AEOS American Eagle Outfitters (MM)

Standup Comedy Showdowns Hosted by Jasper Redd Begin February 9 on College Campuses Across the Country NEW YORK, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEOS) today announced the kickoff of its search for the funniest college student in America. The AE Campus Comedy Challenge is a series of 12 stand-up showdowns on college campuses from Seattle to New Jersey hosted by comedian Jasper Redd. Student performers from each campus will take the stage to compete for Funniest Man or Funniest Woman status. The AE Campus Comedy Challenge was developed and produced in partnership with Generate, the first production and talent management company established by media leaders to create content across multiple platforms. The search begins Friday, February 9, at University of Minnesota and ends March 15 at Virginia Tech & State University, with stops in Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, Washington, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Maryland along the way. The students will be inspired by an ensemble cast of professional comedians including Bryan Callen, Kevin Christy and Bobby Miyamoto. Beginning on February 14, video footage of the winning standup act from each campus will be posted on http://www.ae.com/ in the first-of-its-kind March Madness(R)-style bracketing system. AE customers will vote online to determine the first-prize winner and runner-up among all 12 schools to be announced on March 19. The winner and runner-up will then travel to American Eagle Spring Break 2007 in Cancun to perform in front of an audience of thousands of spring-breakers on March 21. "American Eagle is excited to discover and celebrate the next generation of stand-up comedy artists with our customers as a part of Spring Break 2007," said American Eagle chief marketing officer Kathy Savitt. "The AE Campus Comedy Challenge combines real-life performances with user-generated online content to create an interactive, innovative way for AE customers to enjoy the art of stand-up comedy." "Comedy is the most popular form of viral video online and has served as a launch pad for some of biggest comedians working in entertainment," said Dave Rath, Generate Management. "We are thrilled to work with American Eagle, the leading brand among 15 to 25-year-old consumers, to launch this innovative multi-platform entertainment experience that offers undiscovered talent a platform to showcase their skills for the brand's audience and attract the attention of industry professionals." In addition to the student finalist performances and bracketed voting, ae.com will also feature standup footage from each professional comedian, biography information, and exclusive content from Jasper Redd on how to be funny. Professional comedian and Campus Comedy Tour host Jasper Redd has appeared on Def Comedy Jam, HBO, Comedy Central, Last Call with Carson Daly and The Comedians of Comedy tour and has performed at some of the hottest comedy clubs nationwide including Caroline's (New York), Punchline (San Francisco), Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (Los Angeles), and the Miami Improv. Tour Schedule Each school will hold individual competitions prior to the AE Campus Comedy Challenge events to select the three finalists who will share the stage with AE's touring comics and try out their material to a packed house of fellow students. DATE UNIVERSITY CITY 2/9 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 2/10 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI 2/12 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 2/13 Kent State University Kent, OH 2/20 Washington State University Pullman WA 2/22 University of Washington Seattle, WA 3/2 University of South Florida Tampa, FL 3/5 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 3/9 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 3/13 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ 3/14 University of Maryland College Park, MD 3/15 Virginia Tech & State University Blacksburg, VA About American Eagle Outfitters: American Eagle Outfitters (NASDAQ:AEOS) is a leading retailer that designs, markets and sells its own brand of laidback, current clothing targeting 15 to 25 year-olds, providing high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. AE's original collection includes standards like jeans and graphic Ts as well as essentials like accessories, outerwear, footwear, basics and swimwear. American Eagle Outfitters currently operates 836 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 72 AE stores in Canada. A new branded intimates line under the name "aerie by American Eagle" arrived in American Eagle stores this Fall. The assortment includes a complete line of bras, panties, and dormwear designed for American Eagle's core 15 to 25 year- old customer. AE also operates ae.com, which offers additional sizes and styles of favorite AE merchandise and ships around the world. The company plans to open MARTIN + OSA, a new sportswear concept targeting 25 to 40 year- old women and men, in the fall of 2006. For additional information and updates, visit http://www.martinandosa.com/. About Generate Generate is the first production and management company established by media leaders to create content across multiple platforms embraced by young adults and family households. Launched in early 2006, Generate is a team of 20 employees led by leading entertainment industry executives, who all have proven track records for developing hit franchises that appeal to youthful audiences. Generate currently has an overall deal with MTV Networks to develop content for their suite of popular basic cable, broadband and mobile distribution channels. DATASOURCE: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. CONTACT: Christine Miller of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., +1-212-465-4092, ; or Jennifer St. Clair of mPRm Public Relations, +1-323-933-3399 x4217, , for Generate Web site: http://www.ae.com/ http://www.martinandosa.com/

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