Massive founder Stephen Regelous receives 2004 World Technology Award nomination

Developer of Key The Lord of the Rings Crowd Animation Technology Tapped for Recognition by Industry Peers

Tuesday 14 September 2004

Massive, developer of the premiere 3D animation system for crowd–related visual effects in cinema and television, announced that its founder and product manager Stephen Regelous has been nominated for a World Technology Network Award. Determined by a vote of industry peers, the prestigious accolades are presented by the World Technology Network (WTN) to recognize work that has a high level of innovation and lasting significance in fields including biotechnology, space, energy, ethics, design and entertainment. Winners will be named October 8th at the World Technology Awards in San Francisco.

Regelous conceived and developed the artificial intelligence–driven software necessary for producing the epic–scale crowd and battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The application he created, now a commercially available, standalone product, has since been embraced by many top visual effects studios and facilities worldwide.

"Being nominated for a 2004 World Technology Award is a distinct honor," Regelous said. "Recognition at this level is particularly rewarding because it comes from one's peers."

Nominees for the 2004 World Technology Awards were selected via an intensive, global process in which current WTN members (primarily winners and finalists of previous Awards cycles – a group that has grown to include more than 700 individuals across 54 countries) identified the most innovative and influential work in each arena. WTN members from organizations as diverse as the European Union, UNESCO, Harvard University and Warner Bros determined this year's award slate in 20 different categories.

"The World Technology Awards program is not only a very inspiring way to identify and honor the most innovative individuals and organizations in the technology world, but it also is a truly disciplined way for the WTN membership to identify those who will formally join them as part of our global community," said James P. Clark, founder and Chairman of the WTN. "I wish Stephen and Massive much continued success."

The WTN nomination comes on the heels of the Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Regelous accepted in February 2004 for the development of Massive software. The ambitious and technically challenging final installment of The Lord of the Rings – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – earned 11 Oscar statuettes, including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects, at the 76th Annual Academy Awards.

The 2004 World Technology Awards will be presented October 8th at a San Francisco City Hall ceremony held in association with Nasdaq, Microsoft, TIME magazine, Science magazine and CNN. Winners and finalists will be automatically inducted into the WTN membership. The gala closes the 2004 World Technology Summit, taking place October 7th and 8th at San Francisco's historic Fairmont Hotel.

The 2004 Summit for the first time includes a Chief Technology Officers Showcase, enabling a small selection of companies to discuss their work in detail with Summit delegates. For more information, please visit www.wtn.net.

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