Reel.com Launches Reel Magazine

Posted on March 17, 2000

Reel.com, an online destination for film-related content and commerce, has announced the launch of a monthly print publication featuring columns by entertainment industry journalists and critics, interviews with top actors and directors, and articles about new and classic films. The inaugural double-issue celebrates the Oscars. 200,000 copies will be distributed to movie consumers who sign up through the Reel.com site or pick it up in off-line locations.

``Reel Magazine is a natural extension of the Reel.com brand,'' said Dave Rochlin, chief operating officer of Reel.com. ``We've assembled one of the top editorial staffs in the film world and the magazine is another way for us to present our editorial information to film lovers everywhere. The magazine, combined with our website, also offers an opportunity for advertisers to reach a highly concentrated filmed-entertainment audience.''

``Our writers and editors are excited to bring more high-quality content to our online users and to offer a sampling of our work to new readers. In this way, Reel Magazine is sure to drive more movie lovers to Reel.com,'' said Jeff Schwager, vice president of content for Reel.com and Reel Magazine's editor-in-chief.

Reel.com includes columns; news; reviews of theatrical, VHS and DVD releases; and a database of movie information. Reel.com's staff of movie reporters and critics will also be contributing to Reel Magazine. The magazine's editorial features will take advantage of the flexibility of the print medium, offering such extras as a keepsake Oscars guide.

The premiere issue will include detailed Oscar coverage, "Hollywood Confidential" column by entertainment pundit Jeffrey Wells, a preview of upcoming theatrical releases, interviews with Oscar nominees Anthony Minghella (writer-director of The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient) and Haley Joel Osment (the 11-year-old star of The Sixth Sense), "Hollywood Fiction" by Daniel Fuchs, "The Greatest Movies Never Made: Orson Welles and The Cradle Will Rock" and reviews of new VHS and DVD releases.

Copies of Reel Magazine will be available in Hollywood Video stores nationwide, and sold online through Reel.com and partner sites. For a limited time, readers will receive complementary issues of Reel Magazine through a special offer at Reel.com, while visitors to Hollywood Video stores can buy the premiere issue for $1.00. Reel Magazine is a 68-page publication that is geared toward movie consumers -- from theater-goers to DVD buyers. The magazine will be published 10 times annually and its production, distribution, and subscriptions will be handled through a third party.