Cambridge Animation Systems Purchased by Consortium Led by Co-founder

CAMBRIDGE, U.K., Sept. 18, 2001 -- Cambridge Animation Systems,developer of Animo 2D software used by more than 3,000 animatorsworldwide, has been purchased from Japanese investment bank Nomura by adigital media consortium that includes an original founder of thecompany. The new owners are moving the company to a new and largerfacility in Cambridge.

Over the past 18 months a new management team placed in the companyby Nomura has completely reorganized Cambridge Animation Systems. Thenew management expanded Cambridge's line of products and set up agrowing reseller network worldwide. The restructuring of the businessand the promise of growth made the company an attractive investment,according to Peter Florence, leader of the purchasing consortium and afounder of Cambridge Animation Systems in 1990.

"The company has dramatically accelerated its product pipeline tomeet customers' needs," says Florence. "Our focus is on deliveringgreat products such as Animo for Mac on time and bringing new productsto market as quickly as possible. As a founder of this company, I knowthe product, people, and market. I feel strongly that we are on theright path to guarantee that Cambridge Animation Systems will continueto be the leader in the 2D animation market."

Moving to new facilities in Cambridge Research Park will enable thecompany to continue its aggressive new product development. This yearCambridge has released a new version of its Inkworks 3D cartoonrendering program, new software called Swiffworks that deliversMacromedia Flash output to 3D animators, and Animo 4, a major upgradeof the company's flagship software.

"With Animo 4.0 for Mac OS X due out next month and a number ofother products scheduled for release by early 2002, it was imperativethat we move the company to larger, superior facilities," saysFlorence. "This will allow us to expand quickly once the marketrecovers from this period of consolidation."

About the Consortium Members
Peter Florence was the original co-founder of Cambridge AnimationSystems. He served as CEO and head of U.S. operations before leaving in1996 to establish RadioScape, a digital broadcast and communicationscompany based in London. Before Cambridge Animation, he was a producerat The Moving Picture Company and co-founder of Digital Pictures, oneof the first companies in Europe producing computer graphics for theentertainment industry.

Dr. Gavin Ferris is CTO and co-founder of RadioScape. Beforereturning to the UK to join Peter Florence in setting up RadioScape, hewas based in Los Angeles at DreamWorks SKG, where he headed a teamdeveloping the studio's production and asset management system foranimation and film production. Dr. Ferris was one of the key developersof Cambridge Animation Systems' Animo software.

Chris Briscoe is creative and technical director at Primal Pictures,which he established in the 1990s. He has a wealth of experience incomputer graphics, including founding one of the world's first 3Dgraphics curricula at the Slade School of Art in London. Briscoe alsoco-founded Digital Pictures with Peter Florence.