Gamecom/Ferris CEO e-mail...
Friends and shareholders:
Attached is this morning's press release announcing GameCom/Ferris' presence at the Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference this weekend in Phoenix.
This is our first post-merger public appearance, and we have been looking forward to this opportunity for some time. Bob Ferris and his staff have been hard at work over the past few months on this initiative into the museum and science center market, and we believe GameCom/Ferris is uniquely qualified to exploit this opportunity. We anticipate a very successful show over the weekend.
I have also attached for your review transcripts of recent interviews with CEOcast and StockTalk.
After yesterday's close, there has been rampant speculation about "bad news," or insider selling. Please let me give an emphatic "no" to those rumors. The only activities we are aware of are all very exciting, and most of these initiatives have not been disclosed publicly. With a Bulletin Board stock, we have little control over the daily whims of the market. We do, however, control the company and its opportunities, and we continue to focus on building a company with solid revenue, growth potential, and unique product lines. With the Ferris merger behind us, we have never been closer to achieving our goal of having a solid company capable of being judged on sound business fundamentals.
I also point out that our focus has been on corporate and revenue growth, and not on promotional activity. That will begin to change, according to plan, as some of these current initiatives reach fruition.
In that vein, look for a press release next week announcing a dial-in teleconference with me next Wednesday at 4:15 EDT/1:15 PDT. The dial-in number will be 1-800-405-9328 and 1-416-405-9328 for international callers. As this call-in show will be publicly announced, the "materiality" restrictions will be lessened and I will be able to be a bit more forthcoming than securities laws normally require. I very much look forward to bring you up-to-date on our exciting progress.
Our company's opportunities have never been brighter.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to an investment in GameCom/Ferris. I respectfully refer you to GameCom/Ferris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
L. Kelly Jones, GameCom/Ferris CEO
CEOcast Interview
September 25, 2001
http://www.ceocast.com/company.cfm?cid=589&n=094452
Wachs: This is Michael Wachs with CEOcast. I’m visiting with L. Kelly Jones. Kelly is chief executive officer of GameCom, Inc., a company that trades over the counter under the Bulletin Board symbol “GAMZ,” and one that recently received shareholder approval for its merger with Ferris Productions. Kelly, thanks for joining CEOcast today.
Jones: My pleasure, Mike. I’m looking forward to visiting with you.
Wachs: I thought perhaps you could begin with an overview of the company and then we’ll get into the way that the Ferris acquisition changes the face of it.
Jones: Certainly Michael. With the Ferris merger consummated, we are the world’s largest and fastest growing producer of integrated hardware and software technology to the virtual reality industry, and we’re also a first-to-market emerging leader in the manufacture of interactive on-line computer gaming kiosks and kiosk control software.
Wachs: As you look at this combination now, what does this mean for the company in terms of creating scale, and why is Ferris such a good fit.
Jones: Well, it changes everything--it just simply changes everything, Michael. We have taken two companies that were incomplete, that needed to have additions to them, and they make together one nice integrated whole. We decided a few months ago that we needed to bring in an operating partner that was further along in the deployment of resources and with distributions channels, than what we had with trying to break into the market with our ‘Net GameLink™ system. From Ferris’ perspective, they were certainly in that same arena that we were, but they had also developed a virtual reality technology, and they needed a public vehicle to give them the capital to advance their interests. So, it gives both companies what they needed, and from a very, very important standpoint, not only are the businesses and the personnel complimentary, but management is as well. Bob Ferris, I think very, very highly of him. Bob has now become the president of the combined company, and I’m staying on as the CEO. We expect and have been witnessing and experiencing a seamless integration of these two companies.
Wachs: Kelly, although it is a nice problem to have, given the opportunities that are now presented, it also creates a challenge in terms of which ones to prioritize. How do you go about working through that.
Jones: We’re doing both, we’re doing both, Michael. We really do three things. We manufacture these kiosk gaming systems, we operate those types of systems at virtual reality zones at amusement parks around the country, and we do commercial special applications of virtual reality, such as our recently announced projects for Red Baron Pizza and Chevrolet with its Olympic Torch program. We are working simultaneously on all three fronts. We are now in late September, so the amusement park aspect is beginning to decline. But, we have very exciting operations under way, and proposals and contracts that we’re in the process of negotiating, both for deployment of our operating software and operating hardware for ‘Net GameLink™, as well as additional commercial applications of virtual reality. You were exactly correct -- it is problem with prioritizing, but we’ll prioritize what is most readily available to create value for the shareholders.
Wachs: Even while you are completing the acquisition, you are also pursuing other opportunities. What are some of the areas that you’re looking at today?
Jones: What we’re looking at now, are two companies. One is a smaller competitor of Ferris’ in the virtual reality area, primarily in terms of creating special event uses for virtual reality technology and the gaming machines. The reason that’s so important to us is that would give us the opportunity to use our machines on a more year-round basis. The other company we are looking at -- I can’t say too much about it -- but it gives us the opportunity to do a bit of horizontal integration within our industry and to broaden our perspective. One of the things that we announced last Friday was a consulting agreement with Olympic Holdings, which subsequently invested in our company. That developed out of our relationship that we have in New York with Prudential, and Olympic is looking for companies for us to acquire, and again, our looking at a particular company is how these discussions ultimately led into their investment in our company.
Wachs: As you look at the opportunities and this $1,000,000 in funding that you recently received on a committed basis. How then might you most effectively utilize it?
Jones: Certainly with any public company, especially a young public company like ours, there are many, many mouths to feed. We need to utilize those funds in a very controlled manner. We are concluding some contracts, we’ll know within the next few days, certainly we’ll need some of this money to complete these contracts, provided that we get them. We have no shortage of expenses to pay in conjunction with the proxy statement and all of the various professionals that are involved in a merger of this consequence. Although, mostly we’ll be using the money for growth capital to advance the interests of the company to generate revenue and to help toward a bottom line that’s in the black.
Wachs: Given the trends in the gaming sector, how do they differ perhaps in Internet gaming?
Jones: We think they very, very positively impact interactive Internet gaming. However, I want to point out that one of the things we’ve done with our kiosk software, and with the hardware as well, is create a platform that can be used in a number of different applications. We are working right now on a major contract in Europe that would use these kiosks for something other than interactive gaming. They’d still be interactive, they’d still be tied together, but they’d be for another use. One of the things we’re looking forward to is demonstrating the varied opportunities and applications of our ‘Net GameLink™ software.
Wachs: As you look at perhaps some of the companies, like THQ or Electronic Arts, where are you in your own development compared to theirs, and how would you compare yourselves to them in an early stage?
Jones: Apples and oranges. We will be licensing our software. Our operating software is different. We have our own software, we have our own what we call “EasyPlay” software. But if in terms of content, we’ll be licensing that, and that’s the type of thing that they do well, and something that we don’t do at all.
Wachs: As you look at revenue growth, how do you see if at all impacted by a softening economy as well as recent political events.
Jones: Well, it’s very difficult to tell, but I don’t think that it’s going to impact us significantly. There are opportunities that we have, and phone calls that we have received as recently as a few hours ago, that give us opportunities for virtual reality even more lucrative than before. One of the things I’ve been saying over and over again is that I think one of the greatest opportunities we have with this immersive virtual reality, a 360 degree pattern, is for deadly force training, and military applications. We can, for instance, put a cadet or a soldier in a 360 degree environment much, much more lifelike than anything that has been used before, and we have some current negotiations in that area as well. Certainly, the promotional aspects, we don’t think there’ll be a downturn there. The interactive gaming, certainly we don’t see a downturn there. We just frankly don’t see this negatively impacting our revenue growth.
Wachs: As we look at many of these markets, Kelly, what about the entertainment market. Are there particular areas within this that you might focus on?
Jones: Certainly, Michael, and it shows from the description of what we do. With interactive computer gaming, Forrester Research expects a ten-fold growth in our segment of that market, the pay-per-use segment, by 2005. Certainly the hardware, PlayStation, Xbox, get all the press, but if you look at industry analysts that have been following this industry, that’s not really the projected growth of this industry. We intend to be right in the middle of it.
Wachs: As you now look at the past profitability, how does the acquisition of Ferris change that? How do you balance growth efforts with profitability, Kelly?
Jones: It changes everything, because until now GameCom really did not have any revenue of any consequence, and because of trying to establish distribution channels which Ferris brings us. Ferris brings us a proven revenue stream -- 3.3 million last year, we should do 4-5 million this year -- and projections for significantly greater growth next year and the years to follow. The two companies’ combined resources present profitabilities in terms of economies of scale, and it certainly gives us the opportunity to put this company in the black with positive earnings per share, certainly we anticipate, during the year 2002.
Wachs: What kind of integration issues are involved and how long will it take?
Jones: We are pretty much integrated now. Once we passed the due diligence phase and knew that the merger was on, we started moving personnel back and forth, GameCom personnel to Phoenix where our operations are, some are Ferris’ personnel here in Arlington where our corporate and sales offices are, the integration is complete. We are off and running.
Wachs: What should investors now look for in the coming quarters and how long will it take for you to see some of the synergies now in terms of bottom line results in this combined entity?
Jones: I think investors could see some positive results from the synergies of the two companies as early as next week, depending on how certain negotiations go. I think investors can just watch the progress. Look and see how our sales go, look and see what type of major projects we announce, how the current projects, Red Baron Pizza and the Chevrolet Olympic Torch, how those are received, and see if we can indeed make inroads into military applications with regard to our virtual reality technology. I think the tale of our company will be told during the third and fourth quarters of this year.
Wachs: I have been speaking today with Kelly Jones. Kelly is chief executive officer of GameCom, Inc., a company that trades on the Bulletin Board under the symbol “GAMZ,” and one that through the merger with Ferris now not only provides investors with a much more diversified company, but also one that results are anticipated this calendar year. Kelly thanks for joining CEOcast today.
Jones: My pleasure, Michael. I enjoyed talking about our company.
Wachs: This has been Michael Wachs for CEOcast, where Wall Street listens.
The Stock Oracle/Stock Talk Interview
September 24, 2001
http://www.thestockoracle.com/Today%27s%20Interviews.htm
Tran: This is Stock Talk. Today on our show we are very fortunate to have Kelly Jones, CEO of GameCom/Ferris. How are you today, Kelly?
Jones: Stephen, I’m doing outstanding.
Tran: That’s great. Kelly, could you give us a little background information on GameCom/Ferris?
Jones: I’d be happy to. GameCom was founded a few years ago. We have been developing a product called ‘Net GameLink™. We just this morning announced the conclusion of our merger with Ferris Productions. Ferris is the largest virtual reality company in the world. We started having our talks in January, we began to speak in earnest in March, and are very, very pleased with this conclusion today. This changes an awful lot of things for GameCom. It brings us a very viable company. It brings us a proven revenue stream. As I have mentioned, it changes everything. We do essentially three things -- 1) we manufacture interactive entertainment systems, primarily in interactive computer gaming, 2) we operate virtual reality theme park locations at 15 different theme parks across the country, and 3) as I mentioned, Ferris is very heavily involved in virtual reality, and the exciting aspect is the commercial opportunities that we have for virtual reality. That’s GameCom/Ferris in a nutshell.
Tran: I actually understand that you were able to raise one million dollars. How were you able to do that in such a difficult market?
Jones: Well, it wasn’t easy. You have to believe in your company, and you have to talk to enough people to find that one person who can share your enthusiasm. We did talk with an awful lot of investment bankers -- received mostly the death spiral convertible proposals that do your company no good in the long run -- but we finally found the right people that could see where we were going and appreciated the enthusiasm that we have, and the commitment that we have, and we were able to come up with a very, very, very favorable investment package.
Tran: I would imagine you’ve got some fairly extensive expansion plans.
Jones: We do indeed. Of course, the completion of this merger will give us a few things logistically to chew through for the next 30 days or so. But we are working on two or three major, major projects that, well, one of them would double the revenue to date for the company, and we are also are looking forward to the opportunity to continue to acquire other companies. One of the things that we announced on Friday, in addition to the one million dollar debenture with Olympic Holdings, was that we had also retained them to find us suitable acquisition targets. And back to the fundraising, that’s really where that came from. We originally began talking with Olympic about acquiring a company that they have some involvement with, but as the conversations continued, we ultimately came around to them investing in GameCom.
Tran: There’s an awful lot of VR firms out there. What was it that first attracted you relative to Ferris as an acquisition target?
Jones: The quality of the people, the quality of their products. As I mentioned, GameCom had developed a product called ‘Net GameLink™, and it’s a very unique type of entertainment platform for interactive computer gaming. We made the decision around the first of this year that to really grow the company the way we wanted to, and to get off the Bulletin Board and onto an exchange, the best way for us to do that in an expeditious manner was to acquire the right private company in our market segment. We looked around. We actually entered into a letter of intent with another company, but the more we looked, and the more we heard, and the more we talked, Ferris VR was the company that we wanted. They have a tremendous respect within the industry, and our management team meshed with theirs just instantaneously. It has been and we expect it to continue to be a perfect fit -- a completion of two previously incomplete companies.
Tran: From a revenue point of view, Kelly, what sort of effects do you think the merger’s going to have?
Jones: From the GameCom perspective, it changes everything. We were coming out of research and development, so we had no significant revenue at the time of the merger; whereas, Ferris is an older company -- Ferris has been around for about a decade -- Ferris last year brought in revenue of about 3.3 to the bottom line. This year, we think that projection is about five million, and we think next year we could get up in the range of ten million. So, from a revenue standpoint, it changes lots of things. It makes us a very viable company.
Tran: Relative to targeting, are there any particular industries you are going after?
Jones: We want to stay in our own industry. We are looking at two different companies right now. One is a competitor of Ferris’, quite a bit smaller, but it’s one that will allow us to utilize our equipment -- I mentioned that we operate in 15 different theme parks -- one of the challenges that we have is to use that equipment on a year-round basis. So, one of the companies that we are looking at is actually a small competitor of Ferris’ that’s very good at utilizing this type of equipment year-round. The other company we are looking at is a related industry. It’s a much larger company with some very proven contracts. So, we want to stay within our industry. We want to expand our breadth within this industry, but is like the computer gaming and the virtual reality industries.
Tran: Where do you see the company going in the future?
Jones: As I mentioned, it is our ultimate goal to get off the Bulletin Board and get onto an established exchange. We have a number of very exciting tradeshows within the next couple of months. Profitability is one. We should finish the year right around break-even. Certainly, we should get into the black during 2002. Who knows? This is a very difficult and unusual economy right now. It was great to see the Dow and NASDAQ come back strongly today. Where will we be? We don’t know in these uncertain times, but what we do know is that we have very real opportunities to exploit, and we intend to do exactly that.
Tran: That’s sound great. Kelly, I certainly do appreciate your taking time out of your day to come on the show. Is there anything you’d like to say to the investors and brokers that are listening to you right now?
Jones: Continue to watch us. We have a lot of exciting things in the works, contracts that we’re currently negotiating, things such as the Chevrolet project that we’re completing, the Red Baron project. Keep an eye on us, we have initiatives into Europe and Asia, and I think you might want to keep an eye on those.
Tran: Sounds great. Listen Kelly. Thanks a lot for coming on board.
Jones: My pleasure, Stephen.
Tran: Take care, have a great day.
Jones: Thank you.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Investor Relations Contact:
Magnum Financial Group, LLC
Michael Manahan, principal
Los Angeles, California
213-488-0443
mike@magnumfinancial.com
GameCom/Ferris Debuts New VR Product to Science Center Conference
Phoenix, AZ- October 5, 2001: GameCom, Inc (OTCBB: GAMZ), www.GameComInc.com and www.FerrisVR.com, a leader in interactive virtual reality and interactive gaming, today announced the debut of the company’s new VR product -- the Universe® VR 720 -- a customizable, multi-seat, 360-degree, immersive virtual reality theater system, at the Association of Science and Technology Centers (“ASTC”) annual conference at the Civic Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
“Along with this weekend’s virtual reality demonstrations of our new system, the company’s president, Bob Ferris, will be making an address to the ASTC membership regarding the future of high-tech attractions for science centers, museums, and educational institutions at 3:00 pm. on Monday, October 8th,” commented Steve Haag, GameCom/Ferris’ vice-president of business development.
GameCom/Ferris’ staff will be available throughout the conference giving live demonstrations and providing the conference attendees with information regarding groundbreaking technology.
Mr. Ferris stated, “Our market research indicates that the museum and science center industry is ready for high-tech attractions, including brand new virtual reality products that deliver superior value. This marks our first post-merger market expansion. GameCom/Ferris’ technology is exceptionally well-suited to provide experiential education in a new and exciting format.”
“We will be taking people back in time 4,500 years to the world's most realistic re-creation of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. In another experience, we will shrink people to the size of an atom, allowing them to explore the atomic world for the first time. These experiences, at an entirely new level of realism, are never-before-seen technology,” Ferris concluded.
About GameCom/Ferris
GameCom/Ferris is a fully-reporting, publicly traded Texas corporation headquartered in Arlington, Texas. With operations based in Phoenix, Arizona, GameCom/Ferris designs, manufactures, and assembles ‘Net GameLink™, an interactive Internet gaming concept featuring network-enabled gaming kiosks, and is the world’s largest and fastest growing producer of integrated hardware and software technology to the immersive virtual reality industry.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by the words such as “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” or “intends.” Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. GameCom urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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