IC Places/Punch team as we continue to further capitalize on our company's entertainment offerings."

In his new role as President of IC Places, Inc., Mr. Collins will be responsible for the production of original programming, acquisition of existing programming, and the scheduling and management of the day-to-day operations of Punch TV network and its many offerings. 

"Over the past few years, as President and CEO of Punch TV Network, I've steered the company into some exciting initiatives and I'm impressed with how quickly they have evolved into a fully realized media and entertainment network," said Collins. "As President of IC Places/Punch, I will continue to grow our brand in unprecedented reach, scale and promotional power in the industry."

A native Angeleno, Joseph Collins grew up with a fascination of television. After high school, Joseph Collins landed an internship with WVTV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His flare and contagious personality helped him grow from an intern to working as the youngest news anchor to report the business news. During his 30 years in television production and programming, Joseph has accumulated a long list of accomplishments. Along with the production of over 1000 TV commercials to his credit, Mr. Collins has received recognitions for his vision. Specifically, Mr. Collins was presented with the 1996 Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Fred Aguilar, and Senator Barbara Boxer. Additionally, he has received accolades from City Council members. His rich entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishments led to the creation of Punch TV. Punch TV Network is a 24/7 network with 70% original programming. In addition to linking consumers with never-before-seen advertising, Joseph Collins has implemented commercial-free advertising – an opportunity for companies to bypass the oversaturation associated with television advertising by incorporating information about a company's product into the storyline of Punch's scripted shows.  Another innovation brought to the world of television by Joseph Collins is the production of novel versions of its TV shows. These novels provide an opportunity for companies to insert print ads into these pages. This represents an update on magazine and newspaper advertising. Joseph Collins also created an in-house ad agency so that advertisers can avoid the losses that accompany repetitive ads. Punch TV also has a music division that produces original music of all genres. It is less than surprising that Joseph Collins has utilized the theme, Are you thirsty yet? for Punch TV Network.

Mr. Steve Samblis, now CEO and Chairman of the Board of IC Places, began his entrepreneurial endeavors with several successful businesses and eventually entered the investment industry. For example, Mr. Samblis consulted with the Michigan Senate in regards to securities legislation. While taking a break from the brokerage industry, he founded a company that produced and marketed audio programs. In addition, Mr. Samblis co-hosted The Worlds' Most Powerful Marketing Tool with author, Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup For The Soul fame. Returning to the brokerage industry, Mr. Samblis became widely regarded as an expert on IPOs, and his IPO analyses were quoted in over 200 magazines, ranging from Time to The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones News credited Mr. Samblis' quotes as ushering in the hottest new issue in the history of the stock market, Netscape. Later, Steve hosted the Investor's Institute, a TV show which aired nationally. During the show, Steve toured the U.S. and delivered seminars on IPOs to thousands of people. Steve then took his passion for self-help programs and created www.SelfhelpCenters.com - the ultimate destination for people looking to build success into their lives. In 2003, Steve followed his passion for Travel and founded www.ICPlaces.com. Most recently, Steve orchestrated the purchase of Punch TV Network.

About Punch TV Network
Punch TV Network, founded by Joseph Collins, is a new and growing national television network. Launched in October, 2011, the network airs its TV shows nationwide in over 30 million households. Touting the theme, "new urban America" and "Are you thirsty yet?, Punch TV Network offers shows that include the following genres: sports including martial arts, inspirational, TV dramas, children's shows, detective shows, comedies, talk shows, entertainment news shows, films and others. Since its launch, Punch TV Network has continued to grow in affiliates, advertisers, shows and fans of the new network. Most recently, Punch TV Network was bought by IC Places and is poised to begin airing its new season of programs on Saturday, September 1, 2012. Information on the new Fall lineup can be found at www.punchtv.net.

About IC Places
The future of entertainment has already arrived with IC Places. Uniquely sensitive to the fact that the world's populations want to access its entertainment, when, where, and how they want it, IC Places is a transmedia entertainment complex that produces weekly entertainment content for distribution across mediums.

Through the multiple partnerships that IC Places has negotiated, its content is now available to more than 300 million persons per month. As a result of its online partnership with mevio.com, and an assortment of partnerships that deliver contents to Checkout TV Network, HDTV network, Dining Network, Bright House on demand, and Punch Television network, IC Places has a footprint whose breadth and depth were unimaginable as recent as a decade ago.

As a result of its transmedia structure, IC Places offers a national platform while simultaneously delivering community-based information through its 350 online, city-based "TV stations". These online "websites/TV stations" allows IC Places to promote its broadcast television and new media programming. Each IC Places City website offers a virtual keyhole view of life in each community.

IC Places Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information:
IC Places, Inc.
www.icplaces.com
Steven Samblis
407-442-0309 Ext. 2
Press Inquiries:
[email protected]

Punch Television Networks
http://PunchTV.net
Joseph Collins
[email protected]
562-424-4597

SOURCE IC Places, Inc.