TORONTO (MAR. 20, 2013) — The seven companies in the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab’s inaugural ideaBOOST accelerator program, one of the first in North America, took the wraps off the digital entertainment products they’ve been shaping for commercial launch today.
Having massaged, fine-tuned, perfected and, in at least one case, overhauled the go-to-market strategy for their digital entertainment content products, each of the seven digital entertainment companies will be pitching their properties to a crowd of industry buyers, partners and investors – including key players from ideaBOOST’s three founders, Corus Entertainment, Google and Shaw Media – at the Steam Whistle Brewing Roundhouse, Wed, Mar. 20.
A digital entertainment accelerator focussed on both content and technology companies, ideaBOOST’s first cohort brought together some of Canada’s long-standing production powerhouses like Smokebomb Entertainment, Intuitive Pictures, and Phantom Compass, alongside Canada’s rising stars in the future of entertainment, such as Apprentice A Productions, AsapSCIENCE, YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN and Raised on Ramen. The next cohort, set to begin in May, will have as its focus enabling-technology platforms for the entertainment industry.
“This first cohort of digital entertainment companies represents some of the most forward-thinking content entrepreneurs in this sector,” says Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer, CFC Media Lab. “By taking advantage of what ideaBOOST has to offer, and developing products whose intellectual property, processes, and underlying technologies can be re-used, re-mixed, and leveraged over time, these seven companies are well-poised for success and a sustainable future.”
“We had a pretty clear vision of what we wanted AsapSCIENCE to mean to audiences,” says AsapSCIENCE co-creator Mitchell Moffitt, “but the ideaBOOST experience showed us how to really hone the specific business path we could follow to take this little pet project of ours and turn it into something really big.”
The final products and creators are:
Pre-registration for the second ideaBOOST cohort has begun, with the application portal at www.ideaboost.ca opening for public voting on Mar. 25. The deadline for applications is Apr. 18. A shortlist of program candidates will be announced on Apr. 26.
ideaBOOST is a business accelerator with a difference - a bootcamp for companies that want to navigate an entertainment ecosystem that has been radically disrupted by new technologies and demanding audience expectations. Companies selected to participate in ideaBOOST get the budget, tools, training, and mentorship designed to help bring their product to market and improve their chances of success with audiences, investors, and partners. ideaBOOST is an initiative of the CFC Media Lab, with founding partners Corus Entertainment, Google and Shaw Media. www.ideaboost.ca
Created in 1997 by the Canadian Film Centre (www.cfccreates.com), the CFC Media Lab provides a unique collaborative training, acceleration and creative production think-tank environment for emerging new media content developers, practitioners and companies. An internationally acclaimed and award-winning facility, graduates of the CFC Media Lab emerge as leaders in the world of interactive media, produce innovative projects and start up 21st century companies.
CFC Media Lab
Canadian Film Centre
2489 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, ON M2L 1A8
(416) 445-1446