B*tween Productions Names Technology Veteran as Vice President, Engineering

Lexington, MA, April 10, 2008—B*tween Productions, Inc., creators of the tween phenomenon Beacon Street Girls® (BSG), today announced the appointment of Denis Haskin, a technology industry veteran with years of experience in the development of high traffic websites, to the position of vice president, engineering.

B*tween’s goal is to empower preteen girls through positive media and strong role models.  The company works with experts to incorporate the latest childhood development research into its award-winning Beacon Street Girls book series and website.

“Today, the Beacon Street Girls website is a great place for the fans of our books,” said Addie Swartz, chief executive officer, B*tween Productions.  “BeaconStreetGirls.com provides games and activities, and it allows girls to leave comments about anything and everything ‘tween.  In addition, fans are able to ‘talk’ to the Beacon Street Girls characters and receive responses.”

Swartz continued, “Denis and his team are developing major new features and functionality for our website.  The project will elevate the overall level of interaction, creating an important online social experience for girls.  In addition, the timing of the launch of this fun yet meaningful online world is perfect.  Our new partnership with Simon & Schuster provides additional resources to leverage the Beacon Street Girls brand and drive global visibility.”
 
Recently, B*tween signed an agreement with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, one of the world’s leading publishers of children’s books.  Aladdin M!X, Simon & Schuster’s tween-focused imprint, will begin distributing the Beacon Street Girls books in June 2008 and will launch six books at that time.

“The Beacon Street Girls, currently featured in 14 full-length novels, provide us with engaging storylines, complex characters, and a connection to the real world issues that girls face everyday,” said Haskin.  “This rich content provides us with a strong foundation, vital to the creation of a robust online community.  By leveraging the Beacon Street Girls’ assets, and working with a significant, growing audience, we are creating a unique experience for preteen girls everywhere.”

Most recently at NameMedia, Haskin has worked with leading technology companies such as Siebel Systems, Ziff-Davis Media, Inc., and The Gale Group (a Thompson Company).  He led multiple development teams, designing and implementing high-traffic websites, supporting millions of dollars in sales per month.  Haskin has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Clark University.

Created in 2004, the Beacon Street Girls was the first brand designed specifically to help preteen girls navigate adolescence using contemporary fiction.  Today the Beacon Street Girls offer tweens a wide variety of experiences, allowing girls to connect with the characters and each other, building their self-esteem through both online and real-world activities.

About the Beacon Street Girls
The Beacon Street Girls® brand (BSG) is specifically designed to celebrate the potential in every tween – those girls between the ages of 9 and 13 who are “between toys and boysTM.” The Beacon Street Girls, whether online at BeaconStreetGirls.com or in the widely popular book series, are shaped by leading experts in adolescent development and current research on how to positively impact girls’ self-esteem. The Beacon Street Girls offer a fresh, exciting and healthier media alternative to today’s MTV-style world. Fans from 174 countries and their parents have embraced the Beacon Street Girls as role models who are “just like me.” The Beacon Street Girls world and Club BSG can be found online at http://www.beaconstreetgirls.comBeacon Street Girls books are available wherever books are sold.

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