Regional Report

461

CENTRAL AREA

HOLLYWOOD

Phoning It In: J2 Global Communications, a Hollywood-based telephone networking and services company, has acquired London-based Alban Telecom Ltd., an enhanced voice services business. J2 said it bought Alban to increase its presence in the U.K. market. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

New Office: CNA Financial Corp., a Chicago-based insurance brokerage, has opened a branch in downtown Los Angeles. The new outpost is at 915 Wilshire Blvd.

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

WOODLAND HILLS

Coming Together: CrowdGather, a Woodland Hills-based online forum company, will acquire the technical assets of San Francisco-based Lefora, another online forum company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SYLMAR

Protecting Troops: PPG Aerospace, a Sylmar division of Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries, has won a $1.2 million contract to provide transparent armor gun shields for BAE Systems Inc., a London-based aerospace and defense contractor. The shields will be used on U.S. Marine Corps vehicles.

SOUTH BAY

HAWTHORNE

Screen Test: Hawthorne-based OSI Systems, a security equipment manufacturer, has won an $18 million order to provide cargo, vehicle, and personnel scanning systems to the U.S. government.

WESTSIDE

SANTA MONICA

Monster Deal: Conspiracy Entertainment Holdings Inc., a Santa Monica video game developer and publisher, has reached an agreement with Hamburg, Germany-based DTP Entertainment AG to publish “Witches and Vampires” in North America. The game is designed for use on the Nintendo DS handheld platform. Conspiracy plans to have the game released in North America before Halloween.

Look Out: Solstice, a New York-based sunglasses retail chain, has signed up as a tenant at Santa Monica Place.

Rolling Out: Lions Gate Entertainment, a Santa Monica film and TV studio, has reached a home entertainment distribution deal with Zoetrope Studio, the San Francisco production company of Francis Ford Coppola. The deal covers DVD, Blu-ray, video-on-demand and Internet streaming distribution. Lions Gate will offer Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” in high definition for the first time Oct. 19.