Village Gamer

Banff – The Canadian Television Fund today announced the Board of Directors of the new Canada Media Fund. The seven independent directors include five nominated by the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Expression (CCCE), which includes cable and direct-to-home satellite companies, and two nominated by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Fostering the growth of television production in Canada through financial investment and industry research, the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) supports the development of Canadian talent, programs and audiences. The Canada Media Fund, an amalgamation of the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund, will launch on April 1, 2010 to support the development of content designed for television and new media platforms.

The 2009-2010 Directors of the Board of the Canada Media Fund are as follows:

Department of Canadian Heritage Nominees:

– Cheryl Barker
– Eileen Sarkar

CCCE Nominees:

– Alison Clayton
– Guy Fournier
– Ronald W. Osborne
– Louis L. Roquet

The seventh Director will be named at a later date and the Chair of the Board is Mr. Roquet.

“The extensive knowledge and varied backgrounds of the new Board of Directors will be an asset to our organization and to the industry at this important juncture in its evolution,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CTF. “We are eager to continue supporting the Canadian production industry as it moves effectively into the digital future. As we develop the policies and programs of the CMF, we will ensure the voices of all stakeholder groups are heard through a meaningful, ongoing consultation process, and we will invite industry members to share their ideas, questions, and concerns with us through that process.”

The new Board of Directors will be focused on stewardship, oversight, and accountability of the Canada Media Fund, which will conduct business as the Canadian Television Fund for the remainder of the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to our outgoing Chair and Directors for their exceptional contributions to the CTF,” added Ms. Creighton.

Board of Directors – Biographies:

Cheryl Barker
————-
Ms. Barker, a Chartered Accountant and was President of MTS (Manitoba). Previously, she served as Chair and President and CEO of Bell Intrigna Inc. and Financial Policy Analyst for the Province of Manitoba’s Department of Finance. She serves as a Director on the Public Sector Pension Investment Board and the Canadian Television Fund, and was Chair of the Board of the Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation, among other corporate and community appointments.

Alison Clayton
————–
Ms. Clayton is an independent television and film consultant with multiple Gemini Award credits. Highlights from her career include serving as General Manager of the Biography Channel, Vice President of Programming for The Movie Network, Moviepix, and The Family Channel, and Senior Film Policy Analyst for the former Federal Department of Communications. She has served on the boards of the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Rogers Documentary Fund, the Alliance for Children and Television, and the Canadian Television Fund.

Guy Fournier
————
Mr. Fournier is an author, playwright, story editor, film producer, and screenwriter, with more than 300 television dramas to his credit. He was a founding member and President of the Institut québécois du cinéma and served as National Vice President of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. He has served on the boards of Quatre-Saisons, Télé-Québec, and CBC/Radio-Canada. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

Ronald W. Osborne
—————–
Mr. Osborne, a Chartered Accountant, currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Sun Life Financial Inc. Previously, he was President and CEO of Ontario Power Generation Inc., Ontario Hydro, Bell Canada, and Maclean Hunter. He is Chairman of the Board of Governors of Roy Thomson Hall and is a member of a number of other corporate and community boards.

Louis L. Roquet
—————
Mr. Roquet is currently the President and COO of Desjardins Capital de risque. Previously, he was President and General Manager of the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) and Investissement Québec, and he was Secretary General of the City of Montréal and General Manager of the Montréal Urban Community. He is a member of a number of corporate and community boards, including Centraide, Mise sur toi (Loto-Québec), and Mosaicultures.

Eileen Sarkar
————-
Ms. Sarkar is an Adjunct Research Professor with the University of Ottawa’s Centre on Governance (Faculty of Social Sciences). Career highlights from her three decade long career with the Federal Government include serving as Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Heritage and Assistant Deputy Minister, Arts and Heritage for the Department of Canadian Heritage. She has served as a member of the Board of the Banff Centre and the Canadian Television Fund.

Also released today was a preliminary look at the funding highlights from the Fund’s previous year. A full annual report will be available from CFT this Fall.

“Over the past year, the CTF funded a greater number of productions through the disbursement of 12% more funding compared to the average of the four prior years. Our streams of funding were expanded to support the industry’s move towards new media,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the Canadian Television Fund.

The $2 million Digital Media Pilot Program launched to extraordinary demand, with all funds allocated within the first six weeks, supporting 20 English and 10 French productions. The $5 million Production Incentive Pilot Program supported English production in Quebec and Atlantic Canada where volumes had dropped significantly below their historic averages. The incentive was entirely allocated, benefiting 11 projects from Quebec and 16 projects from Atlantic Canada.

The CTF enhanced communication with its stakeholders by launching interacTVity, a monthly electronic newsletter featuring the people and stories behind CTF-funded shows. Also, The Quarter was developed to provide our funding contributors with quarterly updates on CTF funding results and success stories.

Highlights of funding results from 2008-2009 include the following:

• Revenues for 2008-2009 were $316 million, with an 11% increase in the contribution from broadcasting distribution undertakings and a stable contribution from the Department of Canadian Heritage
• Administrative expenses were limited to 4.3% of revenues, including costs incurred by both the CTF and the Television Business Unit at Telefilm Canada, which administers the CTF’s programs
• 475 production and 325 development projects were funded, with total budgets of over $943 million and $18 million, respectively; this resulted in the creation of 2,210 hours of new Canadian programming