William C. Weiss, Founder of The Promar Group, Named Media Center Senior Fellow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Reston, VA - William C. Weiss, chairman, CEO and founder of The Promar Group LLC, has been appointed a senior fellow of The Media Center at the American Press Institute. The Promar Group LLC, located in Cary, North Carolina, is an executive strategy firm that advises leadership teams and investors worldwide.

Weiss will assist The Media Center in strategic planning, industry outreach and leveraging the intersection of media and technology. He was a member of the board of directors of New Directions for News (NDN), a think-tank organization devoted to innovation in news media, which merged with The Media Center under The Media Center name in September 2003.

"Bill will be a tremendous asset to The Media Center," said Andrew Nachison, the center's director. "His energy, far-sightedness, experience and international reach will be invaluable as we define fresh opportunities and strike out in new, ambitious directions."

"Bill brings dynamic vision, leadership and relationships to The Media Center," said Dale Peskin, co-director of The Media Center and former executive director of NDN. "As an NDN board member, he infused the organization with a global perspective and with strategic thinking about media and the business of media. He is another great asset NDN brings to the merger with The Media Center."

While pursuing an undergraduate degree, Weiss started The Promar Group and several other businesses, including a retail electronics chain, two direct marketing companies, a recording studio and an advertising agency. By the time Weiss completed his studies in computer science at North Carolina State University in 1976, these businesses had grown into multi-million dollar enterprises. He soon built The Promar Group into one of the first virtual enterprises and established his own international reputation as a visionary business strategist. For over 25 years, Weiss and The Promar Group have been sought by corporations such as Ericsson, General Electric, IBM, International Telecommunications Clearing Corporation, Qualcomm, Steelcase and Toshiba.

Weiss and Promar often are featured in the media, in publications such as Work Naked, a fast-selling business book about the virtual workplace, and in articles such as Fast Company magazine's "Fast Pack 2000," about the movers and shakers for the year 2000 and beyond. Weiss is also a popular corporate speaker; on the board of directors of Infowave Software (http://www.infowave.com; TSE: IW), a leader in mobile Internet software for wireless; a partner in Quantum Capital Management, a venture capital firm for early-stage business-to-business technology companies; and a founding advisor to IdeaEdge Ventures in San Diego, California. He devotes his spare time and the resources of his firm to projects that help young people, including corporate sponsorships of such organizations as the Duke University Children's Hospital.

For more information, contact Gloria Pan, director of communications, The Media Center, at (703) 715-3301 or gpan@americanpressinstitute.org

About The Media Center at the American Press Institute

The Media Center is a non-profit research and educational organization committed to building a better-informed society in a connected world. The Media Center conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media.

The Media Center helps leaders, organizations and educators around the world understand and create multimedia futures. Its programs and engagements provide innovation, knowledge and strategic insights for personal, professional and business growth.

A division of The American Press Institute, The Media Center was established in 1997 to help the news industry devise strategies and tactics for digital media. In September 2003 it merged with New Directions for News, an independent media futures think tank. The merger created a global, multi-disciplinary network of researchers and leading thinkers focused on the future of media and the behaviors of consumers in a media-centric world.

For more on The Media Center's programs, research and services, go to www.mediacenter.org