HOWIE MANDEL TO BE HONOURED AT BANFF 2011

Veteran Canadian actor will be at BANFF to accept the Award of Distinction

Toronto, Canada (December 15, 2010) - The Banff World Television Festival announced today that Howie Mandel, veteran actor, comedian, author and game show host, will be honoured at BANFF 2011 with the prestigious Award of Distinction. A key part of the Banff World Television Awards, the Award of Distinction recognizes an outstanding Canadian whose body of work has set the standard for excellence in the country's entertainment industry.

"After thirty years in show business, Howie Mandel is a household name in Canada and across the globe," said Ferne Cohen, Executive Director of the Banff World Television Festival. "Mr. Mandel's stellar international success demonstrates the influential role Canadians have in the global entertainment industry, and we're proud to honour his achievements this year at BANFF."

Mandel's versatile career has encompassed virtually all aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including television, film and stage.  From his work on the Emmy-Award winning St. Elsewhere, to the international animated children’s series Bobby’s World, Mandel has become a mainstay of the global comedy scene. Mandel recently received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Reality/Competition Host" for the hit game show Deal or No Deal, and this summer became a judge on NBC's blockbuster talent competition America's Got Talent. He frequently appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno performing his signature hidden-camera bits, and continues to do as many as 200 live performances a year throughout the US and Canada.

Previous Award of Distinction winners include Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall, Paul Gross, Colm Feore and Paul Haggis.
 

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION CHAIRS ANNOUNCED AS BANFF KEYNOTES

Chairmen Dana Walden & Gary Newman to deliver a joint presentation at this year's festival

Banff, Alberta (November 24, 2010) -- The Banff World Media Festival is delighted to announce Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen of Twentieth Century Fox Television (TCFTV), as joint keynote presenters for Banff 2011.

Newman and Walden have led the blockbuster studio since December 1999, and have overseen the development of an impressive roster of hit shows, including current blockbusters GLEE and MODERN FAMILY, as well as THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY, 24, BONES, PRISON BREAK,  HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER  and THE X-FILES among many others.  The pair also oversee Fox21, led by Bert Salke, and Fox Television Studios, led by David Madden, which collectively produce the cable hits  SONS OF ANARCHY,BURN NOTICE, THE GLADES and WHITE COLLAR. They currently have the ambitious and  eagerly anticipated sci-fi fantasty series TERRA NOVA, from Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin and Brannon Braga, shooting in Queensland, Australia for a May premiere on Fox.
   
"We could not be more excited to host Ms. Walden and Mr. Newman at this year's event," says Ferne Cohen, Executive Director of the Festival. "Under their leadership, TCFTV has been setting the industry standard for content creation, and these two gifted executives are known for creating some of the boldest and most innovative programming in the history of the medium. I’m sure all of our delegates will be eager to hear some of the secrets behind their incredible success."

In addition to running TCFTV, Newman and Walden oversee the studio’s enormously successful worldwide Fox Consumer Products division which is charged with extending and exploiting the company’s vast array of entertainment properties as well as premiere titles for Fox Film and Fox Sports in categories such as publishing, videogames, promotions, e-commerce, retail, themed entertainment and consumer products.

In the fall of 2002, they pioneered the now common industry practice of releasing television series on DVD immediately following each broadcast season, a revolutionary idea which helped propel the Fox drama 24 to blockbuster status in its second year on the air. And they’ve maintained the company’s dominance when it comes to prime time animation, with eight series currently in production on new episodes and many more in the development pipeline.

About Twentieth Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp., is a leading supplier of entertainment content domestically and around the world. Led by Chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman, the studio currently boasts dozens of shows in production from the Emmy and Golden Globe award winning hits Glee and Modern Family to The Simpsons, the longest-running comedy in television history.





 
 

nextMEDIA and BANFF Announce Competition and Award Winners

nextMEDIA Interactive Awards and BANFF Pilots Competition Winners honored, as well as winners of iPad/Tablet App and Digital Hot List Competition

Banff, AB - nextMEDIA and The Banff World Television Festival held their final awards ceremony today to honour the best in Digital Media and Pilots as well as present the results of two fierce competitions – the nextMEDIA iPad/Tablet competition and the Digital Hot List - that brought together the hottest digital innovators from around the world. Winners will be given a pass to MIP COM in October, 2010 to further their ideas and make international business development connections.

nextMEDIA is proud to announce the winners of the nextMEDIA Banff Interactive Awards:

• Best Branded Entertainment:  In Gayle We Trust, Universal Media Studios in association with Mindshare Entertainment and American Family Insurance,   NBC Universal (www.nbc.com)- USA
• Best Cross Platform Project - The Well, Conker Media, BBC – United Kingdom
• Original Online Programs – FREAK, FremantleMedia,   United Kingdom
• Best Interactive: The Well Conker Media,  BBC - United Kingdom

BANFF and nextMEDIA also presented winners in the first annual International Pilots Competition. Awards were given to 2 winners in each category – a veteran and a newcomer:

• BEST PILOT: El Sistema, Greg Hemmings, Hemmings House Pictures

Over 20 Minutes:

• Players, Exclamation Films, Mona Grenier, Exclamation Films
• The Gayest Show Ever, Pink Triangle Press, David Walberg, Pink Triangle Press

5-20 Minutes:

• American Wife, Frigate Films Inc.
• El Sistema, Hemming House Pictures, Greg Hemmings, Hemmings House Pictures

2-5 MINUTES:

• Sterile Atomic Fly, spicybackpain Productions, Riley Beach, spicybackpain Productions
• Cubicle to the Cage, Hemmings House Pictures, Greg Hemmings House Pictures

The iPad/tablet app and the Digital Hot List contests were some of the most talked about events at nextMEDIA.
The renowned Digital Hot List competition awarded Anaid Productions and Slice Networks’ XWEIGHTED.COM with its prestigious top honour as well as a full-access registration to MIPCOM 2010, provided by contest sponsor Reed Midem and valued at over 1,000 euros.

nextMEDIA’s new iPad/Tablet Competition presented Peter McNeill, of Deloitte and creator of the iStoreWine app with the top prize. iStoreWine received a development deal worth $25,000 to make their concept a reality via leading interactive development agency Trapeze and the Toronto-based Mobile Experience Innovation Centre.

"These next generation entertainment competitions sought out to find the world’s best talent and ideas – and these 11 finalists did just that," says Mark Greenspan, nextMEDIA’s Executive Producer. "Delegates come to nextMEDIA looking for hot new technologies and developers attend looking for ways to bring their vision to reality – it is a win-win situation for all and some great new talent was discovered."

The next edition of the Digital Hot List will happen at nextMEDIA Toronto, 2010 in November.

Banff World Television Festival Announces 2010 "Rockie" Award Winners, Fiction Category

Banff, Alberta - The 31st Banff World Television Festival (BANFF) and nextMEDIA are pleased to announce this year’s Banff World Television Award winners, in the fiction categories:

ENTERTAINMENT CATEGORIES:

1. Animation: Le Printemps de Melie/ Molly in Springtime, National Film Board of Canada in association with Folimage, PIWI, Divertissement Subsequence Inc. - Canada
2. Comedy Programs: Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Table Read, HBO Entertainment, Home Box Office - USA
3. Music & Variety Programs or Series: Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra, Glassbox Productions, BBC -  United Kingdom

CHILDREN FAMILY AND YOUTH CATEGORIES:

1. Children’s Programs (2+): The Yellow House, Pausefilm, Danish Television, DR1 - Denmark
2. Youth Programs (13+): TeenNick HALO Awards, Nickelodeon, TeenNick - USA

DRAMA CATEGORIES:

1. Continuing Series & Serial Programs: In Treatment, Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions and Sheleg in association with HBO Entertainment  Home Box Office - USA
2. Made-for-TV-Movies: London River, 3B Productions in association with ARTE France, ARTE France - France
3. Mini-Series: Flesh and Bones (Van Vlees en bloed), Woestijnvis, VRT - Belgium
4. Soap Operas: Where is Elisa?, TVN, TVN - Chile'
5. Telenovelas: Cats Cradle, TV Globo, TV Globo - Brazil

CATÉGORIES FRANCOPHONES:

1. Divertissement: Tout le monde en parle, Avanti Ciné Vidéo, Le gars de la TV, Les productions Jacques K Primeau et Radio-Canada, Radio-Canada - Canada
2. Fiction: Musee Eden, Les Productions Sovimage, Radio-Canada -Canada
3. Jeunesse: La joute junior, Avanti Ciné Vidéo, Télé-Quebec - Canada

"The Rockies have become one of the highest, global accolades in the television industry," says Georges Leclere, executive producer of the Banff World Television Awards. "Tonight’s winners represent the very best in creativity and innovation, from the world’s best television programs, and we couldn’t be more delighted with their success."

Chosen from 900 entries from more than 43 countries, the Banff World Television Awards, also known as the "Rockies", is one of the world’s most prestigious events celebrating outstanding work by international TV creators responsible for the continuing evolution and originality in the industry. All the nominees were announced earlier this year at the MIPTV broadcast and digital media conference in Cannes, France.

Equally exciting, BANFF has seen a 13% increase in submissions this year, attesting to the continued popularity and importance of the awards.

The BANFF organizers designated 68 jury panels from over 30 countries around the world to select Rockie Award nominees in each of the 34 categories. There will be 5 separate award ceremonies for winners from each of these 34 categories, culminating in the Banff World Television Awards on June 15, 2010.

For full list of category descriptions, click here

Banff World Television Festival Announces Winners at Alberta Film Awards

  Banff, AB - The Banff World Television Festival is pleased to announce the winners at the Alberta Film Awards, held today. The CTV Award of Excellence was presented to Nigel Lythgoe by Ivan Fecan, President and Chief Executive Offer, CTVglobemedia; Chief Executive Officer, CTV Inc.; the Lionsgate/Maple Pictures Innovative Producer was awarded to Temple Street Productions; the Deluxe Outstanding Technical Achievement Award went to Panavision and the Outstanding Achievement Award to PBS.

"These award recipients are ground-breaking, innovative and much-deserving winners," says Peter Vamos, Executive Director of the Banff World Television Festival. "Each demonstrates exceptional creative edge and sets the bar high for the film & television industry."

More about the award recipients:

The CTV Award of Excellence is given to an actor, writer or director whose body of work has profoundly touched the lives of audiences around the world and achieved a level of excellence by which new standards are set. Co-founder and president of Big Red 2 Entertainment, which he formed with 19 Entertainment founder Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe has been the driving force behind many of television’s most-watched reality shows including "Survivor"(UK), "Pop Idol"(UK), and the famed "American Idol," which he executive produced for seven highly successful seasons. In front of the camera, Lythgoe is most well known as executive producer and judge on the Emmy award-winning "So You Think You Can Dance" which he recently brought to the UK.

Temple Street Productions is being honoured with the Lionsgate/Maple Pictures Innovative Producer Award for its incredible achievement in television and digital media. This award recognizes the entrepreneurial excellence and achievements of an independent producer within the Canadian television industry. Temple Street are proven industry leaders, having produced an array of programming including prime-time television dramas and reality television, Projects include Being Erica (CBC), Wingin It (Family Channel), Canada’s Next Top Model (CTV).

"Temple Street Productions truly embodies the spirit in which we created this award," says Lionsgate President of Television, Kevin Beggs. "Since its inception, David and Ivan have used innovative means to grow their company, creating partnerships and collaborations at every turn."

Maple Pictures Co-President Brad Pelman adds, "Temple Street is respected by its peers and customers and we are pleased to present them this accolade this year."

Panavision, an innovator in the research and development of film, is the recipient of this year's Deluxe Outstanding Technical Achievement Award. Celebrating over 50 years of enabling clients to bring their creative vision to the screen, Panavision is an international supplier, designer, and manufacturer of high precision film and digital camera systems for the motion picture and television industries.

"It is a great accomplishment for Panavision to be recognized and appreciated in Canada by our industry and peers, including leaders like Deluxe, for our ongoing efforts as we strive to enhance our products and client service experience through innovation, technology and the hard work of our extremely knowledgeable staff," says Bill Zacharuk, president, Panavision.

The Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to an internationally recognized television company that is entrepreneurial, provides leadership and sets the creative bar for others around the world.

In partnership with its nearly 360 independent member stations, PBS is the United States' largest public media organization. Each month, PBS reaches more than 118 million people through television and nearly 21 million people online. PBS has moved aggressively to transform itself from a solely broadcast organization to a multi-platform leader that serves Americans through television, mobile TV, the Web, interactive whiteboards in the classroom and more.

The Banff World Television Festival is the world's premiere television content creation event and annual forum for business and creative opportunities for those in television and new media. For the first time, the festival will run concurrently with nextMEDIA Banff, bringing together the television and digital media communities for a truly unique cross-platform event, offering unprecedented networking, face-to-face meetings, keynote speeches and pitching opportunities that reflect the growing convergence of television and digital media.

nextMEDIA and BANFF Announce Competition and Award Winners

Banff, AB - nextMEDIA and The Banff World Television Festival held their final awards ceremony today to honour the best in Digital Media and Pilots as well as present the results of two fierce competitions - the nextMEDIA iPad/Tablet competition and the Digital Hot List - that brought together the hottest digital innovators from around the world.

nextMEDIA is proud to announce the winners of the nextMEDIA Banff Interactive Awards:

• Best Branded Entertainment:  In Gayle We Trust, Universal Media Studios in association with Mindshare Entertainment and American Family Insurance,   NBC Universal (www.nbc.com), USA
• Best Cross Platform Project - The Well, Conker Media, BBC, United Kingdom
• Original Online Programs – FREAK, FremantleMedia,   United Kingdom
• Best Interactive: The Well Conker Media,  BBC, United Kingdom
   

BANFF and nextMEDIA also presented winners in the first annual International Pilots Competition. Awards were given to 2 winners in each category – a veteran and a newcomer:

• BEST PILOT: El Sistema, Greg Hemmings, Hemmings House Pictures

Over 20 Minutes:

• Players, Exclamation Films, Mona Grenier, Exclamation Films
• The Gayest Show Ever, Pink Triangle Press, David Walberg, Pink Triangle Press

5-20 Minutes:

• American Wife, Frigate Films Inc.
• El Sistema, Hemming House Pictures, Greg Hemmings, Hemmings House Pictures

2-5 MINUTES:

• Sterile Atomic Fly, spicybackpain Productions, Riley Beach, spicybackpain Productions
• Cubicle to the Cage, Hemmings House Pictures, Greg Hemmings House Pictures

The iPad/tablet app and the Digital Hot List contests were some of the most talked about events at nextMEDIA.
The renowned Digital Hot List competition awarded Anaid Productions and Slice Networks’ XWEIGHTED.COM with its prestigious top honour as well as a full-access registration to MIPCOM 2010, provided by contest sponsor Reed Midem and valued at over 1,000 euros.

nextMEDIA’s new iPad/Tablet Competition presented Peter McNeill, of Deloitte and creator of the iStoreWine app with the top prize. iStoreWine received a development deal worth $25,000 to make their concept a reality via leading interactive development agency Trapeze and the Toronto-based Mobile Experience Innovation Centre.

"These next generation entertainment competitions sought out to find the world’s best talent and ideas - and our 11 finalists did just that," says Mark Greenspan, nextMEDIA’s Executive Producer. "Delegates come to nextMEDIA looking for hot new technologies and developers attend looking for ways to bring their vision to reality - it is a win-win situation for all and some great new talent was discovered."

Watch out for the next digital media competition from nextMEDIA – the Canadian New Media Awards. www.nextmediaevents.com/cnma