CHUM Ltd. has announced the appointment of Gabrielle Free to the post of director of communication for CHUM Television’s music and youth services. As such, Free will head up external communications for such CHUM brands as MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, MuchVibe, MuchLOUD, MuchMoreRetro, Razer and PunchMuch – brands that have heavy online and mobile presences in addition to their traditional television component.
Free is a veteran of the Toronto International Film Festival, where served as director of communications, and has also worked in publicity at YTV, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation, among others. She has a degree in English and film studies from the University of Western Ontario in London ON and a communications diploma from Toronto’s Seneca College.

Divine Design Online
Lifestyle new media at its best, Divine Design Online is a do-it-yourselfer’s resource aimed at a primarily female demographic with ages ranging from 25-54. This online foray into the genre has been facilitated by the immense popularity of Fusion Television’s Divine Design with Candice Olson, seen weekly on the W Network in Canada and HGTV in the US.

Six months after its launch south of the border, Sunnyvale CA-based Yahoo Inc.’s online music service is now available in Canada.

With 11 years of experience in developing online gaming software, Toronto-based Cryptologic Inc. seems well-positioned to take advantage of what is now a surging, US$12 billion industry worldwide – even if they can’t sell their product in Canada.

Imagine the possibilities if mobile content customers could simply recommend a game or application to a friend by entering their mobile phone number. Cascada Mobile, a Toronto-based wireless company, has announced a new technology that allows mobile content publishers and developers to capitalize on the influence of viral marketing and word-of-mouth buzz for their mobile applications.

There is no question as to whether or not digital signage will pick up momentum – it’s already happening, according to the presenters sharing their experiences with the medium at the Strategy Institute’s recent Digital Signage Summit, held in Toronto February 7 and 8. However, there is still a struggle to get advertisers and their agencies to buy into the emerging technology.

The "third screen" – in all its permutations – was high on the agenda at this year’s Prime Time, the annual conference of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA).