AMUSE SIGNS WITH WILLIAM MORRIS

(December 8, 2003 Beverly Hills, CA) _AMUSE, an entertainment company which represents some of the country’s most popular newspaper comic strips and columnists, has signed with the William Morris Agency to extend the presence of its world-famous cartoonists and writers into television and film.

Headquartered in Los Angeles and Kansas City, The AMUSE team is composed of Bridget McMeel and Steve Moore in Los Angeles, Jim Andrews and John Glynn in Kansas City.

AMUSE is a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU). AMU is known for its syndicated cartoons, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnists, editorial cartoonists and distribution of best-selling gift books, calendars and cards.

AMU has gained prominence through such syndicated columnists as "Dear Abby" and "Roger Ebert," seminal comics as "Calvin & Hobbes," "Doonesbury" and "The Far Side" and such cutting-edge cartoons as "The Boondocks" and "La Cucaracha." Other popular AMU cartoons include "Garfield," "Cathy," "Ziggy," "Foxtrot," "Close to Home," "Non Sequitur" and "Pooch Café’."

AMU distributes cartoons through its subsidiary, Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), the world’s largest independent newspaper syndicate. AMU also includes Andrews McMeel Publishing, a top publisher of inspirational books, journals and cards and the world’s largest calendar distributor.
Their Attorney is Les Abell of Myman, Abel, Fineman, Greenspan and Light.