Angela Burt-Murray Launches New Entertainment and Style Website "CocoaFab.com"

Angela Burt-Murray Launches CocoaFab.com. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) November 20, 2012 - Women's Magazine Media Veteran Launches Digital Network For Young Women of Color and Companies Seeking to Reach This Coveted Demo

CocoaFab.com Also Announces Six Original Web Series and Plans to Launch CocoaFab.TV

NEW YORK, November 20, 2012 -- Entering the fast-paced online celebrity news and style marketplace is the new high-quality digital network aimed at young women of color, CocoaFab.com. Co-founded by award-winning journalist and former Essence magazine editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray and leading digital media strategist Shelly Jones Jennings, Cocoafab.com is part of the Cocoa Media Group, a new company that focuses on creating a fun and entertaining network of web sites, apps and original video series for young women of color.

CocoaFab.com is a dynamic celebrity news and style site covering urban pop culture. With up-to-the-minute news, exclusive interviews, fashion and beauty trends, red carpet photos, vibrant social media engagement and original weekly web series the CocoaFab.com team plugs their audience of pop culture obsessives into the daily conversation about fashion, music, movies, TV and the stars they love. The site will launch with a target of 100,000 unique visitors per month; present six original weekly web series focused on entertainment and style; and offer an array of original and aggregated content online and via social media.

"We launched Cocoa Media Group to speak to the passion points of dynamic young women of color who are digital and social media super users with an insatiable appetite for what's new and what's next," said Burt-Murray. "Our first site, CocoaFab.com is a stylish daily destination featuring premium content and TV-quality video produced and curated especially for this influential, trendsetting audience."

With an eye on the next generation of tech innovators, Cocoa Media Group also seeks to inspire and empower young girls through strategic partnerships with organizations focused on introducing technology skills to teens and girls, and sponsorship of events like BlackGirlsHack.com.

Prominently positioned above the fold, CocoaFab.com TV features all of the site's original programming, video partnerships, TV shows, movie clips, music videos and more. CocoaFab.com currently offers six series-formatted shows and has several other shows in development.

"We've made a strategic investment in the development of original video series to meet our audience's desire for high-quality, authentic and engaging content that she can access online, on her phone or tablet," says Jones Jennings. "And with the help of our partners we are taking a network approach to launching our video portal CocoaFab.com. TV in Q1 2013 and plan to develop compelling new entertainment, style and reality TV programming.

PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

AIRING MONDAYS: On StarStyle with Daisy Lewellyn, viewers get the inside track on how to recreate red-carpet ready looks like their favorite stars in this weekly makeover show shot on location in New York City's most fashionable boutiques and designer showrooms. (2 Seasons: 5 episodes each)

AIRING WEDNESDAYS: Sure to be a fan favorite is the high energy, tell-it-like-it-is entertainment news show The Countdown with Dana Johnson. Giving viewers a weekly rundown of the hottest news in music, movies and TV, Johnson will also update the who, what, where and WTH of viewer's favorite reality shows and celebrity sightings. (2 Seasons: 5 episodes each)

AIRING THURSDAYS: CocoaFab.com TV Atlanta correspondent Rita Davis grants viewers VIP access to one of the country's top emerging media markets, on the series Rita's Radar, introducing the "peach carpet" and the hottest stars and style in Hollywood of the South viewers. (2 Seasons: 5 episodes each)

AIRING FRIDAYS: Designed to be a shoppers best friend, Fab Five counts down the most stylish new beauty and hair products, IDs new fashion trends, designers and boutiques, new tech toys and offers insider access to exclusive deals and discounts just in time for viewers to hit the mall over the weekend. (2 Seasons: 5 episodes each)

AIRING WEEKLY: CocoaFab.com's New York and Atlanta based correspondents hit the streets on Mouthing Off to take the pulse of everyday people on the days most buzz-worthy topics, red-carpet catastrophes, makeover mishaps, celebrity meltdowns and more.

CocoaFab.com provides users with a rich interactive interface that allows visitors to rate content, access social media platforms and see what hot topics are trending in real time:

• Pop-Up Bubbles: The interactive pink bubbles located at the top of the navigation header function as a secondary navigation that allows site visitors to rate and tag stories, photos, videos and see in real time how fellow users are tagging content from "too fab" and "LOL" to "ratch" or "fail".

• Six original weekly web series: "The Countdown with Dana Johnson" is a weekly entertainment roundup; "Star Style with Daisy Lewellyn" is a celebrity-inspired makeover show; "Rita's Radar" takes viewers behind the velvet rope to Atlanta's hottest events; "Mouthing Off" is a daily roundup of the day's most talked about topics; and "Fab Five" is a roundup of the hottest fashion, beauty, tech finds; NYC and Atlanta correspondents hit the streets of New York City and Atlanta to take their pulse on the hot topics of the day in the weekly series "Mouthing Off."

• Customizable Main Highway: With a flexible main highway design content producers can create multiple custom content areas and move them around based on what's trending and keep the site fresh and engaging for users throughout the day.

• CocoaFab PhotoFlash: Daily photo gallery featuring exclusive photos of top celebrities, events and red carpet images.

• Style Council: Daily roundup of the hottest news, video and photos in fashion and beauty; includes insider access to special deals and discounts.

• What's Trending: Real-time roundup of the most buzz-worthy stories, photos and voices online and via social media.

• Hot Topics: The daily dish on entertainment and pop culture news, videos and photos. Features original reporting, aggregated content and user generated content.

• Mouthing Off: Daily scrollable roundup of the most buzzed-about celebrity comments and the story behind the buzz.

• Street Style Look Book: A collection of hot trends curated from around the country to showcase trendsetting CocoaFab.com women.

• CocoaFab LIVE! Viewing Parties: Weekly live stream parties that allow users to enjoy a split screen experience with CocoaFab.com editors while they watch their favorite reality and awards show and join the social media conversation.

• Social Media & Other Platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, iTunes, Podcasts, Pinterest, YouTube Channel

ABOUT ANGELA BURT-MURRAY
Angela Burt-Murray is the co-founder and CEO of Cocoa Media Group and former editor-in-chief of ESSENCE magazine.

While at ESSENCE Burt-Murray oversaw the editorial direction for the magazine as well as Essence.com from 2005-2010. Burt-Murray also successfully expanded the ESSENCE brand into books, television and live events. She has also held leadership positions with Teen People and Honey magazines and is the author of the novel "The Vow". As a cultural commentator, Burt-Murray has made appearances on MSNBC; Good Morning America; Entertainment Tonight; and The Steve Harvey Morning Show.

ABOUT SHELLY JONES JENNINGS
Shelly Jones Jennings is Cocoa Media Group's chief technology officer and oversees the network. A proven leader in the strategic digital communications and systems space, Shelly has consulted for top organizations such as Ogilvy and Mather and Accenture. She has also served as executive producer at Essence Communications where she oversaw the successful relaunch of the web site and developed several award-winning video initiatives.

Media Contacts
Tosha Whitten-Griggs
tosha ( @ ) thefrontpagefirm dot com
Darren Dickerson
Darren ( @ ) thefrontpagefirm dot com
213.351.0042 | www.thefrontpagefirm.com

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