NEW YORK, NY - November 16, 2000 — What does it take to survive on the streets of New York City for 17 days as a fugitive, while pursuers track your every move on the web and in the streets? Three New Yorkers are about to find out.

Hide/Seek/NYC, a web-based reality game launching November 29, announced today that three otherwise normal individuals — Zoe, Jason, and Chris — have agreed to give up their jobs, their families and their lives for the chance to outwit each other and the general public in the Hide/Seek/NYC game.

At stake: a $10,000 grand prize, awarded to the fugitive that survives for 17 days, from November 29 to December 15, without getting captured. Survival won’t be easy, because fugitives must evade the entire general populace of New York City, who can follow the game on the web then take to the streets to capture the fugitives and claim cash prizes for themselves. Anyone who apprehends a fugitive takes home a bounty that grows larger with each fugitive captured — $500 for the first; $1,000 for the second; and $10,000 for the third and final fugitive.

Fugitives already survived a rigorous casting process that spanned more than a month. Casting began with a viral e-mail that spread across the Silicon Alley community beginning in early October.

"We talked to a lot of compelling candidates," Hide/Seek/NYC producer Jonathan Van Gieson said. "It seemed like everyone who got our e-mail wanted to give up their lives to take a shot at this. I’m thrilled to say that we’ve cast three people that exude the ‘fugitive vibe’ we’re looking for — the mix of craftiness, personality and street smarts that will make this game cook."

Limited biographical details about the three fugitives were released late yesterday on the Hide/Seek/NYC website (www.hideseeknyc.com).

The Fugitives

A native New Yorker, Zoë (29) claims she is the perfect fugitive because she is a "crafty, elfin crackerjack and [she] fits into small spaces." Her jobs have ranged from bagel-slicer to archaeologist to Central Park Ranger. She says she’s excited to be in the game because it will be "another adventure notch in my lipstick case."

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Jason (28) is an award-winning filmmaker and a comic book writer and substitute teacher. According to Jason, his lifestyle has given him the competitive advantage he needs to take home the prize. "When you have a lot of time on your hands, and not a lot of money," Jason said, "you see a side of New York that the 9-to-5 crowd doesn’t get to experience." Jason plans to use that back-alley knowledge to stay one step ahead.

Undaunted by the home-court advantage natives Zoë and Jason might enjoy, Montana-born Chris (25) believes he has what it takes to win the big money. For one thing, he recently snuck into Cuba for two weeks "just to see what it was like." He came to New York via Honolulu in 1998 and has "been a fugitive [his] whole life. Try escaping Montana and you’ll understand," he said. He’s excited for Hide/Seek/NYC because "I truly feel like I have stumbled across the biggest personal challenge in Double Dare history."

During Hide/Seek/NYC’s 17 days, the daily lives of the fugitives revolve around tasks they must complete to stay in the game. Tasks send them to interact with famous New York City landmarks and local neighborhood haunts. One task might charge the fugitives with taking a photograph of themselves on the back of a lion statue in front of the New York City Public Library.

Viewers follow the game’s daily happenings on the Hide/Seek/NYC website, which offers clues to the fugitives’ daily tasks and interactive content that helps viewers track the fugitives. Website features include daily written and video diaries from the fugitives, bios, still photos, and commentary from the production staff and viewers.

Hide/Seek/NYC is presented by SiteSherpa, New York City-based creators of new web navigation software. SiteSherpa, a free browser companion download, helps people learn about the websites they visit and discover sites as they surf.

"This will be fun," producer Van Gieson said.

About Hide/Seek/NYC

Hide/Seek/NYC is a reality-based game set in New York City that pits three fugitives against each other and against the general public. Fugitives strive to complete tasks and evade capture, while viewers seek to track them down by following action on the Hide/Seek/NYC website and taking to the streets to apprehend them. There’s $10,000 waiting for the last fugitive standing or for the viewer who captures him. Hide/Seek/NYC runs for 17 days, from November 29 to December 15, 2000.

About SiteSherpa

SiteSherpa (www.sitesherpa.com) provides web navigation tools that facilitate more intelligent and entertaining Internet use. The flagship product is a free, downloadable browser companion called SiteSherpa that incorporates into a web browser and feeds relevant information about the site the user is visiting and links to related sites. SiteSherpa launches in beta in late fall 2000.