5th October 2010

Apply Now For Melting Silos Initiative

melting silosPraxis Centre for Screenwriters and Agentic Communications are inviting you to participate in the second iteration of the “Melting Silos” initiative in partnership with Telefilm, the National Film Board and BC Film.

The goal of the Melting Silos Program is to connect local television/filmmaking and digital media talent in a way that educates both parties and facilitates the development of cross-platform project materials to be pitch ready for funding.

Melting Silos is seeking a small group of accomplished media content producers who would like to produce narrative based work with technical and creative support from a group of professionals in their opposing “silo”.

Filmmakers need not have new media skills, but a curiosity and desire to dive into this world with a creative idea. Digital Media Developers need not have story writing/telling expertise but possess a strong understanding of the interactive medium and have production proficiency.

Melting Silos is inviting you to submit a proposal via their online application in order to be considered for development. Deadline for application is October 15th, 2010

You can either apply with a concept and if selected have us match you with a suitable partner, or if you have an established relationship with a partner company please indicate on the application form.

Here are some key points of the Melting Silos Program:

* What sets Melting Silos apart from other workshops is the attention each project receives. It is not simply a high level feedback session. Your project is one of a very few that is being focused on during an intensive, intimate, collaborative mind-hive of creative and technical professionals dedicated to crafting better interactive experiences for their audiences. The subject matter experts are sought and recruited specifically for what they can bring to the projects being incubated using our agile programming methodology. This is only possible by leveraging the extensive networks of all three Melting Silos producers. Networks built out and maintained from our longevity of focus in the transmedia/cross-platform space Read the rest of this entry »

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5th October 2010

New Title From Digital Leisure And VFS Adds to Advisory Board

Digital LeisureDigital Leisure Inc. announced today the upcoming launch of BrainDead 13 on the AppStore, designed exclusively for your iPhone® and iPod Touch®. Following in the footsteps of Don Bluth’s classic Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, BrainDead 13 adds the ability to fully control where you’ll go throughout this classically animated interactive adventure.braindead 13

“This game has a massive cult following.” says Paul Gold, Supervising Producer. “Fans have been begging us to re-release it for years, and we think the iPhone is perfect format to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its original release.”

BrainDead 13 has you taking on the role of Lance, a young computer expert who is called to fix a computer at a bizarre and dilapidated castle. After repairing the large super-computer within the castle, you learn of Dr. Nero Neurosis’ diabolical plan to take over the world! Discovering the secret plan sends you on the run, being chased around the castle by Fritz, a psychotic servant of Dr. Neurosis – an evil disembodied brain. You must guide Lance through the deadly and mysterious castle to defeat Dr. Neurosis and save the world from his evil plans!

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Digital Leisure plans to follow up BrainDead 13 with a variety of classic arcade games for the iPhone and iPod Touch titles in the coming months. BrainDead 13 will be available this Friday October 8th for only $2.99 on the AppStore!

VFSVancouver Film School has announced on their blog that Peter Jin Hong, Google’s User Experience Designer in Search Engineering and Mobile, has joined the Digital Design program’s advisory board.

As part of his work in innovation and research in Mountain View, Peter focuses on conceptualizing and rapid prototyping next-generation applications. His past roles include Group Creative Director at the world-leading interactive agency Blast Radius and National Creative Director at Tribal DDB Canada. He’s also a graduate of the program (from way back in 1996) which gives him firsthand insight into the VFS experience.Peter Jin Hong

“His empathetic approach to humanistic design greatly enhances our curriculum as we continually strive to keep pace with our evolving industry,” says Head of Digital Design Amber Bezahler. “Peter is a true user experience expert and a role model for what our graduates can accomplish.”

Select industry professionals from around the world are invited to join VFS’s advisory boards. As lifelines to the industry, members provide the next generation of designers with a vital link to the professional world through guest lectures, project mentorship, portfolio advising, and potential internship and employment opportunities.

“There have been many good mentors in my life,” he says. “Mentoring in turn, and seeing people realize their potential, is both a privilege and source of joy for me. The successes I’ve been a part of really come down to people, their stories, and inspiring collaborations – much of that started at VFS for me.”

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5th October 2010

PlayBoost Releases GameBar And Indigo Donates Books To Schools

playboostSan Francisco-based social game developer TheBroth announced today that Victoria, BC mobile and social media game monetization company Playboost, a subsidiary of NeverBlue, has developed Gamebar, a custom game-play monetization toolbar for Barn Buddy, a top game on Facebook with 1.8 million monthly users and the #1 game on Hi5. The new Barn Buddy “Gamebar” toolbar was officially launched on September 3, 2010. The toolbar is uniquely designed to add new income streams for TheBroth beyond revenue share off of search feeds, plus increase Barn Buddy’s user engagement.GameBar

“With Barn Buddy, TheBroth is clearly at the top of their game and has captured the imagination and market share of Facebook fans,” said Chris Dykstra, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Playboost. “It’s exciting to work with a group of individuals that challenges us to find new solutions for revenue and user engagement. Their attitude and drive underscores why TheBroth is a leader in Facebook farm games.”

The newly created Gamebar is even further engaging its most avid fans. “I find even I‘m playing the game more! We look forward to increased monetization with Playboost’s Gamebar,” said Markus Weichselbaum, CEO at TheBroth.

In addition to Playboost’s successful Gamebar product, the studio recently launched their Mobile Offer Platform which allows Android and iPhone game developers to monetize their free to play games.

Chapters IndigoThe bookshelves at 155 public school libraries across Canada will now receive a much needed boost in books through the second annual Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Adopt a School program. From September 12th to October 2nd, Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada “adopted” public schools in their communities. Through the generous donations of customers and employees school libraries were rejuvenated with funds raised by in-store activities and donations.

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2nd October 2010

MindShare to Hold EdTech Leadership Summit This November

Mindshare LearningYou are invited to join fellow education and industry leaders for a one-day Summit opportunity to gain valuable knowledge from leading experts, network and re-define Canada’s Digital Blueprint to ensure our future leaders succeed in the 21st Century Global knowledge-based economy.

As part of MindShare Learning’s mission to push the 21st Century learning envelope in Canada and
strengthen the connection between education and business, MindShare Learning is launching its inaugural MindShare Learning Report EdTech Leadership Summit, generously sponsored by Epson, Pearson Canada, Discovery Education, Abelearn, Global Scholar and York University.

This one-day summit will focus on current hot topics in the K-12 and post-secondary education technology space, aiming to further engage stakeholders in shaping the future direction of a vital sector that most effectively prepares students with the essential skills to successfully compete in the global knowledge-based economy.

The Summit will take place on November 2nd at York University Research Tower, Conference Centre and will feature these speakers:

* Dr. Don Knezek, CEO, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)
* Jennifer Corriero, Co-founder and Executive Director, TakingITGlobal
* Kathy Hurley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, for Pearson School Companies
* Hall Davidson, Director, Discovery Educator Network

This event will be very beneficial to education leaders from K12 and post-secondary institutions, government and industry leaders who are globally minded and prepared to engage and champion a future vision in mapping a digital blueprint to support 21st Century student success.

Collaborative round table discussions will be held, and your input is welcome on the following hot topics:

* The emerging Digital Classroom
* Forging successful strategic partnerships between education and business
* Funding in education: Building sustainable learning environments
* Envisioning Canada’s Digital Blueprint for the 21st Century

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27th September 2010

Two Vancouver Conferences Focus on Convergence And Storytelling

Women In View, an association of independent Canadian professionals in media, will be presenting SexMoneyMedia on October 14 – 16th in Vancouver. Registration for this event is now open, and you are invited to join a stellar group of media artists, industry leaders, scholars and policy sexmoneymediamakers in celebrating the achievements of women in media and creating a more vibrant, innovative and equitable media landscape for the 21st century. SexMoneyMedia will provide an unprecedented opportunity to engage in an international, multi-sector public dialogue on the future of media culture focusing on 4 core themes

• Vision and Representation
• Cultural Labour, Audiences and Markets
• The Unfolding Digital Universe
• Remedies, Policies, and Strategies

The opening keynote address will feature Trina McQueen, OC., Broadcast Journalist & former President of CTV Inc. and Rita Deverell, CM., Broadcaster & Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies, Mount St. Vincent University.

In addition to the symposium, there are also a number of Master Classes being offered, including a full day CFC Media Lab workshop on Interactive Storytelling featuring Ana Serrano and Anita Lee. There are several half-day workshops also being offered, including Documentary Storytelling, Behind The Scenes, and Visual Rights and Clearances. Space for these and other workshops is limited, so you should register soon to avoid disappointment.

International Digital Media and Arts AssociationLeading academics, professionals and artists will gather at Emily Carr University of Art and Design for the International Digital Media and Arts Association’s 8th annual conference to explore the world of digital technologies with a focus on the subject of The Digital Narrative. The conference will include workshops, keynote speakers, “extreme close-up” guest panels, paper presentations, networking, discussions, student showcase and social events as well as opportunities to explore Emily Carr’s state of the art facilities and the Innovative Program Awards.

New digital technologies and mediums are informing, challenging and reinventing our notions of narrative structures and storytelling. Non- linear, virtual, artificial, interactive, and cyber culture have become common terms and concepts when describing the emerging integration of science, art, and sociology. The Digital Narrative explores ideas of how storytelling and communication is influencing and influenced by new and emerging technologies. The conference takes place in Vancouver this November 4 – 6th, with Early Bird pricing available until October 20th.

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24th September 2010

GDX 2011 Call For Speakers

Game Design Expo 2011Our fifth annual Game Design Expo will take place on January 22-23, 2011 in Vancouver, BC. This two-day event features lectures and panels with some of the top minds in all aspects of game design, including designers, producers, artists, sound designers, and writers.

GDX is now accepting submissions from game industry professionals wishing to present at Game Design Expo 2011. They are looking for guest speakers with a desire to share their game industry expertise, and would like to encourage you or any of your colleagues to submit a proposal to speak at this event. It really is a unique opportunity to give back to the next generation of game designers and the whole community of genuine game-fans. The deadline to submit a call for speaker form (PDF) is October 4, 2010.

Schools CoolHaliburton-based School’s Cool is a participant in the online, global competition entitled the Best Brilliant Ideas for Humanity. The competition has three rounds and School’s Cool is currently in the top 12 as round one ramps to a close. Through participation in this contest, School’s Cool is launching a global social marketing campaign with hopes of providing services in Asia, Australia, the UK and elsewhere.

As part of their commitment to making kindergarten readiness skills available across the globe School’s Cool is proud to announce their involvement in the Best Brilliant Ideas for Humanity competition. This global competition allows School’s Cool to showcase its phenomenal 72 hour school readiness program throughout the competition’s various phases with an initial social media campaign. Read the rest of this entry »

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23rd September 2010

Get Animated And A Digital Storytelling WorkShop

National Film BoardOctober 28 is International Animation Day, and to mark the occasion, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is presenting free screenings of great NFB animated films in cities across Canada as part of its Get Animated! series.

The full schedule has not yet been announced, but here is what we can look forward to here in Vancouver:

As part of the Vancouver Short Film Festival, you can see NFB New Releases on Thursday October 28 at 2:45 pm (Vancity Theatre)

Saturday October 30
1pm Master Class with Matthew Talbot-Kelly (Trembling Veil of Bones) (Vancity Theatre)
4pm NFB New Releases (Vancity Theatre)

Sunday October 31 – 10am Fairy Tales for All (Vancity Theatre) – Fairy tale lovers, young and old alike, will be charmed by this selection of animated shorts, including Molly in Springtime, awarded Best Animation at Banff World Television Festival 2010.

Monday November 1 – Ron Diamond’s Animation Show of Shows (Emily Carr University of Art & Design)

The NFB New Releases Program allows viewers to discover the latest works by NFB’s award-winning filmmakers, including Higglety Pigglety Pop!, an adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s book from filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Oscar® nominees and Genie Award winners for Madame Tutli-Putli), featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker.

Emily Carr University of Art and DesignEmily Carr University of Art & Design is offering a new immersive 4-day workshop on Digital Storytelling. Course participants will come with ideas for a story, family legend, or a piece of personal non-fiction, and leave with a 2 to 3-minute video, formatted for web-broadcast, family viewing or DVD distribution.

Digital storytelling, which sprang from The Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California in the mid-’90s, was designed as a method of personal and community empowerment, bringing the tools of digital media production to the tech-wary and those usually kept on the other side of the lens. It has become a worldwide and dynamic movement to humanize and personalize fields as varied as health services, multimedia journalism, education, historical projects, literacy, marketing and communications, community development, tourism, research and evaluation. Read the rest of this entry »

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21st September 2010

Bell Launches National Charitable Initiative Supporting Mental Health

Bell CanadaBell today announced the launch of an unprecedented, multi-year charitable program to support mental health across Canada. Practically addressing a pressing national health concern, mental illness, Bell’s five-year, $50 million initiative supports an extensive range of programs to enhance mental health in every aspect of Canadian life.

“Mental illness impacts every person in Canada in some way, causes immense personal suffering and takes a heavy toll on our national economy. The health care community has worked hard to address the impact of mental illness, but public understanding of the disease remains low and mental health support needs to accelerate,” said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell and BCE.
Clara Hughes
“Bell will work to reduce the stigma still associated with mental illness while enabling practical programs supporting new research and improved access to mental health care. Mental illness affects our society more than any other major disease yet receives less funding than almost any other. Bell’s mental health initiative is dedicated to addressing the problem,” said Mr. Cope.

In its 130 years serving Canadians, Bell and its team have made substantial investments in communities and charities across the country, and will continue to support a range of charitable initiatives with money, services and volunteer time. However, Bell’s prime community investment focus and the majority of its charitable spending will be dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada.

“Too few people suffering from mental illness get the help they need, reflecting a clear reluctance to recognize and talk about the issue on the part of too many. That stigma is a barrier to treatment,” said Mr. Cope. “Stigma surrounded many diseases in the past, but concerted efforts to face the reality of intensely personal illnesses changed attitudes – and positively changed outcomes for sufferers. To drive real progress in mental health, Bell has made reducing stigma the first pillar of our program. We’re launching a campaign called Bell Let’s Talk to open the national conversation, with a true Canadian leader at its centre: Olympian Clara Hughes.” Read the rest of this entry »

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20th September 2010

Province of Ontario Invests In Canadian Film Centre Programs

BeamDogEdmonton’s Beamdog is happy to announce the availability of great Kalypso games such as Disciples 3, Tropico 3 and Patrician 4.

“I am delighted to form a strategic partnership with Beamdog and look forward to this exciting business development!” says Charlie Barrett Managing Director of Kalypso Media.

“I’ve just started playing Tropico 3 and so far I’m no Fidel. My island people have yet to embrace my doctrine of statue building and banana worship.” rants El Presidente of Beamdog Trent Oster.

Kalypso Media games are available for purchase now, and the offerings on Beamdog’s site includes some free trials.

DreamCatcherJoWooD Entertainment, the BVT Group and Toronto’s DreamCatcher Interactive announce details of the planned digital services for ArcaniA – Gothic 4 and therefore react to the needs of the gaming community.

“Digital Rights Management as a module of the digital services has always been a tightrope walk between user friendliness and security of the product. ArcaniA – Gothic 4 is different here” explains Clemens Schneidhofer, JoWooD Entertainment. “With Arcania – Gothic 4 we deliver a high-quality product gamers will enjoy playing for hours. This joy and fun should not be disturbed by intrusive copy protection measures. So SecuROM is the perfect solution for us because it offers the necessary security and at the same time it fulfills our high expectations concerning costumer-friendliness.” ArcaniA

ArcaniA – Gothic 4 can be installed on an unlimited number of PCs and only needs to be activated once via the Internet. To play, which can be done at up to three PCs at a time, neither the original disc nor a constant internet connection is needed. The possibility of an uncomplicated transfer of license between the used PC offers a maximum of flexibility to the customer.

“The implemented digital services will be perfected by a user-friendly Auto Update Feature that informs the gamer pro-actively – without an annoying search – about the availability of a new Update and installs with the permission of the gamer right away” says Sascha Geschwendtner, Product Manager Games Services Sony DADC. “In addition other innovative solutions to increase the usability and the comfort of the game were implemented one of them being the verification of the release date. This feature allows the user to install the game in advance and to start it directly on the release date and therefore helps to avoid unnecessary waiting time to access the game-world.”

Canadian Film CentreThe Province of Ontario is helping The Canadian Film Centre, the country’s largest institution for advanced training in film, television and new media, continue its leadership role in developing world-class talent. This training helps Ontarians get jobs in an exciting and growing industry, while giving Ontario’s artists an opportunity to reach a broader audience with their work.
Ontario
The province is investing $9 million over three years to help expand its acclaimed training programs and further develop Ontario’s screen-based and digital entertainment market. This provincial support builds on a $10 million investment in the film centre announced in 2005, and in 2009, Ontario’s foreign film and television industry contributed $946 million to the provincial economy and The International Indian Film Academy has selected Toronto to be the first North American city to host its annual Weekend and Awards in June 2011.

Growing the creative sector supports the province’s five-year Open Ontario Plan to help seize new global opportunities and turn them into jobs for Ontarians. Two Canadian Film Centre films were selected for the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival: “Champagne” and “How To Rid Your Lover Of A Negative Emotion Caused By You!”

“The Canadian Film Centre has been instrumental in promoting Ontario’s entertainment industry to the world. Our government is proud to support its growth and the key role it plays in developing our cultural industry, which creates thousands of jobs for the province,” said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture.

“We applaud the government for recognizing the cultural and economic contribution the Canadian Film Centre makes to the province and are grateful for their continued partnership. This investment will help our talent excel at creating innovative content for global audiences,” said Slawko Klymkiw, Executive Director of the Canadian Film Centre.

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19th September 2010

The IN-Side Track: Interactive Exchange 2010

On the night of September 12th, Toronto’s McCaul St was egregiously quiet. Within the walls of OCADU, however, Interactive Ontario’s IN|2010 was enjoying a strong beginning. The room, sparsely lit and ultimately subdued in atmosphere, was party to a broad assortment of digital media pioneers. The Interactive Exchange 10occasion was particularly blessed with its concurrence to the opening of START. Ian Kelso, the President and CEO of Interactive Ontario, described the evening best in his greeting to the crowd.

“This is a preview—it actually doesn’t start until tomorrow, but thank you for bringing us into your space.” The thanks was better expressed by the round of applause. “These shows, called Start, the goal of the program itself is to promote art games created in Toronto, and some beyond, and to let you play, and decide for yourself, what is art in the creation of video games? So I really encourage you to play and develop all the games that are here. There’s some really, really fabulous games. So you won’t be disappointed.” Read the rest of this entry »

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