Austin -- March 14, 1998 -- team smartyPants! inc, a creative media development studio in Austin, Texas, earned the first annual Texas Interactive Media award for "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media" at the opening ceremonies of the SXSW Interactive Festival on Saturday, March 14.

The award for "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media," popularly known as "Best Of Show," was presented to tsP! inc by Austin´s mayor pro-tem, Gus Garcia, for their role in the design of the milestone Let´s Talk About Me™ CD-ROM.

The Texas Interactive Media Awards were announced in conjunction with the SXSW Interactive Festival Website Competition. "Outstanding Achievement" awards in 8 specific categories were decided by an independent team of professionals representing various disciplines and industry organizations in new media and digital entertainment. The judges elected Let´s Talk About Me™ as the overall "Outstanding" interactive project from a variety of genres including reference, informational, entertainment, technical, public service, innovative technology and marketing/sales projects.

"It´s always nice to be recognized as a leader for our interactive design," said Mario Champion, CEO of team smartyPants! inc. "Given the tremendous combination of talent and energy among the entries, its quite good to know our whimsically distinctive skills shine so brightly."

On hand to receive the award were members of team smartyPants! inc, Mario Champion, Derek Rosenstrauch, Doug Moyers, Frank Champion; from the music team Jan Bozarth; lead programmer Bill Peverill and representing developer GirlGames Inc was Heather Kelly.

Let´s Talk About Me™, an interactive guide to adolescence for today´s girls, was produced, designed, and programmed by teams of young men and women in Austin and New York. Lets Talk About Me™ is published by a joint venture of Davidson and Associates and Simon & Schuster Interactive, developed by GirlGames Inc, visual and interactive design by team smartyPants! inc, music by Blue Arrow and Govinda, with primary programming by Bill Peverill and Jeff Raun.

team smartyPants! inc offers a range of creative media development services. TSP! inc has since 1994 provided visually distinctive interactive design, development, authoring, illustration and animation for CD-ROMs, ENHANCED CDs, DVDs and the WEB. From new media to print and from games to corporate sales tools, TSP! provides a powerful suite of interactive and information design skills coupled with a cogent technological insight. TSP! services proudly trounce the line between pure art and corporate comunication while yielding award-winning products and millions of dollars for Microsoft, GirlGames Inc, Mattel, Simon & Schuster Interactive, Warner Bros., Luck Records and others. For more information, explore http://www.teamsmarty.com.