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AWARD-WINNING ACTOR AND PRODUCER LEVAR BURTON EXPANDS SCOPE, APPEAL BY ACQUIRING SMOSH

Santa Monica, CA Emmy award-winning producer and actor LeVar Burton, known to generations of television audiences for his signature roles in Roots, Star Trek, and Reading Rainbow, announced today his acquisition of the Internet video phenomenon known as Smosh. In a prepared statement, Burton says he hopes to bring his decades of entertainment experience to Smosh "and redefine entertainment for the Internet generation. Forever."

Smosh, founded by high school friends Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox in 2005, has been one of the major success stories for user-generated content in the YouTube world. With more than 216 million video streams to date, it stands as the most-viewed comedy channel in YouTube history and the entertainment giant's third most-subscribed channel of all time. Smosh recently unveiled an entire redesign of its website, Smosh.com, which will undergo even further changes with Burton now at the helm.

And that's just the beginning.

"With my already-successful track record as an entertainer, Smosh seemed like a natural extension of my endeavors to reach a broader audience," Burton, who now controls everything Smosh-related, said. "I've already integrated myself into the Web 2.0 space through Twitter. The future of entertainment is being born on the Internet right now, and I plan on getting myself in the mix, pronto."

Burton first came to prominence in 1977 with his role as Kunta Kinte in the phenomenally popular miniseries Roots, which garnered him an Emmy nomination. In 1983 he began to host and executively produce the venerable award-winning PBS program, Reading Rainbow, which ran until 2006. But for many his most recognizable role was as Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation and the series' attendant feature films. Most recently, Burton has amassed a large following on the microblogging service, Twitter.

Burton says he plans to bring that experience to bear on Smosh - in a big way.

"We've already begun going through the Smosh catalogue and adding that special 'LeVar Burton Touch' to the videos," Burton said. "It's only a matter of time before the entire Smosh experience is LeVar Burtonized. And I got it for a great price!"

Details on the acquisition remain confidential, but it is rumored to be the largest sale of its kind in the history of the Internet.

"In 2006 we founded the Smosh Foundation for Wayward Teens as a way to give back to the community," Padilla, reached for comment at his Sonoma estate, said. "With LeVar's purchase of Smosh we can now devote all our time and resources more fully to helping those who don't have as much cool stuff as we do."

Hecox echoed Padilla's sentiments in a tweet that simply read: "Sweet."

About Smosh:
Smosh is a pop-culture phenomenon founded by Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla in 2005. Since its inception, Smosh has garnered more than 700,000 YouTube subscribers and over 400,000 Smosh.com site members, with more than 216 million video streams to date.

For more information on the changes coming to Smosh, click here.