Sponsored by the Writers Guild of America (http://www.wga.org), the international panel will compare their interactive writing experience and viewpoints during a session titled "Storytellers have been around for ages. Will your new media company be around as long?... Storytelling into the 21st Century." The discussion will take place on Monday, February 10 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Theatre Debussy at the Palais des Festivals.

"The international nature of Milia and the diverse group we've pulled together for the event will provide a broad perspective on the state of interactive writing today and where it is headed on a global scale over the next several years," said session moderator and WGA member Douglas Varchol.

Varchol is a filmmaker, screenwriter, interactive writer and author of The Multimedia Scriptwriting Workshop. He is also the series writer for The Learning Channel's History's Turning Points, and his multimedia projects include The First Love Stories, adult mythologies based on Diane Wolkstein's work.

In addition to authoring 14 novels and numerous non-fiction works, Matthew Costello, also a Writers Guild of America member, wrote the script for the best-selling CD-ROMs The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour from Virgin Interactive Entertainment and Trilobyte.

Other members of the interactive writing panel include English technology journalist and multimedia author Rupert Witticombie; early CD-I pioneer and founder of Netherlands TV's Global Distance Learning Channel Chris Sonnenmans; and French multimedia designer, Olivier Heckman, whose MultiMania Production created the successful Virtual Baguette website.

During the session, the diverse panel of writers will look at what has "worked" and "not worked" in the new media entertainment field over the past few years, and over various platforms, from CD-ROM to online, in order to define what makes a successful multimedia product. The group will specifically examine the effectiveness of the "illusion of participation" -- interactivity -- as well as the importance of well-developed environments, characters, and plot lines. Ultimately, they will attempt to define the storyteller's place in the new media genre, as well as suggest how the role of the storyteller will evolve as the new media business moves into the 21st century.

As the premier business forum for online and off-line content development, Milia has established itself as the international multimedia event of the year and the ultimate platform for interactive content providers and developers. Milia '97 will bring together over 10,000 key professionals from around the world to forge strategic alliances, create multiple media partnerships, buy and sell rights, negotiate licenses, form financial and distribution agreements, and scout new talent.

The Writers Guild of America has made a long-term commitment to the interactive entertainment industry, providing training and information to members, and showing producers the many benefits of bringing professional writers into the creative development process for interactive games and other multimedia applications. The guild frequently produces panel discussions and special events at interactive industry trade shows, including the upcoming Computer Game Developers' Conference in Santa Clara, California in April.