The newsletter of the SASKATCHEWAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA ASSOCIATION

Our mission: To foster the growth of a strong & vibrant interactive media sector/industry in SK with capabilities recognized & respected in the provincial, international, and international marketplace.

Our vision: As a provincially, nationally, and internationally recognized industry voice, Saskatchewan Interactive will: provide advocacy, promotion, and education to increase member opportunity in a global marketplace.
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Meet your new Board of Directors!
At the Annual General Meeting for the Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association, held on Tuesday, April 10, the new Board was voted in:
Deborah Black (D.Black Communications, Saskatoon)
David Milne (TRLabs, Saskatoon/Regina)
Frank Bulk (DMT, U of S, Saskatoon)
Dr. Bill Brooks (eclecthink international, Saskatoon)
Luigi Benedicenti (TRLabs, U of R)
Albert Jame (zu.com communications, Saskatoon)
Bill Armstrong (Armstrong Communications, Regina)
Jason Orban (OH! Media, Regina)
Susanne Bell (SaskFilm) Ex-Officio member
Congratulations to all and thank you for your service to the industry.

The past year saw the association make great strides within the 3-year Strategic Plan that was established a year ago, but much work has yet to be done. With the offering of our highly successful Summit during the past two years, our industry knowledge-base and level of interest has risen dramatically, and our membership has grown. Our exposure to other Summits throughout North America and the associated contacts, has expanded our horizons,

The President’s Report, a review of all of our 2006 activities will soon be posted to our website as we get ready to launch the new site.
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Casual Connect July 17-19, 2007 in SEATTLE
Casual Games Association Events are the premiere events for the casual games industry. CGA Seattle brings together the most talented and knowledgeable experts in the casual gaming field to further the casual games industry.
Check out the website at http://seattle.casualconnect.org/index.html
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Vancouver International Game Summit – May 3-4
Tapping into the fast growing pool of game creators residing on the West Coast of Canada and the U.S., the Summit will showcase designers and leaders from the digital entertainment community, highlighting the latest trends in game development and publishing, and global perspectives on industry growth. Enjoy educational, networking and business opportunities, and a world class agenda that features management, technical and design tracks, as well as interactive workshops. Click here for the full agenda and confirmed conference speakers: http://www.rebootconference.com/games2007/agenda.php

Target audience: Programmers, Artists, Game designers, Producers, Publishers, Studio leads
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Tickets to Canada New Media Awards are on sale now
Announcing the 7th annual Canadian New Media Awards (CNMA) on Monday, May 28th, 2007. This year's event takes place at Toronto's, The Carlu, combining the architectural look of '30s glam with spectacular technology and acoustics to create memorable events.

The action-packed Awards hour is filled with excitement, great entertainment, and flawless show production employing state-of-the-art integrated technology. Enjoy the innovative talent that Canada has to offer.
http://links.cnma.ca/a/v.x?Token=pjbhnmdddmekghdcjbokmconmamnaflfjdcghiinehkoldjpaomcmkonhpje
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Ottawa 07 International Animation Festival
Stop holding your breath! You can now enter your film for the 2007 edition of the OIAF!

The deadline for entry forms is June 1st, 2007 and the deadline for preview DVD submissions is June 15th, 2007. But don't think that because June is so far away that you can leave things until the last minute... like we do. Beat the rush and fill out the form now!
http://ottawa.awn.com/
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Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit Program’s Deeming Provision Guidelines

Please be advised that effective April 1, 2007, there will be amendments made to the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit Program’s Deeming Provision Guidelines.

The amended program guidelines address specific issues that have been identified by stakeholders to ensure the program delivers on its objectives with respect to training. A brief summary of the amendments are provided below and the new guidelines, training plans and application forms can be found at www.saskfilm.com and by selecting “Tax Credit” and “Deeming Provision”.

Deeming Amendments Summary:
Producers are required to submit the initial application for Deeming prior to the first day of principal photography to allow for proper assessment and monitoring of the activities.
Standardized approved training plans developed in association with Saskatchewan’s unions and guilds ensure that job functions undertaken by the employee are relevant to the position they are being trained for.
The number of mentors each trainee can be assigned has been limited to one to ensure trainees are provided the attention they require during the process.
Eligible trainee positions have been designated for each mentor.
Specific amendments have been made to the Mentor/Trainee agreements and evaluation forms to ensure all parties are aware of the expectations of the program and to allow for proper assessment.

Should you have any questions on the amendments to the Deeming Provision, please contact Charlene Hilkewich, Program Coordinator at 798-3317 or charlene@saskfilm.com. _____________________________________________
SaskTel/SaskFilm Interactive Travel Assistance Program.
The program is designed to provide financial assistance to interactive producers to approved program markets in order to increase the marketing and export of Saskatchewan interactive products. This program is funded by what was formerly called the SaskTel New Media Fund and will be available until program funds are fully expended.
SaskInteractive appreciate the support that these funds offer to our members to attend important events and to bring back valuable information for our members.

Should you have any questions about the program, please contact Charlene
Hilkewich, Program Coordinator at Charlene@saskfilm.com or by calling
798-3317.
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nextMEDIA: The Future of Digital Content*
*Scheduled for June 8 --10, 2007 in Banff, Canada*

The future of digital content will be studied, discussed, debated and shaped as the best and brightest
minds in the digital media industry come together at *nextMEDIA 2007*, scheduled to take place June 8 -- 10, 2007 at the scenic Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. The sister conference to the Banff World Television Festival (June 10 -- 13, 2007), nextMEDIA will deliver the latest information on emerging platform distribution while actively building a marketplace for digital content producers from Canada and around the world.

Now in its third year, nextMEDIA has become an *important event for content producers*, TV and media executives, technology companies, and Web entrepreneurs alike. The three-day conference features a comprehensive program of keynotes, panel discussions, briefing sessions, interviews, and formal and informal networking sessions.

New to the nextMEDIA program is a *social-networking site *developed in partnership with PikSpot Groups (http://www.pikspot.com), a Canadian Web 2.0 company. The site (http://nextmedia.pikspot.com) is scheduled to launch mid-February and will offer digital content producers the opportunity to upload their own text, photos and videos using PikSpot's built-in tools. Group members will be able to network with each other, view and "vote" on content.

To register or to find out more information about nextMEDIA 2007, go to http://www.futureofdigitalcontent.com. Delegates registering for the Banff World Television Festival will be able to take advantage of a *special discount* for both events when they choose to register for
nextMEDIA.

For additional information, contact:
Julie Giles, Digital Entertainment and Media Marketing
Tel: 416-537-9774 | Cell: 416-878-5328
E-mail: jgiles@achillesmedia.com
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Saskatchewan Voicers Club
In the voice business, talent can be in any town or city, using a home sound studio to record sound files and email them worldwide.

Anyone interested in voice-over work who would like to become a member of a Saskatchewan Voicers Club should direct Saskatchewan inquiries to Wayne Gemmell wayne@NetRevenue.ca
Please forward this to anyone that you think may be interested. For a wealth of technical information go to James Alburger's web site ... VoiceActing.com

Workshop training is extremely important; meetings would be infrequent and mostly online via computer web conferencing. At least one of Regina's major recording studios has expressed interest in attending and monitoring our meetings in search of new talent for local commercial work. Radio is all voice work but TV commercials have voice in the background.

Unlike movie and television actors who are very visual, the voice actors behind Porky Pig or Sponge Bob could sit beside you and you would never know who they were.
There are only a few mandatory things that a voicer needs ... interest, dedication, a voice and a heartbeat.
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Please support our efforts to grow our industry by becoming a member and presenting a united voice in Saskatchewan. Pass this email on to everyone you know in the industry.
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Funding for the Saskatchewan Interactive newsletter is provided solely through the good graces of our overworked and dedicated volunteers. Don’t just sit back – help us to grow the industry by supporting our efforts - join our organization and make your voice heard through your industry representatives. We are making a difference!

Website: http://www.saskinteractive.com