Village Gamer

Ottawa – The CFTPA is pleased to announce the results of its recent Board elections.  The new Board of Directors will serve a two year term commencing this June 2009 and ending in June 2011.

“On behalf of the Association I take this opportunity to thank the current Board of Directors for all of their dedication, time and effort in serving the CFTPA over the past two years,” says Ira Levy, Chair CFTPA Nominating Committee. “The Association relies upon the involvement and effective participation of its Directors.”  Norm Bolen, President and CEO, added “the current Board has been unwavering in its commitment to serve in the best interest of all CFTPA members.  We look forward to working with the new Directors of the Board who collectively bring a wealth of experience to the table.”

The 2009-2011 CFTPA Board of Directors is as follows:
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Vancouver – Join CATA-WIT’s recently established BC Chapter on June 2, 2009 for a lunchtime event featuring vignette presentations by women leaders in BC’s technology sector, followed by interactive breakout and networking sessions:

SPEAKERS/FACILITATORS

* Catherine Boivie, Senior VP, Information Technology and CEO, Inventure Solutions
* Cybele Negris, Co-founder and COO of Webnames.ca
* Maria Pacella, Investment Manager: Information Technology, GrowthWorks

TOPICS

* Climbing the Corporate Ladder
* Women Entrepreneurs in Technology
* Securing Financing
* Working Effectively with Recruiters
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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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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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Calgary – Digital Alberta has put together a new production reel highlighting and promoting the digital media services, animation, special effects, post-production, eLearning and game development industry in that province. The video highlights such studios as Bioware, Reel Girls Media, Fission Media Group and many more. Also highlighted in the reel are the benefits of locating a digital media studio in Alberta.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8S3VSJ43jM]

Long-term contributor to Alberta’s ICT sector takes on key role

Calgary – In order to meet the needs of the continued growth in Alberta’s digital and interactive media industry, Digital Alberta’s board of directors is pleased to announce the appointment of René Smid to the position of Executive Director.

René Smid

“We are grateful that René has accepted this position”, says Digital Alberta President Ron Thiele. “As a true professional, she has developed a key understanding of our industry and the challenges faced by our member companies.”

Smid is no newcomer to the industry. She brings a plethora of skills to the table – having been Digital Alberta’s program manager since the organization’s inception in 2001. She’s also had eight years Executive Director experience with the Calgary Council for Advanced Technology.

“Rene has been the cornerstone of Digital Alberta’s ability to deliver solid programs to our members,” says Thiele. “She is a valuable asset, for Digital Alberta as well as for Alberta’s Digital Media Industry.

Backed by a strong board of directors, a solid mandate and proven programs, Thiele is confident Smid’s role will be a significant contribution to the digital media industry.

Ottawa – The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) is pleased to announce that Norm Bolen is joining the organization as President and CEO, effective April 15th.

Norm Bolen

Mr. Bolen is the former Executive Vice President, Content, for Alliance Atlantis Communications where he had overall programming responsibility for thirteen Canadian specialty networks, and where he led Alliance Atlantis’ web based and emerging new media content and all broadcast operations. Prior to joining Alliance Atlantis, Norm spent 21 years at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a journalist and executive. In his last position at the CBC he was the head of Network Television Current Affairs.

Mr. Bolen is currently Chair of the Banff World Television Festival, co-Chair of the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival and a Director of the National Screen Institute. Most recently, he has been a media consultant and a director of mDialog, a web-based high-resolution video distribution platform.

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Ottawa – The Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State (Status of Women), today announced federal support for a project entitled Supporting Women’s Leadership in the Advanced Technology Sectors. Run by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, Women in Technology (CATA WIT), the project will encourage more women to consider the advanced technology field, and help those women already working in the field to improve the skills, knowledge and expertise they need for success.

CATA WIT will receive $405,000 over two fiscal years for the project entitled Supporting Women’s Leadership in the Advanced Technology Sectors. It will use mentoring and other tools to help break down barriers facing women. During the project:

• 135 women will participate in development and mentorship workshops on networking
and improved leadership skills;
• 75 women will help identify leading practices for women in the sector;
• 60 women will help develop the tools that support and promote the participation of
women; and
• 25,000 men and women business leaders will increase their knowledge of best practices
with respect to growth-oriented, women-owned firms.

“This industry is growing by leaps and bounds – estimates are that up to 89,000 new information
and communications technology jobs will be created over the next three to five years,” said
Minister Guergis. “There are thousands of women ready to explore and expand the opportunities
available to them in this exciting sector of our economy. Through partnerships with organizations
like CATA WIT, our Government is working to ensure that those women have the tools they need to succeed in this field – for when women prosper, Canada prospers.”

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Vancouver – The British Columbia Innovation Council is pleased to welcome PMC-Sierra founder Greg Aasen as Chair of its Board of Directors. “The council has accomplished much in the way of fostering both technical and business talent,” Aasen said. “I look forward to continuing this work in my role as chair, and unleashing the full economic potential of innovation in British Columbia.”

Aasen was chief strategy officer at PMC-Sierra until June 2007 and has over 20 years of experience with the semiconductor industry. He has served on the BC Innovation Council board since 2006 and has been appointed to a one-year term as chair.

“Greg Aasen is highly qualified and will continue to build on what the council has already achieved under the leadership of Hector MacKay-Dunn,” said Ida Chong, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development “I look forward to celebrating the council’s continued success in supporting innovation and commercialization to provide a high standard of living for British Columbians.”

Two new members have also been appointed to serve three-year terms on the board:

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Interactive Ontario, the province’s digital media content industry’s association, will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Thursday, January 22, 2009. All IO members are welcome to attend. All Full Member companies can vote. Full Members have the opportunity to select board members via a vote that takes place during the AGM. Supporting Members are not permitted to vote. Membership fees are based on the size of the company. Since last fall, the Association’s membership has grown by 67%, to over 200 companies.

Following the AGM , IO will be hosting an iNTERACT networking event at The Gladstone Hotel. iNTERACTS are free for IO members and just $5.00 for non-members and include one drink ticket and munchies. The following day, Friday, January 23, IO presents iLunch 7.04, on The Digital Pangaea. Interactive Ontario’s mandate is to promote the interests of its members in the digital media content industry, and to enlist the support of government and private sector partners with a vested interest in its growth.