Market Access Program: Digital Media Opportunities in the Southwest U.S.
Locations:
Austin, Texas; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB
Program Dates:
South by Southwest, March 9 – 16, 2007
Market Access Program: January 31 – April 25, 2007
Pre-market activities: January 31 – March 8*
In-market activities: March 9 – 16**
Post-market activities: March 17 – April 25***
*This program is full and is no longer accepting applications.
Digital Media Opportunities in the Southwest U.S. market access program is focused on providing opportunities for Canadian companies to engage and interact with Austin-based interactive and technology companies. Attendance at the Austin Interactive Partnering Forum will provide Canadian companies with two days of partnering activities, forums, discussions, and site visits. Followed by the annual South by Southwest Interactive Festival, participants will enjoy presentations from cutting edge producers working in film, television, and video games. Attendees will also benefit from hands –on, how-to training from top industry leads in an unparalleled creative atmosphere. Come and see what business opportunities await and improve your international network in this global business.
*Registered participants in this program will partake in a series of pre-market activities offered throughout Northern and Southern Alberta. Pre-market strategic support is offered through telephone conferences and workshops where participants’ goals for in-market activities are outlined. The goal of the pre-market programming is to ensure companies preparedness for attendance at the SxSW conference. These activities will take place between Jan 31 – March 8.
**South by Southwest Interactive festival connects innovative digital media creators with entrepreneurs to create unparalleled career inspiration and networking opportunities for entertainment media and game creation. As a leader in game development, the Texas game industry sets the pace for the creation of content for computers, home consoles, the Internet, and mobile phones. In-market activities take place at the South by Southwest conference March 9 – 16.
***Post-market activities will take place between March 17 – April 25. The goal of the post-market activities is to have participants interact with the larger Alberta Digital Media industry by providing feedback about their pre-market and in-market experiences through a series of pubic workshops. Participants are also required to provide written reports of their market access program experience.
The Market Access program, supported by the DMAA and the BNMI Accelerator program provides participants with the opportunity to share their experiences, insights and connections with one another and the larger Alberta digital media community through a variety of pre-market, in-market and post-market activities. The Market Access program endeavors to connect Alberta companies to important national and international
conferences, festivals and related market opportunities. This program is currently accepting applications for attendance by Alberta companies. In support of this market access program, some funding is available to eligible Alberta companies. All companies with relevant interest and involvement are encouraged to apply.
- Lea Alcantara
- Ken Bautista, CEO & Executive Producer
- Blaine Bertsch
- Cam Fraser, Technical Lead, Hotrocket
- Fiona Friesen
- Adam Jevne
- Jon Larson, Director of Business Development
- Norman Mendoza
- Jorden Oliwa
- Jason Suriano, President & Chief Operations Officer
Lea Alcantara
Lea Alcantara is the sole proprietor of Lealea Design. A graduate of the design studies program at Grant MacEwan College, Ms. Alcantara started her career in 2003 as print & new media specialist for a national Canadian security services firm, launching her own company, Lealea Design, in 2005. Ms. Alcantara’s articles have appeared in Design-in-Flight, and her Art of Self-Branding series has been linked and well-received by several design blogs and publications. She was also interviewed in the October 2006 issue of Applied Arts magazine.
In her spare time, she volunteers as a broadcaster at VoicePrint to serve millions of Canadians who can't independently access printed materials. She also loves to keep fit, write, sing, and dance.
Ken Bautista, CEO & Executive Producer
One of the original Hotrocket founders, Ken’s experience combines strategic and creative vision, user experience design, industry knowledge, marketing expertise and entrepreneurial spirit. He was featured as one of Edmonton's "30 Under 30", is an active champion of Alberta's digital media industry, currently serving as vice president of the Digital Media Association of Alberta. He is also CEO of Rocketfuel Productions, which was named "Most Promising New Company of the Year" at the 2006 Canadian New Media Awards.
Blaine Bertsch
As a partner and creative director at Fission Media Group, Blaine oversees the design of motion graphics, animations, video and interactive media. Over recent years, he has co-produced and created animations for a wide variety of productions including several in HD. He is currently completing his thesis in the master of dsign program at the U of A on a part-time basis. In recent years, Blaine has concentrated on developing and creating digital media for multi-platform delivery.
Cam Fraser
Technical Lead, Hotrocket
Cam holds a BA (2001) in English literature & criticism and an MA, (2003) in humanities computing, both from the University of Alberta. He has extensive training and experience in project management and creative technology development. Cam was recently responsible for the implementation of content management solutions with University of Alberta International, Alberta Wellnet, AlbertaElectronic Health Record, Telehealth, and for interactive development with the Alberta Motor Association, Alberta's WasteManagement Initiative, and the Alberta College of Pharmacists.
Fiona Friesen
Fiona Friesen is director and CEO of Glue Multimedia, a multimedia communications company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The company creates strategic marketing materials including branding programs, websites, digital media presentations and print design products. Fiona has a master’s degree in environmental design, bachelor of science in environmental planning and a diploma in renewable resource technology. She is married to her husband and business partner of 10 years, Jason Friesen, and presently resides in Calgary, Alberta.
Adam Jevne
As Managing Director of Balance Media Limited, Adam Jevne oversees all aspects of technology-based solutions, from opportunity assessment through to implementation and service management. An advocate and leader of stewardship, Adam is committed to continuous improvement of delivery methods, best practices and toolsets. He is a recognized leader with a proven track record in the information technology sector, and the director of communications for the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) of Alberta. His passion for furthering and promoting Alberta's digital industry has led Adam to become involved at the grassroots level of Digital Alberta.
An honours graduate with an information systems technology degree, Adam has developed a strong background in a multitude of technologies and project management techniques. Projects under his direction have been publicly recognized through several awards including a Canadian Information Productivity Award for Organizational Transformation and an Alberta Venture eAward for Team Performance. Adam's career has seen him work with organizations such as Stantec Consulting Ltd., Mr. Lube Canada, the Landtran Group of Companies, and Praxair Canada.
Jon Larson, Director of Business Development
Before joining ranks with Industry Mailout, Jon worked in industrial sales and enjoyed pursuing international accounts. His love of traveling and the global market has proved to be a definite asset to Industry Mailout.
In the initial planning stages, Jon and Gregg wanted to produce a service with a solid measurement component. Jon felt that developing a marketing tool that was accessible, cost-effective and results driven was sure to meet the needs of many organizations that had a marketing budget to play with.
Jon is a strong believer in the global market and economic integration because it promotes understanding and cooperation.
As for the future, Jon believes that “the only limits are the ones we put on ourselves. A relaxed, creative and innovative environment is the first step towards a truly limitless world.” His plans for Industry Mailout include tackling several new international markets.
Norman Mendoza
Norman Mendoza is one of the managing partners of Redengine Inc. In his role as president, Norman has been instrumental in developing and improving operating processes and products for the company. An extensive background of public speaking, broad involvement in business management, project management, and specific technical skills enable Norman to effectively perform in innovative products.
Jorden Oliwa
No dice Ink inc. is a creative brand that focuses on the development of characters and story and an unyielding pursuit of quality regardless of the media it is produced on. With a boutique mentality and motto of only taking jobs that truly represent the brand of No dice Ink, Jorden Oliwa has carved out a niche as a cutting edge art director.
Educated in the famous classical animation program at the Vancouver Film School, Jorden Oliwa is an accomplished animation director and lead animator. Jorden has numerous years of experience within the industry, acting as either animation director or lead animator for several series, including “Mucha Lucha” (Warner Bros), “Christmas Orange” (ABC Family), and “What About Mimi?” (Teletoon). His illustration, storyboard, and character design has also been featured in several television series, short films, commercials, and video games.
Jason Suriano, President & Chief Operations Officer
As one of the principals of Hotrocket, Jason combines effective leadership and management skills in guiding the company’s growth, operations, and delivery. He is an experienced project manager and researcher who has led project teams at both Athabasca University and the University of Alberta before coming to Hotrocket.
For more information on this market access program please contact:
Accelerator Program
Phone: 1.403.762.7500
Email: accelerator@banffcentre.ca
For more details about the activities of this market access program, or to apply, please visit
Digital Alberta
Engaging Youth through Digital Media Opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region is brought to you in partnership with:
The Banff New Media Institute Accelerator Program
Digital Alberta
Digital Media Association of Alberta