New CFC media lab commercializing Canadian media projects

Twelve-week commercialization program ideaBoost will help Canadian digital entertainment startups reach global markets, said Ana Serrano, founding director of new media research training and production think tank CFC Media Lab at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) in Toronto. Serrano said in a phone interview that ideaBoost, launched in Toronto on Nov. 6, was created because there aren’t many commercialization programs focused on digital entertainment. “We felt that it was important, given the potential opportunities in the digital entertainment space, to start one of the first accelerators in digital entertainment,” Serrano said. In a release this month, the CFC said ideaBoost offers financial backing, strategic guidance and mentorship to Canadian startups to help “high-potential” digital content ventures find commercial success. Serrano said ideaBoost is different from other programs because it focuses on content and enabling technology. Startups involved in the program were also required to “socialize” their projects online before being accepted, she said. “In effect, the Internet public helps short list the winning applicants into the program,” she said. One of the program's eight projects, called “The Ghost Town Project,” used Twitter and Facebook to draw votes of support online and promotion through “likes” and tweets. Serrano said the process gave the startup access to supporters who had to enter an email address if they wanted to vote. “So not only does Ghost Town win ideaBoost, but also the hundreds and thousands of boosters whose email addresses are part of that program,” she said. Serrano said the eight selected projects for the program receive $15,000 each as well as business advisory services, mentors, and workshops. “It’s a whole type of curriculum around how to commercialize the whole digital entertainment property for global audiences,” she said. Google Inc., Corus Entertainment Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. are providing resources for the program, such as funding, expertise, workshops, and training. The companies will also provide potential channels for the distribution and production of the multi-platform projects, Serrano said. The CFC said in a release the program culminates in a final demonstration day where each team pitches their project in front of an audience of potential investors, partners, licensees, mentors and advisers. The CFC said the first ideaBOOST projects accepted are: “The Ghost Town Project” by Montreal-based Intuitive Pictures;“The Path” by Toronto-based Smokebomb Entertainment Inc.;YouTube group “AsapSCIENCE”; “The Buffer Film Festival” by Oakville, Ont.-based ApprenticeA Productions;“Loud on Planet X” by Toronto-based Pop Sandbox;“Rollers of the Realm” by Toronto-based Phantom Compass;and “Your Task Shoot Things” by Canadian experimental music and performance art collective Yamantaka/Sonic Titan. Serrano said the industry continues to sort out challenges related to digital entertainment in a competitive, shifting landscape, and that the geographic regions to lead in this landscape are not yet determined. Serrano said in Canada there is an opportunity to leverage an environment of financial support but the industry must take a more entrepreneurial and global outlook in the way it commercializes its projects. “We’re taking that small window of opportunity to potentially have that competitive edge over other jurisdictions,” Serrano said. Paul Burns, vice-president of digital media at Shaw, said in a press statement: “As far as technology accelerators go, ideaBoost has a nice focus on entertainment, which we feel is fertile ground for innovation and investment—right here on home soil.” Jay Bennett, vice-president and creative director at Smokebomb, said in a phone interview that the CFC program enables startups to think about their project from a business angle before it goes into production or into the market. “What we’re being able to add to our tool chest through participating in the CFC is beyond us simply analyzing the potential success of an idea through simply the creative portion of it,” he said. “Now we’re actually being given the tools to analyse it through a business perspective.” Bennett said his project, “The Path,” is an “urban fantasy” social media experience directed towards females 16-30. The project, he said, aims to tap into mainstream “fandom” surrounding TV shows, movies, and other media, through a “low barrier, simple, easy to use hosted social experience.” According to the ideaBoost website, “fans will have the opportunity to interact with the content and join social groups to compete against each other via weekly challenges, quizzes and puzzles for additional content and prizing.” The CFC plans to open a second program to another eight digital entertainment startups in the spring, which may take place around April or May 2013. “For the next cohort, we’re looking at enabling digital technologies in the entertainment spheres that are really shipping product,” Serrano said. dgrenier@thewirereport.ca

New CFC media lab commercializing Canadian media projects

News | 11/27/2012 6:55 pm EST

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