GAS

Producers angered over tax rebate changes

2008-10-27T17:20:00.000-03:00

by: Etan Vlessing, Playback Daily.com

Oct 22, 2008

Producers are up in arms over a move by the Canada Revenue Agency that could shrink their tax-rebate cheques.

Canadian producers who have had their tax-credit applications randomly audited by the country's tax man in recent months complain that they are now allowed a maximum 10% cap on claims for producer fees, with a further 10% write-off for corporate overhead.

That's alarmed producers, as many have long recorded a 15% or even a 20% write-down for producer labor costs, against corporate overhead, when filing tax returns in search of tax-credit rebates.

Canadian producers privately insist tax-credit applications have typically started out with a loose 10% producer-fee claim to secure acceptance from analysts at the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office, which greenlights tax credits on behalf of the Canadian Heritage department, and the CRA, which reviews federal and provincial tax-credit claims before it issues refund cheques.

At the same time, producers insist their costs often surpass 10% of a project budget, and allowance was often made for that in tax-credit applications.

But, in its latest audit rulings, the CRA appears to be saying it will only allow producers to breach the 10% cap in "exceptional circumstances," according to sources close to the negotiations with the CRA.

A CRA spokesman says the agency has no direct comment on its current talks with indie producers to resolve the fee dispute.

"However, I can tell you that the CRA works closely with the affected stakeholders and is always exploring opportunities to improve the delivery of its programs and services," the spokesman adds.

But Donna Leon, a producer with Ottawa's Genuine Pictures (A World of Wonders), sees the CRA as the villain in this saga for springing the change on producers only after they underwent random audits.

"Until you get audited, you wouldn't know about it. How would I have known you have a different rule," says Leon, who wants the tax man to spell out the new producer-fee policy.

Etan Vlessing reports on the apparent tax changes at CRA, and what they mean for producers big and small, in the Oct. 27 issue of Playback.

GDC Canada Announced

2008-09-28T16:13:00.001-03:00

Think Services will partner with Reboot Communications to produce a Canadian Game Developers Conference in May 2009, in association with New Media BC's Vancouver Digital Week. GDC Canada will examine the breadth of the gaming industry and how it works with Canada's ever growing game development community.

David S. Rose: 10 things to know before you pitch a VC for money

2008-09-27T18:50:00.002-03:00

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_s_rose_on_pitching_to_vcs.html

Other Oceans to open studio in St. John's NL

2008-09-11T10:48:00.002-03:00

Other Ocean Group Inc. announced plans to create a 62 person studio in St. John's. The studio will focus on design work, art work, production and coding of games for Xbox 360, Apple iPhone, Nintendo DS and Wii.

http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=169667&sc=79
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=169899&sc=82

Breaking News from The Globe and Mail

2008-08-29T08:34:00.000-03:00

Harper defends cuts to arts programs

JAMES BRADSHAW

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended $44.8-million in planned cuts to arts-and-culture programs for the first time yesterday. At the same time, the Conference Board of Canada released a report attesting to the economic benefits of investing in Canadian culture.

Harper said the government's “changes” to more than a dozen programs is the only responsible path, and echoed recent assertions by his communications director, Kory Teneycke, and Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner that the government has managed to walk a tightrope, trimming the fat from its culture portfolio while simultaneously increasing overall spending.

“What this government has also done in that area, as it's done across the government, is we've instituted an expenditure-management system, where over a period of five years we comprehensively review every program and we make sure that we're spending on priorities and spending on those programs that are most effective,” said Harper. “Some programs in arts and culture have increased in funding, others have gone down – in total it's gone up.” Federal investment in culture for the 2007-08 fiscal year was $3.4-billion, up from $3.2-billion in 2006-07.

Harper also painted promises from Liberal Heritage critic Denis Coderre to reinstate the eliminated programs, should the Liberals be elected, as irresponsible. “The opposition has a view that you can never cut any single program, ever. If that's how they want to run the country, you'll have two consequences. You'll either have out-of-control spending or you will have a flat amount of program funding that is increasingly less effective over time,” he said.

Tom McSorley, executive director of the Canadian Film Institute, is frustrated with the Conservatives' stance. He believes the driving force behind the cuts is the “ideological adamant rock” that funding the arts is not the federal government's domain, something the Conservatives have repeatedly denied.

“I don't think they listen with any degree of interest to the fact that the economic impact of the arts is demonstrably positive,” says McSorley. “To fall into the fallacy that it's really about moving money around – well it isn't.”

The Prime Minister's comments come in the wake of a recently released report from the Conference Board of Canada, in collaboration with the federal government, that confirms high economic returns on cultural investment. The report, entitled Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada's Creative Economy, calls the cultural sector's role “as a magnet for talent, an enhancer of economic performance, and a catalyst for prosperity” a universal phenomenon.

The Conference Board estimates Canada's cultural sector generated $46-billion, or 3.8 per cent of Canada's GDP, in 2007. The sector's total impact including “indirect and induced effects” on other sectors leaves an economic footprint of $84.6-billion, or 7.4 per cent of GDP, the report states. Those revelations paint a picture of industry stability: Statistics Canada reported culture accounting for an identical 3.8 per cent of GDP in 2006.

The report put 2003 employment in the cultural sector at 616,000 jobs.

Including direct and indirect contributions to employment, the report estimates that culture accounted for 1.1 million jobs in 2007.

Canada's culture sector is being driven by growth in digital technology and expanding Internet use, the report states.

Ontario 2012: Stimulating Growth in Ontario's Game Industry

2008-08-27T11:56:00.003-03:00

A 37-page report summarizing the opinions of the Ontario game industry on growing the industry. The cheat sheet is page 6.
http://www.omdc.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=6290

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

2008-08-12T23:41:00.001-03:00

BlackBerry Partners Fund

2008-06-09T10:49:00.002-03:00

On 12 May 2008, RIM, RBC and Thomson Reuters announced plans to launch the BlackBerry Partners Fund. The Fund is a $150 million venture capital fund being formed to focus on applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms including mobile commerce (payments, advertising, retailing and banking), vertical and horizontal enterprise applications, communications, social networking, location-based applications and services (navigation and mapping), media and entertainment, and lifestyle and personal productivity applications. The Fund will consider all stages of development. The Fund is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.

www.blackberrypartnersfund.com.

So how do you Jalloo?

2008-05-28T11:05:00.005-03:00

June 11 - 12, Miramichi

Jalloo is the Festival of Animation and Gaming that celebrates the industry and its members with networking events, panels, workshops, keynote speakers, and showcases of professional and student work.

Jalloo is bringing in guest speakers - from the Atlantic region as well as folks from the United States, Germany, and Iceland. Guests include animator Willy Ashworth (Babar, Ewoks, CareBears, Tiny Toon Adventures), 3D artist Chaz Sutherland (The Matrix: Path of Neo, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, The Golden Compass), animator Ron Doucet (Johnny Test, Oliver's Adventures, Speed Racer), game designer Ryan Shwayder (EverQuest II, Fighting Legends), and game artist Ben Mathis (Tony Hawk Project 8, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Ghost Recon 2).

Don’t forget to register by May 30th to guarantee a seat at our main networking event: Boat Ride on the Miramichi and Lobster Dinner.

Registration is FREE! At http://www.jalloo.net/register.htm

For a complete list of events and guests visit http://jalloo..net or contact John O'Shea, Events Coordinator, NBCC Miramichi at (506) 778-6997 or 1 (877) 773-6222.

The WB Returns As TheWB.com

2008-05-06T01:58:00.001-03:00

April 28, 2008, 4:03 pm

By Brian Stelter

“Gilmore Girls,” starring and Lauren Graham as Lorela (left) and Alexis Bledel as Rory (right), ended its run on the CW last year, but the archived episodes will be available online on a new Warner Brothers Web site later this year. (Warner Bros.)

The beta site is online now at TheWB.com.

The WB brand, born as a broadcast network in 1995 and closed in 2006, will return as an online video Web site combining short original series with classic shows, the Warner Brothers Television Group announced Monday.

TheWB.com, and a complementary site for children called KidsWB.com, are part of a “digital destination” strategy by Warner Brothers, a subsidiary of Time Warner, to tailor Web sites to specific audiences.

In trying to compete for consumers’ time, Warner Brothers and other media companies have sought new outlets for content, sometimes bypassing the traditional network structure and creating broadband Internet channels.

“My 20-year-old daughter and her friends are watching ‘One Tree Hill’ and ‘Pushing Daisies,’ but not on television,” Bruce Rosenblum, the president of the Warner television group, said. “They’re watching on laptops and cellphones. Here’s the interesting part — to them, that is television.”

How do you Jalloo?

2008-04-29T09:53:00.003-03:00

NBCC Miramichi
June 11 and 12, 2008

An industry event you won't want to miss!

www.jalloo.net

Manitoba raises bar on Canada tax credits

2008-04-16T23:28:00.000-03:00

April 11, 2008 TORONTO -- The province of Manitoba on Thursday raised its domestic film production tax credit to 65%, the country's highest.

Manitoba also doubled its frequent filming bonus for foreign, mostly U.S. producers, to 10%.

Other changes introduced include a new 5% Manitoba producer bonus for movies where a local resident receives a producer credit.

The changes in the tax credits, which allow domestic and foreign producers to offset labor costs on movies and TV shows when they are shot locally, will apply to projects that began principal photography after Dec. 31.

The provincial government said that the tax credit changes aim to increase training of Manitoba talent and technical crews by foreign producers or Canadian producers from rival provinces that shoot their projects locally.

Manitoba, like other Canadian provinces, has seen the number of U.S. location shoots fall in recent years due to a surging Canadian dollar and competition from rival locales, which includes U.S. southern states and Eastern Europe.

By Etan Vlessing

2008 Canadian New Media Awards

2008-04-14T09:55:00.003-03:00

In case you haven't heard... Canadian New Media Awards CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS. Fifteen award categories: 8 product categories and 7 individual and company categories. The "Excellence in the Use of Social Media" award has been replaced with two new categories: "Excellence in Social Media Websites" and "Excellence in Social Media Applications".

Go to cnma.ca for a submission form and full explanation of each of the award categories. Submissons close 5 May 2008, 5:00 PM EST.

Intel Capital Launches Second China Investment Fund

2008-04-09T08:42:00.002-03:00

Intel introduced its second China investment fund on Tuesday, 8 April. The China Technology Fund II has $500 million to invest in wireless broadband, media, telecommunications and "clean tech" in China. It will be used for ventures that complement the chipmaker's corporate initiatives and help expand technology market segments in China. The new fund is more than double the size of the original China Technology Fund, which invested in more than 28 companies. Over the last 10 years, Intel as invested in more than 70 companies across China and Hong Kong.

The new fund has already invested in two Chinese companies:

Holdfast Online Technology - provides a platform for hosting third-party computer games. The platform enables gamers to play against each other over a wide area network.
Newauto Video Technology - manufactures and sells video equipment, network solutions and system integrations for TV stations across China. Newauto, a service provider for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also provides digital content editing and sports program live-broadcasting services.

Nokia Launches New N-Gage Mobile Games Service

2008-04-08T08:48:00.002-03:00

Nokia launched its re-tooled N-Gage mobile games service. N-Gage allows consumers to browse, demo and buy mobile games directly from their Nokia devices. The N-Gage platform is a downloadable application that currently supports devices including the Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82, Nokia N95, and Nokia N95 8GB. Users can also join the N-Gage Arena, a community where they can find others to play multiplayer games, discuss topics on the message boards and via live chat, and participate in tournaments and hosted events.

The first set of mobile games available through N-Gage includes titles from EA Mobile ("FIFA 08"); Gameloft ("Brain Challenge," "Asphalt 3"); and Glu Mobile ("World Series of Poker Pro Challenge"). Upcoming titles from EA include "Tetris" and "The Sims 2 Pets." Games are expected to cost between six and ten euros ($9.40 - $15.70).

http://www.n-gage.com

16 Ways to Expand Your Blog’s Reach in 2008

2008-04-04T23:59:00.001-03:00

It’s 2008 and you’re looking forward to growing your blog even more this year. You are eager to build a large readership and maybe even make a full-time income from blogging. You want greater influence and a stronger reputation. What you need is an expansion plan.

Yesterday, I spent some time planning growth strategies for my blogs and noticed that all of these tactics had something in common.

They all involved the idea of expanding the blog from a basic content publishing/opinion sharing platform to a full fledged media business.

This includes the development of different publication mediums, interactive on-site communities and social media integration in order to transform the blog from a simple diary-like content stream to something more multi-faceted. With this in mind, I did some research on popular blogs and found that some shared certain similarities.

While content remains the main draw for each of these blogs, they were doing much more than just providing articles for visitors to read. The value of each blog is increased through the inclusion of user-contributions, alternative content types as well as other factors like increased visitor interactivity/resources.

Some of these blogs also collaborated with each other to create related projects to improve their blog brand and reputation. The biggest buzz came not through the publication of excellent articles but rather the development of off-site initiatives which funneled attention and traffic to their blogs.

16 Ways to Expand Your Blog’s Reach in 2008

Image Credit: toyz mosaic

And so I decided to make a list of some of the strategies you can use to expand your blog in 2008. None of them have anything to do with content quality, but keep in mind that should always be your no.1 focus when it comes to growing your site.

Hopefully these ideas will be useful to you. I’ll be implementing some of them on Dosh Dosh soon so you’ll be able to see them in action. ^_^

Create Multiple Channels. Pick several topics you are interested in and set up mini-blogs on subdomains or subfolders on your site. This topical division will allow you to reach out to greater audiences and is especially necessary if you feel that you are outgrowing your blog’s initial focus.

I liked how Boing Boing set up a subdoman for video posts and gadgets. Wired’s blog network and Wendy’s Emoms at Home are good examples of how different niche topics are each given equal emphasis on the same domain. This is an option to consider if you don’t want to set up more blogs.

User Generated Content. Getting others to create content for your site is a good way to expand your blog’s reach. You can open up submissions of articles to the general public and publish the ones you feel most worthy. Alternatively, you can set up an account-based system whereby users will be able to register and publish content which will be moderated by editors.

I like how most of I Can Have Cheezburger’s content is created and rated by users. SEOMoz’s Youmoz is an example of an entire blog powered by user generated content.

Localize Your Blog. One surefire way to reach a larger audience is to target a local market and correspondingly reach out to the local audience in its original language. This means translating your blog and making it geo-specific. Gizmodo is a good example. Check out the little country flags under the logo. Localization allows you to cover topics which major industry blogs will inevitably fail to cover. This allows you to be comprehensive as a brand.
Build a Blog Network. If you already have one or two blogs, create a few more and form a mini blog network. Buy a new domain and set up a corporate HQ for media related and advertising enquiries.

An example of an independent ad network build around a few blogs is Collis Ta’eed’s Miiingle. Sell network ads and use each blog to drive traffic to the other. This is an effective way to improve the readership of all your blogs. Gawker Media is an example of an excellent blog network.

Set up a Forum/Social Network. Increased interactivity is one the main reasons why you should set up a forum for your blog. You want your readers to be one of the reasons why people visit and revisit your site.

By providing a corner for readers to discuss issues, you are automatically creating a magnet (apart from your content) which encourages visitors to return to your website. Mashable is a blog with a social network and TechCrunch has a forum that’s well populated as well.

Establish an Email Newsletter. Newsletters are terrific ways to reach an audience away from your blog and are important when you need to sendout specific narrowcast messages without using your main communication channel (your blog content). Create a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter and connect with your audience.

Newsletters are great for monetization and are an easy way to keep certain readers (those not familiar with RSS) close to your weblog. When combined with landing pages, they work better alongside PPC advertising when it comes to capturing leads.

Clone Your Blog. Have a successful blog and want to try other niches? Clone your blog’s general look/approach/strategy and set it up for another niche. This is an easy and fast way for you to develop multiple blogs which may bring in more income. Blogs can be interlinked in articles or blogrolls to share traffic.

If your blog has been relatively well received in one niche, the same approach may bring you success in another. For instance, Daniel cloned his successful Daily Blog Tips venture into Daily Writing Tips and Daily Bits, both of which are blogs in the same format while covering different niches/topics.

Participate in a Social Community. Niche social communities like forums or social networking/news websites are not only a good way to get targeted traffic but an efficient to brand yourself. Pick a couple of social communities and when you are not blogging, spend time on them to network and establish connections.

Build a reputation for yourself and your blog will grow alongside it. For example, I’ve invested a good amount of time on Sphinn and it has earned me friends, new readers and a great deal of new knowledge on topics related to Dosh Dosh.

Optimize For Social Media. Social Media optimization can work in two ways for your blog. The first way focuses on allowing your readers to communicate and interact with each other and yourself away from your blog through channels like Twitter or Facebook.

Open up accounts in social websites which your audience might frequent and connect them to your blog. The other method involves marketing your blog through social media communities. To do this, pick a community that is relevant to your site, befriend the influencers and disseminate your content.

Bring in New Writers. New writers = new voices and more opportunities for you to do more backend work (marketing/management). I recommend handpicking and hiring quality writers and paying them on a per-post or pageview basis. You want the best people for the job since their content will make or break your blog’s growth.
Sell a Product or Service. Putting ads on your blog is an easy way to make money but you’re leaving money off the table by not having a paid product or service you can promote as an add-on. Think about it. Every new visitor that streams in daily to your site is a potential customer or client.

They aren’t only subscribers or pageviews to be counted. Create a product (ebook, software) or office a service (consultation/design) on top of what your blog. Freelance Switch’s book on freelancing is a good example of how to sell a product alongside your blog.

Create Premium content. Premium content refers to exclusive content not made available to the public. They can be given for free or on a paid subscription basis. Create a members only private blog or subsection on your site and promote paid subscriptions alongside your free content.

Detailed tutorials, tools, free members-only products (ebooks), user generated content and efficient customer support on your end will make premium content attractive. SEOmoz’s premium content section is an good example of something that would work.

Create an Industry Event. Start an annual competition or award ceremony to showcase and celebrate personalities, websites and companies in your respective industry. This is an incredibly powerful way to get not only links but buzz surrounding your site.

Examples of a successful award initiative are Mashable’s Open Web Awards and Crunchies, a collaborative tech awards ceremony set up by Techcrunch and other blogs like GigaOM and Read/Write Web.

Partner with Other Blogs. Working together with other blogs is an incredibly easy way to expand your site’s reach. Work together with a few other bloggers for an initiative such as a social network, collaborative writing project, awards ceremony or application.

Co-brand this product and use to get attention. This builds your blog/personal brand and drives targeted traffic to your site.

Make Your Blog Mobile. Some readers like to access blogs through mobile devices like PDAs or cellphones so making your blog mobile may help you to reach more people. It’s not too far fetched to imagine someone reading your blog article on a PDA and then showing it or sending it to a couple of friends. Here’s an excellent guide on how to make your blog mobile-friendly.
Start Doing Video/Podcasts. Video blogging is an easy way to get some extra traffic, because you’ll allow your blog content to reach a whole new audience. Social video websites like Youtube, Dailymotion and Metacafe are high traffic venues which can bring you not only sales conversions but new readers.

Some marketers/bloggers who have been doing video for a while include Mark Wielgus, Shawn Collins and Darren Rowse. Viral marketing for videos is sometimes easier than written content and this is something you definitely should exploit.

Be adventurous and try something new for your blog. It doesn’t just have to be a simple platform for your thoughts alone. Remember that the secret to building a popular blog and getting tons of readers involves not only content quality but the development of a supportive core audience and broad distribution channels.

Seek to expand your blog laterally through social media, increased user participation, alternative content delivery channels and other relevant projects which will increase your influence and reputation. This is a surefire way to increase your blog’s readership and overall reach in 2008.

If you found this article useful, you might want to subscribe to Dosh Dosh.

Does Your Talent Performance =Your Brand Promise?

2008-04-01T04:08:00.002-03:00

FROM: www.allthingsworkplace.com

Companies are looking for talent at the same time people are being intentional about identifying their own talents.

It doesn't seem like much of a stretch to match the two. But there's a subliminal factor that influences all of this and on which corporate and individual success rely: It's. . .

The Promise

I was on the phone this weekend with branding guru Mike Wagner of Own Your Brand. Mike specializes in working with organizations who want to do just that--but with an added element. He's intense when it comes to emphasizing the importance of living the brand in every nook and cranny of a business: keeping the "Brand Promise."

We were talking about the fact that that HR groups are high-profile representatives of "the brand." They're often the first point of contact for recruits. If there is a war for talent, "living out the promise of the brand" can determine victory or defeat.

Doesn't the same hold true for "the talent?" It's one thing to be talented, passionate, and purposeful; it's another to consistently live out the promise of your personal brand.

Alltop: Living the Promise

No sooner had Mike and I finished our conversation than I had a chance to experience a promise lived.

I mentioned our new placement on Alltop in the last post. Here's why it was notable:

1. There's a certain etiquette--and mutual relationship--in most web publisher/aggregator link-ups. Alltop was short and sweet about what to do and how to do it.

2. I did what they asked in the way that they suggested.

3. I think All Things Workplace showed up on the site in a matter of minutes, not even hours or days.

4. The kicker: An email exchange initiated by Alltop principal Guy Kawasaki. I'm not tossing Guy around for name-dropping purposes. I'm mentioning it because he totally "lived the promise" of the Alltop brand, and then some. Honestly, I sort of figured that this was a start-up that Guy was involved with and excited about, but just one of many businesses with which he's involved. That he took time to connect tells me he is involved and excited. And, that I probably made a good move with Alltop.

Two thoughts for today:

Is your company scoring top-notch talent because everyone lives out the promise of its brand?

Is your personal brand intact because you are delivering on the promise of your talent?

Opportunity

2008-02-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

Jason Guidry with Business New Brunswick's Investment Attraction branch is in discussion with a US-based, international game company that is looking for technology companies that meet the following criteria:

1. A developer excluding PC games and Wii
2. Develops RPGS and or strategy RPGS
3. Self-funded
4. Original IP
5. Must have completed a demo, or at least some indication of character work

The company is known for localization work as well as publishing tactical role playing products. It has not previously worked with CDN developers but may be interested in meeting Canadian companies that meet its criteria.

For details, contact Jason Guidry:
(506) 457-7828 or (506) 470-7737
jason.guidry@gnb.ca

Internet's next big wave

2008-01-03T14:53:00.001-04:00

David George-Cosh, Financial Post Published: Monday, December 31, 2007

Christian Hartmann/ReutersMicrosoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says online advertising will become 25% of the company's business within a few years.

TORONTO - Inside a cramped conference room at Toronto's MaRS Discovery Centre, angel investors listened closely as Nussar Ahmad pitched the future of the Internet.

Equipped with just a cellphone and a laptop connected to the Web, Mr. Ahmad, director of Addictive Mobility, demonstrates how his company's latest software application has the ability to cash in on the world of social networking - the Web's latest gold mine.

Using code supplied by Facebook, Mr. Ahmad's software can take pictures snapped on a camera phone and instantly send them to a Facebook profile page.

While the software is in its early stages, Mr. Ahmad plans to launch the program to the public free and introduce pay structures after enough early adopters make it "go viral."

Although the PowerPoint presentation was technical, Mr. Ahmad's audience was sold long before the pitch was complete.

"They didn't ask many questions; they were already sold," Mr. Ahmad said. "They all want to help me out and introduce me to potential investors."

Addictive Mobility is seeing clients from Mazda and Brisk Iced Tea knocking on his door. "I couldn't have done this six months ago," he said. "Social networking has given me an opportunity I could only dream of."

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of new application developers and content generators being created for sites like Facebook, MySpace and a slew of other social networking sites fueled by money being poured into the industry by the demand to advertise as much as possible online.

According to online market research firm eMarketer Inc., worldwide advertising spending at social networking sites jumped from US$480-million in 2006 to US$1.2-billion this year. By 2011, that number is expected to grow to US$4-billion.

Those numbers are backed up by British online advertising trade group, the Internet Advertising Bureau. In October, the IAB reported Internet marketing had grown 41.3% in the first half of 2007 and now accounts for 14.7% of the British ad market.

No other Web site has taken advantage of the online advertising cash windfall more than MySpace. After Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, purchased MySpace for US$580-million in July 2005, analysts questioned the hefty price tag for what was then a crowded online hangout for kids. But as the Web site boasts more than 220 million registered users and is finally turning a profit, that price seems a bargain now.

According to News Corp. officials, MySpace exceeded US$500-million in revenues in the 2007 fiscal year. While News Corp. doesn't release specific numbers on its subsidiaries, its Fox Interactive Media unit, which largely consists of MySpace, turned a profit of US$10-million. And with last year's US$900-million contract with Google to provide the back-end for the search engine's online advertising network, those profits should continue to grow.

Facebook, MySpace's closest competitor, grew from a Harvard University dormitory experiment to the darling of Silicon Valley in only two years. With 47 million users around the world and growing at a rate of 200% per year, Facebook made headlines last month after Microsoft Corp. purchased a 1.6% stake in the company worth US$240-million, thus indcating Facebook had a value of US$15-billion.

The temptation to target Facebook users with specifically tailored ads using information the users reveal is in line with Microsoft's long-term plan to be a heavyweight in the online ad world. Chief executive Steve Ballmer told a consortium of European ad agencies in October that online advertising would become 25% of the company's business within a few years.

But perhaps the surest sign that social networking has become the Web's next big profit centre was Google's announcement last month that it plans to dive headlong into this sector by uniting the fractious world of social networking Web sites with one standardized set of programming code.

It's a dramatic change in direction for the Internet's 600-pound gorilla, which currently receives 99% of its revenues from online advertising. The "OpenSocial" application platform exists in a pre-beta format with selected developers and is expected to be released early next year.

"We want to help build the fundamental social infrastructure for the Web," David Glazer, an engineering director at Google responsible for OpenSocial, says. More to the point: "More people spending more time on the Web is good for Google's core business."

Indeed, there hasn't been this much optimism in the tech world since before the dot-com bubble burst several years ago.

"You're finally seeing an industry mature. In 2000, it was a very immature industry where dreams and candy were being sold and bought by the financial community," says Tera Capital president Howard Sutton, a Toronto-based hedge fund manager. "Now, we've got more stable platforms and sophisticated investors."

In the 1990s, any company with a .com suffix garnered hype and valuations in the millions. "[Today], bad companies aren't being financed; bad companies in 1999 were being finance," Mr. Sutton said.

One thing that hasn't changed much from the early dot-com days, however, is how quickly the latest Internet gold rush has formed.

"You've got these young companies coming up with ideas, and the pervasiveness of how quickly these companies can catch the wave," he said. "It's just a different business and moves at an entirely different speed."

Today's online communities rose from the ashes of the poorly designed, circa-1999 dot-com sites when users began offering up detailed information about their daily activities. The sites became sophisticated enough to translate that data into a marketer's dream scenario.

But it wasn't until recently, when broadband speeds became affordable for consumers, that the social Web phenomenon took off.

"When you have a big innovation, like electrical power or the telephone, you always get a similar set of activities," said Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. "First off, you get experimentation, then investment, excitement, speculation and a bubble," he added.

"The bubble always bursts, as it did with dot-com, but after that you get decades of long-term deployment where the real impact of the technology becomes understood on business models, economy and society," Mr. Tapscott said.

"Having the bubble burst in people's faces set people in the mindset to create businesses that provided something material for users," said Amit Kapur, MySpace's vice-president of business development. "[With MySpace], everything fell together at the right time and created this innovative product combining all these other user experiences from other sites on the Web that weren't making the most of their technology."

Matt Cohler, a Facebook vice-president and one of the site's first employees, says the online advertising business model is still a very narrow slice of a marketer's budget, and it's up to sites like Facebook to innovate and create new revenue streams.

Still, there is no sure bet on the Web, even for Facebook. The site's drive to appease marketers with its most recent advertising platform, dubbed Beacon, has failed. The site partnered with third-party Web sites that place unauthorized messages in users' news feeds. It infuriated the Facebook community, who said the practice was a blatant invasion of their privacy.

"We moved too quickly when it came to Beacon," Mr. Cohler admits.

Duncan Stewart, director at Deloitte Canada Research, agrees. "The lesson of Beacon is not that it can't be done or even if it was done wrong, but it must be done cautiously," Mr. Stewart said.

But try telling that to social networking phenoms like California-based software company RockYou, developers of Super Wall, which has more than 2.6 million subscribers, as well as about 400 other Facebook applications. A new advertising platform geared towards Facebook developers - with more than 10,000 already signed up - it will drive revenues into the "tens of millions or higher," said Lance Tokuda, RockYou's chief executive and founder.

"The space we're shooting for is bigger than Yahoo's presence on the Web," Mr. Tokuda said. "Four of the top 10 sites in the world are social networks and we're looking to expand into e-mail and instant messaging."

Financial Post

dgeorgecosh@nationalpost.com

Ontario boosts production tax credits.

2007-12-18T19:28:00.000-04:00

TORONTO -- The Ontario government has come to the rescue of the beleaguered local film and TV industry, upping tax credits for domestic production to 30% from 20% and for foreign production to 18% from 11%.

That percentage of the labor portion of a production's budget--usually between 70% and 90% of overall cost--will be tax exempt. For domestic productions shooting outside of Toronto, there will continue to be an additional 10% credit.

Foreign productions lensing outside of Toronto will, however, no longer get an extra 3% credit.

The Big Table

2007-12-07T13:06:00.000-04:00

Our pals at PriceWaterhouseCoopers looked at digital media and animation incentives in Canada. Yeah team!! And it put the results in THE BIG TABLE. Cool or what!!!!

http://www.pwc.com/ca/eng/ins-sol/publications/btdma_0907.pdf

What's in a name?

2007-11-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

Telefilm calls our industry New Media; Telefilm has a New Media Fund. Industry Canada calls it New Media--a part of its much larger Information and Communications Technologies sector.

At the provincial level, there's the successful New Media BC. Alberta uses Digital Media (the Digital Media Association of Alberta changed from the original New Media Association of Alberta). Saskatchewan and Manitoba opted to use "Interactive Digital".

So the question: can we get more action with New Media New Brunswick or Digitial Media NB or Interactive Digital Media NB than we are getting with GAS??? Changing the name should broaden the audience--at least in theory. Thoughts?

8th Virtual CareerFair November 1 - 8, 2007

2007-10-24T10:28:00.000-03:00

CareerBeacon.com and the New Brunswick Department of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour are teaming up to produce the 8th Virtual Career Fair - a one week online recruitment event where all employers can advertise positions for free on the Fair’s website.

During that week, November 1 - 8, 2007, an aggressive print and online advertising campaign draws tens of thousands of job seekers of all ages and backgrounds. It attracts a lot of former New Brunswick residents.

For more info, go to http://www.careerbeacon.com/vcf/vcfadv.html.

Seven Steps to Successful Problem Solving

2007-10-20T03:21:00.000-03:00

TEC speaker Gerry Faust says most problems are not truly solved because people don't:

1. Clearly define the "real problem" well enough.

2. Get the right people to solve the problem.

3. Use an effective problem-solving process.

In fact, you can simplify problem solving -- and succeed at it -- by following seven logical steps, which were developed by Richard L. Lyles, Ph.D., who co-authored "Responsible Managers Get Results" with Faust.

Success in Seven Steps

Faust distills Lyles' method for success at problem solving as follows:

1. Define the problem.

Identify what is wrong by including both a cause and an effect in the definition.

Questions to answer:
* What is really wrong?

* What is happening, or what isn't?

* What do we find unacceptable?

2. Define the objective(s).

What is the outcome you want to achieve as a result of solving the problem? This is your objective.

3. Generate alternatives.

This is where solutions lie, so be creative in this step.

How many alternatives can you generate? Don't try to judge them until you have come up with as many alternatives as possible.

4. Develop an action plan.

Use detail. Most action plans for tough problems involve taking several steps over a period of time.

Questions to answer:
* Who will do what?

* By what date(s)?

* How will this be accomplished?

5. Troubleshoot.

Don't get so carried away about your solution that you avoid this step.

Questions to answer:
* What could go wrong here?

* What could be the side effects?

* How can we ensure this plan will work?

Answer these questions before you proceed.

6. Communicate.

Getting information to the right people is key for getting the buy-in to make it a success.

Questions to answer:
* Which individuals or groups might affect the success of your action plan?

* Who will be impacted by it, and therefore who needs to be informed about it?

* Who will communicate with affected parties?

7. Implement.

Carry out the plan and monitor its implementation.

Questions to answer:
o Who will monitor the plan?

o Who is accountable for each part of the solution?

o What will be the consequences for failure to meet the plan?

Problem Solving vs. Decision Making

When you are using a systematic approach to sort out issues facing your company, problem solving and decision making can follow nearly the same process.

"In problem solving, the first step is to define the problem. The second step is to set the objectives or define desired outcomes," explains Faust.

"In decision making, the first step is to identify the desired outcomes. A systematic decision-making process is pretty much the same as a systematic problem-solving method."

But TEC speaker Mike Murray reminds us that -- in his view -- they are not the same thing, and should be approached separately.

"The mental processing to create the diversity needed for problem-solving is different from 'deciding,'" he says. "The word 'decide' comes from a root word that means 'to kill.' What you don't want to do is mix problem solving -- which is creating alternatives -- with decision making, which is killing alternatives."

If you are deciding while you are problem solving, you may prematurely eliminate alternatives that are workable.

BitTorrent Bets on New CEO, New Business Model

2007-10-20T02:44:00.001-03:00

Here's a business conundrum Henry Ford never had to face: How do you convert a popular service built largely on the appeal of illicit file sharing into a legitimate business?

The challenge has caused headaches and grief for executives at Napster, Kazaa and YouTube, to name a few. Now BitTorrent will make an attempt at the same perilous transition.

The San Francisco-based peer-to-peer file-sharing firm debuts Doug Walker as its new CEO Wednesday. He replaces the technology's inventor, Bram Cohen, who will become chief scientist. The news comes hot on the heels of last week's unveiling of the company's enterprise platform, BitTorrent DNA, as well as the firm's announcement that internet video-service provider Brightcove will be the product's first major customer.

In a meeting with Wired News, BitTorrent's new CEO and the privately held firm's co-founders, Cohen and Ashwin Navin, laid out an ambitious strategy: They want to own the world of streaming content.

"YouTube makes low-quality videos available, not because people wouldn't watch high-quality ones," says Cohen. "That's all it can afford."

With BitTorrent DNA, the company now offers a protocol for streaming high-definition video, including 780p and 1080i. Until now, the BitTorrent protocol only worked for downloading files, not for streaming media files (playing them as they download).

Cohen's goals as chief scientist include improving the streaming and making the protocol more "polite" to the end user. Because BitTorrent's peer-to-peer protocol both uploads to and downloads from a user's computer, it has in the past interfered with web browsers and other applications. The new release is more polite in that respect, though Cohen will continue to work on the issue, he says.

BitTorrent has more than YouTube in its sights. In February, the company launched an iTunes competitor, the BitTorrent Entertainment Network, selling downloadable movies, TV, games, music and software. The majority of its commercial files are protected by digital-rights-management technology and only play on Windows PCs. The company claims much of that content will be free to the customer by the end of the year, with revenue coming from ads.

BitTorrent is now applying the same P2P distribution model it uses in its store to a distribution service for companies that want to sell video, games and commercial software. The larger goal is to allow content creators to save on the infrastructure costs associated with online downloads, while also enabling higher-quality images and faster download times.

The few gray hairs on Walker's head should go a long way towards soothing entertainment execs, whose panic over letting go of old business models is rivaled only by their panic over losing market share to internet upstarts. While Cohen, 32, and Navin, 30, inspire confidence respectively as tech genius and sharp dealmaker, they admit that a seasoned CEO helps their cause.

Walker, 48, was previously an executive with IBM, Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics. He most recently served as CEO of Alias Systems, creator of the leading 3-D animation software, Maya. About half of Alias Systems' customers were in the entertainment sector that BitTorrent is targeting.

"High-level diplomacy within the entertainment sector is the area where the P2P industry needs the most work," says Marty Lafferty, CEO of the Distributed Computing Industry Association. Lafferty's reaction to BitTorrent's announcement: "Finally!"

BitTorrent DNA's first major customer, Brightcove, delivers the streaming content for major content sites including CBS, MTV and Warner Music. The outcome of the partnership will serve as a bellwether for BitTorrent DNA. If cost savings prove real and image quality is improved, additional big-name customers will likely follow.

BitTorrent also opened a two-person satellite office last week in Japan, a country whose broadband infrastructure is a generation ahead of the U.S. market. BitTorrent hopes that Japan will serve as a model for where the American market might take legal P2P technology.

Is Cohen pleased to be giving up the CEO job?

"Yes I am," he says with a grin.

Software New Zealand to Pioneer Wiki-based Laws

2007-09-30T14:55:00.000-03:00

New Zealand will allow citizens to decide what is legal or not via wiki

New Zealand's Policing Act governs what is legal and what is illegal for its citizens. Now New Zealand will take a grand, bold step by allowing its citizens to collectively rewrite its laws in pure democratic fashion.

While the idea hearkens back to ancient democratic forums, the medium is decidedly high-tech -- the nation will use a wiki to allow citizens to contribute to the new policing act. The page will help people organize their thoughts and collectively make decisions.

Ward Cunningham, inventor of the wiki, chose the Hawaiian word "wiki" rather than the English term "quick" to avoid coining the term "quick-web." Cunningham's first collaborative database was a simple, quick way to store vast amounts of user-contributed data. His idea would eventually seed one of the most trafficked sites on the Internet: Wikipedia.

New Zealand Police Superintendent Hamish McCardle, responsible for the review, calls the move "a new frontier in democracy" and sees the pilot as essential for police to understand public sentiment. "It's a novel move but when it comes to the principles that go into policing, the person on the street has a good idea ... as they are a customer," he claims.

The old Policing Act dates back to1958, and modern police feel the code could not accurately and fairly police its citizens in the modern landscape.

New Zealand Police boldly decided that changing the law should not be relegated to government politicians and bureaucrats.

Allegations that criminals will exploit the process to write legal loopholes do not concern McCardle. "We have been asked if we are worried about it being defaced, but wikis generally haven't been defaced internationally -- people generally are constructive and productive," claims McCardle.

McCardle specifically notes the success of Wikipedia as proof wiki-based contributions can lead to something constructive.

The Wiki is also open to people worldwide, so everyone from academics to amateur politicians can have a say in what they think would help make a safe and productive society. However, the site is temporarily not accepting new entries due to the volume of new entries.

New Zealand successfully launched a smaller wiki, dubbed ParticipatioNZ, to study the effectiveness of wikis in government.

Jason Mick

Wanted: Fortune Hunters

2007-09-17T20:11:00.000-03:00

CBC TV's Dianne Buckner, host of Dragons' Den and Venture, is working on a new show called Fortune Hunters. The show looks at current and emerging trends in the global marketplace and how Canadian entrepreneurs are capitalizing on those trends.

The producers are looking for entrepreneurs from New Brunswick to feature in a 6 minute segment on national television. Criteria: you have started businesses related to franchising or are looking to start franchising your business; your business is related to on-line social networking; and/or you offer unique products or services that cater to the aging boomer demographic.

Interested? Contact Lindsey Neely, 416.205.3498 or NeelyL@toronto.cbc.ca

Canada Bombshell

2007-09-10T10:54:00.000-03:00

Canada Bombshell. Modestly billed as a superfantastic Canadian digital interactive blog. Mission: to promote new media events and companies in Canada.

THINKNB

2007-09-05T16:18:00.000-03:00

Think NB

Think New Brunswick ICT Showcase will be a trade show like no other!

Designed solely to create awareness, partnerships and business development between both developers and users of ICT within the province.

The format of Think New Brunswick ICT Showcase will have a strong focus on exhibitor to exhibitor networking and feature an exclusive group of New Brunswick companies currently developing and marketing leading edge technologies right here in New Brunswick.

In addition, Think New Brunswick ICT Showcase will attract a strong attendance from New Brunswick based industries including, Department of National Defence, Regional Health Corporations, municipalities, regional agencies, organization, and leadinginformation communication technology users.

New site launched

Thanks for the news Steve Kelly!

We're no Danes but ...

2007-09-04T00:12:00.000-03:00

Canadian Press

September 3, 2007 at 10:48 AM EDT

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands — Compared with the rest of the world, Canadians are a pretty happy lot.

Canada sits ninth of 95 nations ranked in a “global happiness index" created by Dutch academic Ruut Veenhoven in 1999.

Canada has a score of 7.6 on the World Database of Happiness, compared with the U.S. score of 7.4, which ranks 17th. The top rated countries are Denmark (8.2) and Switzerland (8.1). At the bottom, Tanzania, by contrast, received a score of 3.2.

Mr. Veenhoven told CTV News that all countries in the top group – mostly Western and rich – scored closely, with small variations. He pointed out that they are all democratic, have gender equality and are fairly tolerant.

Mr. Veenhoven's major factors contributing to happiness are the quality of society as a whole, quality of employers and education, and personal choice.

ARE YOU READY TO BREAKTHRU?!

2007-08-29T16:17:00.000-03:00

BREAKTHRU, New Brunswick’s Business Plan Competition is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurially minded New Brunswickers to transform their innovative business ideas into profitable business ventures.

One of the competition’s main goals is to support would-be entrepreneurs and encourage them to take the next step and create their own business venture. Breakthru is also open to tried and true entrepreneurs that are ready to launch their next business venture. It provides participants with an unparalleled opportunity to access feedback, mentoring, start-up capital and support; exactly what an emerging company needs to get off the ground successfully. Participants will compete for their share of over $200,000 in prizes and in-kind support.

Are you ready to Breakthru?

Digital Content Association of Japan event

2007-08-28T13:12:00.000-03:00

FYI - Digital Creators Competition 2007

Deadline to be September 10, 2007 (to arrive at DCAJ)
No age limitation for applicants
Animation length to be three minutes or shorter; if it is a abbreviated version of a longer original, the applicant should indicate that fact and the original length.
One Gold Wing Award winner to receive 200,000 Japanese Yen as scholarship money; two Silver Wing Award of 100,000 Yen; and three Excellence Award of 50,000 Yen.
Awarding ceremony will be held on October 11, 2007 as part of ASIAGRAPH in Tokyo.
Winner's work will be screened at ASIAGRAPH (October 11 to 14, 2007) and on other occasions.

For more information or to register, please contact :
Eddie Suzuki
Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ)
23-3 Icgiban-cho, Suite #LB
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0082, Japan
Tel.: 81-3-3512-3901
Fax: 81-3-3512-3908
http://www.dcaj.org/outline/english/index.html

Deal with problem clients responsibly

2007-08-25T00:14:00.001-03:00

Deal with problem clients responsibly

Jacksonville Business Journal - January 9, 2004

By Ben Leichtling

Every company has them: clients that aren't worth the problems they create. They eat up your profits and are so nasty, deceitful and frustrating that your good employees quit. If you think your company doesn't have any, you're too far away from the firing lines.

Successful training or timely firing is in order before they ruin your business. The trick is to do it in a way that costs less, preserves your reputation and helps your company grow with better clients.

Don't hesitate because of fear and inexperience. A typical fear is thinking that if you stop working or push for timely payment, they'll get insulted and won't pay or will bad mouth you. Problem clients are less likely to pay after you finish the job.

Here are some suggestions for dealing with problem clients:

* List your top three "problem children" and your timeline for their professional development or firing. What keeps you from taking action right now? Is that fear exaggerated?

One surveying company owner had a client who refused to pay during a project, no matter how much the entrepreneur compromised. The client claimed they'd never received invoices, and stalled and lied many times about mailing checks. In order to receive the finished drawings, the client finally cut a check but then canceled payment as the owner was driving to the bank.

* Know your clients and employees. Who pays on time, who avoids paying and who nickel-and-dimes you? Which employees are afraid to pursue clients, which skillfully handle different types of clients and which escalate problems instead of clearing the air?

* Plan ahead. Do your contracts give you enough leverage to stand firm?

* Owner-to-owner honesty can distinguish problem clients who have been blaming difficulties on poor systems or employees from good clients who have problem employees. Some clients and managers treat your staff like dirt but will listen to you. Develop a timetable with staff: clients must deliver by a certain time or get bumped up to you.

* Educate inexperienced or fearful managers on when and how to stand firm. Many managers, afraid of the repercussions if a client complains or leaves, jump inappropriately to please clients. Meet regularly with staff to determine when to get firm with which clients. Tell them that clients who take advantage will get no more slack while good clients will get some. Managers must know that you'll stand behind decisions and plans.

For example, when clients call with urgent change orders, fearful managers can create future payment problems by sending crews before the new work is described, priced and signed for. Get signatures when the client is anxious to get the work done.

* Some clients can be educated if your service is good enough. For example, a civil engineering firm had a client that withheld payment. Cash flow suffered while the firm carried the account. The client valued the firm's accuracy, attention to details and timely adherence to budget, and wanted to hire it again. I asked the engineer, "What would that client have to do in order for you to be willing to work with them again?" The answer was to agree to pay a retainer that would be replenished at each milestone or the work would stop. The client agreed and cash now flows.

* Be clear, persistent and matter-of-fact when educating or firing a problem client. Most entrepreneurs want parting to be amicable so they do it indirectly. They'll eat the present contract, and never again bid or bid high for that client. Explain that you're probably not the right fit for the next job and send problem clients to your competitors.

Don't react emotionally to their emotions. Learn to say calmly, "We can go on to the next step when you've signed off on this step or paid the outstanding bill."

* Some problem clients are so abusive that good employees burn out. Rotate staff to see if a different personality or style solves the problem. Make sure employees know when you've fired a difficult client. Be aboveboard if you ask employees to put up with a client for a finite time. Consider offering them a bonus or some perk for their "hazardous duty."

If you're desperate, you'll take any client just to survive. However, a different strategy is necessary in order to thrive. Stand up to your fears and stop wasting time, energy and good employees on problem clients. Focus on your best clients and grow with other good ones.

Harold's Intro

2007-08-14T20:06:00.000-03:00

You've seen my name on the sidebar and may be wondering what the heck I'm doing with GAS. I don't have much experience with animation or computer gaming but I did do a fair bit of war-gaming (with the military) as well as helicopter flight simulation in a previous life.

My interest in GAS is as someone who has chosen New Brunswick as home [I'm originally from BC] and like many companies in this industry my clients are outside the Province. I started with the e-learning industry here in '98 and saw it flash, fizzle and partially rise from the ashes. My experience with industry associations has been not all that great but I like what GAS is doing, in that it's real conversations with real people and focused on the grassroots.

I think that there is some great potential here, as long as government keeps a hands-off approach (sorry about that my friends in govt, but let entrepreneurs do their own thing). One lesson I learnt from the e-learning industry was that the government propped-up too many businesses that should have failed. With GAS, I hope that the government concentrates on infrastructure, like making this province more open to immigrants. Better public transportation would be something positive. Also, I know people who would love to move here but our immigration laws are too strict. The Province should put pressure on the Feds.

Anyway, I'm interested in systems and strategy and new business models, and you can always get more than you want of my opinion on my blog.

Human Resource Development in the sector

2007-08-08T10:10:00.000-03:00

In March 2006, the Enterprise Network was contracted by the department of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour to form a workforce adjustment committee for the Information Technology sector in New Brunswick. The primary objectives of this committee were to understand the workforce needs of the sector and develop a strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry.

Nineteen companies contributed to the strategy and developed 6 key goals:

Implementation of a provincial ICT Human Resource structure with appropriate staff and resources to facilitate sector communications, growth and prosperity.
Retention of appropriately skilled and experienced ICT employees and managers in New Brunswick.
Education of an adequate number of new ICT graduates to a job ready skill and experience level to meet evolving industry needs.
Attraction of appropriately skilled and experienced ICT employees and managers from outside NB.
Develop a strong positive image of the NB ICT industry with enhanced pride and esteem of sector participants and strong awareness of sector employment opportunities through enhanced sector communications.
Ongoing professional development of experienced ICT sector employees and managers to adapt their skill sets to meet evolving industry needs.

Autodesk purchases Skymatter

2007-08-08T09:09:00.000-03:00

Skymatter the creator of Mudbox, a high resolution brush based sculpting software was, on August 6, 2007, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of Skymatter, Inc., the developer of Mudbox. This acquisition will augment Autodesk’s offering for the film, television and game market segments, while offering additional growth opportunities for other design disciplines. Autodesk anticipates that the transaction will close in the next two months.

For the full press release check it out here

Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund announce new funding

2007-08-07T14:48:00.000-03:00

Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund announced new funding forHD production and increased matching broadcaster support for new media digital productions. The Board has approved new funding of up to $75,000 for television programs that are shot and broadcast in HD format and has also doubled the eligible bonus to $100,000 to match broadcaster cash contribution to the production of new media digital projects.

Funding for the television component of eligible Bell Fund projects is in the form of a grant of up to 75% of the total Canadian broadcast licence fees for the program, to a maximum of $75,000. Now, in addition to this, if the program is both shot and broadcast in HD, the production will receive double the eligible grant, to a maximum of $150,000.

The cap on the grant matching any broadcaster cash contributions to the financing of the new media component has now also been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. This is in addition to the standard new media grant of up to 75% of the cost of production of the project, to a maximum of $250,000.

Therefore, successful Bell Fund applicants can now receive up to $500,000 for their television and associated digital projects. Both of these increases will take effect at the next Bell Fund application deadline of October 1, 2007.

The Bell Fund continues to adapt to the changing needs of the industry and these new funding opportunities are designed to help maintain the leadership and competitive role that Canadian producers have established in the world of cross-platform production.

For more info: www.bellfund.ca; bellfund@ipf.ca; 416. 977.8154

Club Penguin founders strike it rich

2007-08-02T15:26:00.000-03:00

Disney pays Kelowna entrepreneurs $350-million for virtual penguin world

WENDY STUECK
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
August 2, 2007 at 4:18 AM EDT

They may be flightless in the real world but penguins are soaring in the virtual one, as borne out by Walt Disney Co.'s agreement to pay $350-million (U.S.) for Kelowna, B.C.-based Club Penguin.

The online club lets subscribers take on the identities of penguins that waddle and chat in spots such as a ski hill, custom-furnished igloos and a coffee shop. The deal, announced yesterday, generates a windfall for the company's three founders, who are its only shareholders, and highlights the burgeoning appetite for social networking sites that cater to a preteen audience.

Having fended off multiple offers from venture capital investors and would-be buyers, Club Penguin's creators decided deep-pocketed Disney would be the best partner to help a company based on a flightless bird spread its virtual wings, co-founder Lane Merrifield said yesterday.

"We have been offered a lot of money from a lot of different people at various different points," Mr. Merrifield said on a conference call with reporters.

"For us, this whole decision was based around being able to connect with infrastructure that we wouldn't be able to build on our own and being able to take this thing further, and to more countries and more children around the world than we would be able to on our own."

Club Penguin launched in October, 2005, and now has more than 700,000 subscribers who pay $5.95 a month or $57.95 a year. The privately held company does not release financial information, but Mr. Merrifield said it was designed to be self-sustaining from its inception and is profitable.

Founded by Mr. Merrifield, Dave Krysko and Lance Priebe, the site was designed to appeal to youngsters from 6 to 14 and provide an advertising-free zone that features penguin avatars through which subscribers chat, play games to earn cash and decorate their igloos. The founders, who all have children of their own, wanted to create a virtual playground that would emphasize fun and creativity.

As the site snowballed, picking up subscribers in the United States, Britain and across Canada, calls and e-mails started pouring in from would-be investors and purchasers who wanted to join the march of the penguins all the way to the bank.

The Club Penguin partners held out, aiming to find a partner that would respect the company's approach.
"For us, the process of finding the right partner was paramount," Mr. Merrifield said. "We are passionate about this, this is our baby."

Under the terms of the deal, Club Penguin and its current 130 employees will remain in Kelowna. The company's three founders will join Disney, which says it plans "no immediate changes" to the operation or business model of the company.

About 10 per cent of the purchase price will go toward Club Penguin's foundation, which is involved in child-focused charitable work in countries including Uganda, Kenya and Romania, Mr. Merrifield said.

Virtual worlds and immersive environments are key elements of Disney's strategy, said Steve Wadsworth, president of the Walt Disney Internet Group.

"So when something like a Club Penguin comes along, it's a very obvious fit," Mr. Wadsworth said.
Through Disney, Club Penguin hopes to see its waddling birds make inroads into markets in Europe and Asia and possibly branch out with more merchandise or even movies.

"That's going to be something that when the time comes, we will evaluate it, listen to the audience and see if that's something that the kids will want to see," Mr. Merrifield said.

Thanks to William Langley for this news.

Nice work !

2007-08-01T11:13:00.000-03:00

Good Day all;

Kudos to everyone who contributed to developing the idea for a GAS blog, and thanks to those whose hard work set this up.

- Tony
www.puppydoodle.biz

"I am happy to report that I received an email from Beans today, though it did give me GAS."

Fellow GAS members

2007-08-01T11:01:00.000-03:00

I do hope that our unity as a group puts out a strong message to the provience about trying to help us be and build a stronger face to the rest of the country. I want to continue to build my studio and have all the technical and financial abilities to do that. But want more resources for HR and also need less taxes to help successfully build out a strong P&L for the future.

Fatkat

2007-07-30T10:32:00.000-03:00

“Quality of work and quality of life for those we work for and those we work with”

Hey hey Kats and Kittens!

Let's get this ball a rollin' yo! First, lets start off with a little bit of an introduction from everyone! First off, I'd like to introduce Fatkat...

Fowler, with a dream to have his own studio, started Fatkat Animation Studio with its head offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After a successful stint creating over 40 animated training films for companies like Nike and Hasbro, Fatkat's largest client pulled the plug on project development and the summer of 2003 saw Fatkat disband.

This was an opportunity in disguise for Fowler as he then seized the moment to re situate the company to his hometown of Miramichi. With tremendous support and a few good employees, Gene incorporated Fatkat's new headquarters in Miramichi City in the fall of 2003.

Fatkat's first assignment in New Brunswick was to produce an animated series for television. The show 'And Yet I Blame Hollywood' for CBC Television was very well received and stemming from that experience more TV production jobs poured in. We’ve worked on shows like Caillou, Carl Squared, Family Guy, Odd Job Jack and with commercial clients such as Pepsi, Yahoo, Unilever, Microsoft, Gee Guides, Heritage Gas, Century 21 and Toyota.

Fatkat is currently in production of TV shows; “SuperNormal” with World Leaders; “Chaotic” with Bardel and “4Kids!” for Teletoon and YTV; “Skunk-Fu” with Cartoon Saloon out of Ireland. Our Commercial department is also busy on stuff that’s top secret though, we can’t tell you or we’d have to strip you down and cover you with molasses.

Over the last 18 months the company has quickly doubled in size as more and more of these great gigs come in. Fatkat is fast approaching the 100 employee mark and with Gene's desire to have a company grow and blossom in his hometown, Fatkat has been aggressively marketing itself on a global scale to keep up with supply and demand.

The financial support received from the Miramichi Regional Economic Development Fund, and local government agencies, including the Province of New Brunswick has allowed Fatkat to set its sights on being the largest animation studio in Atlantic Canada and the fastest growing animation company in the country.

You haven’t seen nothing yet!