Seminar Series to Assess the Financial Landscape of Digital Media in Canada:
With the recent launch of the Canada Media Fund, the financing landscape for Canadian film and television has changed dramatically. New media extensions are part of the new reality and there are a LOT of questions that are probably on your mind:

• When should I start planning?
• What are the implications for my production?
• Who should I work with?
• How will this help my bottom line?
• Where can I find out more?

To answer these and many other questions, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, the CMPA and Zeros 2 Heroes Media are continuing the seminar series that has been held in cities across the country. Speakers in Toronto will include:

• Andra Scheffer, Executive Director, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund
• Shawn Bailey, Director, Chocolate Liberation Front
• Jessica Clark-Bojin, Head of Entertainment Business, VFS
• Johnny Kalangis, Creative Director, Marble Media, and CFC Media Lab Alumnus
• Matt Toner, President, Zeros 2 Heroes Media

These speakers will share years of experience working with convergent media and provide the inside track on how best to advance your production. With the next Bell New Media Fund and CMF windows fast approaching, it is time to finally figure out the best way to go digital.

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.

Applicants may apply up to twice during the span of the pilot program. Applicants must submit their application to OMDC at the end of a taxation year in which the applicant has incurred expenditures for eligible early stage development activities (Year End Application). If the applicant chooses, they may also file an Interim Application prior to their taxation year end. To be eligible to file an Interim Application a qualifying corporation must still meet all of the eligibility requirements set out in the guidelines, including the requirement to have incurred a minimum $30,000 in early stage development costs.

Click here for Guidelines and applications forms.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Sheffield Doc/Fest announce 2009 “Cross-Media Challenge”

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Sheffield Doc/Fest are issuing a call for proposals for the third CROSS-MEDIA CHALLENGE on the theme of MIGRATIONS

The CROSS-MEDIA CHALLENGE is a competition for innovative, interactive, socially engaged content with applications for mobile and broadband. The winning producer will sign a production development deal with the NFB worth C$10,500/£5,000. The deadline for entries is October 9, 2009. Four semi-finalists will be invited to present their projects at a panel session during the Sheffield Doc/Fest. The winner will be announced at the festival’s Cross Platform program. Semi-finalists must finance their own travel to the festival.

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

A global leader in developing content for new platforms, the NFB wants to ensure the digital future has room for artistic innovation and social relevance. The CROSS-MEDIA CHALLENGE is one way of reaching out to potential new production partners.

The CROSS-MEDIA CHALLENGE offers media makers an opportunity to develop projects that:
• Inspire an exchange of storytelling practices among diverse communities
• Use media innovatively to foster an international dialogue on issues with local roots
• Unleash the creative talents of alternative voices and communities

The NFB is interested in projects that use the versatility, mobility and borderless nature of new platforms to enable communities to talk to each other.. Projects must be documentary based. The theme for the 2009 challenge is MIGRATIONS.
Eligible projects must be multi-platform, involving the best features of each medium to ensure maximum audience participation. Projects should take full advantage of the range of new platforms, with particular emphasis on those that are interactive, mobile and online. Projects must feature direct contact and interaction with communities as part of their development plan.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Submitted proposals should be a maximum of two pages and provide a succinct overview of your project, a development plan and development budget summary along with any supporting audiovisual material. Proposals must be received by October 9, 2009.

Proposals (including your full name and address) should be e-mailed to Hugues Sweeney <h.sweeney@nfb.ca> , Multimedia advisor and designer

All the audiovisual material must be accessible from a web site or a FTP server.

More info here – http://sheffdocfest.com/view/crossmedia

Charlie Phillips
Marketplace Producer
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Sheffield Doc/Fest
The Workstation
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield, S1 2BX, England
Tel  +44-(0)7960-954307
+44-(0)114-276 5141
Fax +44-(0)114-272 1849
http://www.sheffdocfest.com

4-8 November 2009
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Doc/Fest Sheffield is where the international documentary family gets together under one roof for a week of intense deal-making, docwatching and debate.. It is the UK’s premier documentary festival/conference and a must-attend event on the industry calendar



As you may have heard, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore announced a major transformation in how interactive digital media will be funded in the future in Canada.  As of April 2010, the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF) will be merged with the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) to form the new Canada Media Fund (CMF).  The total budget for this program will be about $310M per year.

Earlier in July, the CTF announced the process for industry consultation leading to the creation of guidelines for the new fund. To launch the consultation, t he CTF will host a virtual town hall on Thursday, August 6, 2009.  During the virtual town hall, the CTF will present the key policy issues that will form the focus of the first year of the formal, ongoing industry consultation.

Presenters will also answer questions from participants regarding the key policy issues and the logistics for the consultation process.  The virtual town hall will be held in English and French. Industry stakeholders are invited to participate by registering through the links below. The links will also be posted on the CTF’s website at www.ctf-fct.ca
We encourage you to participate and become involved in the formation of this new fund, and we welcome your feedback <mailto:ian@interactiveontario.com?subject=CTF>  as we work on behalf of the industry to ensure our voice is heard.

English Webcast August 6, 2009 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT
Hosted by Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CTF
http://events.startcast.com/events6/Default.aspx?EID=d904dc23-f6ba-432e-bd20-57531db4f70b
French Webcast August 6, 2009 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT
Hosted by Stéphane Cardin, Vice-President, Policy & Stakeholder Relations, will take place on  http://events.startcast.com/events6/Default.aspx?EID=2c637979-dd75-469a-9219-2fe6edc1bbe3

For more information, visit http://www.ctf-fct.ca/consult_en.html <http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe2516737c600675701075&ls=fdf512747564037570177373&m=fef3137771650d&l=fe5415747d670c78731c&s=fdf01574776d057472137775&jb=ffcf14&t=>

Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) is pleased to announce the launch of the OMDC Video Game Prototype Initiative. Documentation for this pilot initiative is now available online (www.omdc.on.ca – under Programs / Content and Marketing Funds / OMDC Video Game Prototype Initiative).

The OMDC Video Game Prototype Initiative is designed to provide Ontario video game developers with funding for the creation of a prototype in order to secure a publisher or attract financing for a market-ready, commercial video game product. Successful applicants will receive a repayable contribution of up to $500,000 to a maximum of 50% of eligible expenses for their prototype.

This initiative is targeted at established video game developers with a track record that clearly demonstrates their capability to create and exploit a large scale video game. It is anticipated that the prototypes that will be funded through this initiative will lead to the development of video games that will provide significant benefits to the Ontario economy.

Roundtable Workshop
Interested eligible applicants are encouraged to attend an upcoming Roundtable Workshop to have their questions answered.
Date: August 27, 2007
Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Conference Centre – 175 Bloor Street East, North Tower,
Third Floor, Toronto, ON.

REGISTRATION AND PRE-QUALIFICATION IS REQUIRED
To register to attend the Roundtable Workshop please sign up via our online registration form click here to access . After reviewing your registration form and verifying your company’s eligibility, confirmation of your attendance at the Roundtable Workshop will be sent to you by email. Registration will close at 5:00 pm on August 26, 2007.

For further information on this or any of the other Industry Initiatives programs, please contact the Industry Initiative Coordinator at:

Ontario Media Development Corporation
175 Bloor Street East, South Tower, Suite 501
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3R8
Direct phone: 416-642-6695
Main phone: 416-314-6858
Fax: 416-314-6876
Email: programs@omdc.on.ca