Rainmaker received the top award in the New Media & Ent. category at the 2006 BC Export Awards ceremony held Nov. 10 at the annual Awards Gala held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Rainmaker was recognized among 24 finalists who exemplify the value of B.C.'s export economy. The award, accepted by Rainmaker ceo Warren Franklin, was presented by Blair Reekie, president, The Eyes Multimedia Prods.
For 24 years, the BC Export Awards have acknowledged the unique approaches and contributions of British Columbia export companies across a variety of sectors and all regions of the province. From this field, winners were selected from eight business categories. The 2006 BC Export Awards were co-hosted by Canadian Manufactures & Exporters and the Ministry of Economic Development.
"Rainmaker is proud to have been chosen among the distinguished group of companies nominated. We're honored that our accomplishments have been recognized by our business peers," said Franklin.
Rainmaker is a leading full-service provider of visual effects, animation, post-production, HD and lab services to the film, television and game industries. Rainmaker began operations in 1979 and has continued to grow with the increasing volume of production work being drawn to British Columbia. In 2005, Rainmaker opened a London operation to provide effects on the prestigious THE DA VINCI CODE. Earlier this year, Rainmaker purchased the award-winning animation company, Mainframe Ent., also a previous winner of the BC Export Award. Together, the two now make up the largest visual effects/animation company in Canada.
"As the B.C. entertainment sector continues to grow, we look forward to furthering our position as a global media entity," added Franklin. "Digital entertainment services are a robust portion of the worldwide creative industry and we're happy to have our base in Vancouver."
Rainmaker (www.rainmaker.com), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is an award-winning visual effects, 3D animation and post-production company with a 27 year history of technical excellence and outstanding service in feature films, television, games and commercials. In 2005, Rainmaker LP opened a facility in London -- Rainmaker Animation & Visual Effects UK Ltd. (Rainmaker UK) -- which offers cutting edge visual effects and 3D animation in that market. Rainmaker's Vancouver facility continues to provide a wide array of post-production services ranging from traditional film developing to the very latest in digital image processing, visual effects and computer-generated animation.
The 2006 BC Export Awards (www.bcexportawards.com) are co-hosted by Canadian Manufactures & Exporters and the Ministry of Economic Development. Presented annually, the Export Awards are open to all B.C. registered companies that have exported a product or service for two or more years. Sponsors of this year's awards included RBC Financial Group, Alcan Inc., Western Economic Diversification Canada, Export Development Canada, Air Canada Cargo, The Eyes, Vancouver Port Authority, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Business Development Bank of Canada, KPMG LLP, Fireworks Marketing Group, Greer Shipping, International Financial Centre, Terminal Systems Inc, Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang, Canada Export Centre, BC Business Magazine, Hyatt Regency Vancouver and Optimum Public Relations.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
