ICE panellists reveal how to get millions of dollars flowing into new media facilities and content

Nurturing new media projects via collaboration and partnering arrangements that leverage the cultural and economic capital of business, government and research entities was a prominent theme at the Interactive Content Exchange (ICE) conference held in Toronto last week. In the Network Effect session, panellists highlighted plans for two new media research facilities in Ontario to provide both the physical and social space needed to foster collaboration between industry, academia and government. The Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) received $9 million in the Ontario budget March 25 to build a new digital media lab in Toronto. The budget also allocated $10 million to the University of Waterloo to launch a new digital media campus in Stratford ON. The panellists stressed that such investments will help to create environments that help to encourage productive collaboration. OCAD president Sara Diamond shared her experiences in setting up the Banff New Media Institute, which uses a "blissful environment" to foster dialogue between academics, artists, and technology companies. "The point is rapid collaboration so people get comfortable with their discomfort in different sectors," she said. That type of dialogue is fuelling new research propositions such as OCAD's Portage project on John Street in Toronto. "The idea was to take a street and equip it with mobile technology to create a live theatre space," said Diamond. Through its funding mechanism, the project allows local small technology companies to explore how next-generation mobile technology will play in a real cultural environment, and allows them to showcase their capabilities to large-scale technology providers. The lure of co-production deals In another session entitled No Borders, panellists explored partnering and co-production models that exist in TV and film to see if similar models can help new media content producers share costs and risks with other regions. About $491 million was invested globally in co-production projects in TV and film, said moderator Charles Zamaria, a professor at Ryerson University. In traditional media, CRTC regulations favour negotiation of treaties with other countries, said Arnie Zipursky, CEO of CCI Entertainment. "It's difficult to get 100% of a film's budget in Canada. We have treaties with 53 countries, and we've had few issues. The benefit is it's still Canadian content but we share financing and split the IP 50/50. But I would love to see more hybrid formal and informal funding arrangements." It's essential for producers to look for co-production opportunities, agreed Mike Cowap, producer at the Australian Film Commission (AFC), adding that the commission is being reorganized to better deal with emerging media. "You also get the benefit of tax incentives in two countries. Our breakout films tend to be co-production projects with the UK and Canada." But there are few incentives in place for games and other new media projects, said Zipursky, adding that the CCI is exploring ways to reverse its previous approach by producing content for the Web first and then to television. "The CRTC has no jurisdiction on the Web, and there's no reason for a government body to oversee it." Cowap pointed out that Australia has a formal treaty with Canada for film, but not for games and interactive media. "But arguments have been made for more government involvement and formal treaties, as it creates more jobs and cultural products in Australia." But new media companies are leery of government meddling, even if it may bring more funding, said Alexander Fernandez, CEO of Streamline Studios based in the Netherlands. "The intent is good, but it creates bureaucratic nightmares. We don't need to go down that path in the digital space," he said, adding that the EU is relatively clueless about interactive media and offers few subsidies.

ICE panellists reveal how to get millions of dollars flowing into new media facilities and content

Broadcast | April 2, 2008

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