Digital Media Students Win National Red Bull Build Competition; Team Zombie Cow Studios to Create Red Bull Flash Game

SANTA MONICA, CA, May 22, 2006 -- A team of five Digital Media students from the University of Central Florida, known as Zombie Cow Studios, beat out almost 100 other applicantsfrom across the U.S. to win Red Bull BUILD. The challenge was this: undergrads from across the country were to form their campus dream team of designers and developers and submit a Flashgame proposal based on Red Bull X-Fighters, an international freestyle motocross competition. A panel of leading industry professionals, identified by Adobe as some of the top Flash designers in the world, then judged the proposals based on five components: game summary, sample artwork, control layout, sample code and unique elements.

The top teams then pitched their game to the panel as though they were a real shop vying for the job. In the end, Zombie Cow Studios - made up of Sara Raasch, Alex Hodgkiss, Christian Franqui, Gabriel Mariani, and Bobby Nettles - won the opportunity to bring their game to fruition during three weeks this June in a state of the art production studio built specifically for their programming needs in downtown Orlando, FL.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY COMPUTER LAB

Come June 4, the production studio in Orlando's Thornton Park area will become a second home to Zombie Cow Studios as they work around the clock to have their proposed Red Bull X-Fightersgame completed, top to bottom, in only three weeks. Each student will have two workstations with two 30" LCD monitors allowing them to maximize productivity. To help fuel their creativity, the studio will also be decked out with an audio production workstation, a screening area, and plenty of personality to keep their ideas flowing.

Luckily for the students, they won't have to tackle this project entirely on their own. Jesse Warden, a Flex and Flash contractor who has worked with IBM, the U.S. Navy and Siemens; Beau Amber, the Founder and CEO of Metaliq whose accolades include awards and recognition from the Webbys, FWA and the Flash Forward Film Festival; Justin Everett-Church, rich media evangelist for Yahoo!; and Danny Riddell, who has led projects for Adobe, Macromedia, AOL, and Gateway, among others, are just a few of the industry names who will visit the studio during the students' time there. These professionals will help guide the team through various steps in the development process as well as provide priceless insight into the career and professional world they will soon be entering.

A LITTLE INSPIRATION

All of the submitted game proposals were based on the Red Bull X-Fighters freestyle motocross competition. This event showcases the best riders in the world as they launch off dirt ramps in the middle of a screaming bullring. The first 2006 event happened in Mexico City on March 31, 2006, with the second one slated for this September in Madrid, Spain. For more information, go to www.redbullxfighters.com.

Go to www.redbullbuild.com for more information. For media inquiries (including bios, interview opportunities, photos or on-site visits), please contact Ellie Applen at 310-460-4532 or ellen.applen@us.redbull.com.

DATE POSTED
May 22, 2006

CONTACT
Ellie Applen
Red Bull
310-460-4532
email.

DOWNLOADS
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LINKS
www.redbullbuild.com
UCF Digital Media