FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Game Audio Network Guild Hosts GANG : IESD Roundtable with Industry Players at Expression College for Digital Arts

New GANG Professional Branch Provides Resources and Events for Game Sound Developers

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA and EMERYVILLE, CA – JULY 6, 2007 – The Game Audio Network Guild (GANG), a non-profit organization established to promote excellence in interactive audio, in conjunction with Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, the premier school of its kind in the United States, today announced an uber power GANG : Interactive Entertainment Sound Developers (IESD) roundtable to be hosted on Wednesday, July 11th from 3:00 PM PT to 5:30 PM PT in Meyer Hall at Ex’pression College’s expanded facility.

GANG : IESD Co-Chairs Scott Gershin, Creative Director/Founder, Soundelux Design Music Group; Dave Murrant, Director of Service Groups, Sony Computer Entertainment of America; Scott Selfon, Xbox Senior Audio Specialist, Microsoft; Gene Semel, Senior Manager, Sound Group, Sony Computer Entertainment of America, and Paul Lipson, GANG President and Chief Academic Officer of Ex’pression College will focus discussion on new and future sound development techniques for all of the next generation platforms.  Additional topics will include: developing the IESD mission statement, future directions for sound development, and how IESD can help the game industry sound community address those needs.

“This first Bay area roundtable event marks the launch of the GANG : IESD branch, with future events es in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Vancouver,” said Paul Lipson, President of GANG.  “The branch’s focus is specific to game industry sound professionals.  Games and the creation of game audio lives and breathes here in the bay area – so to have our first roundtable here near San Francisco is the perfect debut for the first GANG : IESD event.”

IESD, the new professional branch of GANG, was formed to provide resources, events and discussion on issues that most affect professional game sound developers today.  These issues often include integrating non-repetitive sound effects, studio and field recording techniques, real-time mixing, determining reasonable reference/listening levels, and tool file format standardization.

“We’re excited to be creating a conversation so closely focused on the needs of professional sound developers for games,” said Selfon.  “There’s an enormous wealth of talent and information that could be shared to continue to advance the artistry of the industry, and conversations about the best ways to deliver immersive, realistic, and, above all, fun audio for interactive entertainment experiences.”

The following sponsors have pledged their support for GANG and the new IESD Branch initiative: Microsoft, DTS, Intel Corp., Dolby Laboratories, Midway, Audio Kinetic, and Minnetonka Audio.

For questions, comments or for more information please contact Paul Lipson, paul@audiogang.org or Michelle Sorger, michelle@audiogang.org, or visit www.audiogang.org for more information on how to become a member or sponsor of G.A.N.G.

About G.A.N.G.
The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) is a non-profit organization established to educate the masses in regards to interactive audio by providing information, instruction, resources, guidance and enlightenment not only to its members, but to content providers and listeners throughout the world. G.A.N.G. empowers its members by establishing resources for education, business, technical issues, community, publicity and recognition. G.A.N.G. also supports career development for aspiring game audio professionals, publishers, developers and students. 

About Expression College for Digital Arts
Founded in 1999, Expression is a unique, fully licensed digital arts college. Expression College for Digital Arts teaches and grants Bachelor degrees in four programs: Sound Arts; Animation & Visual Effects; Motion Graphic Design and Game Art & Design. Expression utilizes a professional accelerated program and students live and learn in the culture of digital arts for approximately 2.5 years. Each class is limited to a small number of students to insure excellent and hands-on learning and the student to computer ratio is one-to-one. Students are taught by and work with the best practitioners and equipment that the industry can offer. Expression’s close ties to top industry professionals provide students with real-world client projects and mentorship opportunities and a top-rated career development track that has resulted in an exceptionally high placement rate for graduates. When graduates leave their Expression family behind, they will be prepared to immediately assume sought-after jobs in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, or any of the arts and high technology centers around the world.

Expression is located in an imagination-inspiring 100,000-square-foot building, at 6601 Shellmound St. in Emeryville, Calif., just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. For more information, please visit Ex’pression’s Website at: http://www.expression.edu.