Path breaking new research and revelations from the team responsible for New York Times bestsellers, "Secrets of the Code" and "Secrets of Angels & Demon"

New York, N.Y. February 7, 2006 --Hidden Treasures Productions, Inc. announced that it has acquired the rights to produce a documentary special based on upcoming non-fiction book, Secrets of Mary Magdalene, scheduled for publication in the fall of 2006 (CDS Books/Perseus Books Group).

"In many respects, Mary Magdalene is the heart and soul of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code," said Dan Burstein, the editor of Secrets of the Code and the co-creator of the "Secrets" series of books. "But while millions of people have become interested in Mary Magdalene as a result of reading The Da Vinci Code - and tens of millions more will become interested as a result of The Da Vinci Code movie - there's actually very little information about this fascinating historical character in Dan Brown's novel. The more I learned about her researching Secrets of the Code, the more I realized she deserved her own study. She has an extraordinary meaning to people that goes far beyond her appearance in The Da Vinci Code."

Secrets of Mary Magdalene will present new discoveries on the very different ways people have perceived Mary Magdalene over the last two thousand years. "We've learned that the so-called "bad girl" of the Bible is not at all what church history has made her out to be," said Stuart B. Rekant, the film's Executive Producer.

Secrets of Mary Magdalene will reveal the many new faces of Mary Magdalene with fresh observations and insights into one of history's most complex and controversial figures. The production commenced last month in New York with the gathering of some of the most well-known experts on different facets of Mary Magdalene and her role in early Christianity, including: Elaine Pagels, a Princeton historian who is author of the bestsellers, The Gnostic Gospels and Beyond Belief, Lesa Bellevie, author of The Idiot's Guide to Mary Magdalene; and Deirdre Good, author of Mariam, the Magdalen and the Mother.

Hidden Treasures' prior documentary in collaboration with the Secrets team Secrets of Angels, Demons & Masons, is based on Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer's best-selling book, Secrets of Angels & Demons, and is now available on VOD and DVD. This two- part documentary investigates the Illuminati and the Freemasons, two mysterious organizations central to Dan Brown's novel Angels & Demons as well as his upcoming sequel to The Da Vinci Code.

About the "Secrets" team: Secrets of Mary Magdalene is the latest in the "Secrets" series of humanistic, multi-perspective books created by Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer and their company, Squibnocket Partners LLC. The three earlier books, Secrets of the Code, Secrets of Angels & Demons, and Secrets of the Widow's Son, are New York Times and international bestsellers. These titles are approaching three million copies in print worldwide. A brand new, updated paperback edition of Secrets of the Code, the essential reader's guide to The Da Vinci Code book and movie, will be published in March by CDS Books/Perseus Books Group. Secrets of Mary Magdalene features interviews and commentary from many of the world's leading experts on the new scholarship surrounding Mary Magdalene. These experts include Elaine Pagels, Deirdre Good, Susan Haskins, Margaret Starbird, Lesa Bellevie, Jane Schaberg, Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, and many others.

About Hidden Treasures Productions, Inc.

Hidden Treasures Productions, Inc. is an award-winning non-fiction television production company. Its programming has aired on Showtime, Oxygen, Outdoor Life Network, and the Biography Channel. Among its most recent documentary specials is Secrets of Angels, Demons & Masons, based on Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer's Secrets of Angels & Demons, which deals with the provocative issues raised in Dan Brown's book for which it is named. The title was a featured pick in Entertainment Weekly. The DVD is available through Koch Vision and retail outlets and is now being offered to consumers on cable and satellite VOD platforms throughout the United States.

Also among Hidden Treasures' credits is the feature documentary "Trust Me," which follows Muslim, Jewish, and Christian boys at an interfaith camp in the aftermath of September 11th. This inspirational film premiered on Showtime in December 2003 and has won a number of awards, including the 2004 Wilbur Award, for excellence in communication of religious themes in secular media, the Vision Award at the 2003 RiverRun International Film Festival, and a Parents' Choice Award.

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