LOS ANGELES and LONDON, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The creators of internet phenomenon Lonelygirl15 and leading global social network Bebo.com have teamed up for the launch of "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern," the first spin-off from the world's most popular interactive drama.

Lonelygirl15 was launched last summer and the program has since been viewed over 50 million times. Bebo was founded in 2005 and has over 31 million users worldwide who spend an average of 29 minutes on Bebo each day.

Following the massive success of Lonelygirl15, "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern" will expand from the original storyline to that of a teenage university student in London and her struggle to balance her complex social life with the dark forces that shadow her. Containing all of the best loved elements of Lonelygirl15, "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern" will leverage the high involvement of its fan base, enabling them to post messages for the show's characters, exchange plot ideas with each other and upload their own videos to the characters' profile pages.

As with Lonelygirl15, "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern" will incorporate puzzles and mysteries into the plot, which will carry over into "real life," allowing viewers to participate in the storyline through the integrated alternate reality game (ARG).

The nature of the medium allows for the feedback to be integrated into the plot, unlike on television where lead times and production issues make such interaction impossible. This interactive relationship has been credited as a major component of the success of Lonelygirl15 and is an important aspect of the "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern" experience.

"Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern" will premiere in July 2007, airing multiple episodes per week exclusively on Bebo. Bebo users in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand will gain first access to new episodes, which will be released later on http://www.lg15.com/ and other websites.

Miles Beckett, co-creator of Lonelygirl15 said: "Lonelygirl15 has had a massive following since we posted our first video in June 2006. Our audience has embraced the series so emphatically, we realized that other characters could live in other locations around the world while utilizing the interactive elements which help to make our show such a popular interactive experience. Bebo was the natural place to host it, given that its demographics have the most engaged users of all social networks."

"Social networks are becoming the medium of choice for more and more young people. 16-24 year-olds are spending less time on TV and are gravitating to new forms of innovative programming like Lonelygirl15," said Joanna Shields, President - International for Bebo. "By bringing together the most interactive online shows with the most engaging social network, we are creating a radically new way for programmers, brands and advertisers to build long-term relationships with the audience."

About Lonleygirl15

Lonelygirl15 was recently voted the #1 web celeb of the year by Forbes Magazine, is this year's recipient of VH1's "Big Web Hit Of The Year" and has been an answer on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." American Idol's Katharine McPhee stars in an episode. First seen on the internet in summer 2006, the serial quickly gained popularity on YouTube and on its home site http://www.lg15.com/. In September, the creators revealed that the story of a teenaged home schooled girl was actually scripted and produced by three twentysomething guys from California -- a Doctor, a Lawyer and a Screenwriter. Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried and Mesh Flinders are now dedicated full time to Lonelygirl15 and the upcoming "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern." The web drama integrated its first product placement earlier this month with Hershey's Icebreaker's Sours Gum appearing in an episode. Beckett and Goodfried's Telegraph Ave. Productions are working on a web-based television project as well as other entertainment properties with their roots on the internet.

http://www.lg15.com/ About Bebo

Bebo is a global social networking website which aims to bring together like minded individuals who are creative, expressive and socially aware. Bebo has over 31 million members worldwide and is the largest social network in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand and one of the top 3 social networks in the US, Canada and Australia. Over 90% of Bebo users are under the age of 35 and the site is one of the fastest growing on the Internet, with 5 users signing up each second.

Bebo is also one of the world's most engaging websites, ranked #3 in the UK after Google and MSN*.

Bebo won the People's Choice award in the Social Networking category at the 2006 Webby awards and was named as the number one search term in the Year- End Google Zeitgeist 2006.

Bebo was founded in 2005 by Michael and Xochi Birch. *Source: comScore World Metrix http://www.bebo.com/ To arrange to speak with: Miles Beckett or Greg Goodfried, creators of "Lonelygirl15 presents... KateModern," please contact: Jill Siegel at 212.289.8533 or tojsc@aol.com To arrange to speak with: Joanna Shields, President-International for Bebo, please contact: Sarah Gavin at +44 (0)20 7478 0303 or sarah@bebo.com Martha Shaughnessy at 415.402.0230 or martha@atomicpr.com Contact: For "Lonelygirl15 presents ... KateModern": Jill Siegel 212.289.8533 tojsc@aol.com For Bebo: Sarah Gavin +44 (0)20 7478 0303 Martha Shaughnessy 415.402.0230

CONTACT: Jill Siegel, +1-212-289-8533, or tojsc@aol.com, for
"Lonelygirl15 presents ... KateModern;" or Sarah Gavin, +44 (0)20 7478 0303,
or Martha Shaughnessy, +1-415-402-0230, both for Bebo

Web site: http://www.bebo.com/
http://www.lg15.com/