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Banff – Featuring top television program creators, broadcasters, and executives in children’s and animation television industries, Kids and Animation Day includes sessions, networking opportunities, broadcaster briefings and spotlights on high-profile players in the industry.

Network with and hear from:

Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group
David Levine, VP, Worldwide Programming Strategy and Windowing, Disney Channel and Jetix
Agnes Augustin, President, Shaw Rocket Fund
Joan Lambur, Executive Producer, Breakthrough Entertainment
Matt Hornburg, Partner/Producer, Marble Media
Vince Commisso, President and CEO, 9 Story Entertainment
Toper Taylor, President and COO, Cookie Jar Entertainment
Stuart Snyder, President and COO, Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting
Frank Saperstein, SVP Animation and Children’s Programming, E1 Entertainment
Joe Godwin, Head of News, Factual and Entertainment, BBC Children’s
Beth Stevenson, Executive Vice President, Production and Development
Ira Levy, Executive Producer, Breakthrough Entertainment
Finn Arneson, SVP Original Animation and Acquisitions, Cartoon Network
Jocelyn Hamilton, VP Programming and Production, Corus Kids

Sessions will run concurrently with the regularly scheduled sessions on Tuesday, June 9.
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Montreal – Today Ubisoft® announced that their E3 press conference will be held at the Los Angeles Theatre on June 1, 2009 at 5 pm local time (doors open at 4 pm). The press conference is by invitation only to Ubisoft partners, investors, retailers and select media. It will also be broadcast online for the public the following morning Ubisoft’s web site.

During the press conference Ubisoft will unveil its line-up for Holiday 2009 and beyond including a demonstration of the eagerly anticipated new comedy-adventure Rabbids Go Home®, and exclusive reveals of Red Steel® 2 and the massively popular Assassin’s Creed® II, as well as other unannounced titles and special guests that are certain to thrill attendees and web viewers. The event will be hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale, writer, producer and star of E!’s The Soup and star of NBC’s upcoming comedy series “The Community”.

Ubisoft’s website will host select information direct from Ubisoft’s booth at E3, giving fans access to exclusive interviews and trailers of Ubisoft games.

Montreal – With the theme of Innovation and Digital Identity, the sixth annual Webcom Montreal International Conference will take place on May 13 at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICOA) in Montreal. Speakers and participants alike will explore current issues such as innovation and digital identity, but also how to bring added value to businesses through the application of social networking tools as a means of increasing productivity. Webcom is the largest French-language conference in North America to look at new information and communication technologies.
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Vancouver – New Media BC is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2009 Individual Stand Out Awards!

* Individual Stand Out: Industry Advocacy

– Dennis Chenard, Director of Industry Relation, Masters of Digital Media Program, Great Northern Way Campus
– Danny Robinson, Managing Director, Bootup Labs / Co-founder, Launch Party Vancouver
– Lynda Brown, Digital Media Consultant / Co-founder, zuluMe

* Individual Stand Out: Digital Education
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Online – Few Canadian tech companies can thrive without succeeding in the U.S. market. This session looks at the special challenges presented by the largest, most competitive market in the world, and the strategies and assistance that can help Canadian companies succeed there.

Each one hour webinar features a noted subject matter expert and tech industry entrepreneur sharing their knowledge on a specific topic. They will also point you to where you can get access to additional assistance and resources.

After each webinar, you will have access to a recording of the session, along with a white paper capturing the valuable information shared in the webinar.

The Ready Set Grow webinar series is specifically designed to help you by providing access to the real-world experience, resources and connections that you need. In particular, a panel of experts will discuss what you need to know to successfully penetrate U.S. market, including:

Market penetration strategies
Legal and regulatory requirements
Accounting and Tax considerations

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Calgary – On April 28, 2009, Digital Alberta held their Annual General Meeting. The new Board is rolling up their sleeves already with a Board Strategic planning session scheduled for May 5, 2009.

Executive:

President – Larry Jacques – ITSportsNet (Calgary)
Executive Director – Rene Smid – Digital Alberta (Airdrie)
Vice-President, Northern Alberta – Greg Gazin – Parallel2000 (Edmonton)
Vice-President, Southern Alberta – Alex Gault – Small World Ventures (Calgary)
Past-President – Ron Thiele – Xpan Interactive Ltd (Calgary)
Treasurer – Gert-Jan de Vlugt – Calgary
Secretary – Richerd Chan – Tapium (Calgary)

Directors

Brian Traynor, Mount Royal College (Calgary)
Leanne Elias, University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge)
John Torvi, SATU Creatives (Calgary)
Michael Witwicki, (Calgary)
Jennifer Llewellyn-Pollack, Light Box Entertainment (Calgary)
Yulia Bocheck, dHz Media (Calgary)

Upcoming Digital Alberta Event:
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Industry, government and academic leaders to explore digital media, trends – define leadership strategy for Canada

Stratford ON – Industry, government, education leaders and influencers will gather June 8 and 9 in Stratford, Ontario at the Canada 3.0 forum to map Canada’s digital future and create opportunities for new business and jobs. Hosted by the University of Waterloo Stratford Institute and the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), the forum is the must-attend event for anyone interested in Canada’s place in the world’s digital economy.

“The advent of social media, the explosion of the Web as a forum for a wide range of rich content, and the growth in high-tech handheld devices to access this content anytime, anywhere are creating new demands and pportunities,” said David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo and a speaker at the conference. “Educators, those that set public policy pertaining to digital media, and content developers all have a vested interest in ensuring Canada takes its place as a leader in digital media.”

The forum addresses four themes – content and entertainment, technology and business, government, and research and education – and will provide participants with opportunities to actively engage industry leaders and speakers.

Some of the featured speakers are:
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Ottawa – The Canadian Screen Training Centre proudly presents the 29th Annual Summer Institute of Film and Television (SIFT) in Ottawa from May 26-31. With the increasing overlap between film, television and other forms of media, the CSTC is excited to put greater focus on the digital world at SIFT 2009. Choose from 20 workshops in new media, screenwriting, directing, producing, documentary, acting, camera/lighting and editing. Workshops are offered at various levels and taught by top industry professionals.

Workshop Samples: (please see the SIFT web site for the full schedule)

Production Crafts – Camera & Lighting with Karl Roeder

Using the language of light, the director of photography creates the mood and depth that supports the director’s vision of a film or television production. An accomplished director of photography will provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of lighting for the camera. Then, working hands-on with camera and lighting equipment, participants will delve into the creative and technical processes of the DOP, and walk away with the ability to bring new life – or light – to any production.
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Online –  From Interactive Ontario – Fueled by consumers’ appetite for new and unique content, the rapid acceleration of digital content across traditional and new media has transformed the industry. Because of the imagination and creativity of Canadian companies, the market is growing in leaps and bounds. At the same time, the costs of developing interactive media, including video games is significant.

In this complimentary webinar, subject matter specialists from PricewaterhouseCoopers will discuss new opportunities and developments regarding incentive programs for digital media in Ontario and how similar programs can be leveraged across Canada. By understanding the financial incentive programs available at both the provincial and federal level, you can keep a steady focus on the content that makes you successful, while leveraging the programs available to help reduce your costs.

Date: Wednesday May 6, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific
Duration: 1 Hour
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Vancouver – The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada – BC Chapter presents the POGO 2009 Conference. Taking place this May 8th and 9th, the POGO Conference provides an unparalleled opportunity for design students, graduates and design newcomers to learn, connect, guide and inspire each others creative thinking. Developed with this experience in mind, the conference includes studio tours, creative workshops and portfolio critique. It’s also a great opportunity to learn and network – at a very reasonable price. A two day full conference pass is only $55.00 for GDC members, and $95.00 for non-members. Tickets are also available for individual days and events.

May 8 Schedule:

The GDC/BC Pogo Studio Tours provides the opportunity to check out three of Vancouver’s hottest creative environments and one of North America’s most awarded printers, Metropolitan Fine Printers.

Sign up, get a guided tour and check out how each of these firms think about not only their work, but about their space. The studios selected for this tour are Subplot, Rethink Communications and Burnkit.
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