REPORT MAY-OCTOBER, 2020 banffmediafestival.com rockies.banffmediafestival.com VIRTUAL EDITION BANFF 2020 4,600+ONLINE MEETING BY THE OPPORTUNITIES SPEED PITCHES NUMBERS 575+FACILITATED BY BANFF LIVE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK 30& STREAMER BRIEFINGS 4,127REGISTERED DELEGATES 52COUNTRIES 625+PROGRAM BUYERS LIVE PANELS & 56MASTER CLASSES 875+C-SUITE DELEGATES 280SPEAKERS 20,000+ VIEWS 200,000+MEDIA INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS REACHED WORLDWIDE Mrs. America As a world-renowned The Canada Media event highlighting industry Fund has since its Telefilm Canada is proud innovation, BANFF has creation, 10 years ago, BANFF provides an to continue our support truly embraced the many been a proud supporter incredible opportunity to of the Banff World Media challenges of this uncertain of the Banff World connect as a community, Festival, especially time by presenting the first- Media Festival. With celebrate successes, and now as we all navigate ever virtual version of the our partners, clients focus on the future. We’re these new, extraordinary Festival. and colleagues, all of proud to be part of the circumstances that - Randy Lennox, you in the industry, conversation. President, Bell Media, Chair of the we find ourselves Banff Television Festival Foundation we’ve created new - Doug Murphy, Board of Directors President & CEO, experiencing. worlds, discovered Corus Entertainment - Christa Dickenson, Executive Director, new dimensions and Telefilm Canada challenged norms. - Valerie Creighton, President & CEO, Canada Media Fund New voices from diverse Congratulations to the Festival communities are critical to the future organizers, who have really During this time of challenge and change of Canadian storytelling. Netflix is stepped up to the plate in for the entire cultural and media sector, proud to support the development these extraordinary times connecting through the Festival is more of these up and coming artists with to deliver once again an important than ever… we champion BANFF and our incredible partners exceptional conference. Canadian creators in sharing their voices on the Diversity of Voices Initiative. - Lisa Hamilton Daly, - The Honourable Leela Aheer, and perspectives in innovative new ways. Director of Original Series Alberta’s Minister of Culture, - Catherine Tait, Netflix Multiculturalism, and Status of Women President & CEO, CBC Radio Canada This event created a After I watched window of opportunity The quality Jason Altman from It was an incredible pivot Ubisoft’s 30 Minutes for an unprecedented to first listen to what of the panels distributors and With session, I situation. I was so was strong, reached out. I am a impressed. broadcasters are - Tamara Evams, Co-founder/Director of looking for, then to professional, Métis screenwriter/ Creative Development, Awen Entertainment adjust or create new and intelligent. producer...within a pitches to move forward It was satisfying few hours I was on with. It was a very enough to watch a Zoom call, and I spent the month of rewarding experience on remotely, as the September working many levels and I have Top notch, information was alongside their entire created strong business world-class event. still as valuable development team. I relations for the future. I plan on attending as it would have participated in every - Gordon Culley, annually from here Producer, Channel 6 Media been in person. call, read every project, on in. BANFF has - Courtney Wolfson, Producer, and advanced light Lakeside Animation been pivotal for me years professionally. - Ryan Lindsay, Producer personally and for my I’ve attended the new prodco. - Monique Hurteau, Producer/Director, Banff Festival in Through and Thru Films Inc. person several You folks times and I’m really knocked it out I appreciate being able impressed with of the park – I to attend Banff for the how quickly you felt I received first time through the pivoted this year excellent value virtual edition as I couldn’t Honestly...I hope in order to provide for the money physically attend before... it’s virtual in 2021! opportunities for Would love to continue - Danielle Morgan, PR/Social Media connection virtually. paid. Consultant, DMPR - Connie Edwards, Producer/ Banff Virtual in this form - Carla Jones, Studio Administrator, Director, Souleado Entertainment NFB of Canada’s BC & Yukon Studio or another. - Kailin Gow, Founder, Sparklesoup Inc. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair of the Board Colin Bohm Sean Cohan Sandra Dewey Steve MacDonald Randy Lennox Executive Vice President Chief Growth Officer and President, Business President, Global Content President Content and Corporate Strategy President, International Operations and Productions Licensing & International Bell Media Corus Entertainment Inc Nielsen Global Media WarnerMedia Entertainment: A+E Networks Group HBO Max, TBS, TNT, truTV Kevin Beggs John Brunton Tom Cox Blair Miller Chairman, Chairman & Chief Executive Executive Producer Scott Henderson VP Products & Content Lionsgate Television Group Officer, Executive Producer and Managing Partner Vice-President Communications TELUS STORYHIVE Lionsgate Entertainment Insight Productions Ltd. SEVEN24 Films Bell Media Robin Mirsky Sally Catto Valerie Creighton Ira Levy Executive Director, General Manager, Entertainment, President and CEO Partner and Executive Producer Rogers Group of Funds Factual and Sports Canada Media Fund Breakthrough Entertainment Rogers Communications CBC CONTENT ADVISORY BOARD Roy Ashton Vanessa Case Meghan Hooper Clelia Mountford Courtney Thomasma Partner, Head of TV Literary SVP Studio Executive Vice President, Co-Founder Executive Director, BBC America Gersh Agency Vice Canada Head of Original Movies Merman AMC Networks and Limited Series, Moreyba Bidessie Pat DiVittorio Entertainment and Youth Group Jamie Schouela Tonya Williams ViacomCBS Inc. Director of Scripted Development VP, Programming, President of Canadian Media Executive Director and Sales CTV & Specialty Blue Ant Media Reelworld Film Festival A+E Networks Bell Media Pippa Lambert Founder Philipp Steffens Hellcat Mark Bishop Paul Heaney Former Head of Fiction Co-CEO & Co-Founder Chief Executive Officer RTL Television marblemedia BossaNova Media MANY CHALLENGES, MANY SILVER LININGS. On March 23rd, we cancelled what was to be the 41st BANFF World Media Festival due to COVID-19. On March 24th, we started at zero and in a matter of weeks, our team built a robust four-month online festival and networking program. Necessity spurred innovation and growth. Canadian and international participation grew exponentially – the number of registered delegates more than tripled. We produced a Rockie Awards show seen live by a global audience. And, in August, we launched BANFF The BANFF and Brunico team’s compassion and kindness to each On Demand, featuring all of this year’s content, which in just three months other and their care for working in the best interest of the industry has amassed nearly 20,000 views. despite considerable challenges, was inspiring. The faith, support and For the third year in a row, our diversity and inclusion work increased. encouragement of the BANFF Board of Directors was – as ever – fuel Among our speakers, 63% were women and 21% were Black, Indigenous to our fire. Our Grand Patrons: the Government of Alberta, CBC Radio or people of colour professionals, a measure that has more than doubled Canada, The Canada Media Fund, Corus Entertainment, CTV Bell Media, since 2018. The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business Telefilm and Netflix, along with all of our partners and sponsors stepped of Media was launched this year, supporting the growth of 100 women up, and so many went above and beyond to help. We were honoured to entrepreneurs - 46 of which identify as being from a racialized community, deliver what we feel was an unparalleled program – on BANFF Day – LGBTQ2S+ or women with disabilities. In this third year of the Netflix- and over the ensuing months – free to creators, producers and media BANFF Diversity of Voices program, we served another 100 mostly companies that were hit incredibly hard due to the effects of the global women writers, producers and directors, 57 of which were Indigenous, health crisis. francophone, Black or people of colour. Our team is committed to doing Though this year presented so many challenges, it also presented our part to create real change and eliminate systemic racism in our many, many silver linings. We look forward to continuing to serve the industry. There is much more work to do. industry as it rebuilds and regenerates in 2021 and beyond. On behalf of myself and our team, stay safe, and stay tuned. Jenn Kuzmyk Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival Publisher, Playback A CRITICAL LIFELINE TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET 1,353international 52countries delegates Key territory growth year-over-year: US UK France Australia Germany Spain Mexico Japan Brazil Snowpiercer THE CANADIAN SCREEN INDUSTRIES CAME TOGETHER AT BANFF The screen-based, music, interactive and production businesses that make up the creative industries ecosystem are essential to the Canadian economy. I am eager to share 2,774Canadian delegates my vision for the future of creative industries in Canada with delegates and global leaders at [BANFF’s] important B2B trading floor. - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage 1,665Canadian companies NUMBER OF 401Canadians took meetings DELEGATES with int’l buyers in our virtual networking program TERRITORIES (YT, NT, NU) Growth in 12 every province, every territory. BC 431 AB