Smith Micro Fuels Online Content Fire with Professional-Quality Animation Software at Hobbyist Pricing
-- Company Targets Freelance and Small Group Animators with Aggressive Competitor Trade-in Program
ALISO VIEJO, California, June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith Micro Software (NASDAQ:SMSI) is empowering the high growth freelance and small-business market of professional animators with its newly-enhanced 2D graphics software and aggressive pricing strategy. With demand soaring for animated content through online channels like Netflix, YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, Amazon and Vimeo, as well as explosive growth in the use of animation for commercial and educational videos, the opportunity to capture more market share by combining high-end production capabilities with a dramatically simplified toolset and a hobbyist price tag is prime for Smith Micro, whose Anime Studio® software has already earned global recognition winning a Telly Award, and used by Cartoon Saloon in their Oscar-nominated "Song of the Sea."
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The company's direct marketing strategy includes a new competitor trade-in program that allows users to receive a $200 credit, or 66% discount, when they enter the software serial code of any ToonBoom competitive product, including ToonBoom Studio, Animate, Animate Pro and all versions of Harmony at time of purchase. A deeply discounted price is one of four key elements to their strategy, which also includes:
- Support for all styles of animation, including Cut Out, Stop Motion, Point, Pencil Drawn, Frame-by-Frame, and Skeletal, to enable individualized style with maximum efficiency
- Ability to remotely collaborate with other artists using Layer Referencing, import from Adobe Photoshop, Smart Bones creation for workflow improvements and support for a standard file format based on JSON technology
- Training to get artists ramped up and producing quickly through a rich library of training videos, web tutorials, and live webinars with world-renowned artists like Victor Paredes and Chad Troftgruben
- A simplified pipeline that allows importing, designing, drawing, coloring, animating, adding and recording audio, adding special effects and exporting HD quality movies
"Just as YouTube redefined video distribution and leveled the playing field for freelance video producers, the internet has enabled the same transformation for the animation market, opening the doors to a massive audience of consumers and producers, both of which expect high quality animation without the high price tag of a big studio production," said Jim Mains, chief strategy officer at Smith Micro. "We're making it easy for independent and small group digital artists to compete with the big boys by reducing the complexity and expense of high-end animation tools, while also providing extensive artist support to maximize the capabilities of the software."
Recently released Anime Studio Pro 11 lets artists switch between traditional Frame-by-Frame animation techniques and more automated bone-rigging techniques, making it fast and easy to achieve raster-like characteristics and life-like results without switching tools. The new version has earned very positive feedback from customers and media, positioning Smith Micro to confidently target competitive products like ToonBoom Studio, Animate, Animate Pro and all versions of Harmony with a limited-time trade-in program.
Find more information about Anime Studio Pro and the competitive trade in program here.
About Smith Micro's Productivity and Graphics Group
The Smith Micro Software Productivity and Graphics Group produces award-winning software that inspires consumer creativity and enables efficiency. The group's creative suite of programs provides artists of all skill levels – from novice to professional – with the tools to illustrate, animate and create 2D and 3D art. Some of the Productivity and Graphics Group's award-winning creative and utilities products include Poser, Anime Studio, Manga Studio and StuffIt. For more information, visit: http://my.smithmicro.com/
Safe Harbor Statement:
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, forward-looking statements relating to the company's financial prospects and projections, the company's ability to increase its business, and the anticipated timing and financial performance of new products. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are new and changing technologies, customer acceptance of those technologies, fluctuations or cancellations in orders from customers, new and continuing adverse economic conditions, and the company's ability to compete effectively with other software companies. These and other factors discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented in any forward-looking statements. Smith Micro assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.
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PRESS INQUIRIES:
Suzanne Runald
Smith Micro Software, Inc.
+1 (949) 362-5800
pr@smithmicro.com
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