PANINI REVEALS RECOM GROUP AS THE
EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY PARTNER FOR PANINI HRX, THE INDUSTRY’S FIRST
VIDEO TRADING CARD
Panini HRX (Highlight Reel
Xperience) Will Feature Behind The Scenes Footage of Panini
Exclusive Athletes
IRVING,
Texas/LOS
ANGELES
(April 11,
2011) –
Panini America (www.paniniamerica.net),
the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectables company
revealed today that the California-based, Recom Group (www.recomgroup.com),
a leading innovator in media technology is the exclusive technology
partner in the company’s soon to be released Panini HRX
(Highlight Reel Xperience),
the industry’s first video trading card.
Panini HRX will
launch as a limited insert, in the company’s NBA Totally Certified
product in June.
Panini which has been perfecting and developing
Panini HRX
for
the last 18
months announced on March 21 at The Industry Summit, the trading
card industry’s annual event that the industry’s first video trading
card will be individually autographed by each featured athlete.
“We
have gone through multiple generations and developers as we
developed
Panini HRXover
the last 18
months and spent countless hours perfecting the design to ensure
that it maintained the technological integrity we required, while
still being representative of a trading card,” said Mark Warsop,
CEO of Panini America. “We are pleased to have partnered with a
technological leader like the Recom Group, who worked with us
throughout the process to ensure all of our concerns and objectives
were met.”
Panini HRX
will be released featuring four NBA Superstars, each autographed and
incorporating HD quality video, specific to each player. The
athletes that will be featured include five-time NBA Champion
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers;
2011 NBA All-Star
Slam Dunk Champion and Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin,
Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and John Wall, of the
Washington Wizards
and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 NBA
Draft.
“We
had a number of goals with Panini HRX
but the overarching theme throughout every stage of development was
to ensure we maintained the integrity of a trading card,
incorporated compelling content and video that was both relevant and
brought sports fans closer to the world’s best athletes,” said
Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing for Panini America.
“Lastly we wanted to make sure that there was a level of uniqueness
and collectability with every Panini HRX
card.”
The Video Trading Card is the latest in a stream of product
introductions and new projects the Recom Group have been working on
that focus on incorporating video into consumer-geared initiatives.
The Recom Group will launch several new video projects in the coming
months including efforts during CBS Television’s Fall Show Lineup in
May and consumer-driven video applications as part of Rihanna’s
World Tour in June. Several major clients including McDonald’s,
Verizon and Applebee’s are all currently testing and evaluating
video products as well.
“We
are honored to be partnered with industry giant Panini America in
creating this amazing innovation to a product that has been a part
of our culture for over 100 hundred years,”
said Rob Norden, CEO of the Recom Group. “What impressed us
most was Panini’s commitment to quality in making this an actual
trading card and not just a box with a video screen in it.”
Panini America is the only company in the world that manufactures
fully licensed trading cards and stickers for the NFL, NFLPA, NHL,
NHLPA, NBA, FIFA World Cup, as well as exclusive entertainment
licenses with Disney, Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson and includes
more than 600 global licenses with other sports and entertainment
properties.
ABOUT PANINI:
The Panini Group, established 50
years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe,
Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in
officially licensed collectibles and is fast becoming the most
significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official
licenses for NBA, NFL, NHL, FIFA, Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros.,
and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini has
distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff
of more than 800. For more information visit us at
www.paniniamerica.net
or
www.paninigroup.com. You can also follow Panini America on its official blog The Knight’s
Lance
http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com/,
on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, and on YouTube.
ABOUT THE RECOM GROUP:
The Recom Group, has been designing
and producing cutting edge technology for over 15 years. Some of
their more notable innovations include the first solid state display
systems in Home Depot, the first DVD Preview Systems, and the first
battery powered audio preview systems (currently in use in the
Smithsonian Institute, 911 Museum and installations worldwide). If
you have ever used an interactive audio or video display inside a
retail store like Best Buy or a Museum like the Getty, you have most
likely used Recom Group’s technology. Known for innovative small
displays like their Video Name Tag, they are also famous for making
the world’s largest working laptop display for AOL/Time Warner
featuring a 16’wide screen and functioning keys that you step on to
activate. For more information visit
www.VideoNameTag.com or their corporate site at
www.RecomGroup.com .
For More Information Contact:
Tracy Hackler, Panini America 817-983-0325
thackler@paniniamerica.net
Rob Norden,
Recom Group, Inc. (909) 599-1370
rnorden@recomgroup.com |