New Venture Combines Video, Animation, Print and Web Services for Third-Party Clients

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 21, 2003) – Ken Lehner, Vice President of Marketing Communications for the Carolina Hurricanes, formally announced today the formation of Gale Force Media, a multidimensional creative services operation that will provide video, animation, film, graphic design, web design, print collateral and brand management services to third parties.

“Several years ago, we decided to make an investment in staffing and equipment to bring our marketing initiatives in house,” said Lehner, “Since then, we have improved our effectiveness and efficiencies which allows us the opportunity to offer our services to others. Behind the scenes, we have entered numerous successful partnerships in the past two years, and thus felt it was time to expand our business by introducing a spin-off operation.”

Gale Force Media has launched a website in conjunction with this announcement. Please visit http://www.galeforcemedia.com to learn more about the company. Clients that Gale Force Media has worked with to date include, but are not limited to, North Carolina State University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, RBC Centura, Springboard Hosting, The NC Department of Transportation, GlaxoSmithKline and Goerlich’s Brand Mufflers.

Pete Soto, the Hurricanes’ Director of In-Game Entertainment, will oversee direction of the video production and animation aspects of Gale Force Media. After six years with baseball’s Florida Marlins, Soto started with the Hurricanes in 1999 as Produciton Manager for Gale Force Holdings, the Hurricanes’ parent company. He has since been promoted to Director of Gale Force Media, which oversees all the Hurricanes’ and N.C. State Wolfpack’s football and basketball production. Soto and his staff have been honored with several industry awards for excellence in broadcasting, including 11 Telly awards and several Addy Awards. Along with working on several Super Bowls, in 2002 Soto was named Director of Video Production for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics E-center (Ice Hockey Venue).

Howard Sadel, the Hurricanes’ Director of New Media and Graphic Communications, will oversee the print and web aspects of Gale Force Media. Sadel joined the Hurricanes organization after serving Rockett, Burkhead & Winslow, the agency of record at the time for the Carolina Hurricanes, and the agency that pitched the then Hartford Whalers to relocate to Raleigh. Sadel, being an avid hockey fan, became a natural fit for the account and later joined the Hurricanes directly to bring all creative services in-house. Currently Sadel oversees all print and web design and implementation for the Hurricanes and RBC Center marketing initiatives, in addition to Gale Force Media.