3BlackDot Formed to Raise Industry Standard for Audience Engagement

LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 3BlackDot (3BD) announces today the formation of a new influencer-driven entertainment company that features a collective, studio, production arm and marketing company.  The company was created to deliver a higher level of audience engagement, new entertainment properties and stronger value for brands. Co-founders and former Machinima division heads Angelo Pullen and Luke Stepleton, along with former "Duck Dynasty" Co-Executive Producer Hank Stepleton, have partnered with top-ranked YouTube gaming influencers Adam Montoya (SeaNanners - 4.5 million subscribers) and Tom Cassell (TheSyndicateProject - 7.6 million subscribers) to form 3BlackDot.

3BlackDot focuses on four main influencer-driven specialties:

• Collective: VOID, comprised of the top-viewed YouTube personalities, each with their own distinct brands and dedicated followings
• Studio: Entertainment IP Franchise Development including games, live-action, animated content and licensed product
• Production:  Pickaxe - video content production arm developing live action, non –scripted, animation and more, producing IP designed for the 13-34 year-old demo
• Agency: Marketing and Brand Integration Services. Partnering with some of the largest social media influencers in the world, 3BlackDot strategically matches brands with the right personalities to maximize a campaign while remaining authentic to its audience

"3BlackDot is launching with the industry's most talented professionals in entertainment content creation, game development and brand integrations," said Angelo Pullen, Co-founder, 3BlackDot. "Our goal is simple: to deliver audience engagement, entertainment properties and brand value that harnesses the power of Influencer communities."

Zombie Killer Squad:  The Birth of a Franchise
In partnership with Section Studios, the first 3BlackDot studio initiative includes development of entertainment franchise Zombie Killer Squad (ZKS) in Nov. 2013.  The mobile game quickly garnered one million installs in the first 9 days, making it one of the fastest growing games to reach this number in history.   It reached to the top spot of #1 App in the Apple iTunes store in the U.K., Canada, Australia and #2 App in the U.S. 

"We put zero promotional dollars behind traditional user acquisition so the immense success of Zombie Killer Squad was due to support from fans of YouTube talent SeaNanners and TheSyndicateProject, both featured in the game," said Luke Stepleton, Co-founder, 3BlackDot.  "We're building influencer-driven properties into massive franchises and Zombie Killer Squad is just the beginning for us."

"I'm excited to further innovate in the space and redefine many of the current practices that are inherently misaligned or broken," said Adam Montoya, SeaNanners, partner and creative director, 3BlackDot. "Our space is still young and the opportunities we have to lead are enormous." 

With more than 2.6 million installs, Zombie Killer Squad is scheduled to release a game update this month that incorporates two additional YouTube gaming personalities -- ihascupquake (1.6 million subscribers) and TmarTn (1.7 million subscribers).

Duck Dynasty Co-Executive Producer Joins to form PickAxe:  Introduces ZKS Live-Action Short Film
Executive producer, Hank Stepleton, also joins 3BlackDot to head the PickAxe production arm.  Having produced more than a dozen major network and cable programs including the record-breaking "Duck Dynasty" and "Billy The Exterminator" on A&E, Hank will develop and produce content for digital and traditional cable outlets. 

The first project for PickAxe is the premiere of a new live-action short film based on Zombie Killer Squad.  The trailer to the film will be debuted at the 3BlackDot Influencer Lounge and launch party at San Diego Comic-Con. 

About 3BlackDot
3BlackDot is an influencer-driven collective, studio, production and marketing company focused on delivering audience engagement, entertainment properties and brand value.  Harnessing the power of influencer communities, 3BlackDot partners with some of the largest YouTubers worldwide, garnering a dedicated hundreds of millions of monthly views. 3BlackDot also creates and builds campaigns for entertainment properties and brands such as Machete Kills for 20^th Century Fox, Volkswagen #NowYouKnow, Office Depot and Disney Infinity. 

Contact:        
Alex Munson /Susan Yin
Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8297/310.854.8122
[email protected] 
[email protected]

SOURCE 3BlackDot