$1.5-Billion Development Planned for East Austin to be Anchored by $125-Million Studio Complex



    In a press conference held today, entertainment industry leaders,
    joined by State Representative Dawnna Dukes, State Senator Robert
    Deuell, M.D., and Director of the Texas Film Commission Bob Hudgins,
    announced VILLA MUSE -- a $1.5 billion mixed-use development including
    residential, retail and commercial spaces anchored by the
    $125-million, 200-acre Villa Muse Studios, developed for the film,
    television, advertising, music and videogame industries.

    Phase one, to be open by the end of 2008, will include a variety
    of soundstages, including the largest purpose-built soundstage in
    North America (50,000 square feet), a scoring stage, recording
    studios, and an outdoor amphitheater with a capacity of over 70,000.
    VILLA MUSE executives estimate that the overall project will generate
    roughly 8,000 new jobs upon completion and will create capacity for
    8,500 residents.

    The announcement coincides with the recent vote by the Texas House
    of Representatives on House Bill 1634, authored by Dukes and sponsored
    by Deuell, providing state-funded incentives for film and television
    production. (The VILLA MUSE project will not receive funds
    appropriated by HB 1634.)

    "I am very excited about the VILLA MUSE project and the many
    projects sure to come to Texas in the future as a result of our work
    this session on House Bill 1634, the incentives program for the film
    industry," Rep. Dukes said. "Neighboring states and foreign cities
    like Toronto are aggressively working to lure Texas filming
    opportunities away from the state. House Bill 1634 will level the
    playing field for our state in comparison to other film venues. We
    have made a grand investment in the future of Texas."

    "Providing incentives for the film industry will create new jobs
    and enhance the role of Texas as a national leader in television and
    film production. The VILLA MUSE project is a textbook example of how
    the government can effectively use state-funded incentives to promote
    private industry for the public good," said Senator Deuell.

    Located just off of the SH130 corridor, 15 minutes east of
    downtown Austin, VILLA MUSE will be an innovative 681-acre development
    anchored by the 200-acre Villa Muse Studios -- a professional campus
    for the creative industries offering high-end production and
    post-production facilities for film, television, commercials, music
    and videogames that will include soundstages, recording studios, an
    amphitheater, areas for backlots and the largest outdoor water tank
    for film production in the U.S.

    "VILLA MUSE will address the needs of our thriving creative
    industries in Texas, while attracting business that has been out of
    reach and forced to go elsewhere," Jay Aaron Podolnick, founder and
    CEO of VILLA MUSE, said. "Meanwhile, VILLA MUSE will give Texas a
    centralized location where creative talent can come together to
    cross-pollinate and communicate in a uniquely innovative environment.
    And true to its name, it will be a place to live, work and be
    inspired."

    A master-planned residential community will orbit the studio
    campus. Designed to serve as a living, breathing backlot,
    neighborhoods will be built in an array of styles to meet a variety of
    filming needs. Ranging from New York brownstones to Craftsman
    bungalows to manors and estates, these residences will be open for
    sale to the public.

    "VILLA MUSE will provide infrastructure on par with the finest
    facilities in the world at a highly competitive cost," said Paul
    Alvarado-Dykstra, vice president of strategic development. "VILLA MUSE
    will give creative professionals everything they need to live and work
    in one area without sacrifice or compromise."

    The entrance to Villa Muse Studios will be located at the end of a
    broad boulevard lined with retail, office, residential and hospitality
    spaces. Situated at the other end of the boulevard will be a large
    public park and five to six mixed-use buildings -- with retail on the
    ground floor and office spaces above.

    To date, the team has finalized an initial project plan, utilizing
    a number of cities, streets and places around the world for
    inspiration. VILLA MUSE has secured phase one funding, and, in
    partnership with Carpenter & Associates -- a leading real estate
    development, brokerage and investment firm -- has secured the land for
    the project.

    VILLA MUSE is led by Founder and CEO Podolnick -- a
    producer/engineer who founded Texas' first 24-track recording facility
    in 1972, helping give birth to the Austin music scene. Podolnick has
    worked with such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Eric Johnson, Jerry
    Jeff Walker, Christopher Cross, Dan Hartman, Stephen Doster and The
    Electomagnets, and has worked in some of the world's most famous
    studios such as Power Station, New York; Air Studios, London; Electric
    Lady, New York; and Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles.

    The VILLA MUSE team includes:

    -- Rupert Neve, chief technology office -- a leading expert in
    the field on audio equipment design who was named "Man of the
    Century" by Studio Sound Magazine and was awarded a GRAMMY(R)
    for Lifetime Technical Achievement by the National Academy of
    Recording Arts & Sciences;

    -- Tom Copeland, senior vice president of film studio operations
    - served as director of the Texas Film Commission from 1995 to
    2005, and teaches "The Business of Film" at Texas State
    University;

    -- Bob Walters, senior vice president of recording studio
    operations - creator of Power Station Studios in New York,
    which was voted top recording studio for six consecutive years
    by Mix Magazine;

    -- Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, vice president of strategic development
    -- a producer mentored by acclaimed filmmakers Guillermo del
    Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Tim McCanlies (Secondhand
    Lions, The Iron Giant), Emmy(R)- nominated TV producer Scott
    Carter (Politically Incorrect) and Oscar(R)-nominated
    documentarian Francis Reid; co-founder of Fantastic Fest,
    Austin's international sci-fi, horror, fantasy and animation
    film festival, as well as Ain't It Cool, Inc.;

    -- Hiten Patel, financial consultant - recently served as senior
    vice president and chief financial officer for the Children's
    Place Retails Stores, Inc. (a Fortune 400 Company.)
    Previously, Patel served as the director of strategy and
    business planning for Dell Computer Corporation's Enterprise
    Systems Group and as an investment banker with Credit Suisse
    First Boston.

    In addition, the VILLA MUSE design team includes:

    -- Steve Durr, Steve Durr Designs - one of the leading acoustical
    and audio facilities designers in the world whose clients have
    included Lenny Kravitz, Neil Young and Disney/MGM Studios in
    Orlando, among others;

    -- Studio Bau:ton - a company specializing in the design and
    construction of buildings with unique requirements for
    acoustic performance and media technology with clients
    including 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles, Sony Music
    Entertainment in Japan and Disneyland Paris, to name a few;

    -- Sam Toyoshima, Acoustics Design Office - founded Acoustics
    Design Office in 1975 as a division of JVC's Audio Engineering
    Research Center, which has been responsible for the design of
    more than 100 of Japan's premiere studios, and more than 50
    studios worldwide, with clients including Abbey Road Studios
    in London, JVC Studios in Japan, Enya Studio in Dublin,
    Beijing Studio Complex, and more;

    -- Land Design Studio - a full-service planning and design team
    based in Austin with experience ranging from master-planned
    residential communities to complex downtown revitalizations.

    For more information, please visit www.villamuse.com.