Verizon's 'Action Hero' Online Movie Tool Named 'Site of the Day' by Favourite Website Awards (FWA)

NEW YORK - Favourite Website Awards (FWA), recognizing the online media industry's latest and best cutting-edge Web site designs, has named Verizon's Action Hero Web site, www.verizon.com/actionhero, Site Of The Day (SOTD) for Thursday (May 24).

Visitors to FWA, www.thefwa.com, tomorrow will see the SOTD banner across Verizon's Action Hero on the top left of the page.

"FWA found the Verizon Action Hero Web site to be a very original experience," said Rob Ford, FWA founder and principal. "In our seven year history, this was the first time we had the pleasure of creating our own movie that would be rendered and sent to us for our personal and shared viewing pleasure. The overall quality of the complete experience was first class, with a seamless walkthrough and an end result that we will never forget.

"This is cutting-edge Web development at its best, coupled perfectly with future-thinking progressive ideas," Ford said. "It's not very often that you see something new, but Verizon gave us that new feeling, and we will be delighted to feature the site as an FWA Site Of The Day."

Verizon's Action Hero movie-rendering tool is available over broadband connections everywhere. Designed to showcase the power of broadband and the applications and services it can deliver, and to highlight Verizon's focus on entertainment, this free interactive online tool gives consumers the ability to direct their own short, Hollywood-style action movie, played out in a video game motif, and cast themselves as the hero who saves the world from killer bugs, mad scientists or insane robots.

Brian Price, executive director of Verizon's Online Center of Excellence, said, "We're delighted to get the SOTD Award.  Action Hero is more than just a novelty. It will deliver to people who make their own movies an experience they can't get from online games, video uploads or Java animations.  It's total immersion in modern creative arts, made possible by the magic of broadband."

The tool was designed by Verizon's interactive communications agency, R/GA, and is available at www.verizon.com/actionhero or via Verizon's broadband entertainment portal, VerizonSurround, at http://verizonsurround.net, under the "Presents" tab.

Action Hero will be especially gratifying to customers using Verizon FiOS broadband connections at speeds of up to 50 megabits per second over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network straight into customers' homes.

The FWA was established in 2000 and estimates 20 million visitors have since visited the Web site.

About R/GA
R/GA (www.rga.com), the agency for the digital age, serves Fortune 500 companies and world-class marketers such as Avaya, L'Oréal Paris, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nokia, Subaru, and Verizon. R/GA builds brands by transforming the way people interact with them, creating engaging, user-centric experiences that have the power to change customers' perceptions.

Founded in 1977, R/GA has received the top creative awards for film, broadcast, and interactive. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 60.7 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

####