Turner Broadcasting Accelerator Media Camp Unveils Inaugural Class

SAN FRANCISCO, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) today announced the companies selected for its Media Camp 12-week accelerator program this summer. Due to high demand by quality applicants for Media Camp's first round, six companies were selected to participate instead of five as originally planned.

The companies will benefit from one-on-one mentorship with digital, television and film executives, a comprehensive curriculum on media-specific topics and the opportunity to commercialize their business to Turner's entertainment, news, sports and animation networks.

"Each Media Camp participant has compelling innovation to offer the media industry," said Balaji Gopinath , VP of Emerging Technology for Turner Broadcasting. "Media Camp will help them lead the charge in making the next generation of social and interactive entertainment engaging and successful."

Members of the first class include:

Chute (http://getchute.com/ | @getchute)

Chute's platform enables publishers, brands, and app developers to seamlessly add any photo or video functionality to their apps or sites. Chute handles the entire backend from uploading, image processing, and API integrations, to features like moderation, commenting, and sharing.

Matcha (http://www.matcha.tv/ | @matchaTV)

Matcha is the easiest way to find the best Movies and follow your favorite TV Shows across digital video services such as Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Amazon and more, in one place. Matcha's guide goes beyond aggregating 200,000 premium titles and adds rich social elements and a proprietary recommendation engine to create a robust, personalized video experience.

Showbucks (http://www.showbucks.net/ | @Mike_Yuen)

Showbucks develops fun and engaging apps that combine social video with social games.

Socialize (http://www.getsocialize.com/ | @Socialize)

Socialize believes people strongly influence each other even when they aren't 'friends.' Anyone who shares a common interest is influenced by others with that same interest. Socialize is creating a social platform that can predict user intent by mapping an interest graph across users and content.

SocialSamba (http://www.socialsamba.com/ | @SocialSamba)

SocialSamba is the leading social storytelling platform, enabling fans to "friend" their favorite fictional characters, and experience personalized stories with them. SocialSamba has served more than half a million scripted social experiences to fans.

Switchcam (http://switchcam.com/ | @switchcam)

Switchcam creates interactive video experiences that allow the viewers to direct the show. By syncing and combining fan footage with professional footage, fans can experience events, concerts and sporting games like never before.

Media Camp is also pleased to announce several affiliates which have committed to providing valuable resources, services and/or products to each of the startups, including: 

• Amazon Web Services
• C100
• LawPivot
• MassChallenge
• Microsoft BizSpark
• sf.citi( );
• Startup America Partnership
• swissnex San Francisco

Media Camp's investor demo day is scheduled for mid-September. For event updates, sign up for the newsletter at www.mediacamp.com.

Startups can apply for future accelerator classes at http://www.mediacamp.com/apply.

About Media Camp

Media Camp, a Turner Broadcasting initiative, is a comprehensive accelerator program that educates entrepreneurs and enables them to build innovative media businesses. Key features of Media Camp include presentations and workshops focused on media technology, formal mentorship from media industry experts, community events and knowledge sharing, as well as direct investments including partnerships and vendor relationships. For more information, visit www.mediacamp.com and follow us on Twitter @themediacamp.

About Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Press Contacts

Amy Cohn
amy.cohn@turner.com
404-827-5033

Contact: Amalia Miller , amalia@mediacamp.com, 415-623-5912

SOURCE Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.