Barna-Alper Productions Invests in iThentic

TORONTO, May 1: Canada’s Barna-Alper Productions has made a
strategic investment in iThentic, an online and mobile video company.

The size of Barna Alper’s investment was not disclosed. The
venture—which will operate from Toronto as well as New York—is
dedicated to the production and aggregation of independently produced video content
for online and mobile distribution.

iThentic was co-founded in June 2006 in New York City by Catherine
Tait, the former president and COO of Salter Street Films; along with partners
Al Cattabiani, former founder and CEO of Wellspring Media; and Liz Manne,
former EVP of programming and marketing for the Sundance Channel and former EVP
of Fine Line Features.

iThentic launched its mobile video service in Canada on
Rogers’ new video on-demand wireless service on April 2. iThentic is delivering
Rogers two dedicated channels of content, iThentic’s “LOL” comedy service and
“Not Seen on TV,” which includes original productions from the lifestyle,
“green” and dramatic “mobisode” categories. In the U.S., iThentic will launch
its mobile video service through Cellfish, a mobile entertainment provider.

“Video on the Internet is a dynamic new creative format and
the third screen of mobile is growing exponentially as a vital new distribution
platform,” commented Laszlo Barna, the chairman, CEO and co-founder of
Barna-Alper. “As a creatively-driven production company, Barna-Alper wants to
be where innovation in our industry is occurring.”