Artist and Former Pro Skateboarder Andy Howell Launches ARTSPROJEKT, an Interactive...

Artist and Former Pro Skateboarder Andy Howell Launches ARTSPROJEKT, an Interactive and Culturally Relevant Online Community for the Arts, Pop Culture and Action Sports

In addition, ARTSPROJEKT announces Launch of On-Demand Skateboards
Platform through Strategic Technology Partnership with Zazzle(R)
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
ARTSPROJEKT, www.artsprojekt.com, an interactive and culturally
relevant online community for the arts, pop culture and action sports
announced its launch today. ARTSPROJEKT will feature original art,
illustrations, and designs by artists, celebrities, action sports
stars and micro brands, as well as offer artist profiles, portfolios,
online product galleries, collaborations, artist interviews, and more.
ARTSPROJEKT will also represent and manage artists, as well as host
exhibitions curated by some of the best artists in the world, create
limited and open edition reproductions of its artists' works for sale
worldwide, and establish working and collaborative relationships with
major media brands. At launch, ARTSPROJEKT artists and brands include
Lil Jon, Shepard Fairey / OBEY, Santa Cruz Skateboards, legendary
skateboard artist Jim Phillips, Skateboarding Is Not A Crime, Bullet,
Crooks & Castles, Blood Is The New Black, Hellz Bellz, Guttersnipe,
legendary skateboard pro and artist Steve Caballero, Mars-1, Alex
Pardee, and DALEK.

In addition, the company announced the launch of skateboards
on-demand through its strategic relationship with Zazzle. Zazzle's
engineering team collaborated with Howell to develop a truly authentic
product that is produced within 24 hours, a first for the industry.

"The launch of the ARTSPROJEKT community together with the
on-demand skateboard platform provides a truly amazing opportunity for
this market segment," said Andy Howell, former pro skateboarder and
founder of ARTSPROJEKT. "We combine the most diverse and relevant
artistic community with the most cutting edge technology and
manufacturing capabilities to offer new revenue opportunities for
established designers as well as up-and-coming artists. The community
will offer a diverse array of content, designs and products not
available anywhere else, and provide artists and brands with
incredible earning power from every sale."

ARTSPROJEKT aligns artists, brands and consumers; the community
was created to empower emerging artists and established artists,
offering a way for them to connect and share ideas, as well as to
create and sell original art and products to consumers. ARTSPROJEKT
utilizes Zazzle's revolutionary high-end and on-demand product
platform, allowing content owners and artists to create and sell an
infinite array of products on-demand, without set-up fees or inventory
risk. The ARTSPROJEKT marketplace provides a new and vibrant sales
channel for established brands, as well as indie brands and
individuals who are cutting edge tastemakers in the arts community.
ARTSPROJEKT will offer partner libraries from major brands, art
archives, and branded templates, creating a deep content environment
for consumers to interact with the brands in an environment that feels
personal, customized, and unique to their tastes.

Designs are available on a variety of products including
skateboards, apparel, shoes and more, with many of the products
customizable as to apparel style and skateboard shape. In addition,
artists may be invited to create limited and open edition products,
sell them through ARTSPROJEKT.com and partner sites, their own sites,
blogs, and online social networks, with the entire back end of
production, fulfillment and customer service handled for them.

The launch of skateboards on-demand, produced in 24 hours is an
industry first. Howell worked with Zazzle to develop the skateboard
product offering, and partnered with the best in the business to
provide consumers with a unique and comprehensive product offering.

Zazzle's patent-pending manufacturing process is the first to
utilize new printing technologies for one-off custom skateboard decks,
producing a beautifully vibrant image. The offering is a full
end-to-end experience - consumers are able to choose from a wide
variety of pre-designed boards from the ARTSPROJEKT community of
designers and content partners, create the product online and have it
produced within 24 hours of ordering.

Added Howell of the motivation behind the on-demand skateboard
platform and artistic community, "As a pro skateboarder, I always
considered skateboarding a fine art. As an artist, I see the
skateboard as a canvas. Throughout my life and career, my art and
skateboarding have always been primary forms of expression. I am
passionate about being able to cross-pollinate the two worlds and
aspire for ARTSPROJEKT to raise the bar for the quality of skate
graphics and initiate a new global standard that empowers artists, and
brands, with a better quality skateboard than ever before."

Skateboard decks are seven-ply North American maple and supplied
by PS Stix. Components are sourced from Santa Cruz, Independent
trucks, Krux Trucks, and Ricta Wheel Dynamics. The end result is a
highly technical product, backed by industry veterans.

"The skateboarding industry is a large market with incredible
potential to expand creative expression on boards," said Jeff Beaver,
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Zazzle. "Through our
relationship with Andy, we are able to leverage our proprietary
manufacturing systems and online tools to produce skateboards
on-demand, with extraordinary quality."

ARTSPROJEKT enables brands to unlock catalogues of amazing old
school content, extend current product offerings, and test their new
designs in an immediately focused atmosphere. ARTSPROJEKT empowers
emerging and established artists to monetize their creativity on truly
unique high-end art products, and share in the revenue from every sale
using their images.

"Skateboard graphics were one of the main things that inspired me
to become an artist, so it goes without saying that I want my art to
translate beautifully on skateboards," said Shepard Fairey. "In the
past, printing on a curved board surface had detail limitations or
smudging could occur at the bends. The ARTSPROJEKT boards utilize new
digital technology to create perfectly crisp graphics with impeccable
detail."

About ARTSPROJEKT

Finally the artist wins. ARTSPROJEKT is an interactive and
culturally relevant online community enabling artists, brands and
consumers to connect instantly, and on-demand. ARTSPROJEKT provides
artist management, exhibition, and e-commerce assistance to emerging
and established artists in all fine art and commercial genres. The
company develops careers, connects artists with galleries and
potential clients, as well as promotes and sells art and products
online and offline. ARTSPROJEKT empowers artists to create full time,
and sell original art as well as limited or open edition products on
its site, partner sites, the artists own sites, and other online
networks. Launched in August 2008, ARTSPROJEKT is a unit of Zazzle.

(C)2008 Zazzle.com Inc., all rights reserved. Zazzle is a
registered trademark and trademark of Zazzle.com, Inc. in the United
States and other countries.

ARTSPROJEKT
Karen DeMarco, 310-779-9055
Karen.demarco@artsprojekt.com
or
Christ Morales, 650-261-3305
christi.morales@artsprojekt.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008