Motorola On Board As Exclusive Six-City Event Sponsor;
Cast To Attend All Screenings

New Ad Campaign Debuts Week Of March 22

New York, NY, March 29, 2004 -- In a move emphasizing its commitment to the QUEER AS FOLK series franchise, SHOWTIME has mounted a multi-million dollar, multi-faceted advertising, publicity and marketing campaign to support the return of the network's groundbreaking drama, which premieres its fourth season on Sunday, April 18 at 10 PM (ET/PT). For the first time in the history of SHOWTIME, the network has partnered with Motorola as the exclusive sponsor along with SHOWTIME key cable partners to host preview screening events in six major U.S. markets including Miami, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In addition, the premium network's media campaign rollout will include cable TV, mainstream and gay publications, outdoor advertising, cross promotion with the Third Season DVD tour, a multi-city nightclub/DJ tour and promotion on the SHOWTIME QAF fansite at SHO.com.   In measured media alone, the campaign is generating over 200 million impressions, which does not include all the targeted gay and lesbian tactics.

 

"QUEER AS FOLK is one of SHOWTIME's signature series, and we're polishing our marketing efforts to reflect how resonant the characters and their issues have become since its premiere in 2000," said Robert Greenblatt, President, Entertainment for Showtime Networks. "And, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate with our cable affiliates and a prestigious sponsor like Motorola."  

 

Motorola, a global leader in wireless and broadband communications, has enjoyed a long association with both the producers and cast of QUEER AS FOLK throughout the show's tenure. The company has signed on as exclusive sponsor of the multi-city premiere tour to demonstrate its support of diverse programming such as QUEER AS FOLK and its many viewers.
 
"Motorola is pleased to support SHOWTIME in the launch of the 4th season of QUEER AS FOLK, said Robert Williams, General Manager PCS Retail and co-leader GLBT Business Council of Motorola. "This sponsorship provides a unique manner for our company to not only reach a key demographic but to also educate our consumers on the importance of diverse programming."

 

The six events, hosted by Showtime Networks' Chairman Matthew Blank and Entertainment President Bob Greenblatt, are being platformed to draw media and consumer attention to the fourth season's 14 new episodes. The new season will emphasize the maturation of the series' main characters and storylines focusing on parenting and adoption issues, gay marriage, drug addiction, HIV and discrimination. Richard Licata, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Public Relations for Showtime Networks, and his team are spearheading the six-city market outreach and publicity for this season's launch. 

 

The event schedule is as follows:

 

March 26th -- Miami -- Delano
March 31st -- New York -- Gramercy Park Hotel in the Cobalt Club
April 2nd -- Chicago -- Sidetrack
April 7th -- San Francisco -- Castro Theatre and Redwood Room and Asia de Cuba at Clift
April 8th -- Atlanta -- Red Chair
April 14th -- Los Angeles -- Regent Theatre and Asia de Cuba at Mondrian

 

In addition, cable affiliates in selected markets have contributed over one million in advertising to support the launch of the 4th season of QUEER AS FOLK.

 

The April 7th Castro Theatre event in San Francisco will have a unique promotional component: SHOWTIME will bring together the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, screening the season opening episode of QUEER AS FOLK in addition to the season finale of the new hit drama THE L WORD. Working in collaboration with the San Francisco-based organization Bay Area Community of Women (BACW), the city's news-making recently-married gay couples will be special guests.

 

Stephanie Gibbons, Senior Vice President, Advertising and Promotion for Showtime Networks spearheaded a new advertising campaign for the series, highlighted by images from photographer Norman Jean Roy. The key artwork features the cast communicating the interrelationships of the characters and the intertwining layers of their stories. In addition, new taglines have been developed, including "The original comes of age," "Get Folked," "Damn Straight" and "So Gay." "The original comes of age" slogan reflects the series' new emphasis on deepening character development, and also reinforces that QUEER AS FOLK was the groundbreaker in the current wave of gay-themed programming. The tagline "Get Folked" assertively tells the viewer to tune-in to a new season, but it also lets them know that QUEER AS FOLK is still sexy, edgy and provocative, even though its characters are maturing.

 

SHOWTIME plans to run advertising on cable networks including MTV and VH1. National print advertising will appear in general market and entertainment publications including Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Details, Jane, Interview, Paper, New York Magazine, Cargo and MTV Magazine and alternative newspapers such as Village Voice. Tune-in ads will also appear in the national TV Guide, along with TV supplements in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Print ads will also appear in gay targeted outlets such as The Advocate, Curve, Genre, Girlfriends, Out, Instinct, Passport, Metro Source and Pride 04 as well as in gay/lesbian newspapers in the top 10 markets. The network will also support QUEER AS FOLK through outdoor advertising via billboards and bus shelters in New York and Los Angeles.

 

SHOWTIME also recently completed a promotional tour for the launch of the QUEER AS FOLK third season on DVD. Cast members made appearances at music and video stores in New Orleans, Dallas, Boston, Cambridge, Philadelphia and Lawrenceville, NJ. To promote the Season Three DVD signings, each market was saturated with radio and newspaper ads, and supported by local radio contests.

 

Showtime Networks and Embrace Productions will join together to bring QUEER AS FOLK to life by recreating Babylon, the vibrant club scene featured in the series, through a 15-city DJ tour entitled "Midori Presents Queer As Folk - Future Babylon Tour." The tour will take place in the spring and summer of 2004 at the hottest nightclubs across the United States, and will feature popular and forward-thinking DJs who have appeared in QUEER AS FOLK episodes. In each venue, Embrace and Showtime reinterpret what Babylon may look like in the year 2050.

QUEER AS FOLK is also being supported by its own comprehensive Web site, which boasts an extremely strong and loyal message board community. Viewers who enter the site will be treated to comprehensive episode guides with weekly teaser video clips. Additionally, the site boasts extensive behind-the-scenes content, downloadable screen savers, event listings with cast appearances and links to various community resources for the gay and lesbian community. Fans can also register for regular e-mail updates on the show and shop the QUEER AS FOLK store to purchase DVDs, soundtracks and more.

 

Pushing the boundaries of television, QUEER AS FOLK launched on SHOWTME in December 2000, and presents a world that is rarely seen with such candor and honesty. The series, which ignited the recent explosion of gay TV programming, has always addressed important issues affecting the gay community, and takes on some particularly relevant subjects in its fourth season. Struggling with same-sex parenting, discrimination, AIDS, HIV, gay marriage, drug addiction and even their own mortality, the characters are maturing and beginning to face the complexities of life. QUEER AS FOLK stars Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant, Thea Gill, Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Hal Sparks and Sharon Gless. The series is executive produced by Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman and Tony Jonas. Cowen & Lipman developed the series for American television based on the British series created by Russell T Davies. Sheila Hockin serves as producer. The SHOWTIME series is from Cowlip Productions, Tony Jonas Productions and Temple Street Productions.

 

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in wireless, broadband and automotive communications technologies that help make life smarter, safer, simpler, synchronized and fun. Sales in 2003 were U.S. $27.1 billion. Motorola creates innovative technological solutions that benefit people at home, at work and on the move. The company also is a progressive corporate citizen dedicated to operating ethically, protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which it does business. For more information please visit:  www.motorola.com.

 

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc., owns the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL" and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO", SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC xtra. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD®, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND". SNI operates and manages the premium television network SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, which is owned by SNI, Robert Redford and Universal Studios. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.   Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME EXTREME® is available in Spain through a joint venture with Media Park and the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.