Los Angeles-based Big Stage Entertainment is announcing this morning that it has raised an additional $2.7M According to the company, the funding came from Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels. Big Stage Entertainment develops technology which takes user photos and creates 3-D, facial avatars. in a Series B funding for the firm. The company said the new funding will go to accelerate research and development, along with sales and marketing.

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment , the venture-backed startup which is developing photo-realistic avatar technology, has exited its beta and officially launched its site. BigStage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels, and is based on research from the University of Southern California; the firm's CEO, Phil Ressler, was formerly a venture capitalist at Clearstone Ventures, and the firm was co-founded by Jon Snoddy and Jon Kraft, who also helped co-found music service Pandora. The firm said the official launch will allow users to create what the firm calls an "@actor" -- a 3D avatar which can be inserted into movie and TV clips, music videos, still images, and elsewhere.

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment , which is developing technology for creating 3D avatars, said Tuesday that the firm has hired on Patrick Barry as the firm's Vice President of Content Alliances. Big Stage Entertainment is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels and based on technology spun out of the University of Southern California. Big Stage said that Barry joins the firm from SK Telecom, where he was Senior Director of Corporate Development and Strategy. Barry has also served at Brilliant Digital, Warner

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment , which develops 3D, avatar creation technology, has signed on a virtual world as a licensee of its technology. Big Stage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels. Blue Mars 2150 is being developed by Virtual Space Entertainment. Big Stage said that photo-realistic, 3-D virtual universe Blue Mars 2150 has licensed its 3-D, facial modeling technology. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed.

Los Angeles-based Big Stage Entertainment , which develops avatar creation technology for turning photos into animated, 3-D likenesses, said Wednesday that the firm has launched a new effort targeted training content creators on the firm's products. Big Stage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures and the Tech Coast Angels. BigStage said its new online effort--Big Stage Studio--is aimed at production studios, advertising, marketing agencies, and others. The firm said it will teach content partners how to use 3D graphics and animation tools to

Los Angeles-based Big Stage Entertainment , a venture-backed startup developing 3D animation technology used to create avatars, said this morning that the firm has created a new application which works on the Apple iPhone. Big Stage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures and the Tech Coast Angels. According to Big Stage, its iStage software, which allows users to create photo-realistic avatars, allows users of the iPhone to create a realistic, animated 3-D model of their face in minutes, and insert that into branded content. The firm

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment , which develops 3D avatar technology, said today that it has partnered with video game company GGL Global Gaming, to provide free game content on its web site. The firm is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels; the firm's technology is a result of CIA-funded research efforts at USC. According to Big Stage, the deal will allow users on the site to insert the firm's 3D avatars into game photos and videos. GGL operates a video game social networking site, which provides news, communities,

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment, which is developing 3D avatar technology, said today that it has opened up its proprietary 3-D facial modeling system to third parties. Big Stage is backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Venture, and the Tech Coast Angels. According to the firm, it will make its technology available via a program called PortableYou, to enable third parties to integrate the technology into video games, virtual worlds, web sites, mobile applications, and more. The firm said the program will include application programming interfaces (APIs), code samples,

Los Angeles-based Big Stage Entertainment, a USC spinoff developing avatar technology, announced a new effort to provide its technology to third parties. Big Stage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels; the firm's technology was developed at the University of Southern California. Big Stage said it has created BackStage, which will offer its 3D face modeling technology to clients and partners. The firm said that it has signed on fellow Los Angeles startup VIDiGREET as its first client.

Pasadena-based Big Stage Entertainment , a developer of 3D avatar creation software, has released new software today which allows users of the popular Skype voice calling application to lip synch spoken words through a photo-realistic avatar. Big Stage is venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures and Tech Coast Angels, and is based on technology developed at the University of Southern California. Big Stage said its new beta software-- Blabber for Skype --is a free, plug-in for Skype's internet phone system, and works with avatars created in Big Stage using user provided digital photos of themself.