For the first time in 59 years, an animated film has won at the ACE Eddie Awards. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, (edited by Chris Dickens) and WALL-E (edited by Stephen Schaffer) won Best Edited Feature Film (Drama) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical) respectively at the 59th Annual ACE Eddie Awards Sunday night where trophies were handed out in nine categories of film, television and documentaries.
The annual NATPE Conference & Exhibition is the only American program market serving the worldwide television community. This three-day convention and marketplace is recognized throughout the world as a key media event. If you buy, sell, develop, finance, advertise, market or license content; implement technology; exploit rights; or leverage media assets, the annual conference and exhibition is the best place to be for success today and growth tomorrow.
AJA Video Systems' FS1 converters and KONA 3 video capture and playback cards are an integral part of the HD post production workflow at Goddard Television, the media distribution arm of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The FS1 is a universal HD and SD, audio and video frame synchronizer and converter supporting virtually any input or output format, and KONA 3 is AJA's top-of-the-line uncompressed capture card for SD, HD, and Dual Link 4:4:4 HD for Apple Mac Pro systems.
Paul Johnson, Television Division Director at Reed MIDEM, the Paris-based organizer of international exhibitions and conferences, is to leave the company in mid-March for a new career opportunity to be announced shortly.
Johnson was appointed Reed MIDEM's Television Division Director in April 2003 and was responsible for the company's MIPTV, MIPCOM, MIPDOC and MIP Junior events. He oversaw the launch of the MIPTV Content 360 initiative, the introduction of the International Digital Emmy Awards and the digitization of screenings at MIPDOC and MIP Junior.
Award-winning Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (TRAINSPOTTING, THE FULL MONTY) has been cast in the leading role of Dr. David Rush on Sci Fi's new original series, STARGATE UNIVERSE, the latest adventure in the Stargate franchise produced by MGM television. Production will begin in Vancouver in February 2009 with an eye toward a summer 2009 premiere. Additional casting is currently underway.
Sci Fi Channel and Trion World Network, the publisher and developer of connected games and entertainment, hired two industry veterans in the co-development of a videogame and television show.
Kevin Beardslee joins Trion to serve as Senior Development Director for the project at Trion's San Diego development studio. Television writer Peter Egan has been tapped to write the pilot episode.
The partnership will simultaneously co-develop a game and cable television property. This will be the second original IP Trion has created.
The third annual aniBoom Awards are open for submissions from independent animators of all types around the globe through December 1, 2008. More than 850 submissions have been received so far, and are now being viewed and ranked by the community on aniBoom.com and by a select panel of entertainment industry luminaries. At stake is a Grand Prize for the overall winner that includes a $25,000 investment in commercial development and a distribution deal with aniBoom that will enable the winning animator to receive significant career-making exposure through a variety of outlets and channels.
Shelley Palmer will be the guest of the next Women In Animation meeting in New York. The theme of his talk will be: "Forces And Trends That Shape The Future Of Technology, Media And Entertainment And The Best Ways To Generate Revenue By Using Technology."
Geraldine Laybourne was appointed to Electronic Arts' Board of Directors on November 5, 2008.
Lionsgate Co-Chairman and CEO Jon Feltheimer has signed a new long-term agreement with Lionsgate extending his tenure until March 2014. His previous contract ended March 2011.
Separately, Michael Burns has also reached agreement to extend his contract as Vice Chairman until September 2011. Feltheimer and Burns now will have 25 years' combined experience at the helm of Lionsgate by the end of their respective contracts, reflecting exceptional long-term stability.
NCircle Ent., a subsidiary of media and marketing services company, Source Interlink Companies, today announced an exclusive three-year distribution agreement with LongNeedle Ent. for the North American DVD and digital rights to ANIMAL ATLAS, a critically-acclaimed children's television series.
Entertainment and development company W!LDBRAIN has hired Marge Dean as general manager of W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios. Dean will replace Andrea Mansour, who will be leaving the company this fall to relocate to Atlanta with her family. Dean will report to Charles Rivkin, President and CEO, and will work out of the San Francisco office beginning September 8.
ROBODZ will be shown on Disney XD in the U.S. in February, per VARIETY. The cartoon is co-produced by Toei Animation and Walt Disney Television Intl. Japan.
ROBODZ has aired since June on Japan's Toon Disney Channel, but this will be its first trip to a foreign country. The comedy-action show follows the adventures of three robots who protect humans and their fellow robots from space invaders.
Entertainment One has acquired three television content suppliers: Blueprint Ent., Barna-Alper Productions, Maximum Films and Oasis International.
As a result, Blueprint is now part of a public company trading on the AIM exchange in the U.K. and operating as a fully integrated film and television production and distribution company with offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, London, Holland and Belgium.
Disney's ENCHANTED proved magical at the 34th Annual Saturn Awards on Tuesday by receiving three Saturn Awards including Best Picture (fantasy), and Best Actress (Amy Adams).
Television honors were dominated by the ABC television series, LOST, which walked away with four awards, including Best Network Television Series and Best Actor (Matthew Fox). SWEENEY TODD, RATATOUILLE, and 300 each received two Saturn Awards.
New York-based branded entertainment company Big Tent Ent. and Veoh Networks have teamed to launch a major, multi-tiered content initiative featuring Japanese cultural icon DOMO.
Highlighting the campaign, Veoh will be the exclusive Internet home for the first-ever officially produced short form series featuring the animated character turned global viral sensation. DOMO will start to invade Veoh on Friday, June 20 at www.veoh.com/channels/Domonation.
The four-day Banff World Television Festival combines a prestigious international program competition, the Banff World Television Awards, with a comprehensive conference agenda. Within this festival, production deals are secured and advanced, new business relationships are formed and future trends in the industry are identified and examined.
Tricia Helfer, the actress widely known for her portrayal of Number Six on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, the Emmy award-winning television drama series, will speak and appear at NVISION 08.
Helfer, who plays the part of a beautiful but ruthless humanoid Cylon, will discuss her experience on the hit TV show, which makes extensive use of computer graphics technology to create stunning special effects.
Viacom, its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Lionsgate have formed a joint venture that creates a next- generation premium television channel and video on demand service that combines new and classic feature film output and original television series of five leading studios.
Cartoons on the Bay is an international event with awards, workshops, lectures, TV and theatrical previews, and events centering on the ever-changing world of television animation. The Pulcinella Awards Competition is open to all animation for television and the Internet, including pilots of series. The competition is also open to short films.
PorchLight Home Entertainment has acquired the U.S. DVD distribution rights to the award-winning television program 64 ZOO LANE from Millimages U.K.
From the award-winning Belgium television producer and author An Vrombaut, 64 ZOO LANE currently airs on Nickelodeon Jr.'s Noggin network for preschoolers in the U.S. and the BBC in the U.K. The acquisition is part of an expanded and aggressive branding campaign in the U.S. that includes the April 28 release of six books from Hodder and Stoughton.
Disney-ABC Television Group and MobiTV, the leader in mobile and broadband entertainment services, announced a content licensing agreement under which MobiTV will offer Disney Channel to MobiTV service subscribers.
The same content and programming as seen on cable and satellite television is now available to MobiTV service subscribers on their enabled wireless handsets via MobiTV's carrier partners.
Production begins this month on Sci Fi Channel's groundbreaking new original series SANCTUARY.
Shot in the style of the feature films 300 and SIN CITY, SANCTUARY is the first television series to feature live-action actors against primarily virtual sets. The 13-episode season of this one-hour drama is slated to debut this fall.
The UK's edgiest indie, Channel X, and the enfant terrible of French production companies Moi j'aime la television (I love television) are to launch a new joint venture - Nice One Studio - at MIP TV 2008.
Created by Channel X's Alan Marke and Jim Reid and Moi j'aime la television's Phil Ox, Nice One's aim is to produce long running scripted series -- both live action and animation -- for the 15 to 34 year old audience.
Super Bunny, Curious George, Edgar and Ellen, and Phineas and Ferb, among others -- all popular children's television characters -- are getting into the action.
They are all recommending books for children to read and the importance of literacy as part of a joint effort between the National Education Association (NEA) and the Smart Television Alliance (STA) in support of NEA's Read Across America project.
NEA is the nation's largest professional organization with 3.2 million members.
