Newspeak was formed in 1994 by film producers John Tarnoff and Ava Lazar and attorney Marvin Rosenblum.

Drawn to the political and social message of Orwell's novel, and noting the growth of concerns about governmental and business-oriented intrusions into personal privacy (direct marketing, spam email, data mining, surveillance cameras on the street...), we believe that the novel is more relevant than ever. While 1984 is a serious piece of social commentary (some have called it a satire), its sci-fi trappings and disenfranchised leading man make it an unusually accessible read, which no doubt explains the book's resilience.

John is software entrepreneur and co-founder of Talkie, Inc., a developer and licensor of character-based artificial intelligence interface technology for eBusiness. A 20-year entertainment industry veteran, he was previously an executive for studios like MGM and Orion, a co-founder of Village Roadshow Pictures,, and has produced films for Columbia, Warner Bros, NewLine and others.  Currently,he is a senior executive at Dreamworks Animation SKG, the studio behind the SHREK movies.

Ava is a film producer and documentarian who has produced for NewLine and Hemdale, as well as a number of ultra low-budget independent features. She is a former TV and film actress whose credits include the NBC series Santa Barbara.

Marvin is a Chicago-based attorney and entrepreneur who was responsible for producing the 1983 film version of 1984. He has an extensive background in the licensing field. His relationship with the Orwell Estate was the key factor in securing the interactive and online rights for this title.