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ARTIST AND FORMER PRO SKATEBOARDER ANDY HOWELL LAUNCHES ARTSPROJEKT, AN INTERACTIVEAND CULTURALLY RELEVANT ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR THE ARTS, POP CULTURE AND ACTION SPORTS
In addition, ARTSPROJEKT announces Launch of On-Demand Skateboards Platform through Strategic Technology Partnership with Zazzle®
Redwood City, CA – August 27, 2008 – ARTSPROJEKT, www.artsprojekt.com,an interactive and culturally relevant online community for the arts, pop culture and action sports announced its launch today.ARTSPROJEKT will feature original art, illustrations, and designs by artists, celebrities, action sports starsand micro brands, as well as offer artist profiles, portfolios, online product galleries, collaborations,artist interviews, and more. ARTSPROJEKT will also represent and manage artists, as well as hostexhibitions curated by some of the best artists in the world, create limited and open editionreproductions of its artists’ works for sale worldwide, and establish working and collaborativerelationships with major media brands. At launch, ARTSPROJEKT artists and brands include Lil Jon,Shepard Fairey / OBEY, Santa Cruz Skateboards, legendary skateboard artist Jim Phillips, SkateboardingIs Not A Crime, Bullet, Crooks & Castles, Blood Is The New Black, Hellz Bellz, Guttersnipe, legendaryskateboard pro and artist Steve Caballero, Mars-1, Alex Pardee, and DALEK.In addition, the company announced the launch of skateboards on-demand through its strategicrelationship with Zazzle. Zazzle’s engineering team collaborated with Howell to develop a trulyauthentic product that is produced within 24 hours, a first for the industry.“The launch of the ARTSPROJEKT community together with the on-demand skateboard platformprovides a truly amazing opportunity for this market segment,” said Andy Howell, former proskateboarder and founder of ARTSPROJEKT. “We combine the most diverse and relevant artisticcommunity with the most cutting edge technology and manufacturing capabilities to offer new revenueopportunities for established designers as well as up-and-coming artists. The community will offer adiverse array of content, designs and products not available anywhere else, and provide artists andbrands with incredible earning power from every sale.”ARTSPROJEKT aligns artists, brands and consumers; the community was created to empower emergingartists and established artists, offering a way for them to connect and share ideas, as well as to createand sell original art and products to consumers. ARTSPROJEKT utilizes Zazzle’s revolutionary high-endand on-demand product platform, allowing content owners and artists to create and sell an infinitearray of products on-demand, without set-up fees or inventory risk. The ARTSPROJEKT marketplaceprovides a new and vibrant sales channel for established brands, as well as indie brands and individualswho are cutting edge tastemakers in the arts community. ARTSPROJEKT will offer partner libraries frommajor brands, art archives, and branded templates, creating a deep content environment for consumersto interact with the brands in an environment that feels personal, customized, and unique to theirtastes.Designs are available on a variety of products including skateboards, apparel, shoes and more, withmany of the products customizable as to apparel style and skateboard shape. In addition, artists may beinvited to create limited and open edition products, sell them through ARTSPROJEKT.com and partnersites, their own sites, blogs, and online social networks, with the entire back end of production,fulfillment and customer service handled for them.
 
The launch of skateboards on-demand, produced in 24 hours is an industry first. Howell worked withZazzleto develop the skateboard product offering, and partnered with the best in the business toprovide consumers with a unique and comprehensive product offering.Zazzle’s patent-pending manufacturing process is the first to utilize new printing technologies for one-off custom skateboard decks, producing a beautifully vibrant image. The offering is a full end-to-endexperience - consumers are able to choose from a wide variety of pre-designed boards from theARTSPROJEKT community of designers and content partners, create the product online and have itproduced within 24 hours of ordering.Added Howell of the motivation behind the on-demand skateboard platform and artistic community,“As a pro skateboarder, I always considered skateboarding a fine art. As an artist, I see the skateboard asa canvas. Throughout my life and career, my art and skateboarding have always been primary forms of expression. I am passionate about being able to cross-pollinate the two worlds and aspire forARTSPROJEKT to raise the bar for the quality of skate graphics and initiate a new global standard thatempowers artists, and brands, with a better quality skateboard than ever before.”Skateboard decks are seven-ply North American maple and supplied by PS Stix. Components are sourcedfrom Santa Cruz, Independent trucks, Krux Trucks, and Ricta Wheel Dynamics. The end result is a highlytechnical product, backed by industry veterans.“The skateboarding industry is a large market with incredible potential to expand creative expression onboards,” said Jeff Beaver, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Zazzle. “Through our relationship withAndy, we are able to leverage our proprietary manufacturing systems and online tools to produceskateboards on-demand, with extraordinary quality.” ARTSPROJEKT enables brands to unlock catalogues of amazing old school content, extend currentproduct offerings, and test their new designs in an immediately focused atmosphere. ARTSPROJEKTempowers emerging and established artists to monetize their creativity on truly unique high-end artproducts, and share in the revenue from every sale using their images."Skateboard graphics were one of the main things that inspired me to become an artist, so it goeswithout saying that I want my art to translate beautifully on skateboards,” said Shepard Fairey. “In thepast, printing on a curved board surface had detail limitations or smudging could occur at the bends. TheARTSPROJEKT boards utilize new digital technology to create perfectly crisp graphics with impeccabledetail."
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About ARTSPROJEKT
Finally the artist wins. ARTSPROJEKT is an interactive and culturally relevant online community enablingartists, brands and consumers to connect instantly, and on-demand. ARTSPROJEKT provides artistmanagement, exhibition, and e-commerce assistance to emerging and established artists in all fine artand commercial genres. The company develops careers, connects artists with galleries and potentialclients, as well as promotes and sells art and products online and offline. ARTSPROJEKT empowersartists to create full time, and sell original art as well as limited or open edition products on its site,partner sites, the artists own sites, and other online networks. Launched in August 2008, ARTSPROJEKTis a unit of Zazzle.

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