Media

Mika Salmi New MTV Networks Global Digital Media President

Mika Salmi has been named to the newly created position president of global digital media for MTVN. Salmi will work across MTVN's growing portfolio of multiplatform brands to further develop and implement the company's strategy of building an engaging universe of music, games, entertainment, networking and interactivity for its communities of targeted audiences. Salmi was ceo of Atom Ent., the company he founded and was acquired by MTVN in August 2006.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Events

Freewaves Festival: Too Much Freedom?

Begins: November 1, 2006

Too Much Freedom? LA Freewaves 10th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts

Institutions have historically struggled to find a balance between the expressive rights of the individual and the innate desire for societal stability. Throughout modern history, artists have been in the forefront of those dialogues.

Freewaves 10th festival re-examines freedom and its consequences with film, video and new media exploring a multiplicity of cultural values, including artistic invention, political experience and human need.

In Event Types: Animation, Documentaries, New Media, Short Films, Web / Internet

Youtube Headline News

Google To Acquire YouTube for $1.65B in Stock

Google Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire YouTube, the consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos, for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. Following the acquisition, YouTube will operate independently to preserve its successful brand.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Classic Media Manages Gumby

Classic Media and Premavision Inc., owner of GUMBY, announced it has entered into a long-term joint venture under which Classic Media will manage all rights to the GUMBY characters.

In Television, Television | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

BlueArc’s Titan Network Storage Utilized on Everyone’s Hero

BlueArc Corp. announced that Starz Media, the animation studio behind EVERYONE'S HERO, benefited from the Titan storage system, equipped with more than 100 terabytes, to deliver more than 1,450 individual shots.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Europe

Mobile Headline News

Alvin & The Chipmunks And Rocky & Bullwinkle Go Mobile

InfoSpace Inc. has signed deals with Classic Media and Bagdasarian Prods. to bring some of the worlds most famous classic movie and TV stars to mobile, including Alvin & the Chipmunks, Rocky & Bullwinkle and a host of others.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Amy Gruberg New MGM SVP of Media Operations

Amy Gruberg joins Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) as svp, media operations, responsible for shaping the media vision for MGM. She will influence all aspects of the studios media operations, including overseeing the media strategy and placement for each of the studios films, working on MGM Home Ent. releases, and building brand extensions for MGMs television partners as films enter their network and cable windows.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Fox Interactive Media Offers The Simpsons Premiere Peek

Fox Interactive Media (FIM) and FOX offered fans on the Web an exclusive glimpse at the new season of THE SIMPSONS series. Through a campaign sponsored by Burger King, FIM sites will offer a promotional premier look at the first episode starting Sept. 8, 2006. In a first, online fans on three FIM sites, including MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/thesimpsons), FOX.com (www.fox.com) and IGN.com's new site IGN TV (www.igntv.com) have the exclusive opportunity to see the first seven minutes of the first episode before it airs on television.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Kent Rice to Head Starz Animation

Kent Rice has been named ceo of Starz Animation, a division of Starz Media, to develop and produce animated feature-length movies. Rice reports to Clasen.

Rice is a 20-year vet with executive level management experience in cable operations, telecom and TV programming, both in domestic and international markets. Most recently, he had been executive adviser to Starz Ent., helping acquire the newly named Starz Media and the integration of Starz Media with Starz Ent.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Events

Medienwoche Berlin-Brandenburg 2006

Begins: August 30, 2006

Medienwoche Berlin-Brandenburg 2006 is where Berlin and Brandenburg's entire media industry crosses paths. Building on last year's success, the conference will once again succinctly join various types of media industry events under one giant umbrella. With highlights including the Medienforum (Aug. 30

In Event Types: Conferences, Contests, Discussion, Exhibits, Seminars / Workshops, Screenings, Animation, Business / Management, Documentaries, Features, Interactive, Live Action, Short Films, Television, Visual Effects, Web / Internet, Other

Media Headline News

Robert B. Clasen to Head Starz Ent. Group & IDT Ent. Merger

IDT Ent. has been renamed Starz Media and Starz Ent. Group has been renamed Starz Ent., both wholly owned subsidiaries of Starz Llc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. Liberty recently acquired IDTE from IDT Corp. Robert B. Clasen will serve as chairman/ceo of both entities and of Starz Llc., which will be the umbrella company overseeing the two operating units.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, North America

Nick Headline News

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Debuts on Nick Jr.

WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! launched across several media platforms, migrated to TV on Nick Jr. on Aug. 28, 2006. The 26-episode whimsical, animated preschool comedy starring three offbeat friends who use cooperation, creativity and humor to solve everyday kid problems, debuted with a roadblock on Nick Jr. and sister network NOGGIN on Monday with two back-to-back episodes from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The series will air regularly on Nick Jr. weekdays at 11:30 am.

In Television, Television | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Qubo To Launch On NBC, Telemundo & The i Network This September

Qubo, a new multi-platform television network for children that champions literacy and positive values through entertainment, will launch its first platform, the qubo programming block, this September. Broadcasting in both English and Spanish, the block will premiere on NBC and Telemundo on Saturday morning (Sept. 9), Telemundo on Sunday morning (Sept. 10) and ION Media Networks' i network on Friday afternoon (Sept. 15).

In Television, Television | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Mark Dindal Moves to Live-Action with Sherlock's Secretary

Mark Dindal (CHICKEN LITTLE) will make his live-action directorial debut on SHERLOCK'S SECRETARY for Walden Media and Nash Ent., according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Crafted around the fact that Sherlock Holmes fictitious address 221b Baker St. receives real letters seeking Holmes sleuthing skills, the story will follow a resident of the address who decides to take on the real case from one of the letters.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Andrew Perlman New Classic Media Digital Media VP

New York-based family entertainment company Classic Media has named industry veteran Andrew Perlman to serve as its new vp of Digital Media, responsible for managing the mobile and online content distribution strategy for the companys diverse library and characters, consisting of more than 3,000 titles, which also includes its subsidiary, Big Ideas VeggieTales brand.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Fox and Walden Media Announce Joint Venture

Fox Filmed Ent. and Walden Media have joined forces with the mandate of marketing and releasing family films.

Walden Media, whose recent success includes the worldwide blockbuster THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, is bringing its future feature development slate to the joint venture. Fox will also contribute a number of current and newly developed projects. Walden Media's previously announced films at other studios would remain in place.

In Films, Visual Effects, Films, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

VIZ Media Brings Renowned Manga Creators To Comic-Con

VIZ Media Llc. (VIZ Media) has a variety of special events, theatrical premieres and speaker panels planned in and around the 2006 Comic-Con International from July 20-23, 2006, at the convention center in San Diego. VIZs booth is #4013.

In Anime, Event, Anime, Event | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Media Headline News

Astral Media & Corus Ent. to Take Bite of TELETOON from Cookie Jar

Astral Media Inc. and Corus Ent. Inc. announced today (July 13, 2006) they would acquire the remaining 20% of the TELETOON network from the shareholders of The Cookie Jar Group.

Subject to the approval of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), this transaction will give Astral Media and Corus Ent. each an additional 10% ownership of TELETOON, bringing their individual ownership to 50% each. The price for this acquisition is approximately CDN $96 million.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, North America

Software Events

E3 2007

Begins: July 11, 2006

The new E3 Media and Business Summit has changed its size, location and timing in reaction to widespread industry criticism that the event had grown too massively big and noisy for exhibitors to garner enough attention to justify the elaborate and expensive marketing pushes for the show. E3 will now be held July 11-13, 2007, in Santa Monica, California, and will combine the best elements of the former trade show into a business event celebrating the videogame industry's present and future, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

In Event Types: Discussion, Exhibits, Seminars / Workshops, Screenings, Animation, Interactive, Web / Internet, Other

DIC Ent. & Thomopoulos Form Promise Media Prods. for Christian & Secular Markets

DIC Ent. and Thomopoulos Prods. have joined forces to launch Promise Media Prods., a new venture focused on developing, marketing and distributing properties for children and families under the positive value-based Promise Media brand for faith-based and secular markets.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Australia, Europe

Digital Events

Digital Communities 06

Begins: June 29, 2006

Produced by Broadcast in association with Watershed and South West Screen, Digital Communities 06 will ask how new types of communities are shaping and informing the development of media and communication. With a range of topics from Local TV and mobile media to DIY distribution and multiplayer gaming being discussed by experts from within the media industry and beyond, Digital Communities 06 will seek to shed light on the changes, both informing and debating the complexities of the digital future. For more info, visit www.watershed.co.uk/digital_communities.

In Event Types: Discussion, Seminars / Workshops, Screenings, Animation, Interactive, New Media, Visual Effects, Web / Internet, Other

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Media ANIMATIONWorld

Brave New Media: Opportunities for Independent Animators

From websites to mobile phones, iTV and more, Janet Hetherington investigates how independent animators are finding new ways to deliver interactive content over multiple platforms.

In Technology | ANIMATIONWorld

Avid Headline News

Chapman University Equips New Film School with Avid Solutions

Avid Technology Inc. announced that Chapman University, which offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts degrees, has made a significant investment in Avid solutions for its new state-of-the-art film and media arts center in southern California. The new $41million, 76,000-square-foot facility, Marion Knott Studios, will serve as the home of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.

In Education and Training, Visual Effects, Education and Training, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Nick Headline News

Nick Jr. To Sneak Peek Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! On Multiplatform Pre-Launch

Nick Jr.'s will "sneak peek" its newest preschool show, WOW! WOW! WUBBZY!, across several media platforms, beginning Tuesday, June 20, 2006. The 26-episode series premieres on Nick Jr. on Aug. 28.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Image Infotainment to Launch Three-Year Digital Media Course

Image College of Arts, Animation and Technology (ICAT), a division of Chennai-based Image Infotainment Limited, will launch a three-year full-time program in digital media, which includes animation, visual effects, game design or game development, reports THE BUSINSS STANDARD.

Philip Thomas, manager (admissions) of ICAT, said that the digital media industry across the world was in need of more fusion artists, those who combine artistic and technical skills.

In Education and Training, Education and Training | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia