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AWARD-WINNING CREATIVE “YKBX”, THE “ANDY WARHOL” OF JAPAN, SIGNS WITH STORIES INTERNATIONAL’S MANAGEMENT DIVISION

Genius artist YKBX, whose work in art, film, design, art direction, and creative direction, including designing Mario in 3D for Nintendo, has signed with STORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC., as a client of the company’s creative management division for international representation.1

YKBX began his career as a 3D designer at NAMCO and Nintendo, where he designed the “Mario” character of Super Mario Bros. fame in 3D.

He has since expanded his works into art direction, animation, music videos, commercials, film, and art installations, including music video work for top Japanese top singer Namie Amuro, legendary humanoid persona Miku Hatsune’s Vocaloid Opera “The End”, the opening video for anime series Ghost in the Shell: Arise, and the station identification for MTV UK’s TOP 50.

YKBX has won awards for his work across major media categories including music, media arts, and design, such as the MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, SIGGRAPH, JAPAN Media Arts Festival, ANNECY, onedotzero, 3DCG Awards, and SIGGRAPH ASIA.

YKBX recently closed a deal with post house Robot for management in Japan and to provide studio support for the artist’s myriad of projects.

“It is truly an honor to work with such a unique and talented creative mind as YKBX. His ability to create in nearly any medium makes him a force to be reckoned with, and we look forward to helping him to bring his great works to the world,” explains Evan J. Cholfin, Head of Development and Production at STORIES INTERNATIONAL.

Tomoya Suzuki, STORIES’ President and CEO, elaborates, “Simply, he is a genius. You will know what I mean when you see his creations. Seeing is inspiring. We want to keep seeing his creations, and we will support him by providing the environment for him to flourish in the international creative world.”

YKBX says, “I look forward to a bright future ahead working with STORIES for truly international projects.”

For collaboration opportunities with YKBX, please contact STORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

1 *Projects for Japanese language territory are managed by a different manager in Japan.

About YKBX

YKBX has worked both within Japan and at the international level as a director, art director, and artist, creating a rich catalogue of past works for companies and entities of all different backgrounds. YKBX freely utilizes photography, 2D/3DCG images, illustrations, graphic design, and interactive design in his works and maintains “total creative direction” from project start to finish. He strives to create meaningful works that both reflect and surpass their time and nationality.

YKBX has earned 20+ awards for 20+ projects, including: MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD 2013 SpaceShower TV Video Music Award 2013 Promaxbda Asia AWARD BEST PROGRAMME TITLE SEQUENCE GOLD 2012 Short Short film Festival Awards 2012 SIGGRAPH 2011 SIGGRAPH ASIA 2010 SIGGRAPH ASIA 2011 Japan Media Arts Festival 2011 Japan Media Arts Festival 2012

Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2011 one dot zero 2010 one dot zero 2011 3dcg awards 2010 3dcg awards 2011 dot mov festival 2010 http://ykbx.jp/

About STORIES

STORIES, LLC is a full-service production, commercial and literary management company based in Tokyo with its international arm, STORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC., based in Los Angeles. The company is a subsidiary of legendary video game publisher SEGA and Hakuhodo DY Group, the second-largest advertising agency in Japan and seventh largest in the world. STORIES has three divisions: Film/TV/Digital, Branded Entertainment, and Creative Management. STORIES is focused on bringing Japanese stories to a global audience through adaptations of Japanese intellectual properties into English-language film, television, and digital series for a worldwide release. STORIES is currently producing filmed entertainment adaptations of forty SEGA video game properties. STORIES also creates award-winning branded entertainment by connecting Hollywood creators with major international brands through Hakuhodo DY Group, as well as its international partners. STORIES' full-service commercial and literary management division fosters the careers of creators from both Hollywood and around the world. The company works with critically and commercially acclaimed directors, producers, and writers to develop and produce projects at virtually any scale.

Visit STORIES for more information and the latest company news.

STORIES LLC Established 2011 Head office 5-3-1 AKASAKA MINATO-KU TOKYO, Japan 107-6320 TEL/FAX +81-3-6441-9032 / +81-3-6441-9039 President and CEO Tomoya Suzuki Capital Investors Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc. , SEGA corporation and others. Scope of Business Film, TV and Web content development, Branded Entertainment and Commercial and Literary Management

STORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. (100% owned by STORIES, LLC) Head office 300 Corporate Pointe Suite 330, Culver City, CA 90230 TEL/FAX 310-596-8045 / 310-596-8046 President and CEO Tomoya Suzuki Corporate Secretary Yasunari Yanagihara Head of Development and Production Evan J. Cholfin www.stories-llc.com