Paramount Pictures Employees Around the World Kick Off Global Day of Community Service

Paramount celebrates its 16th Anniversary of Viacommunity Day, an international volunteer effort

More than 1,500 Paramount employees in 15 countries contributed more than 7,000 hours to support local schools, shelters, hospitals and public parks

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Paramount Pictures

May 06, 2011, 01:00 ET

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), today mobilized more than 1,500 employees in 15 countries around the world in a day of community service to celebrate its 16th Annual Viacommunity Day. Viacommunity Day is a Viacom-wide effort that deploys thousands of volunteers each year to serve in communities where Viacom has operations. This year, Paramount volunteers around the world supported a wide range of activities including beautifying public schools and parks, mentoring students, cooking and packaging food for HIV/AIDS patients, river clean up, and wildlife preservation efforts. In Los Angeles alone, more than 700 employees participated in the daylong program.

"Paramount has a long history of giving back and Viacommunity Day is just one of the ways we contribute to the communities where we live and work," said Brad Grey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures. "With the continuing challenges of our economy weighing heavily on our communities, the help we provide today and throughout the year takes on even greater importance. We're proud to be a part of communities in 15 different countries around the world and we'll continue to do our part to support our neighborhoods and schools."

Los Angeles-based employees from all divisions of Paramount Pictures dedicated the day to beautifying and improving six local area public schools that serve more than 3,000 students, in the Hollywood and Koreatown communities. Paramount employees also worked at four additional community project sites including AIDS Project Los Angeles, Project Angel Food, the Fountain Community Garden and a cleanup of the Los Angeles River.

Employees of all levels, including senior executive staff, participated in and led a variety of activities including, painting, arts and crafts, planting gardens, and grounds landscaping. Volunteers also worked directly with students through reading, music and career readiness programs.

Paramount's 2011 Viacommunity Day sites in Los Angeles included:

Santa Monica Boulevard Community Charter School, 1022 N. Van Ness Avenue, Los Angeles
Frances Blend Special Education Center, 5120 Clinton Street, Los Angeles
Van Ness Avenue Elementary School, 501 N. Van Ness Avenue, Los Angeles
Helen Bernstein High School, 1309 N. Wilton Place, Los Angeles
Wilton Place Elementary School, 745 S. Wilton Place, Los Angeles
Le Conte Middle School/Citizens of the World Charter School, 1316 N. Bronson Avenue, Hollywood
Project Angel Food, 922 Vine Street, Los Angeles
AIDS Project Los Angeles, 7336 Bellaire Avenue, Los Angeles
Fountain Community Garden, 5620 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles
Los Angeles River Clean Up, Glendale Narrows, Los Angeles

Around the world, Paramount employees in 22 international offices also participated in Viacommunity Day activities. Highlights included:

In Australia, employees provided literacy education programs to students and helped organizations supporting those affected by the devastating floods in the last year.
In Denmark, employees organized an eco classroom project to teach children about environmental awareness.
In Germany, employees organized a Children's Day for groups of disabled children in need that included face painting and a movie screening.
In Spain, employees planted gardens and painted fences for a large natural park close to Madrid.
In the United Kingdom, employees helped teenagers living with AIDS build sets for their upcoming production, worked at a nature reserve, and redecorated, painted and gardened at several deserving community locations.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.

***Photos of today's event are available by request to [email protected]***

SOURCE Paramount Pictures