HalfthePlanet.com Taps ABC, GO.Com Executive as CEO

Business Wire, August 29, 2000

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2000

Patricia E. Vance, A Driving Force Behind the Success of ABC.com,

ABCNEWS.com, Oprah.com and Oscar.com, Joins Halftheplanet.com

HalfthePlanet.com, the most comprehensive and authoritative resource for those whose lives are touched by a disability, announced today the appointment of Patricia E. Vance as president and CEO. Vance joins HalfthePlanet.com after spending 18 years with ABC, Inc. and The Walt Disney Company where most recently she led ABC's Internet activities, including ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, Oprah.com and Oscar.com.

"We are very excited and fortunate to have Patricia join our executive staff," said David Brenner, founder and chairman of HalfthePlanet.com. "She brings with her the rare experience of leading several Web sites to success and profitability. The company will benefit from her proven track record of strategically developing Web-based brands."

"Patricia's experience will further accelerate HalfthePlanet.com into a prominent leadership position," said Bob Greene, managing partner, Flatiron Partners. "We are extremely fortunate to gain her demonstrated expertise in managing online brands at such a critical point in our company's growth."

"HalfthePlanet.com is ideally positioned to be the premiere online resource for the disability community at large. My addition will allow David Brenner to concentrate on developing the creative ideas that make HalfthePlanet.com so valuable. I am extremely excited to be in a position to help the company fully realize its potential," said Patricia E. Vance, new president and CEO of HalfthePlanet.com. "In the upcoming months, we will focus our efforts on delivering the most personalized, practical and relevant information, as well as developing products and services that enable and connect the lives of over half the planet's population who are touched by a disability."

Under Vance's leadership as Senior Vice President of the ABC Internet Group, part of Disney's Go.com, ABC's Web sites tripled in both revenue and reach. In fact, the launch of the online version of the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" game, which drew more than 5.5 million users in two weeks, helped catapult ABC.com into the ranks of the top 50 Web sites. Prior to managing ABC's Internet activities, Vance helped develop numerous new businesses extending ABC's brands into various markets, including CD-ROM publishing (Creative Wonders; ABC Interactive), interactive laserdisc publishing (ABC News Interactive), in-flight entertainment and direct response video, among others.

About HalfthePlanet.com

HalfthePlanet.com offers the most comprehensive site for the 150 million Americans and the three billion people around the world who are disabled or who care for people with disabilities - about half of the planet's population. It is a breakthrough Web site that connects the disability community and supports, encourages, and informs this sizable segment of the population.

To facilitate adaptation, it offers everything from a robust resource center listing products and services across the U.S., online shopping, original feature articles on a variety of topics relevant to the community, an accessibility ratings guide for travelers, active bulletin boards, news on the latest assistive technology, a section dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities, and legislators' voting records. Founded in 1999 by former Universal Studios senior vice president David Brenner, the company's investors include Chase Capital Partners, Flatiron Partners, Richland Ventures and the New York City Investment Fund.