Deltora Quest, the 10 Million Copy Selling Book Series & Hit on TV Tokyo,

             Available to Audiences Outside Asia through DCI-LA



    SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 29 /EMWNews/ -- Dentsu Inc. has launched

a new U.S.-based division, DCI Los Angeles (DCI-LA), to develop,

co-produce, distribute and license original animation programs, it was

announced today by Mr. Yuma Sakata, senior vice president for DCI-LA.



    "Although Japanese animation has achieved significant global success,

many productions we currently see in development do not have broad appeal

outside of Japan," said Sakata. "Working with Western partners in

pre-production, and then production teams in Japan for animation, we can

create content that will appeal to a wider audience."



    DCI-LA is actively seeking North American and European co-production

partners to develop new animation series, which will be backed by parent

company Dentsu's substantial animation resources and investment, and its

dominant broadcast access in Asian markets. Although Dentsu is primarily

known for its advertising business, the management of television commercial

time led the company into program production, and gave rise to capital

investments with many of the top animation studios of Japan. Today, the

company is a leading investor and producer of Japanese animation.

Strategically, DCI-LA plans to tap creative development expertise in North

America and Europe, coupled with the Japanese animation expertise

accessible through Dentsu, to co-produce and distribute animation with

global appeal. Programming targets are children aged 6-12 and males 17-25,

via broadcasters, home entertainment and other media outlets reaching those

demographics.



    Additionally, DCI-LA is announcing the release of the hit animation

series based on the books by the same name -- Deltora Quest -- outside of

Asia markets, where the property is already well-established. Deltora

Quest, which currently airs on the TV Aichi block of TV Tokyo, was the

first project finalized under Dentsu's new strategy, and DCI-LA is

currently seeking broadcast partners and licensees in all territories and

categories. Deltora Quest is based on the book series penned by Australian

writer Emily Rodda. Now published by Scholastic, Inc., the series is an

international children's favorite -- outselling the Harry Potter series in

some markets. It has been published in more than 30 countries and has sold

more than 10 million copies worldwide.



    The Deltora Quest animation series is produced by OLM with investment

support from Dentsu. Japanese licensing partners include Kodansha for

manga, Bandai for card games, PVC figures and candy items, and Bandai-Namco

for interactive games, all via Dentsu, which directly controls all rights

to the series worldwide, and handles licensing, merchandising, television,

home entertainment and all forms of digital distribution in Asia.



    Yuma Sakata, senior vice president, is at the helm of the group, joined

by Marc Harrington, vice president, business development, Yukio Kusumoto,

group director, and Yulie Yoshimura, associate licensing manager as members

of the core management team. DCI-LA offices are located at 2001 Wilshire

Boulevard, Suite #600, Santa Monica, CA 90403, phone: 310-586-5600, fax:

310-586-5898.

    About DCI Los Angeles



    Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, DCI Los Angeles (DCI-LA) was formed

in 2008 to develop and co-produce animation content for broadcasters and

media businesses worldwide by combining the conceptual and writing talent

of the North American and European markets with the widely accepted

artistic style and techniques unique to Japanese animation. As part of

Dentsu Group of North America, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu

Inc. (the world's largest single-brand advertising agency and leading

producer in Japanese animation), DCI-LA will also manage the distribution

and licensing efforts for its own productions, and for those in which it

has invested.



    About Dentsu Inc.



    Dentsu Inc., founded in 1901, is the largest advertising agency brand

and the fifth largest marketing and communications organization in the

world. Based in Tokyo, the group has more than 6,000 clients and more than

15,000 full-time employees in both Japan and in its offices overseas.

Consolidated sales for fiscal term 03/07 were recorded at $17,738 million.

Dentsu is publicly quoted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code 4324).



    CONTACT: Karen Strickholm for DCI-LA






                 505-988-4401

                 [email protected]