Village Gamer

Toronto – Cookie Jar Entertainment is heading into MIPTV 2009 (booth 17.01) with a wide range of properties to offer global broadcasters. Cookie Jar is expanding its slate with more-live action, tween-targeted programming, including its first ever movie of the week, “Tales From Cryptville.” Building on the success of “The Doodlebops”, Cookie Jar is launching an animated version of the hit preschool show. New seasons of “Caillou”, “Johnny Test”, “Busytown Mysteries (Hurray For Huckle!)” and “Arthur” also are currently in production.

“Tales From Cryptville” is the latest adaptation of the classic EC horror comic book series Tales from the Crypt. Still narrated by the bitingly funny master of scare-emonies, the Cryptkeeper, this latest incarnation tells the tale of teenager James Frost who upon moving to the small, snowy, sleepy and fictitious town of Cripvale, discovers he has stumbled unto a decades old mystery. This 90-minute made for TV movie will premiere on TELETOON in Fall 2009.

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Toronto – Canadian viewers will have better access to Canadian programming on all media platforms following the creation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), announced today by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

The CMF will be created as the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund are combined, reformed and rebranded through a renewed partnership with the industry. Its mandate will be to ensure the production of quality content and to make it available on multiple platforms.

The announcement was made on the set of Flashpoint. A television series that is broadcast on conventional television and is also available online, Flashpoint is one of the many Canadian scripted series that will benefit from this initiative. (editor’s note – this is good news to me – Flashpoint is one of my favourite shows).

Joining the Minister were Ivan Fecan of CTV, Chris Frank of Bell Video Group, Phil Lind of Rogers Communications, Pierre Karl Péladeau of Québécor/Vidéotron, Ken Stein of Shaw Communications, Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg of marblemedia, and Tim Casgrain of CBC/Radio-Canada.

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Montreal – FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators and producers of global entertainment brands, has announced a strategic minority equity investment in Ludia, a leading developer and publisher of interactive casual games based in Montreal, Canada. The deal is part of FremantleMedia’s ongoing expansion into the high-growth video games market. It also follows a range of new growth initiatives by the company’s new business unit, FremantleMedia Ventures, and represents the division’s first equity investment.

“Ludia has rapidly carved out a unique position in the competitive video games market by combining a strong focus on quality, exceptional technology and a multiplatform strategy. The company’s leadership team is outstanding and has a strong track record in the industry,” said Christian Schneider-Sickert, FremantleMedia’s Director of Operations and Strategy, who will be joining Ludia’s board.

FremantleMedia’s cash and rights investment will enable Ludia to further expand its portfolio of branded, IP-led casual games and to broaden its international business outside of North America. FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) already licenses formats such as American Idol, The Price is Right and Press Your Luck to Ludia, which has built a unique expertise in translating hit entertainment brands into top-selling games. Ludia recently debuted the The Price is Right game for PCs, gaming consoles and the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The game quickly became a top-selling game in its category on all formats.

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BBB, Capital One, and Fraud Squad TV launch a grass-roots effort to fight fraud

Toronto – In conjunction with Fraud Prevention Month, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Capital One Canada, and Fraud Squad TV have launched a new concept in Web TV that will broadcast weekly Fraudcasts from each of the 14 BBBs across the country. These innovative Fraudcasts can be viewed online at Fraudcast.ca, and will also feature interviews with real victims of fraud from local communities across the country. This grass-roots effort will empower Canadians with information, helping them to avoid local scams and enabling them to alert friends and family of fraudulent activities happening in their community.

“Fraudcast.ca promises to be a comprehensive source of news and advice on fraud and identity theft protection,” said Bill Cilluffo, president, Capital One Canada. “At Capital One, we understand the power of information when it comes to this type of crime, and this new website aims to help Canadians stay one step ahead of the fraudsters.”
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Toronto – The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) has announced that it has increased its program commitments for 2009-2010 by almost 14% over the previous year. “During the current economic crisis, it is important that the CTF continue to invest in the television industry, an industry that contributes to the country’s economy, employing thousands of Canadians across the nation, and that is vital to our culture,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CTF. “Investing in Canadian production puts Canadian stories on the small screen and keeps people working.”

The 2009-2010 program commitments include increases to key programs as follows:

The Digital Media Pilot Program, launched in 2008-2009, experienced high demand, with funds being allocated within six weeks of the application opening date, with the exception of the CBC/Radio-Canada allocation. Demand for this program exceeded the allocation of $2 million, and other digital media funds, including the Bell New Media Fund and the Canada New Media Fund, were also oversubscribed in 2008-2009. As a result of this high demand and in line with the recommendations by the CRTC to increase CTF funding of digital media projects, the CTF has increased the allocation for the Digital Media Program to $10 million in 2009-2010.

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Adds more than 750 stores across Canada to Bell’s national distribution network

Montreal – Bell Canada has announced that it has agreed to acquire national consumer electronics retailer The Source to further enhance the growth of Bell’s wireless, digital TV, Internet and home phone services. “The Source is a respected leader in consumer electronics retailing right across Canada. Its acquisition supports Bell’s strategic imperatives to accelerate wireless and leverage momentum in wireline services like Bell TV, Bell Internet and Bell Home Phone,” said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell and BCE.

“With its strong national presence, brand, and management team, acquiring The Source represents a competitive and cost-effective approach to ensuring Bell’s leadership in delivering the best communications products to Canadians,” Mr. Cope said. “Expanding the number of places people can buy Bell products is a core element in the execution of Bell’s strategy to achieve our goal: To be recognized by customers as Canada’s leading communications company.”

In addition to its extensive lineup of consumer electronics products, The Source plans to carry the full array of Bell consumer services at its more than 750 stores across Canada, including Bell Mobility, Solo Mobile and potentially Virgin Mobile wireless products and services, Bell TV’s industry-leading High Definition television services, high-speed Bell
Internet, and Bell Home Phone products, by January 2010.
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$55,000 awarded to emerging Canadian artists – the largest competition of its kind in Canada

Ottawa – RBC, with the support of the Canadian Art Foundation, today announced the call for entries for the 2009 RBC Canadian Painting Competition. Entries must be submitted by May 3, 2009.

Winners will be announced in October, with the national winner receiving $25,000, and two honourable mentions each receiving $15,000. Semi-finalists in the competition will see their work displayed at prominent Canadian art galleries and featured in Canadian Art magazine.

“RBC is an important contributor to the Canadian visual arts community,” said Ann Webb, Executive Director, Canadian Art Foundation. “The RBC Canadian Painting Competition discovers and recognizes the skill and talent of Canada’s emerging artists and provides national exposure of their work.”

RBC has worked closely with the Canadian Art Foundation to deliver a top quality competition that continues to grow in stature. The Canadian Art Foundation oversees the adjudication process, allowing the works to be judged by a select panel of distinguished members of the visual arts community.

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Toronto – Corus Television is partnering with Hasbro Canada to give kids the chance to be the first to test new NERF products. Going live on March 2, YTV.com will connect viewers to CampNERF.ca, which showcases the latest in NERF gear and contests. Online games can be found on the website’s Elite Gaming Area as well as its four Training Zones. Other areas of Camp NERF include the Contest Bunker, the Mess Hall for the latest news and camp communications and the Outfitter Tent for all retail information. To top it all off, kids will also be able to play and interact with NERF this summer with YTV’s annual WOW cross-country tour.

Camp NERF is an online destination where kids are introduced to the world of NERF through various Camp Counsellors, all of whom hold different areas of expertise. Participants can also collect and earn NERF badges when they complete a game or finish their online training as part of their experience at CampNERF.ca.

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The Art Institute of Vancouver will be delivering its creative courses from a brand new location as of Summer 2009

Vancouver – The new campus will be conveniently located at the base of the Renfrew Skytrain station, at the corner of Renfrew Street and East 12th Avenue in Vancouver. The purpose built 80,000 square foot campus will feature two floors of classrooms and studios, allowing for increased space for students to create, design, and network, as well as expanded access to parking.

The Art Institute of Vancouver’s West Georgia and Dunsmuir Street campuses will relocate in 2009, to be joined by the Burnaby campus in 2010. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Vancouver, along with the Culinaria Restaurant, will remain at its present location in the Canaccord Tower, on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver.

“We believe that our new custom built campus will benefit all students and staff, with its accessible location and modern facilities,” said Tom Kim, President of The Art Institute of Vancouver.

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Toronto – McCarthy Tétrault partners Barry Sookman and Steven Mason illustrate the challenges, concepts and approaches to copyright issues in their newly released casebook Copyright: Cases and Commentary on the Canadian and International Law. The authors draw on their experience in numerous high-profile intellectual property cases to show how copyright operates within various national legal systems and plays an important role in the creation and dissemination of valuable intellectual property assets.

Aimed at law students, law professors, librarians and practitioners, the casebook includes extracts from leading cases in both Canadian and international jurisprudence, and explains copyright matters to a broad audience through carefully selected court opinions and insightful commentary.

“Barry’s and Steven’s casebook reaffirms our team’s international expertise and ability to understand and resolve clients’ disputes regardless of jurisdiction,” said W. Iain Scott, the firm’s Chair and CEO. “It will be a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in copyright law.”

Published by Carswell, Copyright: Cases and Commentary on the Canadian and International Law can be purchased at Carswell’s online bookstore or by calling 1-877-750-9041.