UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM 10-K
Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act Of 1934
| For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2002 |
Commission File No. 1-9502 |
MAGIC LANTERN GROUP, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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New York incorporation or organization) |
13-3016967 Identification No.) |
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1075 North Service Road West, Suite 27 |
L6M 2G2 |
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1385 Broadway New York, New York 10018 (Address of Previous Principal Executive Offices and Zip Codes) |
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 905-827-2755 |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: |
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Title of each class: |
Name of each exchange on which registered: |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None |
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendments to this Form 10-K. [X]
As of March 31, 2003, there were 66,642,025 shares of Common Stock outstanding, and the aggregate market value of shares held by unaffiliated shareholders was approximately $3,524,000.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
PART I
Business
Introduction
Magic Lantern Group, Inc., formerly JKC Group and previously Stage II Apparel Corp., (collectively referred to hereafter as the "Company") was originally engaged for over thirty years in the design and distribution of casual apparel, activewear and collection sportswear for men and boys. Historically, the Company's product lines were sold primarily to merchandising chains under brand names licensed by the Company. During the 1990's the Company's segment of the apparel market faced intensified competition and consolidation, contributing to overall weakness even among major participants. These conditions made it difficult to maintain strong gross profit margins and contributed to substantial net losses from 1995 though 1998.
In May 1998, the Company's founders relinquished their management roles and sold their controlling interests to Richard Siskind, the principal shareholder and CEO of R. Siskind and Company, Inc. Mr. Siskind brought in new management to implement a number of strategic changes designed to reverse the decline in the Company's business. These included initiatives to restructure the sales force, reduce expenses, improve controls, increase productivity and bolster the customer base and market appeal with new apparel lines. As part of this strategy, the Company acquired the Cross Colours label, a pioneer in the early development of young men's urban fashion, with a view to distributing new apparel lines under this label, both directly and through licensees, at affordable prices to a broad range of the young men's and boys' markets.
Despite achieving modest profitability in 1999, the Company was adversely affected by increasing softness in the retail apparel market, leading to order cancellations and related inventory writedowns. As a result of these factors, together with expenses for the launch of the Cross Colours lines, the Company recognized a net loss of $1.3 million in 2000, a net loss of $3 million in 2001 (after accounting for a non-cash write-off of goodwill from a prior acquisition ) and a net loss of $2.8 million for 2002 (after accounting for a non-cash option compensation expense of $2.2 million) of which $376,000 relates to Magic Lantern for the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002, See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." As a result of these losses, the Company undertook a financing with Alpha Omega Group ("AOG"), as discussed below, and continued to pursue its business redirection goals, culminating in the Company's acquisition on November 7, 2002 of Magic Lantern Communications, Ltd., ("Magic Lantern") a distributor of educational and learning content in video and other electronic formats. The Magic Lantern transaction was approved by the shareholders of the Company at a special meeting on November 7, 2002. See "Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders."
Business Redirection
Due to the decline in the apparel distribution business, the Company elected to contract distribution operations to third parties and emphasize trademark licensing as part of a strategy to reduce costs and inventory risk associated with its core business. This included granting an exclusive license to the Kid's Headquarters division of Wear Me Apparel in October 1999 and a licensing arrangement in January 2001 with a Japanese apparel company for sales of men's and ladies apparel under the Cross Colours brand throughout Japan and its territories and possessions.
The Company's licensing program alone was not expected to reverse its financial downturn and in addition to inherent timing constraints, in early 2000 the Company was faced with performance defaults by the domestic licensee under the Cross Colours license agreement. The absence of the anticipated revenue stream from this license substantially impaired the Company's financial flexibility to execute its planned business redirection.
To address these developments, the Company entered into various discussions for a potential strategic alliance or equity infusion. Those discussions led to the execution of a stock purchase agreement with AOG for the issuance of 30 million shares of the Company's common stock at $.05 per share in August 2001. The shares acquired by AOG and an additional 2.1 million shares issued to its advisor represented 83% and 6%, respectively, of common stock outstanding after the closing of the transaction with AOG. The agreement with AOG also provided for (i) the reconstitution of the board of directors with designees of AOG, (ii) an increase in the Company's authorized common stock to 100 million shares, (iii) a change in the name of the Company to "JKC Group, Inc.", (iv) transitional services from members of existing management; and (v) repricing of outstanding stock options. The AOG transaction was approved by shareholders at a special meeting on December 27, 2001 and was completed on April 16, 2002 following AMEX approval of an additional listing application for the new shares.
Following the completion of the AOG transaction, and facing continued decline in its apparel business, the Company continued to pursue its business redirection by exploring potential acquisition opportunities, with a view toward expanding existing licensing operations or adding compatible business lines, culminating in the acquisition of Magic Lantern. As part of the transaction to acquire Magic Lantern, the Company (i) added three designees of Zi Corporation, the vendor of Magic Lantern, to it's board of directors, (ii) implemented a new stock option plan primarily for management and employees of Magic Lantern, (iii) changed the Company's corporate name to Magic Lantern Group, Inc., and (iv) effective November 8, 2002, changed the AMEX trading symbol to GML. Founded in 1975, Magic Lantern is a leading Canadian distributor of educational and learning content in video and other electronic formats. Magic Lantern also provides internet based educational content on a subscription basis through Tutorbuddy Inc. ("Tutorbuddy"), a wholly owned subsidiary and digital video encoding services on a fee basis through Sonoptic Technologies Inc. ("Sonoptic") a 75% owned subsidiary. See "Market for the Company's Common Stock and Related Shareholder Matters" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Products
General.
Our product focus following the transaction with Magic Lantern became the sales and distribution of educational and learning content in video and other electronic formats. As a result of this transaction we acquired distribution rights to over 300 film producers representing over 14,000 titles, and customer relationships at 9,000 out of 12,000 English speaking schools in Canada. Our library includes content from numerous producers, including Disney Educational, Annenberg / CPB and CTV Television. In addition, Tutorbuddy is an Internet-enabled provider of content and related educational services on demand to students, teachers and parents. Sonoptic provides digital video encoding services and has developed a proprietary videobase indexing software that allows users to aggregate, bookmark, re-sort and add their own comment boxes to existing content.
Magic Lantern has grown to be a major source in Canada for educational video resources, educational television series, program repurposing and digital delivery. By 1994, Magic Lantern had developed a catalogue of more than 10,000 video titles covering all subject areas from pre-school through high school, post-secondary and general interest, with exclusive distribution agreements with more than 200 producers and suppliers. With some 9,000 of 12,000 Canadian schools among Magic Lantern's customer base, attention was focused on growth opportunities within the education sector. At this time, digital technologies were having an impact on video delivery methods with compression technology increasing capacity of satellites and fiber-optic cable providing telephone companies with an opportunity to carry more than traditional voice and data. Magic Lantern responded by creating Sonoptic, with the government of New Brunswick as a 25 per cent minority partner, to develop an expertise and service offering in the field of analog to digital conversion, and subsequent applications for this new digital form of video programs. Sonoptic began encoding the Magic Lantern library of educational video content in order to "pilot" a video-on-demand service.
As part of our growth strategy, we will require additional resources to complete the digital encoding of the Magic Lantern library as well as fund the further development of software capable of managing video delivered over the Internet. Magic Lantern acquired additional content through its acquisition of Image Media in 1998, and was expanding its revenue base by utilizing its distribution channels for new products and services. Innovative programs for schools, such as its lease-to-own library program were launched (with the recommendation of the Canadian Principals Association), and the Campbell Soup Company's "Labels for Education." The debut of "Labels for Education" was managed, marketed and delivered by Magic Lantern with over 3,500 Canadian schools taking part within the first six months of the program.
Tutorbuddy builds on the research & development of Sonoptic, and has developed an on-line educational video library with an extensive information search capability and content management system. Tutorbuddy is branded and offered to Canadian schools with the ultimate market being the homes of school-age children, some five million in Canada, when the service has proven effective in Canadian schools. Concurrent with providing the Tutorbuddy innovation in the current core market of Canada, where Magic Lantern has a dominant position in the industry, plans include the expansion of the traditional distribution business internationally. Expanding to global markets and developing a brand presence internationally while proving the digital service application in Canada is intended to be the springboard for the Magic Lantern's growth initiatives. Magic Lantern continues its focus on becoming a respected and successful company in the delivery and management of educational video content, in both Canadian markets and worldwide.
Pursuant to an asset purchase agreement dated September 1, 2000, Magic Lantern acquired the assets and business operations of Richard Wolff Enterprises, Inc., ("RWE") a company based in Illinois. This purchase expanded Magic Lantern's library of educational titles and provided access to an international distribution infrastructure held by RWE.
Product Mix. Prior to our acquisition of Magic Lantern our emphasis was on our apparel business. These apparel lines accounted for 100% of our net sales in 2001 and 2000 and approximately 5% in 2002. As our apparel business slowed we pursued a business redirection culminating in our purchase of Magic Lantern. The acquired Magic Lantern businesses now constitute our entire business. Magic Lantern's product mix prior to our acquisition of the company was video sales, video dubbing, and video encoding. Video sales accounted for approximately 61%, 68% and 71% of Magic Lantern's net sales in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively Video dubbing accounted for approximately 25%, 14% and 19% of Magic Lantern's net sales in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Video encoding accounted for approximately 6%, 16% and 10% of Magic Lantern's net sales in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Sales made by the Magic Lantern group following the company's November 7, 2002 acquisition of the group accounted for 95% of the company's sales in 2002.
Marketing and Distribution
Marketing Strategy. The Company's marketing strategy prior to implementing its business redirection was focused on offering multiple product lines of quality casual apparel and activewear distinguished by design, brand and label. Following the acquisition of Magic Lantern, the Company has adopted a marketing strategy to concentrate resources towards expanding the geographic and market reach of Magic Lantern's historic business.
Customers. The Company's apparel products were historically sold primarily to national and regional specialty and department store chains, sporting goods stores and wholesale membership clubs throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. As the Company changed focus in 2002, the Company had seven customer accounts in 2002, and 500 in 2001, none of which individually accounted for more than 10% of sales in 2001. Following the change in business focus in connection with the transaction with Magic Lantern, the Company's customers are primarily educational institutions and libraries in Canada. Magic Lantern's ten largest customers for the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002 (measured by sales) represented $162,000 and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002, represented $775,000, none of which individually accounted for more than 10% of sales.
Distribution. The Company's brand name and proprietary label apparel products were historically prepacked at the manufacturing site into cartons, shipped to an East Coast warehouse and then shipped directly to the customer without repacking. Following the change in business focus in connection with our transaction with Magic Lantern, the distribution strategy is to distribute video productions produced by other companies. We maintain a library of 12,000 master versions of the titles in our catalogue and create VHS, DVD or CDR copies for sale in our duplication labs in Toronto, Vancouver and Saint John. These are packaged together with media bought directly from suppliers for whom we do not have masters in-house, and shipped to customers. The distribution of such products is governed by distribution agreements with suppliers and producers, many of which are, generally, exclusive as to territory.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Sources. The Company did not own or operate any manufacturing facilities prior to the transaction with Magic Lantern. Prior to the contraction of the apparel distribution business, the Company's products were manufactured in accordance with its designs, specifications and production schedules by approximately 50 independent manufacturers located in over 16 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Following our change in business focus in connection with our transaction with Magic Lantern there is no manufacturing activity by or on behalf of the Company.
Quality Control. All finished products manufactured for the Company were historically inspected by its employees or agents prior to acceptance and payment by the Company to ensure design, quality and other production specifications were met. Initial product samples provided by manufacturers were also inspected for compliance with production specifications, and production runs were not authorized until conforming samples had been approved. Payment for each foreign manufacturing order was generally backed by an irrevocable international letter of credit issued under the Company's credit agreement approximately two to six months prior to shipment of the products. The letters of credit could not be drawn until an authorized employee or agent of the company issued an inspection certificate certifying that the products were in compliance with the manufacturing order. Magic Lantern's business primarily involves the distribution of videocassette tapes that are either copied from masters in Magic Lantern's possession or sourced directly from producers. Due to the nature of the business, quality control issues are not material.
Imports and Import Restrictions
The Company historically imported the majority of its products from foreign countries located in Asia, Africa and Europe. Imports of apparel products from these countries are subject to constraints imposed by multilateral textile agreements with the United States applicable to specific product categories. Following our shift in business focus in connection with our acquisition of Magic Lantern, our products consist primarily of content delivered on videotape and other electronic media. Certain of the videotapes offered for sale in Canada are sourced in the United States. There are no tariffs or taxes involved in the import of these products from the United States.
Backlog
The Company's had no backlog of apparel orders at December 31, 2002. The Company's backlog of orders placed in connection with Magic Lantern's business totaled approximately $100,000 at December 31, 2002.
Competition
Following the Company's acquisition of Magic Lantern, its business shifted to the distribution of educational and learning content in video and other electronic formats. The content delivery industry is highly competitive and consists of a large number of suppliers, certain of whom are producers and others only distributors. Magic Lantern holds exclusive rights to distribution in Canada on approximately 33% of its titles. Of the exclusive titles distributed, approximately 59% include digital rights.
Competition stems from both traditional learning video content providers and digital learning content providers. Some of these competitors are multi-national and regional firms offering services, systems and platforms through established internet sites or proprietary networks. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and deployment resources than we do. Competitors particularly in markets outside Canada have the added advantage of offering a greater diversity of products and services with a substantial installed customer base. Our analysis of its competition within these two industries is set forth below.
Traditional Learning Video Content Providers.
Management believes the Company is currently one of the largest educational learning video providers to the Canadian education, library and special interest group markets. In management's opinion, Magic Lantern has attained this position as a result of several competitive factors, including its knowledge of the Canadian education system and the provincial Ministries of Education, brand recognition, supply-line relationships with worldwide educational video producers and leadership in creating course correlated matching for educators.
Traditional format competitors of the Company in Canada include:
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Canadian Learning Company, Inc., focused primarily on the kindergarten to Grade 12 ("K-12") markets and special interest groups, has the advantage of representing three major producers in Canada --AIMS, Great Plains and Reading Rainbow. |
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Visual Education Centre benefits from relationships with producers such as TVO, BBC, PBS, Phoenix and John Cleese, as well as the appeal of carrying French language content. |
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Marlin Motion Pictures Ltd. distinguishes its offerings by supplementing its K-12 education video with business and general industry content from suppliers including United Learning, AGC and MTI, although it offers no option for course correlation. |
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McIntyre Media, providing video to the schools in the K-12 market, with some health market related content. McIntyre represents some well regarded producers in Canada including Sunburst, Meridian and Learning Speed. |
Digital learning video content providers.
The Company has agreements with many of its producers for its digitization, indexing and ultimately streaming of their analog content through the Company's web-enabled Tutorbuddy.com or stand-alone media offerings. Management believes these services offer the following competitive advantages:
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Access to its "crypto key," a technology developed by Tutorbuddy to prevent downloading of content and subsequent re-purposing; |
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Use of the "meta" data collected from K-12 course correlation to ensure that data corresponds to educators' needs; |
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Access to Magic Lantern's content library of over 3,200 titles for which we have digital rights; |
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Availability of innovative software tools (Video Based Streaming Solutions - VBSS) developed by Tutorbuddy full indexing and relevant search capabilities for all digitized, indexed video content; and |
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Leadership in the movement to include indexed and streaming rights versus, straight streaming of full content without indexing. |
Although management believes that competitors of Tutorbuddy.com and VBSS currently lack a comparable range of services, various distributors now offer learning video content in streaming format, providing competition worldwide through Internet-enabled services. These competitors include:
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Classroom Video is an Australian based firm with a presence in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for its encoded indexed titles produced in house and generally provided on hard drives sold to end users. |
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United Streaming has established a presence in Canada through distribution arrangements with Marlin Motion Pictures, a traditional format competitor. |
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AIMS Multimedia provides a branded service with digital curriculum available in the United States. |
Other streaming technologies and streaming packaging, although not directly competitive, are generally available through television on the Web, production and publication, event management, entertainment, expert systems linked to education, university and test environments and promotion and sales demonstrations.
Employees
As of December 31, 2002, the Company had 49 salaried employees. Of the 49 employees, four provide executive services, four provide management services and five provide clerical services. None of the Company's employees are party to a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our working relationships with employees to be good and have never experienced an interruption of operations due to a labor dispute.
Properties
Headquarters
Our administrative and sales offices are located at 1075 North Service Road West, #27, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, L6M 2G2.
Distribution Facilities
During the last two years we distributed substantially all of our finished garments in the United States from a distribution facility located in the New York metropolitan area. In 2002 and 2001 the aggregate warehouse and distribution costs were approximately $0 and $94,000, respectively. Following our transaction with Magic Lantern our distribution facilities were shifted to 1075 North Service Road West, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Legal Proceedings
In February 2001, the Company brought an action in New York County Supreme Court against Wear Me Apparel Corp. for unpaid royalties aggregating in excess of $1.5 million under a license agreement entered with the Company in October 1999. The agreement provided an exclusive license to the Kid's Headquarters division of Wear Me Apparel for manufacturing and distribution of boys' sportswear lines under the Cross Colours trademark, with a scheduled launch for the Fall 2000 season. The Company settled the litigation in April 2002 for $535,000, payable in a contemporaneous installment of $335,000 and the balance of $200,000 which was received in January 2003 was applied to fully offset amounts owing to R. Siskind and Company, Inc., an affiliated company. Various miscellaneous claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business have been filed against the Company. In the opinion of management, none of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the results of operations or the financial position of the Company.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
On November 7, 2002, the Company held a special meeting of shareholders to vote on (i) a proposal to approve the acquisition of Magic Lantern Communications Ltd., (ii) a proposal to approve a stock option plan for management of Magic Lantern and its subsidiaries, and (iii) a change in the Company's name to Magic Lantern Group, Inc. A description of the proposals and a tabulation of the voting on each proposal is set forth below.
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Proposal |
Votes For |
Votes |
Abstentions |
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1. Acquisition of Magic Lantern |
34,368,350 |
3,960 |
400 |
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2. Magic Lantern Management Stock Option Plan |
34,350,150 |
67,560 |
-- |
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3. Change in corporate name |
34,367,650 |
5,060 |
-- |
PART II
Market for the Company's Common Stock and Related Shareholder Matters
Trading Market
The Company's common stock is listed for trading on the AMEX under the symbol GML. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, its high and low sales prices as reported on the AMEX.
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Market Prices |
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High |
Low |
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2001: |
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First quarter |
$.56 |
$.31 |
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Second quarter |
.75 |
.25 |
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Third quarter |
.49 |
.15 |
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Fourth quarter |
.40 |
.20 |
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2002: |
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First quarter |
$.31 |
$.18 |
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Second quarter |
1.25 |
.20 |
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Third quarter |
.98 |
.40 |
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Fourth quarter |
1.75 |
.25 |
Security Holders
As of March 31, 2003, there were approximately 99 holders of record.
Dividends
The Company has not paid cash dividends since its inception and does not anticipate or contemplate paying dividends in the foreseeable future. It is the present intention of the board of directors to employ all available funds in the development of our business.
Penny Stock Rules
As a result of current trading prices, the Company's common stock is subject to the penny stock rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). In the absence of an exemption from those rules, broker-dealers making a market in our common stock are required to provide disclosure to their customers on the risks associated with its ownership, its investment suitability for the customer, information on its bid and ask prices and information about any compensation the broker-dealer will receive for a transaction in the common stock. The application of these rules generally reduces market making activities and, based on prevailing trading volumes, has substantially limited the liquidity of the our common stock.
Compliance with AMEX Listing Requirements
Because the Company recognized net losses in four of the last five years, it is required to maintain shareholders' equity of at least $4 million to meet the standards for continuing listing of its common stock on the AMEX. In March 2002, the Company was advised by the AMEX that its common stock was subject to delisting proceedings unless the Company submitted an acceptable plan for regaining compliance with the applicable shareholders' equity requirement of $4 million by September 30, 2002. The Company submitted a response to the AMEX in April 2002 with the first phase of a plan for regaining compliance with the listing standards. That phase was completed on April 16, 2002 with the $1.5 million equity infusion pursuant to the agreement with AOG.
In June 2002, the Company received an extension for continuation of its AMEX listing based on the second phase of its plan for increasing shareholders' equity through the acquisition of the Magic Lantern group. The compliance plan was completed upon the closing of the Lantern Group transaction, which increased shareholders' equity above the requirement of $4 million as of the closing date on November 7, 2002. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
On April 16, 2002 the Company issued 30 million shares of common stock to AOG at $.05, providing aggregate proceeds to the Company of $1.5 million. These shares were issued in connection with financing undertaken as part of the Company's business redirection (see- "Business Redirection"), and the proceeds were used for the working capital of the Company. On the same date, an additional, 2.1 million shares of the Company's common stock were issued to AOG's advisory group, in consideration of services provided in consummating the AOG transaction. In both cases, the Company issued the shares under the exemption from registration set forth in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act").
On November 7, 2002 the Company consummated its acquisition of Magic Lantern Communications Ltd and its subsidiaries (see- Management's Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations- Business Redirection), in consideration for a three-year promissory note of the Company in the principal amount of $3,000,000 and 29,750,000 shares of the Company's common stock. The Company issued the 29,750,000 shares of common stock under the exemption from registration set forth in Section 4(2) of the 1933 Act ..
Selected Financial Data
The following table presents selected financial data of Magic Lantern Group, Inc. at and for the year ended December 31 in each of the five years through 2002. The selected financial data presented below has been derived from the Company's audited financial statements. For each of the three years through December 31, 2002, the following financial information should be read in conjunction with Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations as well as the Financial Statements of the Company and related Notes included elsewhere in this Report.
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(In thousands, except per share amounts) |
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2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
1998 |
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Income Statement Data: |
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Net revenue |
$ 386 |
$ 2,855 |
$ 9,891 |
$ 10,537 |
$ 9,867 |
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Cost of sales |
188 |
3,068 |
8,158 |
7,982 |
7,859 |
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Gross profit (loss) |
198 |
(213) |
1,733 |
2,555 |
2,008 |
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Commission and other income |
--- |
10 |
18 |
97 |
251 |
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198 |
(203) |
1,751 |
2,652 |
2,259 |
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Selling, general and administrative expenses |
1,192 |
1,404 |
2,638 |
2,431 |
3,391 |
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Loss (gain) on lease cancellation |
--- |
--- |
--- |
(244) |
561 |
| Compensation expense from options |
2,239 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
| Impairment of goodwill |
--- |
1,293 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
| Write-off of trademark |
181 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
| Loss (gain) on sale of securities |
--- |
11 |
(11) |
(22) |
--- |
| Gain on settlement of litigation |
(526) |
(116) |
--- |
--- |
--- |
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Operating income (loss) |
(2,888) |
(2,795) |
(876) |
487 |
(1,693) |
| Royalty income |
90 |
60 |
100 |
--- |
--- |
| Interest expense, net |
43 |
209 |
497 |
405 |
544 |
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Income (loss) before income taxes |
(2,841) |
(2,944) |
(1,273) |
82 |
(2,237) |
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Income taxes |
--- |
33 |
7 |
6 |
81 |
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Net income (loss) |
$ (2,841) |
$ (2,977) |
$ (1,280) |
$ 76 |
$ (2,318) |
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Net income (loss) per common share: |
$ (.09) |
$ (.72) |
$ (.31) |
$ .02 |
$ (.59)
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Weighted average common shares outstanding, |
31,561 |
4,127 |
4,124 |
4,037 |
3,904 |
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2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
1998 |
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Summary Balance Sheet Data: |
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Total assets |
$ 13,962 |
$ 492 |
$ 5,697 |
$ 6,409 |
$6,800 |
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Working capital (deficit) |
(179) |
(1,073) |
69 |
292 |
235 |
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Due to factor |
--- |
514 |
2,636 |
1,817 |
2,331 |
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Long term debt, excluding current portion |
3,032 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|
Shareholders' equity (deficit) |
9,259 |
(865) |
2,067 |
3,310 |
3,031 |
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
General
Magic Lantern Group, Inc., formerly JKC Group, Inc., and previously Stage II Apparel Corp. (the "Company"), was engaged for over 20 years primarily as a distributor of proprietary and licensed brand name casual apparel, activewear and collection sportswear for men and boys. In response to a decline in its apparel distribution operations, the Company elected to contract those operations to third parties during the last two years as part of a strategy of reducing the costs and inventory risks associated with its historical core business and repositioning the Company through one or more acquisitions, with a view toward expanding existing licensing operations and adding compatible business lines (the "Business Redirection").
Business Redirection
Licensing. To initiate the Business Redirection, the Company granted an exclusive license to a large apparel company in October 1999 for domestic distribution of boys' sportswear lines under its Cross Colours label. In January 2001, the Company entered into its first international licensing arrangement with a Japanese apparel company for sales of men's and ladies' apparel under the Cross Colours brand throughout Japan and its territories and possessions. The licensing program alone was not expected to reverse the Company's financial downturn in the near term. In addition to inherent timing constraints, the Company was faced with performance defaults by its domestic licensee early in 2000. In February 2001, the Company brought an action for unpaid royalties against the licensee. Although the litigation was settled in April 2002 for $535,000, payable $335,000 at the time of settlement and the balance in January 2003, the absence of the anticipated revenue stream during the first two years of the license substantially impaired the Company's financial flexibility for executing its planned Business Redirection. Consequently, in fiscal 2002, the Company wrote off its Cross Colours trademark.
Equity Infusion. To address these developments, the Company entered into various discussions in 2001 for a potential strategic alliance and / or equity infusion. Those discussions culminated in August 2001 with the execution of a stock purchase agreement with Alpha Omega Group, a private investment group ("AOG"), for the issuance of 30 million shares of the Company's common stock to AOG at $.05 per share or a total of $1.5 million. The agreement also provided for related closing transactions (collectively with the equity infusion, the "AOG Transactions"), including the addition of three designees of AOG to the Company's board of directors, an increase in its authorized common stock to 100 million shares, a change in its name to "JKC Group, Inc." and a related change in the trading symbol for its common stock on the American Stock Exchange (the "AMEX") to "JKC," effective April 18, 2002, transitional services from members of incumbent management and repricing of outstanding stock options (the "Replacement Options").
The AOG Transactions were approved by the Company's shareholders at a special meeting on December 27, 2001 and were completed on April 16, 2002 following American Stock Exchange ("AMEX") approval of its additional listing application for the new shares. The shares acquired by AOG and an additional 2.1 million shares issued to its advisor as part of the AOG Transactions represented 83% and 6%, respectively, of the Company's common stock outstanding after the closing of the AOG Transactions. In addition to the equity infusion, the reconstitution of the Company's board of directors with AOG designees as part of the AOG Transactions added substantial expertise to assist in the planned Business Redirection.
Magic Lantern Acquisition. Following the closing of the AOG Transactions, the Company continued to pursue its Business Redirection by exploring acquisition opportunities, with a view toward expanding existing licensing operations or adding compatible business lines. On August 2, 2002, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with Zi Corporation, a Canadian-based provider of intelligent interface solutions ("Zi"), for the Company's purchase of Magic Lantern Communications Ltd. ("MLC") and its subsidiaries (collectively, " Magic Lantern").
Founded in 1975, Magic Lantern is a Canadian distributor of educational and learning content in video and other electronic formats. Magic Lantern has primarily exclusive distribution rights to over 300 film producers representing over 13,000 titles, and its customers include 9,000 out of 12,000 English speaking schools in Canada. Its library includes content from numerous producers, including Disney Educational, Annenberg / CPB and CTV Television. Tutorbuddy Inc., a 100% owned subsidiary of Magic Lantern, is an Internet-enabled provider of content and related educational services on demand to students, teachers and parents. Sonoptic Technologies Inc., a 75% owned subsidiary of Magic Lantern, provides digital video encoding services and has developed a proprietary videobase indexing software that allows users to aggregate, bookmark, re-sort and add their own comment boxes to existing content. Magic Lantern is headquartered near Toronto, Canada with offices in Saint John, New Brunswick and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Magic Lantern was acquired in October 1996 by NTN Interactive Network Inc. ("NTN"). In March 2002, members of Magic Lantern's management formed MagicVision Media Inc. ("MagicVision") to acquire 100% of Magic Lantern's capital stock from NTN and contemporaneously sold their interests to Zi for $1,359,000 (including transaction costs) plus 100,000 common shares of Zi valued at $499,000.
On November 7, 2002, the Company and Zi consummated the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement (the "Magic Lantern Transactions") following their approval by the Company's shareholders. The Company's acquisition of Magic Lantern was implemented through its purchase from Zi of all the outstanding capital stock of MagicVision, in consideration for a three-year promissory note of the Company in the principal amount of $3,000,000 and 29,750,000 shares of the Company's common stock, representing 45% of its common shares outstanding after the closing. The Purchase Agreement provides for additional stock and cash consideration up to $2,930,000 or offsets against the Company's promissory note up to $1 million based on Magic Lantern's operating results for the first twelve months after the closing. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Liquidity." As part of the Magic Lantern Transactions, the Company added three designees of Zi to its board of directors, implemented a new stock option plan primarily for management and employees of Magic Lantern, changed its corporate name to Magic Lantern Group, Inc. and, effective November 8, 2002, changed its AMEX trading symbol to "GML."
The Company accounted for its acquisition of Magic Lantern under the purchase method. The purchase price for the acquired businesses was allocated among their assets and liabilities as of the closing date. For this purpose, the 29,750,000 shares of the Company's common stock issued to Zi as part of the purchase price for the acquired businesses was valued based on their market price in June 2002 when the terms of the Magic Lantern Transactions were established in a letter of intent between the parties. Based on the market price of $.31 per share for the Company's common stock at that time, the total purchase price and related transactions costs without regard to any adjustments for post-acquisition operating results aggregated approximately $12,363,000, of which approximately $6,868,000 has been allocated to goodwill, , approximately $4,492,000 to intangible assets, and approximately $1,128,000 to property and equipment.
Risks Associated with the Magic Lantern Acquisition Magic Lantern has a history of losses and may continue to incur losses from operations after its acquisition by the Company. For its last three fiscal years ending August 31, Magic Lantern incurred net losses aggregating $1.2 million. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Capital Resources." The Company's ability to achieve profitable operations through ownership of Magic Lantern could be adversely affected by a number of business risks, including delays or inefficiencies in the development cycle for Magic Lantern's new products and services, lack of sponsor or consumer acceptance of those products and services, inability to penetrate new geographic markets, competition and changing technology. A discussion of these and other related business risks is included in the Company's proxy statement dated October 15, 2002 for the Magic Lantern Transactions.
AMEX Listing. In March 2002, the Company was advised by the AMEX that its common stock will be subject to delisting proceedings unless an acceptable plan was submitted for regaining compliance with the applicable shareholders' equity requirement of $4 million. The Company submitted a response to the AMEX in April 2002 with the first phase of its plan for regaining compliance with the listing standards. That phase was completed on April 16, 2002 with the $1.5 million equity infusion under the AOG Agreement. In June 2002, the Company received an extension for continuation of its AMEX listing based on the second phase of its plan for increasing shareholders' equity through the Magic Lantern acquisition. The compliance plan was timely completed upon the closing of the Magic Lantern Transactions, which increased the Company's shareholders' equity to approximately $9.6 million as of the closing date on November 7, 2002. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Capital Resources."
Registration statement. On December 31, 2002, the Company filed a registration statement on Form 3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission covering 64,300,000 shares of common stock. Of the Shares covered by the Prospectus, 31,550,000 were issued by the Company in the Equity Infusion, 29,750,000 were issued by the Company as part of the consideration on the acquisition of Magic Lantern and up to 3,000,000 may be issued under an earnout arrangement for this acquisition. See "Equity Infusion" and "Magic Lantern Acquisition."
Results of Operations
Results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2002, including the results of Magic Lantern for the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002.
Seasonality. At the end of 2001, management decided to wind down the apparel business. Prior to the wind down of its apparel distribution business and the acquisition of Magic Lantern, the Company experienced seasonal business fluctuations due primarily to seasonal buying patterns for its product mix of casual apparel and activewear. The change in this pattern during 2001 reflects an inventory sell off associated with the Company's efforts to implement its planned business redirection. In addition, with the Company's acquisition of Magic Lantern on November 7, 2002 our business shifted to video dubbing and distribution of video and electronic based educational and learning content ("Education and Distribution"). A significant portion of these sales are made to libraries and educational institutions, as such, we expect revenues to be cyclical based on varying fiscal budgets across Canada as well as seasonal due to the traditional school year, leaving the summer void of educational sales. Third quarter revenues to educational institutions have historically been lower by approximately 15% due to the school break in July and August.
Years Ended December 31, 2002 and 2001. Net sales were $386,000 for the year ended December 31, 2002, compared to $2.9 million for 2001. The decrease primarily reflects a contraction of the Company's apparel distribution business ("Apparel Distribution ") as part of its strategy to focus on licensing opportunities and implement the Business Redirection, coupled with net sales of Magic Lantern. During the year ended December 31, 2002, $21,000 of revenues were derived from Apparel Distribution and $365,000 of revenues were derived from Education and Distribution.
Cost of goods sold decreased to $188,000 in 2002 compared to $3,068,000 in the same period last year, reflecting off-price sales of discontinued brands as part of the Company's efforts to reduce inventory and position itself to implement the Business Redirection. Education and Distribution accounted for $153,000 of cost of goods sold in 2002. Cost of goods sold as a percentage of net sales for Education and Distribution was 41.9%.
SG&A expenses of $1,046,000 for 2002 decreased by 25.5% from $1,404,000 for 2001, primarily reflecting an increase of $546,000 following the acquisition of Magic Lantern coupled with a contraction of $904,000 of the Company's apparel distribution business as part of the Business Redirection.
Interest and factoring expenses, net of interest income, aggregated $43,000 in 2002 compared to $218,000 or 7.6% of sales in 2001, reflecting repayment of outstanding indebtedness and fees under the Company's credit facility with its factor. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Capital Resources."
The Company recognized a net non-cash charge of $2,239,000 at December 31, 2002, of which, $2,119,000 reflects the compensation component of the Replacement Options issued as part of the AOG Transactions in April 2002 and $120,000 reflects the intrinsic value of options issued in connection with the acquisition of Magic Lantern. The charge on the Replacement Options is based on the difference between the aggregate exercise price of the Replacement Options and the market value of the underlying shares on December 31, 2002. See "Business Redirection - Stock-Based Compensation." The Company recorded a gain of $526,000 net of legal expenses recorded in the second quarter of 2002 on settlement of the Company's litigation against the domestic licensee of its Cross Colours trademark. See "Business Redirection - Licensing."
During the year ended December 31, 2002, the Company recorded an impairment charge of approximately $181,000 (the remaining balance) on the trademark as it was deemed by management to be worthless.
The Company realized net loss of $2,841,000 or $.09 per share based on 31.6 million average shares outstanding for 2002, compared to a net loss of $3.0 million or $.72 per share recognized in 2001 based on 4.1 million average shares outstanding. The operating loss for the year ended December 31, 2002, was $2,888,000, of which $376,000 relates to Magic Lantern for the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002, compared to an operating loss of $2,795,000 in the year ended December 31, 2001.
Years Ended December 31, 2001 and 2000. Net sales of $2.9 million for 2001 decreased by 71.1% from $9.9 million in 2000. The decrease primarily reflects a contraction of the Company's apparel distribution business as part of its strategy to focus on licensing opportunities.
Cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales increased to 107.5% in 2001 compared to 82.5% in 2000, reflecting off-price sales of discontinued brands as part of the Company's efforts to reduce inventory and redirect its business to focus on licensing opportunities.
SG&A expenses of $1.4 million for 2001 decreased by 46.8% from $2.6 million for 2000, primarily reflecting the Company's contraction of its apparel distribution business as part of its planned business redirection. As a percentage of sales, SG&A expenses were 49.2% in 2001 compared to 26.7% in the prior year.
Interest and factoring expenses aggregated $218,000 or 7.6% of sales in 2001 compared to $572,000 or 5.8% of sales in, reflecting a reduction in amounts outstanding under the Company's credit facility with its factor. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Capital Resources" below.
The Company recognized net losses of $3.0 million or $.72 per share in 2001 and $1.3 million or $.31 per share in 2000, reflecting the foregoing trends and a noncash impairment charge of $1.3 million at the end of 2001. Average common shares outstanding were 4,127,000 in 2001 and 4,124,000 in 2000.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity. The Company's cash position increased to $696,000 at December 31, 2002, compared to $3,000 at December 31, 2001. Prior to the acquisition of Magic Lantern, the Company received net proceeds from the AOG Transactions of $1,500,000 and $335,000 in litigation settlement proceeds, The Company incurred approximately $300,000 of professional fees related to the acquisition of Magic Lantern, repaid outstanding factor debt and fees in the amount of $514,000, and applied $297,000 to reduce notes payable.
In accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Zi converted to, equity prior to the closing, all of its advances to the Lantern Group then outstanding and made an additional contribution to the capital of Magic Lantern required to increase Magic Lantern's cash position to approximately $300,000 at the time of the closing, resulting in a post-acquisition consolidated cash position of approximately $1 million.
Following the acquisition of Magic Lantern to December 31, 2002, the Company invested in property, equipment, and intangible assets in the aggregate amount of $91,000 and spent approximately $200,000 to fund operations.
For the period from January 1, 2003 to March 31, 2003, the Company spent approximately $111,000 on professional fees and certain one time costs including two litigation settlements and used approximately $365,000 of cash to fund continuing operational requirements.
The purchase price for the Magic Lantern acquisition included a three-year note issued by the Company to Zi at the closing of the Lantern Group Transactions on November 7, 2002 in the principal amount of $3,000,000, bearing interest at 5% per annum (the "Lantern Purchase Note"). Additional stock and cash consideration will be payable if operating results of Magic Lantern meet revenue and cash flow targets for the first twelve months after the closing (the "Performance Period") If operations of Magic Lantern during the Performance Period generate total revenues ("Lantern Revenues") exceeding $12,222,500 and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization exceeding $3,000,000, Zi will be entitled to additional consideration equal to 50% percent of all Lantern Revenues for the Performance Period in excess of $12,222,500 (the "Earnout"), up to a maximum Earnout of $2,930,000. Any Earnout entitlement will be payable partly in cash and partly in common stock of the Company, valued for this purpose at $.31 per share ("Earnout Shares"), as follows:
| Amount of Earnout |
Portion Payable in Cash |
Portion Payable in Earnout Shares |
| Up to $1,860,000 | 50% | 50% |
| Between $1,860,000 and $2,930,000 |
100% | 0% |
Based on this allocation, Zi will be entitled to a maximum of three million Earnout Shares, which would increase its interest in the Company to 47.4% based on total shares outstanding at the time of the closing. Any Earnout Shares due under the Earnout provisions of the Purchase Agreement will be issuable to Zi within 90 days after the end of the Performance Period. If the Company's cash position as of the end of the Performance Period exceeds $4 million, any cash due under the Earnout provisions will also be payable within 90 days after the end of the Performance Period. Otherwise, the cash Earnout will be payable in four equal quarterly installments over a one-year period, commencing 90 days after the Company first meets the $4 million cash balance threshold. If cash Earnout payments are deferred more than one year after the end of the Performance Period, interest on the obligation will accrue at the rate of 5% per annum.
The Purchase Agreement also provides for a reduction in the purchase price if Lantern Revenues during the Performance Period are less than $5 million. In that event, the Company will be entitled to offset the amount of the shortfall, up to $1 million, against the principal amount of the Lantern Purchase Note.
During the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002, the Company purchased fixed assets in the amount of approximately $14,000 and capitalized approximately $60,000 pertaining to software development.
Capital Resources. Prior to the AOG Transactions, the Company maintained a credit facility with the CIT Group/Commercial Services, Inc. The credit facility provided for the factor to purchase the Company's accounts receivable that it preapproved, without recourse, except in cases of merchandise returns or billing or merchandise disputes in the normal course of business. In addition, the factor was responsible for the accounting and collection of all accounts receivable sold to it by the Company. The factor received a commission under the credit facility in an amount less than 1% of the net receivables it purchased. The agreements covering the credit facility also provided for the issuance of letters of credit to fund the Company's foreign manufacturing orders and for short term borrowings at a floating interest rate equal to 1/2% above the prime rate.
The Company's obligations under the credit facility were payable on demand and secured by inventory and accounts receivable. The aggregate amount of letters of credit and borrowings available under the credit facility were determined from time to time by the factor based upon our financing requirements and financial performance. Because of these terms, implementation of the Company's strategy for contracting apparel distribution operations and emphasizing trademark licensing as a means of reducing the costs and inventory risks associated with its historical core business had the anticipated effect of reducing its financial flexibility under the credit facility. In addition, since the planned Business Redirection involved branding strategies to exploit existing trademarks and possible acquisitions of trademarks or other intangible assets that would not support additional factor debt, the Company did not expect the credit facility to provide a source of financing for the Business Redirection. During 2001 and the first quarter of 2002, the Company made no new borrowings under the credit facility and applied proceeds from a sell off of substantially all its remaining inventory to reduce credit facility debt to $514,000 at the end of 2001 and $267,000 at March 31, 2002. In April 2002, upon consummation of the AOG Transactions, the Company elected to terminate the agreements covering the credit facility after applying part of the proceeds from the AOG Transactions to repay the remainder of the outstanding factor debt and fees aggregating $514,000.
At December 31, 2002, the Company had outstanding notes payable for $176,000 to R. Siskind and Company, Inc., an apparel company owned by Richard Siskind, the President and a director of the Company ("RSC"). The notes evidenced indebtedness to RSC for advances used by the Company primarily for acquired apparel inventory. In April 2002, the Company accepted a settlement offer of $535,000 in its litigation against the domestic licensee of its Cross Colours trademark. The Company received an installment of $335,000 at the time of settlement. In accordance with the terms of the agreement for the AOG Transactions, the Company applied $328,000 of the settlement proceeds to reduce its obligations under its notes payable to RSC and assigned RSC its rights to the deferred settlement installment in satisfaction of its remaining obligations under the notes. In January, 2003 the remaining balance of $200,000 was received and applied to fully offset the notes payable to RSC.
Execution of Magic Lantern's business plan and the Company's branding strategies for its ongoing trademark licensing business may require capital resources substantially in excess of the Company's current cash reserves. Magic Lantern has historically relied on advances from its parent companies to address shortfalls in its working capital requirements. In accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Zi converted to, equity prior to the closing, all of its advances to the Lantern Group then outstanding and made an additional contribution to the capital of MLC required to increase the Lantern Group's cash position to approximately $300,000 at the time of the closing, resulting in a post-acquisition consolidated cash position of approximately $1 million.
Going concern. The Company's cash position as at March 31, 2003 was approximately $204,000 (CDN $300,000), which at the current rate of operating activity is insufficient to cover operating costs to April 30, 2003. The Company's working capital deficiency at December 31, 2002 was approximately $179,000, and has worsened since December 31, 2002. Historically, the Company has sought financing from its major shareholders and, at present, has received an expression from a major shareholder and its respective associates that they will provide short- term financial support to the Company while it continues to seek financing sufficient to fund its current business plan, including its investment in its digitization program. The short term financing currently under discussion involves a private placement of up to $3 million in the form of a unit, offered at $.75 per unit, consisting of one share and one $.90 warrant exercisable for three years from the date of closing. There is no minimum. The Company needs in this placement a minimum of $500,000 to fund the Company for approximately three months. Failing shareholder support and a longer-term financing solution, the sources of capital available to the Company include factoring of accounts receivable and reduction of discretionary investments in the digitization program and sales and marketing programs designed to increase revenue over the next twelve months. Specifically, the Company could elect to shut down the operations of Tutorbuddy and Sonoptic, which on a monthly basis would result in cash savings of approximately $67,000 but would involve expenditures to realize those savings. Capital requirements for 2003 also include, in part, the repayment of an approximate $510,000 (CDN $750,000) loan, excluding accrued interest, by Sonoptic to its 25% shareholder, unless extended. Although annual extensions of the loan maturity date have been granted in the last several years, further extensions are not certain.
Without additional financing, there is substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.
Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments
The Company and its subsidiaries are parties to various leases related to office facilities and certain other equipment. We are also obligated to make payments related to our long term borrowings (see notes 9 and 13 to the financial statements).
The minimum commitments under non-cancelable operating leases consisted of the following at December 31, 2002:
|
(In thousands) |
|||
|
Office Equipment |
Premises |
Total |
|
|
2003 |
$ 18 |
$ 227 |
$ 245 |
|
2004 |
14 |
152 |
166 |
|
2005 |
8 |
160 |
168 |
|
2006 |
3 |
122 |
125 |
|
2007 |
-- |
119 |
119 |
|
2008 |
-- |
99 |
99 |
|
$ 43 |
$ 879 |
$ 922 |
|
The cash flows of principle repayments of long term debt obligations consist of the following at December 31, 2002:
|
(In thousands) |
|
|
2003 |
$ 492 |
|
2004 |
5 |
|
2005 |
2 |
|
2006 |
2 |
|
2007 |
1 |
|
$ 502
|
|
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis management evaluates its estimates, including those related to the allowance for doubtful accounts and impairment of long-lived assets. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form a basis for making judgments about carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, however, management believes that its estimates, including those for the above described items, are reasonable and that the actual results will not vary significantly from the estimated amounts.
The following critical accounting policies relate to the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements:
Allowance for doubtful accounts: The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from customers or other parties failure to make payments on trade receivables due to the Company. The estimates of this allowance is based on a number of factors, including: (1) historical experience, (2) aging of the trade accounts receivable, (3) specific information obtained by the Company on the financial condition of customers, and (4) specific agreements or negotiated amounts with customers.
Impairment of long-lived assets: The Company's long-lived assets include property and equipment, intangible assets, and goodwill. Goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are reviewed at least annually for impairment, while other long-lived assets are reviewed whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that carrying values of these assets are not recoverable.
Forward Looking Statements
This Report includes forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act relating to matters such as anticipated operating and financial performance, business prospects, developments and results of the Company. Actual performance, prospects, developments and results may differ materially from anticipated results due to economic conditions and other risks, uncertainties and circumstances partly or totally outside the control of the Company, including risks of inflation, fluctuations in market demand for the Company's products, changes in future cost of sales, customer and licensee performance risks, trademark valuation intangibles and uncertainties in the availability and cost of capital. Words such as "anticipated," "expect," "intend," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements, all of which are subject to these risks and uncertainties.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
General
The Company does not hold any derivative securities or other market rate sensitive instruments.
Our Consolidated financial statements are prepared in U.S. dollars, while our Canadian operations are conducted in Canadian currency. The company is subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations in the Canadian dollar value of foreign currency-denominated transactions.
Exchange Rate Risks
Magic Lantern pays a number of its content suppliers in U.S. dollars. Therefore, fluctuations in the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar affects gross profit as well as net income. If the value of the Canadian dollar falls against the U.S. dollar, cost of sales will increase, reducing gross profit and net income. Conversely, if the value of the Canadian dollar rises against the U.S. dollar, gross profit and net income will increase. Based on its average annual net currency positions in the 2002 and 2001, a 10% adverse change in average annual foreign currency exchange rates would not have been material to results reported in the consolidated financial statements for those periods. To date, we have not sought to hedge risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates and therefore we continue to be subject to such risks. In the future, we may undertake such transactions. However, any hedging techniques implemented in such regard might not be successful in eliminating or reducing the effects of currency fluctuations.
Interest Rate Risks
Magic Lantern had various loans outstanding at December 31, 2002, with an aggregate principal amount of approximately $502,000. Of this indebtedness, loans in the aggregate outstanding principal amount of $475,000 were interest bearing at a fixed rate of 6.75% per annum. The Lantern Group did not use any derivative financial investments to manage its interest rate exposure.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
|
Index to Financial Statements |
||
|
Page |
||
|
Magic Lantern Group, Inc. (formerly, JKC Group, Inc. and State II Apparel Corp): |
||
|
Independent Auditor's Report |
39 |
|
|
Balance Sheets - December 31, 2002 and 2001 |
40 |
|
|
Statements of Operations - For the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 |
41 |
|
|
Statements of Comprehensive Loss - For the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 |
42 |
|
|
Statements of Shareholders' Equity (Deficit) - For the
years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 |
43 |
|
|
Statements of Cash Flows - For the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 |
44 |
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements |
45 |
|
|
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts |
60 |
|
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The financial statements of the Company are hereby attached to this document beginning on page 38.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants in Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
PART III
Directors and Executive Officers of the Company
The executive officers of the Company at December 31, 2002 are as follows:
|
Name |
Age |
Position |
Officer of |
| Harvey Gordon |
53 |
Chief Executive Officer |
2002 |
| Richard Siskind |
56 |
President |
1998 |
| Dale P. Kearns |
45 |
Interim Chief Financial Officer |
2002 |
| Douglas R. Connolly |
49 |
President, MLC Ventures |
2002 |
| George Wright |
59 |
Chief Technology Officer |
2002 |
| Richard Geist |
59 |
Director |
2002 |
| Howard Balloch | 51 | Director |
2002 |
| Michael R. Mackenzie | 46 | Director |
2002 |
| Michael Lobsinger | 52 | Director |
2002 |
| Pierre Arbour | * | Director |
2002 |
| Stephen Encarnacao |
54 |
Director |
2003 |
*Unknown as of the date of this filing.
A summary of the business experience and background of the Company's officers is set forth below.
Harvey Gordon joined Magic Lantern as Chief Executive Officer on July 29th, 2002. Mr. Gordon previously served in a variety of senior capacities with startup and turnaround technology companies: From 1988 to 1994, he was employed by Infonet Services Corporation, a global telecommunications and services company, serving as Senior Vice President for its Canadian subsidiary and Managing Director of its international software companies. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Gordon was Senior Vice President--Sales and Marketing for Newstar Technologies Inc., a software and service company, followed by employment as Vice President--Sales and Marketing and then Vice President Business Development for Algorithmics Incorporated, also a software company. From 1997 to 2001, he was employed by Changepoint Corporation, moat recently as Vice President--Business Development. Immediately prior to joining Magic Lantern, Mr. Gordon was a founding partner of Go to Market Advisors, a consulting firm focused on assisting emerging and reemerging companies bring their products and services to market. Mr. Gordon has an engineering degree from the University of Toronto and a masters degree in computer science.
Richard Siskind joined the company as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director in May 1998 and served until the completion of the company's acquisition of Magic Lantern. He has been in the apparel business for over 30 years, serving in a variety of roles and positions. By 1977, Mr. Siskind had assumed the position of president of David Small Industries, Inc. In 1982, he co-founded Apparel Exchange, Inc., an affiliated company. Both companies, sold off-price men's, women's and children's apparel and reached sales aggregating over $100 million by 1989. Mr. Siskind sold both companies in 1989. In 1991, he founded R. Siskind & Co. He is a director, sole shareholder and chief executive officer of R. Siskind & Co., which is in the business of purchasing top brand name men's and women's apparel and accessories, and redistributing it to a global clientele of upscale off-price retailers.
Dale Kearns
has served as Chief Financial Officer of Magic Lantern since its acquisition by Zi Corporation. Mr. Kearns also serves as Chief Financial Officer of Zi Corporation, a position he has held since April 2001. He was the Senior Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer of O&Y Properties Corporation from 1997 to 2001 and Senior Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Camdev Corporation from 1992 to 1997. Mr. Kearns is a Certified Management Accountant and a member of the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario.Douglas R. Connolly, co-founded Magic Lantern Communications, Inc. in 1975 and has served as its President since 1982. He began his professional career as an educator, serving in various capacities with the Professional Association for Retarded Children in Montreal. Mr. Connolly entered business and finance in 1971, focusing on credit management and small business financing and development, initially with the Industrial Acceptance Corporation and later with the Bank of British Columbia. He received his undergraduate degree from Sir George Williams University in Montreal, now Concordia University.
George Wright, was responsible for leading the Sonoptic's initiatives, beginning in 1992. After leaving in 1998 to pursue a senior management role with DeVry Ontario, Mr. Wright rejoined Magic Lantern in 2000, serving as its Chief Technology Officer, with responsibility for learning technology development and implementation.. He has extensive experience in fields including information technology development and management, public affairs and educational television production. After graduate studies, Mr. Wright joined the Ontario Ministry of Education in the 1971. He entered corporate life as Research Director for the Canadian distilling industry, subsequently serving as Senior Vice President, External Relations, with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, with responsibility for all media, government and public relations activities. He left that position in 1986 to form Les Productions PVF, a Montreal-Toronto based video production company serving corporate and educational clients in Ontario and Quebec. He received his undergraduate degree from Sheridan College, University of Western Ontario.
Richard Geist was added to the Board as part of the AOG Transactions. He is President of The Institute of Psychology and Investing, Inc., a management consulting firm he joined in 1994. He also publishes a micro-cap market newsletter, Richard Geist's Strategic Investing, and writes independent research reports for small and emerging companies. Dr. Geist serves as an Instructor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and as a member of the Faculty of Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, the Board of Directors of David Derman's Institute of Psychology and Financial Markets and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Psychology and Financial Markets. Dr. Geist received his undergraduate degree and Doctorate in Psychology from Harvard University.
Howard Balloch has served as a director of the company November, 2002. Mr. Balloch was Canada's Ambassador to China for more than five years, retiring from the Canadian Foreign Service in August 2001. Mr. Balloch has served as a director of Zi Corporation and Chairman of its Oztime subsidiary since August 2001. Zi Corporation holds 45% of our outstanding shares following our acquisition of Magic Lantern form Zi Corporation.
Michael R. Mackenzie has served as a director of the company since November 2002. Mr. Mackenzie has been the Director General and Managing Partner of Champagne Jacquesson & Fils, Dizy since 1998. He was the Director of Jefferies Pacific Limited, Hong Kong, from 1994 to 1997 and is the Chairman of Mayfair Cellars Group, London and of Tasmanian Vineyards Pty. Mr. Mackenzie has served as director of three of Zi's Bermuda subsidiaries since July 2000 and as a Director of The Lindsell Train Investment Trust PLC since 2000. Mr. Mackenzie has served as a director of Zi Corporation since June 2001. Zi Corporation holds 45% of our outstanding shares following our acquisition of Magic Lantern form Zi Corporation.
Michael Lobsinger has been chief executive officer of Zi since 1993 and President of Zi from 1993 to 2000. Mr. Lobsinger has also served as a director of Zi since 1987. Prior to joining Zi, he was engaged in various entrepreneurial ventures in real estate development and the oil and gas industry. Zi Corporation holds 45% of the Company's outstanding shares following our acquisition of Magic Lantern form Zi Corporation.
Pierre Arbour was a director of the company from November 2002 until April 2, 2003. Mr. Arbour is the President and Founding Shareholder of Alkebec Inc., an oil and gas and venture capital company. From 1979 to 1990, he was the President of Monterey Capital Inc., a publicly traded company engaged in mining, industrial equipment and real estate. Prior to this, Mr. Arbour held various senior positions with Caisse de Depot from 1966, including Director and Portfolio Manager of the company's first equity department and Corporate Investment Advisor, where he orchestrated the takeover of M. Loeb by Provigo, creating the largest food distributor in Canada. Mr. Arbour holds a B.A. from the University of Montreal, and a B. Comm from McGill University. He has also served on the boards of numerous companies, including Repworld Holdings, Fraco Inc., and Palos Capital.
Stephen Encarnacao has been a director of the company since January 2003. Mr. Encarnacao is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of BrainShift Inc. His extensive background in brand and executive management in such well-known consumer products companies as H. J. Heinz, Synectics, Reebok International, Puma and Converse spans over 3 decades. He is a director and private investor in AirCardio Labs Inc, Blackburne Advanced Racquet Systems, Brand Leaders International.Ltd, Brainshift Inc. and Secure Enterprise Technology.
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[1] Mr. Siskind served as President and Chief Executive Officer following the company's transaction with AOG until the company's completion of its transaction with Magic Lantern. Mr. Siskind currently acts as president of the Company.
[2] Mr. Connolly became President of the company following our acquisition of Magic Lantern on November 7, 2002. Mr. Connolly acted as Magic Lantern's President since 1982.
Executive Compensation
Background
In November 2002 and in connection with our acquisition of Magic Lantern, the company's management, except for Richard Siskind, relinquished their management roles in favor of Magic Lantern's management group. As part of the transaction, the Company entered into a management agreement with Mr. Siskind, providing for his services as CEO and for support services from other R. Siskind & Co personnel. See "Management Agreements" below.
Compensation of Named Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the total remuneration paid during the last three years to executive officers of the Company who earned over $100,000 in any of those years.
|
Summary Compensation Table |
||||||
|
Annual Compensation |
Long Term Compensation Option/SAR Awards (#) |
All Other Compensation |
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| Name and Principal Position |
Year |
Salary |
Bonus |
Other(2) | ||
| Harvey Gordon(1) |
2002 |
$14,000 |
--- |
--- |
500,000 |
--- |
| Richard Siskind(3) President and CEO |
2002 |
$188,000 |
--- |
--- |
200,000 |
--- |
|
2001 |
200,000 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|
|
2000 |
200,000 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|
| (1) For the period from November 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002. | ||||||
| (2) Perquisites and other benefits did not exceed 10% of any named officer's total annual salary. | ||||||
| (3) Served as an executive officer of the Company until November 7, 2002. | ||||||
Stock Options
Prior to the AOG transactions, we maintained four stock option plans adopted since 1994 ("Old Compensatory Plans"). Three of these are compensatory, designed to supplement or replace employee salaries and director fees with options for an aggregate of up to 2.2 million shares of the Company's common stock. The fourth such plan was adopted in connection with the 1998 change of control, which occurred as a result of the purchase by Richard Siskind of 1.9 million shares of common stock from the company's original founders. As part of that transaction, Mr. Siskind granted options to the Company's founders to reacquire a total of 1.5