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VISTAS UNLIMITED, INC.

Vistas Unlimited, Incorporated is a Texas-based high-tech development company whose proprietary computer technology delivers dynamically delivers virtual insertions (VDI® insertions) during live television broadcasts.

VDI insertion technology creates new advertising surfaces, which appear to the television viewer to be physically in the broadcasted venue. These digital surfaces are custom designed to:

  • Create new advertising real estate
  • Deliver the advertising message when viewers watch during the live content
  • Not interfere or change the physical environment being televised.

The driving philosophy of Dr. Overton's research was that the system be designed to overcome the limitations and restrictions of the early generations of virtual technology; specifically the limitation of requiring green screens or other physical modifications to a venue, and the restriction on revenue of delivering only one virtual location at a time.

Over the next several years, more than $10 million was invested in researching and developing the VDI insertion technology. Most of the testing was conducted in baseball, hockey, rodeo and soccer in the United States. The production trucks and crews with whom Mirage worked acknowledged the seamless and non-intrusive nature of the VDI insertion technology in their production.

By 2002 most of the basic operating principles of the Vistas VDI system had been implemented. Vistas Unlimited acquired the technology and continued field testing of the system. Development kept pace with the technology revolution in television and a high definition version of the Vistas VDI system was on air. Viewer game enhancement products were eventually added to the advertising products. Vistas' technology now creates multiple message and branding opportunities that the television viewers are least likely to zap.

In 2004, Vistas initiated a systematic commercialization strategy designed to cultivate strong development partnerships with broadcasters and content owners interested in using VDI Insertions to drive revenue. During the infancy of virtual television technology, attitudes and perceptions of users were quite fractured. Broadcast rights holders were uncertain about best applications, value and advertiser interest. Traditional network advertising was losing ground to satellite and cable. Industry research predicted the increasing use of Digital Video Recorders (DVR's) and their use by consumers to skip advertising. Television sales executives were increasingly alarmed about the salability of their advertising inventory. That context drove Vistas' four-step commercialization strategy:

  • Field Testing- customize, design, and test client specific VDI requirements in an off-line production mode
  • Pilot Program- understand economic, production, and market issues of VDIs over a limited time frame during live on-air client broadcasts
  • Economic Client Development – test the market-pricing elasticity to determine commercial value of VDI insertion platforms during full-season broadcast schedule.
  • Full-Commercialization- formal client service contract.

Following this strategy, Vistas successfully delivered VDI insertions on-air in major league baseball, NCAA basketball, hockey, golf and PRCA rodeo broadcasts.

Vistas commitment is to be on the forefront of the development and delivery of virtual technology solutions for high impact consumer marketing.

VDI® INSERTIONS

VDI insertions are digitally created advertising surfaces appearing to the TV audience to be physically in the venue and delivered during the content of the live television sports broadcasts without requiring physical changes to the venue.

Vistas VDI insertion uses:

  • Virtual Advertising
  • Game Enhancements
  • Venue Enhancements
  • Media Monitor

Marketing potential:

  • Branding
  • Advertising
  • Promotions
  • Zoned Marketing (regionalization)

Management Team

CHRISTOPHER BANCROFT

CHAIRMAN/ INTERIM CEO

Mr. Bancroft founded Vistas Unlimited in 2002. He was a director of Dow Jones & Company from 1996 until its sale in 2007. He is in the venture capital business and is also a director of entrepreneurial and media-related businesses and of various civic organizations.

KENNETH J. OVERTON, Ph.D.

PRESIDENT/ FOUNDER/ CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
ken.overton@vistasinc.com

Dr. Overton founded Mirage-Systems in 1999. The unique technology he invented is the culmination of his varied experience in perceptual robotics, artificial intelligence, parallel computing, technology transition, technology commercialization, and business software development, training, and service.

Dr. Overton's career began with GE, first in the Corporate Research & Development Center and then in the Aerospace Division. This work resulted in twenty publications and three U.S. patents. Prior to leaving GE, Dr. Overton created, managed, and grew the Advanced Concepts Center. One business this intrapreneurial center created focuses on assisting companies to evaluate and adopt advanced software technologies, and employs over 400 people today.

Joining multi-billion dollar defense contractor E-Systems in 1994 as head of the Research and Development Group, Dr. Overton's charter was to identify commercially attractive technologies within E-Systems, develop the business case for commercialization, and lead the commercialization. These businesses, based on software products, included medical systems integration, business intelligence, secure document production (passports), high capacity/low cost data storage, and advanced technical image processing.

Recruited by internet software and services firm ObjectSpace as Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, Dr. Overton built consulting and training services which accounted for over 80% of the company's revenues and half its employees (120). Dr. Overton left ObjectSpace to form Mirage-Systems. His continued leadership was critical to Vistas' acquisition of Mirage-Systems' technology.

As an IBM Graduate Fellow, Dr. Overton earned Ph.D. and Master's degrees in Computer & Information Science at The University of Massachusetts, established the Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics, and consulted to Digital Equipment Corp. on the application of robotic sensing to manufacturing automation. He earned an undergraduate degree in Physics and Honors Computer Science from The University of Indiana.

MARION T. FLORES

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
marion.flores@vistasinc.com

Mrs. Flores joined Mirage-Systems in 2000. Mrs. Flores has over 35 years of corporate management, finance, and operations experience with such companies as Booz Allen & Hamilton and The Bloom Companies (now Publicis USA).

At Booz Allen & Hamilton, Mrs. Flores managed all aspects of client relationships for major corporations throughout the U.S. in commercial banking, natural gas, oil, consumer durables, transportation, and real estate finance.

Mrs. Flores has been a CFO for the last 23 years, including 13 years with The Bloom Companies. Mrs. Flores' CFO responsibilities included finance, control, human resources, information systems, and facilities. She identified strategic buyers and negotiated the sale of Bloom to FCA! (a French agency now part of Publicis), sold non-strategic and underperforming businesses, led the computerization of in-house creative production facilities, merged the infrastructures of two New York agencies, and raised Series A funds for Mirage-Systems.

Mrs. Flores' career began in information systems with John Hancock, followed by commercial banking with Citibank in New York and with The First National Bank in Dallas (now BankAmerica). She graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a B.A. in philosophy and from Columbia University Graduate School of Business with an MBA in finance.