FINAL DRAFT, INC. ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS:

$5000 Final Draft Screenplay Contest Award Goes To Orlando, Fla. Writer

Los Angeles November 1, 1999

A $5000 check was awarded today to Ken Hastings of Orlando, Fla., the first place winner of the Final Draft International Screenplay Competition. The award was presented at a luncheon at Spago in Beverly Hills by Marc Madnick, CEO of Final Draft, Inc. and Stephen J. Cannell, of the Cannell Studios (Rockford Files; A-TEAM, Wiseguy).

Hastings' screenplay, "Dawg," about a commitment-phobic playboy and his day of reckoning, beat out 2000 entrants to gain him an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood. Final Draft set up three days of meetings with top Hollywood agents and producers for the aspiring screenwriter. "Ken Hastings' script was just a terrific story about real people,"

Final Draft's Madnick said. "We created this competition because we truly believe that there are many talented writers out there like Ken with great movie ideas. Final Draft software allows writers to take the first step toward making their dreams a reality and turn out a professional-looking script. The competition allows us to give him an extra push into the industry."

Hastings said, "This is excellent. It's a step toward meeting Elizabeth Hurley!" As for the contest earnings Hastings added, "I'm buying myself something with the money. I don't know what it is yet, but it will be big and my friends will be jealous that I have it."

Following the luncheon, Ken Hastings attended a story meeting with Stephen J. Cannell at Cannell Studios offices to review his screenplay. "I became involved with the Final Draft International Screenplay Competition in order to help open doors for the best new screenwriters," said Cannell, who earlier this year conducted a screenwriting seminar on the Internet. "I am a big believer in giving something back to the Hollywood community and Final Draft has given me the opportunity to meet and provide guidance to talented up and coming writers."

Final Draft Screenplay Software is the leading screenplay program used worldwide by professional film and TV writers to create such hits as "Titanic" and "The Blair Witch Project," and is endorsed by such industry talents as Oliver Stone, James L. Brooks and Tom Hanks. Over 35,000 copies of Final Draft software have been sold this year alone.

Final Draft, Inc. was founded in 1992 by writer Marc Madnick and software engineer Benjamin Cahan, who recognized the need for a screenwriting software package, which would eventually re-create and revolutionize the way an entire industry writes and revises its scripts. Final Draft has become the best-selling screenwriting program worldwide, with more than 100,000 units sold since its introduction.

Final Draft was named one of the fifty fastest-growing technology companies in 1998 in Los Angeles by Deloitte & Touche. Headquartered in Encino, California, Final Draft counts 22 employees and is currently expanding into the global software market. Cannell, a best-selling author (The Devil's Workshop) is one of Hollywood's pre-eminent scribes. In 1979, he formed his own independent production company, Stephen J. Cannell Productions. Cannell Motion Pictures has a slate of feature films in development and is currently preparing several for production. The details of Final Draft's new screenplay contest will be announced in January 2000.

Final Draft, Inc. (formerly B.C. Software, Inc.) 16000 Ventura Blvd. Suite 800 Encino, California 91436 (800) 231-4055 (818) 995-4422 Fax info@finaldraft.com www.finaldraft.com