Option & Development Deal Prizes Totaling $10,000 CDN Awarded To Top Two Winning Entries
 
Toronto, Canada (February 8, 2010) – Portfolio Entertainment Inc. unveils its inaugural “In Toon With Tweens” animation contest, an initiative designed to encourage creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking by throwing the doors open to new voices within the global animation community.  Portfolio Entertainment invites animators and creators with serious comedy chops to submit their original projects - television or multiplatform - for a chance at $10,000 CDN in cash as part of Option and Development Agreements. The call for submissions officially opens today, entries must be received by June 15, 2010 and winners will be notified on September 15, 2010.  The contest was announced today by Portfolio Entertainment’s Co-Founders & Presidents, Lisa Olfman and Joy Rosen.

For Immediate Release
 
Fresh TV Inc., an award-winning family entertainment company, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded three Pixie Awards for their animated tween TV series, Stoked. Fresh TV took home awards for Opening Title Effects, Animation and Atmospheric Effects and was given an impressive score of 9.5 out of 10 for the series. The Pixie Awards – sponsored by the American Pixel Academy – honour outstanding creativity in Motion Graphics, Effects and Animation.

Toronto, 4 February 2010. DHX Interactive, a leading provider of youth targeted interactive games, activities, and rich online environments, has launched its latest apps for the iPhone™ and iPod® Touch. The Living Stories brand of animated storybooks will bring new and classic children’s tales to life starting with the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Princess and the Pea and King Midas. Both are available now on the iTunes App Store at a price of $1.99.

Thursday, February 11th, 2010, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Gladstone Hotel, Main Ballroom. 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON

This session will showcase a series of short case-studies.  What made these interactive properties innovative - the use of technology, the business model or creative concept?  And what made them work? These case studies will be followed by a panel conversation and a Q+A discussion surrounding what constitutes innovation and the balance with commercial viability.

Speakers, bios, tickets and more - click here!

In preparation for Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 9-13, 2010 the OMDC in partnership with Interactive Ontario is compiling an Ontario@GDC distribution list. If you are attending GDC and you would like to receive information about opportunities in advance of and on the ground at GDC please let us know by sending an email to programs@omdc.on.ca with the following details:

·        Company
·        Company contact
·        Phone number
·        Email
 
Companies that opt in for the GDC Contact List will receive periodic updates about activities and services that are being offered to Ontario and/or Canadian companies attending GDC. Your contact information will be used ONLY by OMDC and Interactive Ontario and will not be shared with other organizations.

TORONTO (Jan 28, 2009) Interactive Ontario today announced four new directors have been elected to the Board. These directors were voted in on January 26th at the Interactive Ontario Annual General Meeting of Members.

Newly elected board members include:
Sara Diamond, President, OCAD
Collin Douma, VP, Social Media, Proximity Canada
Gary Schwartz, President & CEO, Impact Mobile
Jeffrey Elliott, Founder and Co-CEO, GlassBOX Television Inc.

The OMDC Intellectual Property (IP) Development Fund assists Ontario corporations by providing a refund of 30% of prior costs incurred in direct support of eligible early stage development activities to bring screen-based content properties closer to production or market ready stage. Qualifying Ontario corporations may apply for expenditures incurred over the course of a taxation year that relate to a slate of early stage development activities undertaken by the corporation. Eligible expenditures are those incurred after March 31, 2009 up to and including March 31, 2010.

This industry profile, prepared for the Ontario Producers’ Panel of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) profiles the economic impact and financial climate of the Ontario film, television and cross-platform interactive media production industries. Production activity and financing are examined, as well as the implications of copyright ownership,  intellectual property rights exploitation and investment in technology and human capital. For more information and a complete copy of the study, visit OMDC’s Online Research Library at http://researchlibrary.omdc.on.ca/

Congratulations to Capybara Games which picked up two prestigious ‘Best of 2009’ honours from IGN. OMDC and Telefilm-supported Critter Crunch was named the Best PS3 Puzzle game of 2009: http://bestof.ign.com/2009/ps3/best-puzzle-game.html and Clash of Heroes won Best DS Strategy Game http://bestof.ign.com/2009/ds/best-strategy-game.html

Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) and North By Northeast Music Festival and Conference (NXNE) Present: Music Makes it 2 -  Extreme Music Licensing for Film, Television, Interactive Digital Media & Music Companies
 
Thursday, March 25, 2010
11: 45am – 6:00pm
Toronto, Ontario

MUSIC MAKES IT 2 will be a forum through which executives from the music, interactive digital media, advertising, feature film, documentary and television industries will find ways to merge their content together, to the creative and commercial benefit of each sector.
 
Feature film, television, documentary, interactive digital media, advertising, and music industry executives are invited to participate in the MUSIC MAKES IT 2 event.  Interested companies are required to complete and submit an on-line application by February 8th to participate as space is limited.

(Toronto – January 26, 2010) - marblemedia today announced that a third season of the smash-hit children’s television series Taste Buds has been green-lit by TVOntario for a spring start of production.
 
With recent funding secured from the Shaw Rocket Fund, marblemedia will produce six new deliciously enticing episodes of Taste Buds. A hands-on interactive food adventure series for children ages 7 to 10, Taste Buds takes place in the kitchen and beyond. Hosted by returning cast members Avery, Lily and Matt, season three continues to encourage young viewers to be part of the whole process of food preparation – shopping, cooking, eating and cleaning up.

Dawn of the Dead iPhone (DOTD) brings the timeless zombie horror classic to the iPhone and iPod Touch for the first time. An intense action game that puts players in the shoes of a lone survivor among the horde of undead, DOTD is sure to please fans of George Romero’s film phenomenon.
Available here.

The most anticipated cross-media pitching challenge of the new decade has begun accepting entries for new ideas and techniques to engage audiences across digital platforms. Finalists including independent producers, interactive agencies and digital designers will be invited to Cannes, France (April 12-16) to pitch ideas LIVE to major international networks, including the BBC, TF1, KCC, NFB, and the European Commission.

Michael Chan was elected to the Ontario Legislature in a February 2007 by-election and, soon after, joined the Ontario Cabinet as Minister of Revenue.  He served in that position until his re-election in a general provincial election later that year with close to 60 percent of the total vote.

Everyone has a story to tell, Radio Canada International invites all Canadians and permanent residents to tell us about their origins by entering ROOTS (or its French-language cousin RACINES), its brand-new short film and multimedia production competition.

The deadline for entries is March 7, 2010. The competition is open to amateurs and professionals alike, but you must be at least 18 years old to enter.

Congratulations to the IO members who received nods in the first annual Village Gamer Readers’ Choice Canadian Video Game Awards:

• Battlegoat Studios
• Big Blue Bubble
• Capybara Games
• Dreamcatcher Interactive
• Fuel Industries
• Koei Canada
• PlayBrains
• Roundhouse Interactive
• Zinc Roe

TORONTO, Canada – January 11, 2010 – Little Guy Games, an independent Toronto-based game studio, has released Battle Blasters for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Battle Blasters is an original, arcade style, 1-on-1 fighting game where the guns are big and the battles are fierce.

It’s the year 3042 and the ultimate form of entertainment is the Battle Blasters tournament which pits the world’s best fighters against each other in gun-blasting death matches. Take control of a roster of futuristic combatants trained in the art of armed conflict. To succeed you will need to determine your opponent’s fighting style, avoid their attacks and unleash your own devastating specials and combos.

The CFTPA invites members of Interactive Ontario to take advantage of a special offer to attend Prime Time in Ottawa 2010, from February 17th-19th.  Top international industry leaders will discuss the New Brave New World and why business models must adapt to take advantage of new opportunities and partnerships available in the multi-platform universe. Don’t miss the chance to attend Prime Time in Ottawa to hear from our honoured guests, speakers, and expert panellists who will share their insight on the latest trends and how to thrive in the future.