Martin Soltys is the CEO of Transmedia Entertainment Partner, an offshore investment fund that he wants to use to invest in Canadian film, gaming, music, television, and digital media projects.

At Game On: Finance, Soltys said he had been approached about a few interesting places he could put his money while at the conference but believes Canadians have a lot to give and he wants to invest back in his own country as he's tired of seeing no return on the money he spends. Soltys was certainly surprised how many companies were already in the Canadian gaming industry but enthusiastically said that maybe Canada could rise from 3rd worldwide to become no. 2 and eventually no. 1 in the worldwide scope of things.

Read the full story at Techvibes.com

On February 27th, the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) will be hosting another investor pitch session for the creative industries. These sessions are an opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to present their proposals to interested investors, secure investment or receive feedback.

Entrepreneurs from the film, television, music, interactive digital media, book publishing and magazine publishing industries are encouraged to submit their investment proposal through Gust, NACO's investment portal by February 7th, 2012, to be reviewed for this event.

OCAD University congratulates Dr. Sara Diamond, President and Vice-Chancellor of the university since 2005, for her appointment to the Order of Ontario. Recognition of Dr. Diamond's achievements were made public today in an announcement of 27 Ontario citizens who have made contributions to the arts, law, science, medicine, history, politics, philanthropy and the environment.

The Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC) offers a generous program to Ontario-based game developers.  Qualifying companies can reduce operating costs through a tax credit for expenditures associated with development, marketing and distribution of new products.  Enhancements to the OIDMTC regime in 2009 increased the existing credit to 40 percent of eligible expenditures directly incurred by developers.  Furthermore, definitions within the legislation were expanded in order to allow previously ineligible corporations to benefit. 

Canadian content aggregator Kidobi, today announced a new digital distribution agreement.The agreement gives the pre-school targeted streaming video platform digital and VoD rights for the newly launched preschool series Gombby’s Green Island (52 x 13 mins), with immediate effect. With the addition of Gombby’s Green Island to its extensive content library, Kidobi will be offering the North American premiere of this unique property to their subscriber base.

ONeLearning, the eLearning committee of Interactive Ontario, will outline the group's innovative efforts to bolster the eLearning cluster in Ontario, and will highlight a few of the innovative offerings being developed by its member firms on Feb 2nd at the Boiler House. More info here http://www.elated.ca/event_rsvp.php

The mobile start up market is booming. The Mobile Accelerator Program (MAP) provides both opportunities and challenges for start up companies to find their place in the marketplace.
 
MAP is a six-part series of half-day workshops offered to help entrepreneurs navigate the constantly changing marketplace towards success.

The program starts on January 19th.  
For more information about MAP and MEIC: meic.ca
 
MAP is offered in partnership with OCAD University and George Brown College.
Funding for MAP is provided by the City of Toronto and NRC IRAP.

Digital Shock Inc continues to impress the gaming world with their recent work on the Christmas release/production from Disney and Microsoft “Disneyland Adventures”. Still headed by the same three innovative executives, Digital Shock continues to thrive in the 3D art world. With specialty teams in iPhone, PC and Console; limitations to their 3D capability has been removed from their vocabulary.

2012 Executive Management Program for executives and senior management of independent production companies.

Wednesday March 21 – Saturday March 24 | 9:30am - 5:00pm | Hotel Novotel Toronto

How do your productions fit within an overall corporate growth strategy? What is your distinct market position within the economy? How will your company adapt and excel in the digital media marketplace?  

Interactive Ontario (IO) announced keynote highlights for the upcoming GameON: Finance conference, taking place January 17 & 18, 2012 at the Design Exchange in Toronto. GameON: Finance is Canada's top business forum for the interactive entertainment industry connecting developers, innovators, investors and industry leaders in the digital game space.
Keynote Session Highlights 

KEYNOTE INTERVIEW: Zack Karlsson, VP, Business Development & Digital Platforms, Capcom 

This keynote features a candid and revealing interview with games industry veteran Zack Karlsson, Vice President, Business Development & Digital Platforms, Capcom. Currently, Karlsson oversees the digital, mobile and social games businesses and portfolios, as well as business development activities for Capcom. Zack will be interviewed by Shaun Hatton, Host & Content Producer, Electric Playground.

Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, in partnership with Interactive Ontario, now offers courses for digital professionals seeking to advance in the fields of gaming and digital media development.

From project and human resources management to entrepreneurial finance, behaviour, and strategy, the EDGE: Education for Digital Games Entrepreneurs program will deliver the expertise and training digital professionals and entrepreneurs need to advance in a dynamic and growing industry.

Check out the EDGE workshops here

Now receive 50% off the EDGE Workshop series with your GameON: Finance registration. Limited space available. Once you've completed your GameOn: Finance registration you will receive your application that entitles you to 50% off EDGE workshops.

Toronto, Canada - December 14, 2011 - Cue Digital Media Inc. announced today the launch of Cue Gaming in an exclusive partnership with Double Fusion representing the PlayStation®3 system’s dynamic in-game advertising.  The new partnership makes Cue Gaming the premier identity in the Canadian video game enthusiast market.

Are you a digital media or gaming professional seeking to advance your skills or launch new gaming projects?

Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, in partnership with Interactive Ontario, now offers courses for digital professionals seeking to advance in the fields of gaming and digital media development. From project and human resources management to entrepreneurial finance, behaviour, and strategy, the EDGE: Education for Digital Games Entrepreneurs program will deliver the expertise and training digital professionals and entrepreneurs need to advance in a dynamic and growing industry.

EDGE workshops will help you better understand the non-technical essentials of the digital and gaming industry, giving you the key skills to make strategic business decisions and allow your vision to become reality and thrive.

Courses start in January 2012 and space is limited, so register soon! Visit www.ryerson.ca/ce/interactive to learn more.

TransGaming Inc., the global leader in the multiplatform deployment of games, today announced that EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 12 has been brought to the Mac platform using TransGaming's Cider Mac enablement product. FIFA Soccer 12 launches today and will be available on Mac through many EA SPORTS distribution channels, including TransGaming's leading digital distribution site for Mac games, GameTreeMac.com.

Toronto-based developer DrinkBox Studios has announced that it is working on a new downloadable PlayStation Vita handheld entertainment system title called Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack. A follow-up to Tales from Space: About a Blob - the studio's first game - Mutant Blobs Attack will feature new levels, new powers and controls, and a new Blob player character.

The National Post and mobile game developer XMG Studio Inc. are teaming up once again to challenge Canadian college and university students to race the clock and develop an addictive game app in just 48 hours. From September 30th to October 2nd student developers from coast-to-coast are invited to carry on the legacy of gifted GCA coders, and take a chance at coding the next hit game for mobile platforms.

We are pleased to announce that Carrie Stein will be appearing at X-Summit, taking place over Oct. 25-26 in Toronto! As Managing Director of 3 Arts Entertainment in Los Angeles, Carrie Stein heads up the international television management and packaging division for the company, producer of such properties as Parks and Recreation, I Am Legend starring Will Smith, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Hollywood Suite, four new high-definition channels, will launch across Canada this November, and be available on cable, satellite. mobile and IPTV. The service will offer over 450 different movie titles every month on television - and a selection will be available on demand, on-line and on mobile or portable media devices from television service providers; subscription pricing and packaging to be announced closer to launch, channel operators noted.

As CEO and founder of the Emmy awarded television and new media production company The company P, Christopher Sandberg is dedicated to the exploration of human interaction and audience involvement in modern entertainment.

GamesCom 2011 -- Despite various global economic challenges, the digital media and video game industries continue to thrive. People like to play games -- especially in tough times. Over the past two years, Canada's gaming industry has expanded 11 per cent annually and is forecasted to grow 17 per cent in each of the next two years. Executives from the Ontario Technology Corridor are at GamesCom to demonstrate the province's "winning combination" of talent and tax credits. Canada is one of the world's top three game producing nations.

ABC Children's TV today announced Resistance, its biggest budget children's live action series, will be the first production to use the South Australia Film Corporation's new facilities in Adelaide.

Resistance is a 26 x 30min series costing $14 million. It is a co-production between Australia's Persistence Productions and Canada's Shaftesbury Films. It will screen on ABC3 in late 2012 and in YTV Canada.

We are delighted to welcome Scott Snibbe as a keynote speaker at X-Summit, occurring Oct. 25-26 in Toronto! Scott Snibbe is a media artist, filmmaker and researcher in interactivity. Most recently, he collaborated with singer Bjork to create Biophilia, the world's first-ever app album, as a means of monetizing art without compromising creativity.

My Damn Channel, a leading entertainment studio and distributor of premium videos by top talent, today announced Smiley Guy Studios' animated comedy series "View U" has won a development deal after a pitch competition at the recent Just For Laughs Comedy Conference. The Conference is a 3-day event held during the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada, which is now the world's largest and most prestigious comedy event welcoming close to 2 million people each summer.

We have just announced another wave of featured speakers who will be presenting at X-Summit on October 25 & 26 in Toronto - including Machinima.com CEO Allen DeBevoise!

PadWorx Digital Media, Inc., a leading developer of interactive, immersive book/apps for tablet devices just is celebrating it's one year anniversary by making both of its App of the Week titles, 'Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition' and 'A Christmas Carol for iPad' available for one week for just .99 cents.

Montreal, August 1st, 2011 - Alliance numerique (AN), in collaboration with the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) is pleased to announce the opening of the nomination process for the Canadian Game Development Talent Awards. The Canadian Game Development Talent Awards has seven distinct categories that recognize the amazing creativity and expertise that exists within the Canadian game development community.

From PricewaterhouseCoopers

Canadian film and television productions now account for about $5 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 117,000 people (CAVCO, 2010).1 The Canadian industry continues to grow with the support of federal, provincial and territorial governments, which encourage investment by domestic and foreign producers through incentives that help offset the cost of productions in Canadian locations. The big table is your guide to these incentives.

From Village Gamer

Motives in Movement, the dramatic-content consultancy and providers of the next generation of convergent solutions for animation software developers, has completed its first Proof of Concept with cutting edge French animation company, Dynamixyz. The POC coincides with Motives in Movement founder and Heavy Rain actor Pascal Langlois relocating to Toronto, and he will be attending SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver. Dynamixyz will be in Booth 351.

Today The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced the nominations for the 26th Annual Gemini Awards. Here is a list of IO members who have received nominations. Congratulations to everyone involved!

As in previous years, the Consulate General in São Paulo will be participating at Futurecom2011 Congress and Business Trade Show (www.futurecom.com.br), having reserved a space in a privileged position, neighboured by Nokia Systems, Juniper, Tellfree and Telefonica/VIVO. This year, Futurecom has expanded its' scope from "pure communications" to include the IT Arena, Internet Arena and a VAS Pavilion, increasing the exposure to communications related areas, not covered by other events in Brazil.

Apica, a leading load testing and performance-monitoring provider for cloud and mobile applications, today announced its participation in a free, interactive gaming webinar along with Amazon Web Services, Couchbase, RightScale and TransGaming Digital Home.

We are excited to announce another featured speaker who will be presenting at X-Summit on October 25 & 26 in Toronto - Gabe Zichermann, CEO of Gamification.co and Founder of The Gamification Summit!

DHX Media, a leading international producer and distributor of mainly children's television programming and interactive content, is pleased to announce that it has concluded a worldwide administration deal for more than 40 titles from DHX Media's extensive library of television and film content with ole, one of the world's largest independent music publishers.

G4BOX Inc., a North American publisher and distributor of interactive online entertainment media, announced today an update to its free-to-play military shooter, Cross Fire. The free update, which will download automatically when players launch the game, features the new "Chinatown" Team Deathmatch map, two new weapons, and the addition of rewind and fast forward to Cross Fire's popular replay system. To download and play Cross Fire for free, visit http://crossfire.z8games.com.

Big Blue Bubble Inc. announced today that Burn the Rope, the smash hit iPhone game with over 5 million downloads, will be setting Nintendo's WiiWare service ablaze.

Our first glimpse of Sideway: New York, Playbrains' new PlayStation Network game and unique take on side-scrolling platformers, came at the San Diego Comic-Con.

TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V:TNG), the global leader in the multiplatform deployment of games, today announced the winner of TransGaming's GameTree Developer Competition; Yo Deshi by Proper Games.


QuickPlay Media, Inc., the leading provider of solutions for the distribution of premium video to portable wireless devices, today announced it will acquire a variety of network operations center assets of FLO TV Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, further expanding its U.S. presence. As a result of the acquisition, QuickPlay will take over FLO TV's 30,000-square-foot data and network operations center in San Diego, and will use the facility to manage the capture and distribution of both live and on-demand content for a broad range of IP-enabled devices.

X-Summit has partnered with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) to create an exclusive opportunity to showcase Canadian cross-media projects. The Canadian Interactive Showcase presented by CMF will provide Canadian companies with a chance to share their cross-media project, product or service with an audience of investors, potential partners and peers. Each five-minute rapid-fire presentation will be followed by five minutes of Q+A.

Paradox Interactive together with allies Battlegoat Studios are proud to announce that Supreme Ruler: Cold War has released today. The future of the world is at stake. We need You.

Ontario is helping Gameloft Inc - a leading international publisher and developer of downloadable video games - open a new state-of-the-art digital gaming studio in Toronto which will create up to 205 jobs.

Toronto based mobile gaming company, XMG Studio, has joined forces with globally renowned toy manufacturer Spin Master Ltd. to deliver innovative mobile gaming to the newly announced App Blaster. The collaboration is bringing a new dimension of realism to shooter games everywhere, giving users a truly unique way to interact with their favorite XMG sniper game, Marine Sharpshooter.

Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released statistical and financial information on Canadian broadcasting distribution companies. For the year ending on August 31, 2010, this sector of the broadcasting industry experienced strong growth as the combined revenues for cable, satellite and multipoint distribution companies rose from $11.4 billion to $12.5 billion.

Ontario is helping Silicon Knights  - a St. Catharines-based video game company - expand its production capabilities, create 80 new jobs and protect 97 existing positions.

PadWorx Digital Media Inc., a leader in innovative book/apps, announced today that it has been selected to receive generous development funding from the Canada Media Fund (CMF) as part of their 2011-2012 Experimental Stream for the project 'Sports Monsters'. Based on an idea by writer David Goulet, 'Sports Monsters' is an original book/app series that will be enhanced for collaborative reading between multiple tablet devices.

Ubisoft announced the acquisition of free-to-play game developer Owlient. The team at Owlient has extensive expertise in the management of online game-playing communities, and their Howrse brand has almost two million monthly active users.

Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds are pleased to announce the extension of their partnership for the Theatrical Documentary Program for 2011-2012. The upcoming program deadlines are September 2, 2011 for French-language projects and September 30, 2011 for English-language projects.

For those in the creative fields, anticipating and adapting to change -- from the tools they're using at work to the people they're interacting with to the audiences they're targeting -- has become part and parcel of the job. A new research guide, The Creative Team of the Future, explores key trends shaping the marketing and design fields, and how industry professionals can prepare for and capitalize on upcoming changes.

triOS College announced today the kick-off of its annual 241 Pizza Fresh Start Scholarship. Interested students can instantly receive a $500 scholarship towards their tuition to triOS College. Over 3,000,000 homes across Ontario will receive the flyer or participants can pick one up at any 241 Pizza location. Students can use this bursary towards triOS College Diploma programs in the Business, Law, Technology and Healthcare industries.

TVO gives Facebook politics a whole new meaning and takes another step in promoting citizen engagement with the launch of Honoured Citizen, a multi-player social media game that runs on the Facebook Platform.

Every year Canada's three levels of government invest about $12 billion in grants and contributions, but many companies report that they have little understanding of how to access these resources.

On Monday an online bilingual service called THE FUNDING PORTAL launched across Canada to help businesses secure public funding through four easy steps: Find It, Apply for It, Score It and Advance It.

The Memory Project - Stories of the Second World War will provide every living Canadian veteran of the Second World War who wants to share their story of service and sacrifice with the opportunity to do so. The Dominion Institute will record the oral history of these veterans and digitize their artifacts and memorabilia. The Institute will also ensure that those stories and artifacts are shared with teachers, students and all Canadians through the Memory Project Digital Archive website (www.thememoryproject.com).

Illustrated and voiced by a five-year-old girl named Cassie, Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure has taken the web by storm, and now you can play it on your Apple iPad!   Mere hours after its online launch, the game went viral, and was featured in some of the biggest games publications in the world, including Boing Boing, the Escapist, Gamasutra, Kotaku, Wired UK, Time Magazine, and G4TV.  The father and daughter team behind the game have been interviewed by local and national radio, newspapers and teevee, and fans the world over have donated three thousand dollars to Cassie's Education Fund.

Buy it here

View the trailer here

Be a part of the Canadian Interactive Academy, a nation-wide body of experienced game developers, so you can recognize the amazing achievements of your peers.

Academy members make up the 10-person juries for each of the discipline categories of the Canadian Game Development Talent Awards. Academy members have two primary duties to accomplish: First, they must take the results of the open nomination phase and select the 5 finalists for their respective category. Second, they vote on each category to determine the final winners.

Untold Entertainment is excited to announce the latest addition to its network of free-to-play game collections with the release of Tower Defense Game World. Over 120 games are ready to play, with new additions posted every week. Tower Defense Game World is the newest member of Untold's suite of free game networks, which currently includes Zombie Game World and Word Game World.

From the covers of the New Yorker to online video streams and now to the CBC, the original animation series The World of Bruce McCall is covering the planet.
Online video content production and distribution company iThentic has sold its new series to CBC, which will air the show on its main network and specialty service.

by Etan Vlessing

The Canadian Media Production Association has called on member producers to show "solidarity" in enforcing the newly minted terms of trade agreement with broadcasters when it comes into effect on Aug. 1.

We are looking for topics which cross several sectors and industries, and push the boundaries of how stories are told across multiple platforms.This conference will feature lectures, workshops, panel discussions, round table discussions & inspirational keynotes. X-Summit is taking proposals for presentations, panel discussions or other session ideas which will inform, inspire, spur collaboration and leave delegates with valuable new tools, connections and ideas!

TVO, Ontario's public educational media organization is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Polar Mobile that will make TVO's flagship current affairs program The Agenda with Steve Paikin available on mobile apps for BlackBerry® smartphones; Apple iPhones; Android and Windows Mobile smartphones.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and Bell Media have now launched the second session of their program to bring more diverse writers into the talent pool of Canadian screenwriting with a call for applications from western Canada.  The Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program (formerly known as The CTV Diverse Screenwriters Program) reaches out to offer emerging and mid-career writers from diverse backgrounds the chance to hone the skills they need to become successful professional screenwriters.  And one writer will come out of the program with a paid internship on a Bell Media TV series.

Sympatico.ca, which reaches 9.5 million Canadians,* today announced the launch of a new mobile application for smartphone users across the nation. The free bilingual app will give Canadians one tap access to the best in news, music and entertainment including stories from across the Sympatico portal. The Sympatico.ca mobile app is available for download now from popular application stores or by visiting apps.sympatico.ca.

TORONTO, CANADA - July 6, 2011 - TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V:TNG), the global leader in the multiplatform deployment of games, today announced the three finalists of the GameTree Developer Competition, which offered game developers worldwide the opportunity to submit their games for the chance to win a $50,000 grand prize. The finalists will be distributed on the GameTree TV platform, immediately delivering them to the forefront of the Smart TV gaming revolution in consumers' connected living rooms.

HALIFAX, July 6, 2011 /CNW/ - DHX Media (TSX: DHX), a leading international producer and distributor of mainly children's television programming and interactive content, is pleased to announce that the company has signed a package deal for licenses to four TV series with BBC Kids in Canada. The channel, now operated by Knowledge Network, has acquired over 75 hours of animation and live-action factual programming from the DHX Media library including animated series Olliver's Adventures, D'Myna Leagues, What About Mimi? and Yakkity Yak alongside the factual show Be the Creature.

Montreal, July 5th, 2011 - Alliance numerique (AN), in collaboration with the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Canadian Game Development Talent Awards, which will be held on November 2nd, 2011, closing the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS).

TORONTO, CANADA - June 28, 2011 - TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V:TNG), the global leader in the multiplatform deployment of video games, today announced the latest usage statistics since the launch of GameTree TV, the premier on-demand gaming platform for Smart TV. GameTree TV allows customers to instantly play high quality and family friendly games on-demand directly from the cloud on to their existing set-top box without the need for additional hardware or peripherals.

By Adam Rosenberg at Digital Trends

Gameloft announces that its iOS App Store downloads have surpassed the 200 million mark, with more than 20 additional titles planned for launch before the end of the year.

by Chris Arrant at Cartoon Brew

CCI Entertainment is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with The Juno Company to produce a television series based on the Emmy award-winning Juno  property. Under the deal, CCI Entertainment will play a role in the further development of the brand and be responsible for financing the production and distributing the series globally, as well as creating and executing the broadcast strategy and roll-out internationally.
 

Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) has released a major report stating that the key to lifting Canada into the top tier of innovation leaders is harnessing an excellent talent pool. The report points to Ryerson University's Digital Media Zone (DMZ) as a thriving example of educating for entrepreneurial success.

By John Gaudiosi at GamerLive.tv

Timed to release in 2012 with JJ Abrams' new movie, the new Star Trek game for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 from developer Digital Extremes, publisher Paramount Interactive Entertainment and Bad Robot Interactive introduces an original story line that's set after the events of the 2009 film. Digital Extremes was at E3 to showcase a pre-alpha demo of the new game and talk about this fresh co-op take on the new Star Trek universe.

George Brown College School of Design will move to larger learning space and foster sector innovation in anticipation of 31 per cent industry growth in Ontario over next three years.

July 4, 2011 (Toronto) - The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced an investment of $16.8 million in 51 new innovative interactive projects. Those projects were submitted in the first round of its 2011-2012 Experimental Stream. The CMF offers financial assistance to support projects at various stages of their completion: production, development or marketing.

Interactive Ontario Announces X-Summit

Toronto, July 4, 2011 - Interactive Ontario (IO) today announced the launch of X-Summit, a new cross-media conference and partnering forum, taking place October 24-26th at The Carlu in Toronto. X-Summit is the evolution of IN: The Interactive Exchange, IO's highly successful, multiplatform conference which celebrated its fifth anniversary last fall. X-Summit is co-produced by the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO) with the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) as Lead Industry Partner.

Centennial College is embarking on a study to identify business skill requirements among the independent screen based content production community. This study begins with a brief online survey and will be followed up with a variety of focus groups and finally a series of one on one meetings with senior level independent producers will be conducted.

The first step in this process is the online survey that we ask you to participate in. The survey will only take a few minutes of your time and closes on July 19th. Your participation is a valued component. Thanks so much for taking part. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KWPKPBS