28th November 2009

NFS Nitro Facebook Edition In Public Beta

Need for Speed Facebook EditionVancouverEA has announced the online beta version of Need For Speed Nitro – Facebook Edition. Developed by Vancouver social media studio Ayogo, this new addition to the NFS Ayogofranchise features car collecting, sharing, and competing with your friends to see who will be first to win the Bronze, Silver and Gold Cups. Ayogo and EA are looking for beta testers who can provide feedback which can then be used to improve the application. All you need to do to get involved is give the Need for Speed app access to your FaceBook profile, hit the track to rack up points and then report back to the app’s FaceBook page with feedback about your game play experience.

Vancouver – Congratulations to Adrian Crook on the release of Disney Interactive’s The Princess and The Frog, a title The Princess and The Frogwhich he helped design for Amaze Entertainment’s Wii and PC iterations. In this new title, players can experience Tiana’s exciting world set in the jazz-infused era of 1920’s New Orleans with the official video game inspired by the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures release of The Princess and the Frog, which opens everywhere on December 11th. Celebrate favourite moments from the movie and take on new challenges with Tiana, as she pursues her dreams in a fun adventure. Meet favorite characters from the film and new friends, triumph over enemies, play frog games in the bayou, create music, cook New Orleans style and so much more. Along the way, discover what it takes to make Tiana’s dreams come true! This game is also available for the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo Wii™ Key Features

* 30 replayable Wii-exclusive mini-games for 1-4 players
* Play & move to music, cook New Orleans cuisine, and try on multiple outfits with Tiana & her friends
* Collect Mardi Gras beads to trade for new dresses, fabrics, ingredients and recipes
* Explore quest hubs with drop-in/drop-out Multiplayer
* Discover five beautiful New Orleans hub locations including the French Quarter and the Bayou
* Have fun with eight playable characters and multiple NPCs

Vancouver Interactive Night OutVancouver – Thank you to everyone who came out to our first Vancouver Interactive Night Out at Yagger’s on West Pender – it was a great social evening, and we’re looking forward to the Holiday Event on December 18th. We hope you can join us in the back room at Yagger’s and share the holiday cheer. In celebration of our first event we held a business card draw for two Canadian-made game titles. (We may continue to do this at future events, as well).

Congratulations to our winners:

Dragon Age: Origins (360 version donated by Village Gamer) went to Roger Mitchell from Dropship Studios
FarCry 2 (360 version donated by Wendy Boylan from Ubi YVR) went to Stéphane Morichére-Matte from Catchy Consulting.

Music In Media AwardsLos Angeles – Congratulations to all of the Canadian Studios, Projects and Artists who won awards at the recent Hollywood Music In Media Awards, which were held on November 19th at the Kodak Theatre Complex in Hollywood.

Best Original Score – Video Game: Jesper Kyd – “Assassins Creed 2” (Ubisoft)

Best Original Song – Video Game: “I Am the One” from Dragon Age: Origins (Bioware) Written by Inon Zur and Aubrey Ashburn / Performed by Aubrey Ashburn

Best Original Song – Commercial Advertisement:2 Scoops” (Canada Credit) Written by Peter Holmes / Performed by Michelle Harding

Outstanding Music Supervision – Video Game: Simon Pressey – Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)

Best Contemporary Christian Song: This Day Is Mine (remix) – Janyse

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27th November 2009

WaveFront Seminar, Another G4Box Update and a Studio Anniversary

wavefrontVancouverWaveFront is holding an Introduction to Nokia platforms and OVI Services seminar session on December 9 at the 2010 Commerce Centre from 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM. This seminar is free, but with limited seating it is recommended that you register as soon as possible.

Attend this interactive seminar to receive an end-to-end overview of Nokia platforms and OVI services. Nokia and its OVI Services offer the largest global reach for application developers with more than one billion people in over 150 countries placing their trust in Nokia devices and services each and every day. Developers will learn about the latest Nokia OVI business opportunities and receive practical advice on how to develop and port your mobile application on Nokia platform and publish it to the OVI Store, an easy way to distribute and monetize your applications and content to Nokia users all over the world.

This is a must attend for wireless, new media and content application developers with an opportunity to network with business and technical specialists from Nokia and local developer peers. You have an opportunity to set up a one-on-one engagement meeting with Nokia business and technical specialists after the seminar at Wavefront’s office from 12-5pm, so please also let us know if you would like to set-up a meeting when you register.

G4BOXToronto – Game Publisher G4BOX Inc., has launched an exciting new update and a store-wide sale for its free military FPS, Cross Fire. The update includes a new Search and Destroy map, three new weapons, limited time Thanksgiving-themed items, and a major anti-hack update.

Just in time for the  American Thanksgiving weekend, Cross Fire and G4BOX have released an exciting new free update! The patch, which is available now, features the all-new Search and Destroy map, “Downtown”, a sprawling urban environment in which players must race to defend or destroy key strategic positions throughout the city. The update also includes three new weapons: the classic CrossFire Holiday ItemsWinchester Rifle, a Thompson SMG and an M16 Scope-Camo. Each of these weapons are available via Black Market GP crates, purchased for free with Cross Fire in-game currency. Finally, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, players will find a Turkey helmet and Turkey backpack available through the Z8Games Item Mall. These two limited-time items will be sold separately or as part of a bundle at a special price. All of these updates come in addition to a major upgrade to Cross Fire’s anti-hack protection.

Also, in the tradition of Black Friday, and as a special thank you to the ever-expanding Cross Fire community, all Cross Fire items in the Z8Games online item mall are on sale at 20% off. The sale will begin November 27th 2009 at 5PM EST and will end on November 29th 2009 at 11:59PM EST.

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Free-for-All, Team Death Match and the exclusive stealth-action ghost mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, and deep character customization options. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Mike Efford Motion DesignToronto – Mike Efford Motion Design celebrates 15 years of creating 3D animation for some of the country’s most successful marketing campaigns. This animation studio has created 3D magic for marketers since 1994, and now predicts vigorous growth in the utilization of computer animation to bring advertiser’s visions to life.

Mike Efford, a 19 year veteran of Toronto’s advertising and graphic design industry, felt that in the future, 3D animated graphics would become a key marketing medium for everyone from retailers to manufacturers to health organizations and more.

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26th November 2009

News From The West

Inspirado GamesVancouverInspirado Games has opened their Competition Sunshine for entry. Competition Sunshine is an opportunity for the Game Development community to give a voice to individuals passionate about video game design, through a fun and worthwhile game design competition. To enter, participants must make a donation to the Child’s Play Charity of $20 (USD) or more (100% of entry fees go to charity) and conform to the design criteria. Finalists will be judged by a panel of experienced game design professionals – with winners receiving prizes and, of course, bragging rights.

This competition is intended to give individuals in the gaming community an opportunity to showcase their talent. A profile will be written about the winner (with their permission) and published online for all to see. Please note that all Intellectual Property Rights (copyright) of the submitted design concept will remain the sole property of the entrant – and who knows – entrants may get their game developed! Entry deadline is December 13th, so get that design concept in now.

F5 ExpoVancouver – The F5 Expo has opened its site for the April 7 2010 conference in Vancouver. F5 Expo is a forward thinking resource meant to jump start businesses into “the know” on future trends within the online space.

The event converges interactive exhibits, peer idea-collaboration amongst fellow Owners, Executives and Buyers, and edge-of-your-seat conferences into one explosive day. The focus is on refreshing business strategies through captivating content and storytelling with an “AHA” factor on such topics as mobile apps, search marketing, business blogs/webinars, social media, web 2.0 and more.

I’ve visited previous F5 expos (under the Massive Technology incarnation), and have always come away with new insight into business and technology – I highly recommend attendance.

knowledge.caBurnabyKnowledge.ca has launched a new, interactive space for British Columbians. With a fresh look and creative design, Knowledge.ca extends the television experience by streaming full length programs and promos, motivating interaction with programming, and providing new revenue opportunities. For users of all ages, Knowledge.ca offers exceptional functionality, navigation and search capabilities for an intuitive and easy-to-use experience.

“Knowledge.ca is an experience that will deepen user engagement with our broadcasting service”, says Rudy Buttignol, President and CEO of Knowledge. ”By delivering digital broadcast content in an interactive environment anywhere, anytime, Knowledge is connecting British Columbians to local and global perspectives, and most importantly, to each other.”

Knowledge.ca offers a compelling new design and content showcasing Knowledge programming. Key features include:

* View program schedules integrated with on-air video promotions
* Rate and comment on specific programs
* Browse upcoming programming and sort by title, topic, video or viewer ratings
* View a selection of full-length programs online
* Set email reminders for upcoming Knowledge programs
* Donate or renew your partnership with an improved donation process
* Design complements the broadcast experience of Knowledge

Today Knowledge also entered the world of social media with the launch of its Facebook and Twitter pages. Both are accessible from Knowledge.ca. Fans and followers can receive the latest news from the public broadcaster and interact by sharing ideas and comments. Mobile applications are currently in development.

Knowledge partnered with Vancouver digital agency Work at Play to build Knowledge.ca. Work at Play specializes in digital strategy, design, development, social media and applications for the music, gaming and entertainment industries. Working with major brands and entertainment properties around the world, they offer clients strategic consulting, website design, online development and user experience services. Work At Play built the site using several open source software products and is powered by Drupal, a content management system.

“We are very excited about the new Knowledge.ca and we are honored that Knowledge has chosen Work at Play to be their partner during this transformation,” says Jordan Willms, Digital Strategist for Work at Play. “Through this new website, Knowledge is able to service their existing audience better and truly capture the engagement-generation via interactive features and full length online programs.”

elluminateCalgaryElluminate, Inc., a leader in web, audio, video and social networking solutions that support 21st century teaching, learning, and collaboration, announced today that its Fire and Ice initiative was awarded iNACOL’s Best and Most Innovative Online Learning Practice award, which was announced at the organization’s annual Virtual School Symposium held November 15-17 in Austin, Texas. The award recognizes an individual, team, or program whose innovative practices or policies have ultimately led to student achievement and serve as a model for other K-12 online learning institutions.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected for the iNACOL Best and Most Innovative Online Learning Practice award,” said Stace Wills, Elluminate’s Fire and Ice Global Coordinator. “It validates the tremendous impact that collaboration technologies (such as Elluminate Live!) and school-to-school collaboration projects (like Fire and Ice) can have on development, particularly in rural and remote areas restricted by bandwidth limitations and unstable internet connections.”

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20th November 2009

2010 Global Game Jam Registration Opens This Weekend

Global Game Jam 2010The Global Game Jam™ (GGJ) an IGDA event, today announced that registration for the 2010 Global Game Jam will begin this Saturday, November 21st, allowing interested people to secure their spot at one of more than 90 locations worldwide. The 2010 GGJ will take place January 29-31, 2010 and is expected to eclipse last year’s success which saw 1,650 participants across 23 countries and 54 venues.

“The 2010 Global Game Jam is a truly global event and the growth in venues is a great sign of the growing recognition and popularity of GGJ,” said Susan Gold, founder of the Global Game Jam. “There are still a limited number of sponsorship opportunities available for companies wishing to participate and have exposure to thousands of game developers and enthusiasts around the world.”

Confirmed Canadian locations where the Global Game Jam 2010 will take place include the following:

Ottawa – Carleton University during GameDay Weekend
Vancouver – UBC
Calgary – Creative Calgary
Hamilton – Nomnomnomnomers

Game Jams foster innovation and experimentation. If you have ever wanted to make a game, be a part of a team, or go outside of your usual working method, then a game jam is for you. It’s all about making games and in the GGJ you’re part of a global experiment in creativity. A game jam is not for the faint of heart though. It’s two days of hard work, experimentation, little sleep, collaboration, cramped quarters, new friends, great idea, laughs, technical issues and the time of your life.

Everyone is given similar constraints and rules to make their games, it is amazing how different and culturally diverse the games will be. The Nordic Game Jam has honored GGJ with being the flagship Game Jam. The goal is to provide a vehicle for professional developers, students and hobbyist to come together and have an incredible experience in collaboration and inventiveness. The GGJ works perfectly into the mission of the International Game Developers Association, “Connecting members with their peers & promoting professional development.” A Game Jam is not a competition, it is unique “idea space” where sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.

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18th November 2009

Event News From Coast to Coast

Alliance-numeriqueMontrealAlliance numérique has just announced the resignation of Alain Lachapelle, Director of International Game Summit Montreal. In the official announcement, Alliance numérique CEO Peter Proulx stated that “Alain was a real force within the team. He led Summit to a new level and I want to thank him for his work and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” Alain has left the organization to pursue new professional challenges. His replacement will be announced shortly by the Alliance numérique Board of Directors.

AnnexProVancouver – Our friends at AnnexPro invite you to attend their upcoming series of events:

Nov 18 – From Art to Animation Webcast– The latest in a series, in this Autodesk webcast you’ll learn how to layout animation storyboards using Autodesk’s modeling workflow and UV layout tools. Then detail the finalized concept, and rig, animate and render your design.

Dec 5 – ZBrush Vancouver User Goup Meeting – Sponsored by Annex Pro, this is an exciting opportunity for students, hobbyists and professionals to rub elbows with fellow ZBrushers, as well as learn from some of the very best ZBrush artists around, including Pierre Bourgeot, Jeff Feligno and Chris Nichols. Attendees will also be the first to see some exciting new features that are on the way for ZBrush and take advantage of attendee-only special discounts. Live demonstrations will be followed by a mix + mingle reception! . Registration opens Nov 20

Dec 9 – Autodesk Softimage 2010 Vancouver Event – 3D Evangelist Mark Schoennagel from Autodesk will take you on a “deep dive” to unlock secrets of Softimage 2010. Learn tips and tricks, best practices and get your questions answered live. Save the date, registration opens soon

Dec 10 – Autodesk Maya 2010 Vancouver Event – Games specialist Steven Rosellle from Autodesk will demonstrate secrets of using Maya 2010 in game development. Learn tips and tricks, best practices and get your questions answered live. Save the date, registration opens soon

digital albertaCalgaryDigital Alberta will be holding a networking night in Edmonton on Tuesday, November 24th with free entry, free bevvies and free food. We will also delve into the world of digital media and web video, and learn about Statusfirm – an Edmonton-based technology company – as they officially unveil their new Core Catalyst digital media communications platform. Speakers include Kieron Quigley, Statusfirm’s Chief Technology Officer, who will explain how Core Catalyst makes it easy for organizations to use web video and rich media in every facet of their daily business; and David Nedohin, Statusfirm’s EVP of Government Relations – explaining how Core Catalyst can be used within various industries, including business, government and health.

Digital Alberta will be holding their Christmas Shaker event on December 1 with event partner the Canadian Marketing Association – Calgary Chapter as the marketing world and the digital media worlds collide. Enjoy a panel presentation from some of Calgary’s top branding dogs while we wet out whistles with libations and tantalize our palettes with an amazing spread of Chef Rusty’s cuisine at Seven Restolounge. There will also be a Silent Auction to raise money for HYTES.

VIATeCVictoriaVIATeC would like to remind members of the tech industry that their annual Food Bank Challenge was launched at Island Tech on November 13th where $3100 in donations was collected. Running until Dec 11, 2009, the Challenge involves more than 50 high-tech companies who will strive to see who can donate the most to needy families with all proceeds going to the Mustard Seed Food Bank. To the victors go the bragging rights!

The VIATeC Food Bank Challenge is entering its 7th year running. Each year more local technology companies are showing that they care and are committed to giving back to their local community. In order to heat up the competition there are going to be a number of awards presented at the VIATeC Christmas Party. VIATeC will be recognizing the company that donates the most food overall as well as the company that donates the most per employee.

There is still time to join the fun! If you would like to participate in the challenge, then all you need to do is nominate someone from your office to coordinate the efforts. For more information please contact Michelle Gaetz.

Wired WomanVancouverWired Woman will be holding a network social at Moxie’s Classic Grill (800 Bute Street Vancouver) on Monday November 23rd, where you are invited to connect, network and mingle with other women working in the local technology sector.

GamerCampTorontoGamerCamp v1.0 will be taking place at the Lower Ossington Theatre at 100A Ossington Avenue in Toronto. This one-day event celebrates the creativity, art, and history of video games with guest speakers, demos, and a free-play arcade filled with rare and classic games.

Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard of Metanet Software Inc. will be delivering the event’s keynote, and will be discussing the rock band approach to game development. Michael Todd will also be delivering an address and speaking about his game-a-week experiment and Broken Brothers Deluxe.

Between sessions, work from the Toronto indie community will be showcased. These include demos, early builds, and various pixel art. The event organizers have teamed up with the Replay Arcade Museum (which will open to the public soon) for the closing party, 1UP, which will feature unlimited free play of 25 classic arcade cabinets. Tickets for Gamercamp are $15 and can be purchased online and includes both dinner and the unlimited arcade free play.

VINOVancouver – The first Vancouver Interactive Night Out (VINO) will be held at Yagger’s (423 W. Pender Vancouver) on Friday November 27th. Come out and socialize with others who work in the interactive digital media industry at this informal networking evening. VINO’s second event will be held on Friday December 18th, also at Yagger’s.

AutodeskMontrealAutoDesk invites you to join them for 3December™ – their annual worldwide celebration of 3D computer graphics and the artists who create them. On its 11th anniversary, 3December aims to unite thousands of artists across three continents at live venues and through 3December Online. Please check the event page for details on how you can get involved either online or in person at their Montreal event.

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16th November 2009

Across The Country in Fifteen Minutes

Krabbit OnlineSurreyKrabbitSoft is pleased to announce that KrabbitWorld Origins is now available on Direct2Drive for both Windows and Mac for $14.95. KrabbitSoft has burst out of the gate at full speed, garnering kudos from journalists, gamers and even lawyers. The Davis LLP blog says that “Indie developer Krabbitsoft has done what some thought was impossible, developing and releasing an exciting, graphics-laden Action/RPG based on their own IP.”

Furious hack n’ slash combines with customizable Krabbits and choice to play in Story Mode or Battle Modes including Arcade, Versus, Team and Survival. Six playable Krabbits can be leveled up to 99 in sandbox or linear gameplay style. No grind and loot aplenty, characters level quickly in Story Mode, Krabbit Onlinegaining XP with every action. Building your Krabbit doesn’t stop at level 99. Continue building powers to 999. Character building includes gaining XP, building stats, and changing appearance any time. 3D drag n’ drop inventory and paper doll windows are featured along with account share bins, colour cloning bins, dye vendor, click map to travel and Ruby Slippers of ‘return to Adobe’.

KrabbitWorld Origins is a creative game focused on colour. Players are encouraged to experiment with dying their Krabbits to their heart’s content. Choose from 8 Realms of Origin colour palettes to design a Krabbit influenced by Darkness or Light, Death or Dreams, Solar or Contrivance, Beast or Archetypical KrabbitWorld. Transfer your Krabbits from an earlier version to a newer version or from laptop to desktop PC. Re-install a new version over an older one and still retain your already leveled Krabbits.

New Features This Week:
• Brutal Moves
• Built-in Patcher
• Elemental Bracers & Weapons Packs

Siggraph Vancouver There are still a few tickets left for Wednesday evening’s SIGGRAPH Vancouver presentation of Bringing Dragon Age to Life. BioWare’s Lead Animator Clove Roy and Lead Character Artist Shane Hawco discuss the challenges faced in creating digital actors for BioWare’s newest award-winning role-playing epic Dragon Age: Origins. This presentation will provide an in-depth look in how to tell a huge complex story through an interactive narrative complete with hundreds of emotionally engaging digital actors. I am so not missing this session – and tonight I am playing through the Final Onslaught and taking on the Archdemon for the first time. Soon all of you will be able to find out my thoughts on the entire game. If you missed my first 48-ish hours in Dragon Age, you can catch up here.

Eidos MontrealMontreal – As Day One of MIGS gets underway, all reports thus far say the seminars have been fantastic – along with the weather. Eidos Montreal kicked off their MIGS week with a very successful open house event which saw over 500 guests come through the studio – and get a few glimpses at Deus Ex 3 and Thief 4 goings-on. I’m feeling just a touch of envy here.

Also in Montreal, Bug-Tracker has announced that Wolfgang Klingel is its new General Sales Manager for Europe. This move closely follows Bug-Tracker’s expansion strategy into Asia and Europe and its ever Bug-Trackerincreasing focus on those critical markets.

With over 15 years’ experience in the video game industry, Wolfgang Klingel will be responsible for extending the company’s foothold in the European video game market as well as strengthening its exposure to the publishers and developers in this area. Wolfgang KlingelKlingel’s duties will involve collaborating and developing synergies between the North American and Asian studios in order to improve communication throughout the whole group and thus enhancing overall customer satisfaction. Klingel’s past experience includes Director of Development at Vivendi Games’ Coktel Studio and Vice-President Europe of Enzyme Testing Labs, another major quality assurance and localization company, and helped contribute to its successful development.

“Wolfgang will greatly help reinforce and grow our presence in the market we started out in 10 years ago” declared Antoine Carre, founder and CEO. “He will bring together and integrate key components of Bug-Tracker’s worldwide studios, in order to shape, lead and create new market opportunities. Adding an accomplished European video game business veteran such as Wolfgang to our team demonstrates our commitment to continuously fortify our leadership role in the QA and localization industry.”

digital albertaCalgary via Digital Alberta – Alberta’s minister of culture says the province’s film industry will finally be getting its own state-of-the-art film studio after reaching an “agreement in principle” with the owners of the Canada Olympic Park site to purchase land for a new facility.  The studio, which is estimated to cost $26 million not including the purchase of the land, will be built on four hectares to be purchased from WinSport Canada, which operates Canada Olympic Park. Blackett says he hopes to start building in the spring, but stressed that negotiations between WinSport, Calgary Economic Development and the Government of Alberta were still ongoing.

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16th November 2009

iPhone Forum Vancouver Reminder

via New Media BC – Vancouver is hosting its first iPhone Forum, a one-day event on Nov. 24 at the downtown campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The Forum, sponsored by Bell, is a joint initiative between CBC/Radio-Canada, New Media BC and BCIT.

“Bell is pleased to take a leading role in bringing the iPhone Forum to Vancouver following the launch of our new network earlier this month,” said Rick Jones, Director, Business Sales Western Region for Bell Mobility. “Bell’s new high-speed wireless network is the fastest and largest in Canada, bringing the benefits of mobile broadband access to some 20,000 cities and towns across the country.”

The day kicks off with a keynote address by iPhone creator Apple Inc., followed by speakers from Canada and the US, sharing their experience and best practices for doing business in a market where people are always connected.

“Mobile computing is coming to the masses with smartphones like the iPhone, which is fundamentally changing how people interact with media,” said CBC’s General Manager Digital Programming & Business Development, Steve Billinger. “We’re bringing business leaders, legal professionals, engineers and designers together to learn and share as much as we can about this rapidly changing new world.”

This is a must attend event for professionals of all stripes to gain the knowledge and insight required for strategic advancement. The Forum offers two tracks of discussion: Technical sessions for those that want a deeper understanding of how to design and develop for the Apple Touch Platform; and Business sessions that focus on leveraging the Platform’s market potential.

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13th November 2009

Fusion Top 10 And SME National Award Winners

Fusion ForumVancouver – After a very successful Fusion Forum Boot Camp and Presentation Day, the Top Ten Finalists were announced by New Media BC last evening at the networking mixer. Congratulations to all of you, and good luck with today’s investor meetings. The Best in Show presentation winner was Ecobuddies Interactive.

GAMESFusion Forum 2009 Top Ten

Clicktoy
Ecobuddies Interactive

MOBILE

Aegis Mobility
AppSocial
Mobify

WEB 2.0 / SOCIAL MEDIA

Muutu
My Wedding Match
Wantsa

APPLICATIONS & NEW PLATFORMS

Mingleverse Labs
Moving Media

Bug-TrackerMontreal – On the other side of the country, Bug-Tracker has distinguished itself as a Gold winner during the National Awards ceremony, which took place at the Cirque Éloize on November 6th.

“Each year through the SME Awards, the Financial Group honors the exceptional performance of the province’s enterprises and their leaders. The nominees are passionate, involved and visionary men and women who, through their dedicated work and excellent results, have carved themselves a place in a highly competitive environment” declared Réjean Lévesque, Executive Vice-President – Retail and left to right: Patricia Curadeau-Grou, EVP, Finance, Risk and Treasury, National Bank Financial Group; Kaveh Masrour, COO, Bug Tracker inc.; Antoine Carre, President, Bug Tracker inc.; Anne Bougerolles, Administrative Director, Bug Tracker inc.; Patrick Turmel, GM, Business Services, Montreal Centre, National Bank Financial GroupCommercial Banking, and Honorary President of the Gala.

“To receive this honor is a true recognition for ourselves and our teams” explained Antoine Carre, Founding President of Bug-Tracker. “We are all very proud to distinguish ourselves again by our will to excel in the management of our resources and relationships with our partners. Our reputation will now be able to continue to shine at the national level as well as on the international scene”.

Finally, the Financial Group underscored its collaboration with its trusted partners – Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche, IBM Canada Ltd, Bell Canada, La Presse, Le Droit and TVA – in uniting to pay homage to the boldness, determination and excellence of the best of Canadian entrepreneurship.

Two reports on the Montreal office of Bug-Tracker will be broadcast, one during the program “Salut Bonjour!” on TVA, and the second on Canal Argent, from November 27th to December 23th 2009.

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6th November 2009

Fusion Forum Finalists Named

Fusion ForumVancouverNew Media BC is pleased to announce the top 20 companies selected from 37 digital media companies that attended the Fusion ’09 Entrepreneur Boot Camp held at the BC 2010 Showcase Centre today.

The following will present at the Fusion Venture Forum before 22 investors, including Google and other visiting VCs from Silicon Valley on November 12 at the UBC Robson Square Theatre:

PRESENTING COMPANIES

GAMES

1. Black Cherry
2. ClickToy
3. Ecobuddies Interactive
4. Old Skool Studios
5. Overinteractive

MOBILE

1. Aegis Mobility
2. AppSocial
3. Cell Map Inc
4. Mobify
5. Sound of Motion

WEB2.0/SOCIAL MEDIA

1. Arcalife
2. Muutu
3. My Wedding Match
4. Vibrant Software (Everystockphoto)
5. Wantsa

NEW PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS

1. Konductor Software
2. LayerBoom Systems
3. Mingleverse Labs
4. Moving Media Group
5. Unbounce Marketing

Congratulations and good luck to all of you, see you at The Forum!

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6th November 2009

Vancouver Innovation Camp Round Two

Vancouver Innovation CampVancouver – Why are ideas like measles, waffles and mirrors? Why do successful people generally fail more often than less successful ones? At Vancouver Innovation Camp, you’ll discover how the answers to these questions are related to entrepreneurial thinking. Build your creativity and innovation skills by participating in activities designed to inspire your inner entrepreneur, without the boring lectures.

Participants practice skills such as identifying opportunities, learning from failure, Innovation Camp 1resourcefulness, collaborating with a team and adapting to changing environments. You’ll connect with brilliant people and work together to build on great ideas and find innovative solutions to real world challenges. Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit!

One of the event’s organizers, Nicole Sheldrake, said that the first Innovation Camp, which was held October 13 – 19th, was so successful, they’ve decided to do it again.

“Innovation Camp 1 had 18 participants from diverse backgrounds such as a VP, graphic designer, manager, musician, lawyer, student, web designer, strategic analyst, to mention a few. Participants loved connecting with new people from outside their field of work and they felt re-charged at the end of it. The participants had many chances to be creative and collaborate, and in doing the activities, they learned new ways to find solutions to problems, with the overall objective being to see problems as opportunities. In addition, the group raised $5000 for the Vancouver Food Bank in 7 hours! They were assigned a task at 11am and by 6pm had raised $5000 using their creativity and entrepreneurial skills.”

At Innovation Camp you will:

  • learn techniques to view problems from fresh perspectives in order to identify opportunitiesInnovation Camp 1
  • apply those techniques in entrepreneurial situations and reflected on what was learned in the process
  • receive clear, concise feedback on your ability to work as part of a team
  • analyze and learn from failures in your own and others lives
  • have fun!

Price (for all 3 days): $125.00 CAD for early bird tickets(purchased before Nov 10th), $149 for regular price tickets (after Nov 10th)

Location: Kontent Creative offices, 55 Water St, Vancouver, Canada

Workshop Dates and Times:

  • November 24, Tuesday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm (includes sandwiches and a drink)
  • November 26, Thursday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm (includes sandwiches and a drink)
  • November 28, Saturday, 10:00am – 6:00pm (*all day workshop, includes sandwiches and a drink)

(Each day builds on the activities of the prior, 14 hours total)

Register now or check out InnovationCamp.org for more details.

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