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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HELINET AVIATION SERVICES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH FOOTAGEBANK
Two Industry Visionaries Join Forces to Provide Superior High Definition Aerial Stock Footage

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 21, 2004 – FootageBank, the only footage company specializing in High Definition (HD) native content, announced today that Helinet Aviation Services, developer of the first fully digital HD gyro-stabilized aerial camera system, has selected FootageBank as their exclusive footage representative.  FootageBank was founded in 2002 by industry icon Paula Lumbard who predicted the explosion in HD and wanted to be at the forefront of offering clients a HD library of footage.  The importance of HD was realized by another icon, Alan Purwin, a leader in the world of aerial news and film services, and the two visionaries have now joined forces to provide the largest collection of HD aerial photography footage.

“We did a thorough review of all the stock footage companies and the decision to go with FootageBank was easy,” said Ace Pomianek, president, Helinet Aviation Services.  “Not only does Paula personally understand this industry inside and out, but her company is the only one to have such a focus on HD and actual footage.  The much bigger stock houses only had about 10% of their business in footage and, of that, only a small fraction was HD.  Helinet was founded by a visionary who has created the number one company of its kind and we appreciate working with another company that is doing the same thing in their industry.”

With its Helinet/Cineflex® HiDEF, a gyro-stabilized aerial camera system, Helinet Aviation Services, the largest provider of aerial news, can employ long focal length HD lenses for amazing long-distance image capture. It can clearly depict an automobile license plate from thousands of feet away but it is also capable of capturing astounding ultra wide angle vistas. 

“Helinet Aviation Services is truly innovative and, with their fleet of helicopters operating out of 15 cities in the United States and filming in many parts of the world, we are excited to offer their extensive aerial photography to our customers,” said Paula Lumbard, founder and president, FootageBank.  “As I anticipated when starting FootageBank a few years ago, the use of HD is growing at hyper-speed and more and more of our clients require it.  From filming city landscapes to professional sporting events to scenic nature, the amount of aerial footage provided to FootageBank will be in the thousands of shots, allowing our clients a huge selection at a fraction of the cost to hire their own aerial photography crew.”

The HD aerial footage from Helinet is currently available through FootageBank.  With this new addition, FootageBank now represents the industry’s most talented HD cinematographers and production companies offering the largest and most comprehensive HD library in the world.  Customers include corporate, media entertainment and advertisers ranging from independent producers to Madison Avenue advertising agencies and Hollywood studios such as Fox, Paramount and Warner Brothers.

About Helinet Aviation Services
Helinet Aviation Services is an international provider of aviation services, to a diversity of markets. The company is recognized as one of the nation's top Electronic News Gathering (E.N.G.) aerial solutions provider. In addition, Helinet regularly flies heads of state, celebrities and Fortune 500 executives, and transports patients in need of specialized care and life-saving organs to hospitals. Another facet of Helinet's business model is its entertainment division, Helinet Cinema Solutions, a turnkey provider for the most challenging aerial shots and stunts for Hollywood's top films and commercials.

About FootageBank
FootageBank is a privately held company based in Los Angeles, California founded by industry icon Paula Lumbard. Lumbard anticipated the coming demand for High Definition (HD) Motion Content in 2002 when she opened her second footage company. FootageBank continues to be the only footage house specializing in HD native content and is dedicated to shooting and aggregating collections of HD images to service the rapidly growing demand for HD content in the film and television marketplace. For more information, please visit www.footagebank.com.