Village Gamer

Seaway Mall in Welland, Ontario is celebrating back to school with “School’s In!” – a video contest where students compete for a grand prize of $250. With the new school year in full effect, Seaway Mall recognizes that it’s expensive for students and parents and wants to help. “School’s In!” is an online video contest where contestants are able to submit a video plea for a grand prize of a $250 Seaway Mall gift card. In addition, the runner-up will receive a $100 gift card and third place will receive a $50 gift card.

“Back to school shopping can become very overwhelming and costly,” states Michael Belcastro, President of Seaway Mall. “Here at Seaway, we understand the additional expenses that occur and want to be able to help out with a contest that is not only fun, but will also get students excited for their return to school!” Read the rest of this entry »

Alliance numérique committee Alliance Mobilité has confirmed some of the top international names in the mobile industry will be attending this very first edition of Mobiz, presented by the Canada Media Fund. Mobiz, Quebec Mobile Congress, is a new event dedicated to mobility, which aims to foster the outreach and discovery of the most recent technology, as well as best business practices. Mobiz will take place on October 31st at the Hilton Montréal Bonaventure hotel as part of MTL DGTL. Register now to take advantage of the 30% Early Bird discount by registering online before September 16.

Confirmed For Mobiz:

• Eric Morris, Head of Mobile Advertising, Google Canada
• Gladstone Grant, Vice-President, Platforms and Developers Group, Microsoft Canada
• Philippe Lozier, Director of Convergence, Samsung Canada
• Niels Helkov, Vice-President, e-health & M2M Americas, Orange

“Mobiz provides a unique opportunity to get a feel for a booming industry through current topics such as mobile marketing, mobile wallet, convergence, cloud computing, emerging trends and, of course, market research,” highlights Martin Dufresne, Event Director.

Mobiz is already expecting a number of companies from across Quebec and Canada who are active in the mobile industry:

• Rogers
• Transcontinental Interactive
• Mirego
• Canadian Tire
• Yellow Pages Group
• WhereCloud
• DH International
• Wavefront
• Soluteo

“We are very proud of this first edition which brings together players of the international and local arenas, and will be featuring business cases that will address both current issues and future avenues for the mobility world,” adds Mister Dufresne.

The day will end with Mobiz Awards, which will provide an opportunity for five mobile industry companies as well as five startups to increase their visibility within the industry. Seasoned developers and emerging Montreal professionals will have five minutes to present their innovative mobility projects to Mobiz attendees. Registration for participation in Mobiz Awards will end on September 15th.

Last year’s Merging Media Conference+Masterclass marked the first time that the $10,000 BC Film Development Award was awarded to the best cross-media project presented at the annual event. Merging Media will once again offer this wonderful opportunity to cross-platform content creators at its Merging Media Pitch 360 sessions during the upcoming 2011 event on October 27th and 28th.

Andrew Williamson of Off Island Films and Audrey Mehler of Paperny Films each won $5,000 last year to develop their projects. Andrew came to Merging Media with the Spiral, a web based interactive drama series that went on to become a part of another local media initiative called Melting Silos. Audrey pitched Eat St. Tweet, an innovative way to bring a Food Network show about food carts to life online as well as in a mobile app. The series and app launched earlier this year and more goodies are in store with their fall season that premiered on September 2nd. Audrey’s team offers viewers an unparalleled culinary experience by revealing new culinary carts around cities in North America, with access to information across three media platforms.

Now here’s your chance to take your project to the stage and win this year’s award! If you have an innovative transmedia or cross-media project in the works, apply before September 30 to be one of 8 participants to present at Merging Media’s Masterclass and Pitch 360 sessions and you could be the next one to win that $10,000 award! For more information, contact: coordinator@mergingmedia.ca. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late to take advantage of Early Bird rates.

Merging Media Productions and the Canadian Media Production Association – British Columbia have announced that British Columbia Film, will once again sponsor the Merging Media Pitch 360 Development Award of $10,000. This prize will be awarded to the winner of the best cross-media project presented at the Merging Media Conference and Masterclass 2011 on October 27th and 28th. Funding for British Columbia Film is provided by the Province of British Columbia.

Developers and producers based in British Columbia who are working on cross-media or transmedia projects which include TV, film or web series elements, are encouraged to apply for the Masterclass and Pitch 360 program. Just eight companies will be selected to attend “Pitching the Multi-Platform Project” – Merging Media 2011’s exclusive Masterclass conducted by Starlight Runner Entertainment’s Caitlin Burns, followed by pitch training sessions.

These sessions will comprise one-on-one mentoring and pitch coaching by industry specialists from New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, to help participants fine tune their presentations. The final pitches will be presented on the main conference stage on October 28th before an international jury of potential co-producers, broadcasters, collaborators, investors and distributors. Deadline for submissions is September 30th and space is limited, register soon to avoid disappointment.

Eligibility and Guidelines:

• Project must be owned by the company or individual pitching;
• Company or individual must be British Columbia resident or BC incorporated;
• Project must have at least one conventional media element (eg. TV, film, webseries) and at least one more interactive element (eg. mobile, game, interactive site etc.);
• Pitch will be seven minutes, followed by a ten minute Q & Aperiod;
• Projects need not have a funding trigger (eg. CMF, broadcaster, distributor, etc.);
• In addition to fictional story narratives, factual/documentaries, reality projects, lifestyle and arts/entertainment projects are also accepted;
• A development agreement will be signed and the $10,000 award MUST go towards the development of the project.

Selection Criteria:

Eight “Pitch 360” participants will be selected based on:

1. Innovation and creative potential
2. Marketability and concept viability
3. Cross media integration
4. USA/international market appeal

Pitch 360 Jury

1. Curt Marvis, President of Digital Media, Lionsgate Studios
2. Brian Seth Hurst, Opportunity Management Company, LA
3. Chris Harris, Shaw Media, Toronto
4. Mark Bishop, marblemedia, Toronto
5. Greg Schenz, Endgame Entertainment, LA
6. Seth Shapiro, New Amsterdam Media, LA

The registration fee is $50 per person (paid upon acceptance only). Each team is permitted to register up to three people for the Masterclass only. Teams will be informed by mid October if they have been selected.

Mega Bloks is launching a community-driven competition to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Halo franchise.  Halo fans are invited to create and submit their own Halo Mega Bloks toymations (stop motion animations featuring toys) for a chance to win incredible prizes — including having their film featured on Microsoft’s official Halo web channel, Waypoint.

Fans are invited to submit their videos on the Mega Bloks Halo Toymation Contest website, which is where entrants can also find more information about the contest and contest rules. On September 25^th, submissions close, at which point users will be able to rate their favorite videos. The top 10 videos will be published on October 17^th and finally, MEGA’s panel of expert judges will reveal their Grand Prize Winner on October 24th. The lucky winner and runners-up get the chance to win prizes that include video production hardware and software and tons of MEGA BLOKS Collectors items.

“MEGA Brands and Microsoft have shared a highly successful partnership building an incredible fan base around the toy franchise over the past 3 years”, says Andrew Sparkes, Vice President of Boys Brand Management at MEGA Brands. “This contest is such a great opportunity because it really allows us to see the love for our product shine through the creativity of our fans in their own productions”.

“Halo has always been a universe in which input and creativity from players is paramount and essential to the unique feeling of interaction and invention the Halo sandbox encourages, and Mega Bloks is and always has been the perfect extension of that feeling into the “real” world,” said Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries.

The contest’s exciting panel of expert judges include: Pascal Blais, film producer and owner of the Academy Award winning Pascal Blais Studios; Michael “Burnie” Burns, co-creator of the series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles; Jessica Shea, Community Manager at 343 Industries and avid HALO gamer; Fred Kennedy (a.k.a Fearless Fred), host of Fred At Night, on TELETOON At Night, and finally Mr. Andrew Sparkes.

The National Post and mobile game developer XMG Studio Inc. are teaming up once again to challenge Canadian college and university students to race the clock and develop an addictive game app in just 48 hours. From September 30^th to October 2^ndstudent developers from coast-to-coast are invited to carry on the legacy of gifted Great Canadian Appathon coders, and take a chance at coding the next hit game for mobile platforms.

At the first GCA in April 2011, approximately 300 students on 100 teams spent the weekend working to develop the next great mobile game and take a share of the $45,000 prize pool. In the end, more than 50 games were completed and submitted including the winning superhero-themed game “Super Punch”. The game developers at XMG Studio are currently working with the three finalists from Edmonton, BC and Montreal, to polish their games “Super Punch”, “Valley Raid” and “Plasmium” and publish them.

“We’re excited to announce GCA² over the weekend of September 30^th.” says Ray Sharma, founder and CEO of XMG Studio, the Toronto-based game developer. “We were very impressed with the quality of the submitted games from the initial GCA and can’t wait to get knee-deep in code with that young Canadian developer talent. It’s a great way to socialize, network and play around with the latest APIs.”

The GCA² will start at 5:00 p.m. (local time) on September 30th, 2011 and continue for 48 hours, ending at 5:00 p.m. on October 2^nd, 2011. Individuals or teams of up to four people will be able to work around the clock in coding hubs set up at a variety of university and college campuses across the country. During the time of the event, sponsors will be on-site at some campuses to give away prizes and recruit for job openings. Following the event, the winning games will be chosen and winning teams will be honoured at the “Grand Finale” in Toronto.

To stay informed about the event, including supported platforms, team registrations, rules and regulations, campuses already signed-on or information on how to get your campus involved, please visit the Great Canadian Appathon web site.

Do you have a perfect pucker?  A sweet smile?  Ever dream of having your face recognized – and devoured – by thousands? For one lucky Canadian, that dream will come true. Maynards, Canada’s #1 candy brand, is asking Canadians to ‘Make Your Face a Maynards’and transform their good looks into a delicious candy offering for the chance to become the face of Maynards next candy – literally!

From now until September 30, candy-face wannabes are invited to upload a photo of their best Maynards face to the Maynards Canada Facebook page and morph their fabulous features into a virtual candy caricature.  Only one sweet stand-out submission will be selected to become an actual candy based on one of Maynard’s most popular treats:  Sour Patch Kids, Fuzzy Peach, Sour Cherry Blasters, or Swedish Berries.

“Maynards fans are an extremely passionate bunch when it comes to expressing their love for their favourite candy. So we thought hey, why not let a Maynards fan actually be a Maynards?” said Jessica Sheth, Brand Manager, Maynards Candy.  “Maynards is offering a unique opportunity to immortalize the face of one of its fans in a special, sweet way for everyone to enjoy.  Imagine being able to tell your friends or family to ‘bite me’ and mean it!”

After transforming their faces, candied Canucks can create a virtual custom pack design to show off their new candy look.  It’s not just about the appeal of your photo but the creativity of your expression and fit with the Maynards’ personality too! Maynards is asking each entrant to submit a brief statement as to why their face would be the perfect match for Maynards.

Sweet-toothed officials will choose the top 10 faces, which will be showcased on Facebook beginning October 17.  A random draw from the top 10 entries on October 24 will determine the grand prize winner. The winner of ‘Make Your Face a Maynards’ will receive a year’s supply of Maynards candy featuring his or her actual face and a cash prize of $5,000, plus a trip for two to Toronto for a photo shoot and a factory tour to see how Maynards candy is made. You can also find all of the contest rules and guidelines on the Facebook Page.

Sweet tips for star style

So what’s the best way to make those cute dimples pop or that funky ‘fro stand out in order to get noticed by the judges?

According to Chris Buck, when it comes to modeling—candy-style — it’s all about letting your unique character shine through.  And he should know.  Not only is Chris working with Maynards as a celebrity consultant on ‘Make Your Face A Maynards’, he’s also a successful photographer who has spent more than two decades shooting celebrity faces through his lens.

“As a photographer, I’ve been very lucky to have had the opportunity to shoot unique portraits with some of the best known faces and personalities in the entertainment industry.  When Maynards Canada approached me to help them in the search for the winning face for its next candy, I couldn’t believe they were actually turning a person into a candy!  I had to be a part of it!” said Buck.  “Maynards is looking for a distinctive Canadian face. People shouldn’t feel shy about embracing their sillier side or highlighting their unique features. The best faces will be ones that are unusual, expressive, and deliciously odd.”

Here are some more tips from Chris Buck on how to make your sweet face stand out:

Let there be light: To really make your face stand out, the photo can’t be too dark or too bright.  Avoid standing in front of a window; to really show off your features, it’s best to have the light hit your face on an angle (like over the photographer’s shoulder).

Try out different shots – Whether you’re taking the photo yourself or enlisting a trusty friend to help, take a variety of shots with different expressions to see what you like best.  You may be surprised at what ends up being the most compelling shot!

It’s time for a close up! The focus should be on your face – so make sure you’re submitting a headshot that clearly shows your features.

Nintendo® is giving Canadians the chance to ‘Fly Like Fox’ with the launch of the Star Fox 64™ 3D ‘Fly Like Fox’ contest. To enter the contest fans can simply fly over to the Nintendo 3DS Facebook page and click on the Star Fox 64 3D contest tab. One lucky Star Fox fan and wingman of their choice will WIN a real-life fighter-pilot experience at Air Combat USA in Fullerton, California!

Just like Fox McCloud and his team in the classic remake for Nintendo 3DS TM, the winner and a friend will experience the thrill and excitement of flying a light attack fighter in air-to-air combat. After a briefing by an Air Combat USA Pilot in the basics of Tactical Fighter Maneuvers, they will engage in multiple g-pulling dogfights, experiencing the fierce aerial combat of the game in real life! The flight experience will be recorded and they will be debriefed post flight.

Contest Details

• Open only to residents of the Canada (excluding Quebec) and the U.S. who are over the age of 14
• The contest starts on August 15, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. PT and ends on November 7, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. PT
• One winner from Canada and one winner from the United States and will each receive a grand prize trip package consisting of a “Basic Air Combat Maneuvers for 2” aerial combat lesson for the winner and their guest at Air Combat USA, a video of the flight experience, two nights’ accommodations in Fullerton, California, two round-trip airplane tickets, and $500 spending money
• Approximate Retail Value of the Trip: $5,800 CAD

Gamers now have a chance to win their ultimate fantasy with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s and GameStop’s, “Get in the Game,” pre-order promotion for Radical Entertainment’s highly anticipated PROTOTYPE® 2.

U.S. and Canadian players, 18 and older, who pre-order PROTOTYPE 2 at GameStop between now and September 1, 2011 will have the opportunity to go online and enter a random drawing to win a trip for two to Radical Entertainment in Vancouver and become a character in the upcoming open-world action thriller.  To enter the drawing, and for full rules and regulations, go to www.gamestop.com/collection/prototype-2.  The press release said that Canadians who want to enter the contest should go to www.gamestop.ca/prototype-2, however at press time, that link resulted in a 404 error. In fact, GameStop’s Canadian site didn’t mention the contest at all. Conspiracy?

“Thanks to this great partnership with Activision and GameStop, we have an incredible opportunity to offer gamers something truly unique,” said Ken Rosman, Studio Head, Radical Entertainment.  “In addition to just seeing themselves in the game, the winners will actually be able to locate their virtual selves and shape-shift Sgt. James Heller into their likeness.  Radical wouldn’t be where it is today without our fans, and this is just another way for us to thank them for all their support.”

The sequel to Radical Entertainment’s best-selling open-world action game of 2009, PROTOTYPE 2 takes the unsurpassed carnage of the original PROTOTYPE and continues the experience of becoming the ultimate shape-shifting weapon.  As the game’s all-new infected protagonist, Sgt. James Heller, players will cut a bloody swathe through the wastelands of post-viral New York Zero (or more simply… NYZ) with unparalleled locomotion, building up a vast genetic arsenal of deadly, biological weapons and abilities as they hunt and consume their way toward the ultimate goal — to kill…Alex…Mercer!

PROTOTYPE 2 is currently in development for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Windows PC.  The game is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB, with an expected “M” rating.

Yesterday UBC student and aspiring filmmaker Ian Holliday, had the conversation of his dreams with his idol: Academy Award nominated film director, Christopher Nolan. Holliday was one of more than 10,000 people to register for WIND Mobile’s competition Best Conversation Ever which offered Canadians the chance to speak to anyone in the world.  By submitting the most creative entry of the competition, inspired by Nolan’s own work, and rallying hundreds of votes, Holliday’s entry won him the conversation of his dreams.

“When my friends and I found out about WIND Mobile’s contest, Best Conversation Ever, we knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime and had a lot of fun creating the video,” said Ian Holliday. “We never imagined that we would actually win so talking to Mr. Nolan this morning was truly an unbelievable experience. I am still in awe.”

Holliday is the third of five Canadians to win their ‘best conversation ever’ through the WIND Mobile competition. He and his classmates, Yuri Cabrera and David Bolen, are film students at the University of British Columbia and all respect and admire Christopher Nolan as a film maker.  Nolan, who is currently filming his latest film, The Dark Knight Rises, took time out of his hectic schedule to talk to Holliday this morning. The first two winners chose to speak with entrepreneur and philanthropist, W. Brett Wilson, and Toronto Blue Jays General Manager, Alex Anthopoulous.

“I am honoured that Ian chose to have a conversation with me,” said Nolan. “I wish Ian the best of luck heading into this industry and hope our conversation provided him with some useful information to make breaking through easier.”

To make these conversations happen, WIND Mobile will donate over a half a million dollars to Canadian charities.  Each of the five personalities who participate is asked to choose one Canadian charity to receive $100,000 for a total of $500,000 in donations. Nolan selected the Canadian Film Centre as the recipient for his donation. In addition to the $500,000, another $100,000 has already been donated to six Canadian charities in the Best Conversation Ever Charity Challenge.

“This first-of-its kind competition is completely unique – it’s not only making dreams come true for several lucky Canadians but it’s also making a real different to several Canadian charities,” said Anthony Lacavera, Chairman and CEO of WIND Mobile. “As a mobile company, we definitely see this as the power of conversation at its most powerful – it has allowed us to change lives and give back to our communities.”