Game-Change Intel for Planning Time Your Next Move
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® A PUBLICATION OF BRUNICO COMMUNICATIONS LTD. SPRING 2012 GAME-CHANGE INTEL FOR PLANNING TIME YOUR NEXT MOVE ALSO: INDIE SURVEY RESULTS | FUNDING | HGTV CANADA AT 15 | BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT PPB.Cover.Fall.inddB.Cover.Fall.indd 2 117/05/127/05/12 33:58:58 PPMM SPRING 2012 table of contents TV Movie Cyberbully was produced by Montreal’s Muse Entertainment, who according to the Playback annual survey of independent production (starting on page 18) had a strong year. The survey results suggest Canadian producers as a whole had no reason to cry in 2011. (Photo credit: courtesy Muse Entertainment) 8 Up front 26 Forward thinking 41 Directors Guild of Canada Bridging transmedia work’s two Unions, guilds and academic and marks 50 years solitudes, taking the branded training institutions are readying the Examining the association’s entertainment plunge profession for the digital and formative role in the industry’s transmedia era present and its future 13 Time to join the crowdsourcing trend? 37 HGTV Canada turns 15 46 The Back Page A look at non-traditional funding In its short life, the lifestyle specialty Wish you were there? models producers are using to channel has boosted its homegrown Feting the inaugural Playback Summit get their projects to any screen programming and opened U.S. doors for Canadian producers 18 Playback Indie List Our annual survey of independent fi lm and TV production Cover artwork by award-winning illustrator Ryan Snook. From top of game board is depicted John Brunton, president and CEO of Insight Productions; James Milward, founder and executive producer of Secret Location; Kirstine Stewart, CBC English language executive VP and Tony Chapman, partner and CEO of Capital C. spring 2012 | 3 PPB.TOC.2012.inddB.TOC.2012.indd 3 118/05/128/05/12 11:47:47 PPMM PUBLISHER Mary Maddever • [email protected] EDITOR Matt Sylvain • [email protected] STAFF WRITER Danielle Ng-See-Quan • [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Mark Dillon, Marc Glassman, Kevin Ritchie, Etan Vlessing SAME OLD GAME– INTERN Jordan Twiss OR NOT? BRUNICO CREATIVE Is it appropriate to start out by saying, may you live in interesting times? CREATIVE DIRECTOR The last few months have certainly been interesting for the Canadian screen-based industry. Unless you’ve been on an Stephen Stanley • [email protected] extremely-long, extremely-remote shoot you will be well aware of the funding cuts to many key government-funded industry ART DIRECTOR supports–the deepest and, in many people’s minds the bloodiest, to the CBC, the National Film Board and Telefi lm Canada. Mark Lacoursiere • [email protected] While those budget reductions, which resulted in hundreds of job cuts across the country, are undeniably disruptive, they PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION CO-ORDINATOR were a long time coming, as the Harper government had been telegraphing its coolness to the nationally-owned media for Robert Lines • [email protected] well over a year. But a lesser-noticed major change, long in coming, seems to be fi nally in the process of overtaking the industry. While this ADVERTISING SALES observation is based entirely upon anecdotal evidence, the newsfl ow through Playbackonline.ca over the last few months (416) 408-2300 suggests that now, more than ever, the business model of distributing content direct-to-audiences via online and mobile FAX (416) 408-0870 platforms by prodcos and broadcasters–supported by advertising–has taken hold. 1-888-278-6426 This is a positive development, both for individual companies but also the production community as a whole, if nothing else ADVERTISING EXEC because it means the Harper cuts won’t be as damaging to the industry as they would have been in an earlier era. Jessamyn Nunez • [email protected] As discussed in our story beginning on page 13, some ambitious content producers are going directly to audiences, using MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR social media to raise project funding or, in some cases, to sell content or ancillary products to their fans. It illustrates a point Vakis Boutsalis • [email protected] raised at the recent inaugural Playback Summit in Toronto; one panelist noted that today getting into the Canadian fi lm and TV industry is easier than ever (the downside is that it’s becoming ever harder to fi gure out a sustainable revenue model for your BRUNICO AUDIENCE SERVICES business, once you get in). ASSISTANT MANAGER For the established players in the business, the results of the annual Playback production survey suggests 2011 was Christine McNalley • [email protected] a pretty good year. Completed by you (thanks readership!) between January and April of this year, the data suggests the MANAGER independent community held its own last year. Coverage of the survey results begins on page 18. No small part of that Deborah Brewster • [email protected] achievement was entrepreneurialism–and maybe a high loonie–as an ever-growing number of Canadians set up shop in New York and Hollywood, offi ces the better with which to promote and pitch to the powers that be in the U.S. media industry. ADMINISTRATION The results also convey the sense that the industry feels more game-line than ever. With that in mind we decided to go with PRESIDENT AND CEO the board game theme on the cover of this issue. Illustrated by New York artist Ryan Snook, the characters are based on real • industry personalities. Can you fi gure them out? In the beret is John Brunton, the president and CEO of factual powerhouse Russell Goldstein [email protected] Insight Productions. In the check shirt is James Milward, founder and executive producer of transmedia player Secret VP AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Location. The lone woman is Kirstine Stewart, the CBC’s English language executive VP, who is looking at the pubcaster’s Omri Tintpulver • [email protected] current challenges as an opportunity. Finally, the sock legger is Tony Chapman, the partner and CEO of branded content VP AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR impresario Capital C. Mary Maddever • [email protected] As is the nature of journalism, even as this issue of Playback was going to press we were already thinking of our next issue, VP ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE which comes out in time for TIFF. That issue’s coverage includes our Hall of Fame as well as our 10 to Watch list. Keep an eye Linda Lovegrove • [email protected] out for our social media initiatives tied to the 10.2.W in particular, such as the Twitter hashtag #PB102W. VP & PUBLISHER, REALSCREEN Claire Macdonald • [email protected] VP & PUBLISHER, KIDSCREEN Jocelyn Christie • [email protected] Matt Sylvain Editor, Playback Playback is published by Brunico Communications Ltd., 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 (416) 408-2300; FAX: (416) 408-0870 Internet address: www.playbackonline.ca Editorial e-mail: [email protected] Sales e-mail: [email protected] Sales FAX: (416) 408-0870 © 2011 Brunico Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. Postmaster Notifi cation Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Playback PO BOX 369 Beeton ON, L0G 1A0 U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Playback PO BOX 1103, Niagara Falls NY, 14304 [email protected] Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. ISSN: 0836-2114 Printed in Canada. 4 spring 2012 | playbackonline.ca PPB.Editorial.2012.inddB.Editorial.2012.indd 4 117/05/127/05/12 111:371:37 AAMM Catalyst for great ideas Even the best stories can’t go it alone. The Canada Media Fund offers an edge that can make the difference. Through funding and market intelligence, we support the creation of new and Photo: Arctic Air Arctic Photo: innovative content that transcends platforms. As media merge and emerge, one thing is constant: the CMF offers the means to succeed. Find out more on our new website cmf-fmc.ca PPB.21108.CMF.inddB.21108.CMF.indd 1 116/05/126/05/12 44:58:58 PPMM MAKE Playback’s SOME gameplan NOISE As our cover suggests, there are many moving pieces at play in Canada’s AT TIFF! production industry right now, so a higher level of gamesmanship is needed to navigate the board. With the mediascape shifting faster than a kaleidoscope, entering new worlds, collaborating with new partners and Streeting in early September, moving nimbly are all part of the game. To that end, Playback recently held its fi rst Summit in Toronto, themed “what’s Playback’s Fall issue shines the working now + next”, which was designed to help chart a path by sharing success stories from newer areas – branded entertainment, cost-effective spotlight on Canadian fi lm social marketing, digital ROI and the best reality-development bets these days. just in time for one of the Producers, broadcasters and transmedia gurus mixed with media agencies and brands for a day that attendees deemed much-needed. One delegate, in year’s most important events. post-Summit feedback, called it “an intense and productive meeting of like- © 2012 ALEXANDER MANU – PLAYBACK SUMMIT APRIL 25 2012 - 69 • 267 minded people facing the same challenges and opportunities.” Word cloud courtesy of Alexander Manu With bonus distribution at the The big hit was thought-provoking author/professor Alexander Manu, senior partner and chief imaginator at InnoSpa International, who spellbound the crowd with magic while challenging everyone to rethink what their Toronto International Film business actually is. In feedback, one audience member wrote: “It was a bit like listening to Marshall McLuhan in 1965 – you aren’t quite Festival this is a great sure what the hell he is talking about, but it is very erudite, well researched, provocative and entertaining.” The word cloud seen here is from Manu’s research into the Playbackonline.ca universe, and depicts what’s most top of mind in the opportunity to get your industry based on its headline news.