This year's lineup for the Ottawa Animation Festival's Television Animation Conference will give producers a "tool box" for success. The event is already 70% sold-out and attendees only have until Aug. 27, to sign up if they want to get in the delegate guide.
Setting the tone and providing some inspiration are keynotes speakers Blair Peters, Partner and Executive Producer of Studio B Productions, and Pascal Le Nôtre co-founder of renowned French production house, Folimage. Both will give insight into how to find commercial success while making a quality product.
Throughout the day, the exchange of knowledge continues with discussions about online content involving trailblazers such as Tribal Nova and Zinc Roe on the Online Advantage panel. Regulating "You": Ensuring a Demand for Canadian Content will provide a little controversy as participants grapple with the how government policy and producers will deal with the changing media universe. David Fine (Snowden Fine Animation Inc.) and Linda Simensky (PBS) will be among the panelists examining "The Key to Good Creator-Producer Relationships."
The case study is always a highlight. This year Cookie Jar's Magi Nation will be examined. Based on the popular online game, the show was co-produced with South Korea's Daewon Media. From the get go the show has taken a 360-degree approach to the brand - on air, online and on shelf with trading cards and electronic games.
TAC provides many opportunities to network and pitch. This year's brave participants at Pitch This! are Andrew Dunn of FatKat Animation and independent Barry Sanders. On Wednesday, September 19 they will pitch their projects for 10 minutes to a panel of leading animation broadcasters. Not so brave participants can make pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings with key buyers and executive producers either on their own or at the Fast Track event. They can take in intimate social events like the TAC Boat Cruise and TAC Luncheon and get free advice from experts on all aspects of the industry at the Production Clinic.
For more information about TAC, please visit http://www.animationfestival.ca.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
