On Screen Manitoba

With the overwhelming success of our inaugural ALL ACCESS: The TV Edition in the spring of 2009, it was evident that Manitoba’s screen-based media industry wants more ACCESS! We are happy to announce that On Screen Manitoba will be delivering two conferences in 2010: ALL ACCESS: The Digital Incubator (January 28) and ALL ACCESS: TV 2010 (April).

With that being said...

On Screen Manitoba in partnership with New Media Manitoba presents:

ALL ACCESS: The Digital Incubator

Sponsored by Telefilm Canada and Midcanada Production Services

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Place: Fairmont Winnipeg – Midway Ballroom

ALL ACCESS: The Digital Incubator is a daylong interactive digital media forum (just in time for the CMF launch!). This event will highlight the different types of interactive digital media and how they are being used in film and television and vice-versa. The day will consist of a keynote speaker, a panel discussion, guest speakers, round-table meetings, one-on-one meetings and networking opportunities.

CONFIRMED GUEST SPEAKERS:

- Ken Bautista, CEO & Creative Director, Hotrocket
- Norm Bolen, President & CEO, CFTPA
- Mark Bishop, Partner & Producer, marblemedia
- Rochelle Grayson, Social Media Consultant
- Alexander Manu, Senior Partner & Chief Imaginator, InnoSpa International Partners (Keynote speaker)

Registration will open in the new year, so stay tuned!

ALL ACCESS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

There are exciting sponsorship opportunities for both ALL ACCESS: The Digital Incubator and ALL ACCESS: TV 2010, that will position your company in front of key industry professionals. These sponsorship packages also include tangible benefits that you don’t want to miss out on!

Please click here for all the details (PDF)


    

This year seems to have gone by very quickly – unfortunately not because we were all having so much fun. There has been some fun. There has also been a lot of hard work and some hard times. At OSM our job is to support and nurture the MB industry. That means we have to be cheer leaders and celebrate our accomplishments. We have to be advocates to make sure we are represented on the international, national and provincial stages. We also have to be supporters of companies and members facing the challenges of an industry in economic and technological flux.

There is a lot of good news to share and Tara will give details in her Executive Director report. Much hard work has been done by our staff, our members and our board. We have received $2.5m from the Western Economic Partnership Agreement for the ACCESS program designed by Tara and our staff. But even in this good news was a wake up call about OSM’s own financial sustainability. We had expected to hear in March about whether we had been approved for the financing but we did not actually get the word until August. In the interim, we had to dip into our small reserve fund, briefly lay off our programming staff and rework our budget to make sure we could sustain the organization without the ACCESS funding if necessary. Ultimately the provincial government advanced a portion of their ACCESS funding. We were able to bring our programming staff back and continue work. But what came out of that process is a very creative and determined Sustainability committee that is generating suggestions for how OSM can become self-sustaining. Perhaps in that regard we are, once again, a reflection of the industry at large. As we work to support companies and members whose world is changing, we have to find ways to deal with those changes within our organization.

Change is often a really good thing but it is seldom the most comfortable option. As we tried to address the industry challenges of the past year, as members of the board of OSM and members of the MB production community, we all realized that trying to maintain the status quo was not an option. Our world has already changed. It is our job to understand those changes, even find ways to get out in front of them.

When Manitoba suffered a significant production downturn this summer we had an industry meeting to talk about what was going on and what we could do. We got together with the provincial government and MFM on a task force that resulted in the Jump Start Fund, an immediate injection of cash into MB production; and in a long-term sustainability plan for our industry. We will present that plan to you later in the meeting. It is our response to the challenges we have all faced over the past year, an organized call to action for all of our members. We hope that you all will give it your attention and share your thoughts and suggestions with us. In five years, when we sit at the OSM AGM, the world of Canadian production will be a very different place than the one we have known. Let’s make sure we are part of it. The way to do that is to keep moving forward – into uncharted territory – together.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all the staff and members of the board for their amazing dedication and hard work. It has been an honour to be the Chair of OSM for the past three/four years and to work with all of you. I will not be standing for the position of chair this year, allowing someone else to bring a fresh perspective to that role. I will be on the board as past chair and I will give the new chair, whoever they are, all the support I can. Thanks to all of you for your support and work. I have been very proud to represent OSM because I am proud to be part of this community.

Kim Todd
Chair of the Board
On Screen Manitoba

Below is beloved Randall King's article on the Government's $2.5 million investment in Manitoba's screen-based industry. Read the article, but make sure you read the interesting commentary that follows. As expected, the first comment was about how we should be investing our money in 'the essentials' and that this investment was comparable to 'a family on welfare going to Las Vegas for the weekend.'  This post was followed by several positive comments that understood this was an investment that would generate more money for the province. It's great to see support for the industry!

Manitoba film industry gets $2.5-million boost
By: Randall King

WINNIPEG - Federal and provincial governments officially ponied up $2.5 million Friday morning in an effort to provide a boost to the beleaguered Manitoba film industry.

The recipient of the money was On Screen Manitoba, a membership-driven association representing the Manitoba motion picture industry.

Following the joint announcement by Treasury Board President Vic Toews and Manitoba Trade Minister Peter Bjornson at Midcanada Production Services, On Screen Manitoba’s executive director Tara Walker explained the money would be used to fund OSM’s ACCESS project, an economic development strategy to strengthen Manitoba’s film production companies.

The project is multi-faceted, Walker said, incorporating a number of different programs designed to help production companies adapt to changes in the industry.

Manitoba became Canada’s fourth largest film and television production industry after Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal in 2007-08. In the previous five years, Manitoba’s volume of production totaled $685 million and attracted $385 million of investment from outside the province.

But in the wake of a rising Canadian dollar, a worldwide recession and more aggressive tax incentives offered by other provinces and states, the Manitoba industry’s production dropped to $62 million in 2008-9 -– less than half of the prior year’s level of $133 million.

The ACCESS project is designed to strengthen individual production companies by "supporting their ability to adapt to new technology, improving their competitiveness and increasing their global market share," Walker said.

The project may be used to help fund a trip to a film festival, or it might be used to enable a production company to explore options in new digital media, Walker said.

"We need to encourage traditional media producers to work outside the Canadian film and broadcast industries, where the funds are limited, and think outside the traditional markets," Walker said.

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

Posted by: dyachison
November 27, 2009 at 3:01 PM

Obviously these people are reading the article about the feds being a wash in red ink. Billions of dollars in the hole and we are digging fast giving more to this great venture. What are we thinking. At this point we should be funding the essentials. It is kind of like a family on welfare going to Las Vegas for a weekend. It is not a priority right now all things considered. Especially with health care and senior care, education, and roads and bridges falling apart. We are spending money on this. Please give me a break.
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Posted by: Earl Tunnley
November 27, 2009 at 3:40 PM

Why not spend the money? We're creating a white elephant at the Forks, so why not this?
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Posted by: whywinnipeg
November 27, 2009 at 4:15 PM

Why do this??? Lets see a $2.5 Million investment to support an industry that "in the previous five years, Manitoba’s volume of production totaled $685 million and attracted $385 million of investment from outside the province".

Sounds like one of the best investments the province has made in decades...

Would we rather give away $ Millions in land to a private investor so we can have a new stadium?... oh right, did that. Or maybe we should "invest" $130 Million to make a bus run faster down Pembina highway... oh right, did that too... Or, maybe we need to spend $ Millions on a museum that does not have the money to support itself for more than 2 years... right did that too...

At least this investment brings money back in!
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Posted by: JustVisiting
November 27, 2009 at 9:06 PM

Does this mean that On Screen staff members will be attending more out of town festival parties?
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Posted by: pwarkentin2pc
November 27, 2009 at 9:32 PM

While on the surface, putting money into the film industry in tough times may seem questionable, I think that the value of job and revenue generation merits the investment. Even with the weaker 2008-9 production dollars, $2.5M represents a 4% investment, so it is worth supporting.
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Posted by: gepinniw
November 27, 2009 at 11:13 PM

This isn't a handout. It is a sound investment. The film industry brings in money from outside Manitoba. It's quite simple, actually.

Click here to view and comment on the article.

By Gemma Manangan

On Monday November 23, 2009 representatives from AMPIA, SMPIA and On Screen Manitoba had a chance to speak on behalf of regional producers at a CRTC Hearing panel discussion pertaining to the restructuring of conventional television.

The panel was formed to voice the interests of regional producers and consisted of Joanne Levy (Producer, Buffalo Gal Pictures) and Lisa Meeches (Executive Producer and President, Eagle Vision Inc) on behalf of On Screen Manitoba, Shawn McGrath (VP Business and Legal Affairs, Vérité Films) on behalf of SMPIA and Jane Bisbee, the Interim Executive Director of AMPIA.

With the current debate of restructuring Canada’s TV broadcasting model in full swing, the regional producers did not waste this opportunity to have their voices heard to help ensure that more regional Canadian content be incorporated into conventional broadcaster’s programming.

The need for more indigenous productions and for producers to own the rights to the programs they create was emphasized by AMPIA’s Jane Bisbee emphasized, “through exploiting these rights to those programs we can create a sustainable business model for independent companies, thereby ensuring a continued supply of innovative and relative content from all regions of Canada.”

SMPIA’s Shawn McGrath let the CRTC know that providing independent producers with access to the CMF & LPIF isn’t enough to fulfill their requirement of supporting local television, “a greater commitment from all stakeholders to better scheduling and promotion of Canadian programming is necessary.”

The panel also proposed a modest increase to the minimum proportion of Canadian Programming Expenditures (CPE) in regional television production to 15% of total production in the country. This increase would take place over a span of seven years, and is proposed as a jumping off point to help regional producers not lose any more ground in the rapidly changing market place.

Chairman of the CRTC Konrad Von Finckenstein voiced his concern over the regional requirements of CPEs creating too many restrictions on broadcasters that would take away the desired flexibility that would help them remain competitive. The panel asserted the need for the CRTC to support regional producers, stating that flexibility would be ideal, but in this case history shows that without a requirement there is just no incentive for broadcasters to support regional production.

Joanne Levy from On Screen Manitoba also took some time to speak about the strengths that regional producers bring to the television industry; “We are able to offer broadcasters top quality original regional programming at bargain prices; we consider ourselves part of the solution to the economic difficulties of conventional broadcasters.”

The panel shared their concern about the current trend towards centralization and consolidation in the television industry and spoke of the difficulty regional producers faced in finding support for their productions. A proposed suggestion that there be development officers in the region to provide a liaison to broadcasters was brought forth.

With Manitoba being a strong center for aboriginal heritage, Lisa Meeches took the opportunity to call for more aboriginal content on conventional broadcasters. She cited the difficulties she had encountered in finding a conventional broadcaster for a documentary about residential schools called We Were Children to help build the case that conventional broadcasters are just not committed enough to providing regional programs about important Canadian issues.

At the end of the forty-minute session, On Screen Manitoba representative Joanne Levy was ecstatic about their meeting with the CRTC and felt it was a great success; "We have a great team on the Prairies. The questions allowed us to underline our points and showed they are listening."

Click here to watch the full video of the hearing.

November 27, 2009

Winnipeg, Manitoba – Manitoba's film industry will be able to strengthen its position in national and international markets, thanks to an investment of more than $2.5 million to On Screen Manitoba from the Governments of Canada and Manitoba.

"Our Government recognizes the importance of Manitoba's film industry and we are proud to support their continued development," said the Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, Member of Parliament for Provencher, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. "This funding will help On Screen Manitoba expand the Manitoba film industry and create jobs, while showcasing our province as a premier film production destination."

"Film and video production is a rapidly evolving sector that requires significant training and development opportunities for people working in the industry," said Peter Bjornson, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade. "On Screen Manitoba ensures our province continues to enjoy a national and international reputation of being a great place to produce films."

This funding will enable On Screen Manitoba to undertake the ACCESS project, an economic development strategy to strengthen Manitoba's film production companies by supporting their ability to adapt to new technology, address emerging skill requirements, improve their competitiveness and increase their global market share. This strategy will also aim to develop the Aboriginal and Francophone film communities in Manitoba into recognized hubs of Aboriginal production, and Francophone film production outside of Quebec.

"This project comes at a crucial time for the screen-based media industry. To remain competitive internationally and grow our sector we needed to become more aggressive with our business development strategies and marketing," said Tara Walker, Executive Director of On Screen Manitoba. "ACCESS will provide us with the resources and the leveraging power needed to address the sustainability needs of the industry so that we can continue to make significant contributions to Manitoba's economy."

On Screen Manitoba is an innovative, membership-driven association that leads, builds and represents Manitoba's motion picture industry.

The investment by the Governments of Canada and Manitoba is made through the Canada-Manitoba Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA). Both Canada and Manitoba are contributing $2.5 million each, over four years, to strengthen economic activity and improve quality of life in western Canadian communities.

The Government of Manitoba is distributing this news release on behalf of the Governments of Canada and Manitoba.

RSVP REQUIRED

DATE: Tuesday, December 8, 2009
TIME: 4:00pm-7:00pm
PLACE: The District Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
177 Lombard Place

Members and non-members welcome!
Refreshments will be served

Come find out what On Screen Manitoba has been up to, what we have planned for the year ahead and how you can get involved!

Please RSVP to Gemma Manangan, Communications Assistant, at 927-5898 or gemma@onscreenmanitoba.com by 5pm on Monday, November 30, 2009.

Interested in running for a seat on the Board?
Contact Tara Walker, Executive Director, at 927-5893 or tara@onscreenmanitoba.com.

Remember only members can vote!
Not certain of your membership status? Please contact Gemma Manangan at 927-5898 or email gemma@onscreenmanitoba.com to ask.

Notice of proposed changes to On Screen Manitoba's bylaws and specific positions opening on the Board will be circulated approximately 14 days prior to the AGM.

Following the AGM be sure to stick around for the INDUSTRY WIDE HOLIDAY PARTY! This year’s event will feature a silent auction filled with great prizes you won’t want to miss out on!

Winnipeg - November 4, 2009

On Nov 18, representatives from six of Winnipeg’s multi-award winning screen-based production companies will arrive in Quebec City with the goal of creating alliances with production companies based in Quebec.

They are:

• Buffalo Gal Pictures
• Media RendezVous
• DACAPO Productions
• Merit Motion Pictures
• Eagle Vision
• Les Productions Rivard

Organized through the support of A.N.I.M. (Agence National et International du Manitoba), this Manitoba Trade Mission is the first time On Screen Manitoba has partnered with the francophone trade agency.

On Screen Manitoba (formerly MMPIA) is an innovative membership-driven association that leads, builds and represents Manitoba’s screen based industry. In existence for more than 20 years now, On Screen Manitoba has just launched a new multi-year industry development strategy called ACCESS. It includes a francophone media strategy that will offer programs aimed at fast-tracking growth and diversification in this under serviced community.

A recent study completed by CDEM (Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities) found that there are 5 small businesses in film within the Manitoba Francophone community. They employ an estimated 40 full time persons, 5 part-time and more than 160 contract workers. These businesses inject an approximate $7-million into the Manitoba economy.

Claudia Garcia de la Huerta is the Programs Manager for On Screen Manitoba. She will also be joining the Trade Mission on behalf of the association. She says this new niche strategy will only help to grow an already exploding local industry.

“We are the fourth largest film & television production centre in Canada right now after Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. The industry is recognized as a leading economic driver of the creative economy that as a whole injects more than $100-million into the local economy. By promoting Manitoba as a centre for Francophone production outside of Quebec, we hope to attract even more opportunities to the province.”

Charles Clement is the owner of Media RendezVous. A producer and a director himself, his company focuses on creating innovative content in both English and French.

"As one of the only Franco-Aboriginal production companies working outside of Québec, Media RendezVous is very excited to forge new alliances with producers inside Québec with the goal of one day producing shows for all Canadians to enjoy!"

Buffalo Gal Pictures will also be represented in the trade mission through Joanne Levy, Producer & Head of Television for the Manitoba production company.

“For 15 years now, Buffalo Gal Pictures has co-produced award-winning film and television projects with production companies in Canada and throughout the world. This trade mission creates opportunities for new partnerships with some of the many well-established Quebec production companies.

At the same time, we are excited to show Quebec's business community the value of Buffalo Gal Pictures as an experienced partner bringing originality, excellence and significant support to our joint ventures.”

No stranger to trade missions, On Screen Manitoba is excited about the countless possibilities this could mean for its participating members.

We would like to publicly thank A.N.I.M. for making us a part of this trade mission and hope it will be the first of many collaborations.

For more information and/or to set up any interviews please contact: Claudia Garcia de la Huerta at 927-5895

We had the opportunity to provide a few VIPs the chance to see the crew and cast of CASHING IN in action filming episodes of the second season of the series for APTN.

Senator Janis Johnson and Member of Parliament Shelly Glover along with her son Michael Strickland spent some time watching Norma Bailey direct a scene being filmed at Club Regent Casino.

The production allowed us to return a few days later with Nicole Matiation of Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism & Sport, and guests from the Canadian Women in Communications regional board, Terri Leigh and Robin Hildebrand. OSM's Claudia Garcia de la Huerta and interns Gemma Manangan and Richelle Cerrer rounded out the group.

Many thanks to producers (and OSM members) Vanessa Loewen of Animiki See and Phyllis Laing and Jean Du Toit of Buffalo Gal Pictures. Special thanks to RoseAnna Schick, Unit Publicist for serving as our gracious host and making the arrangements for these visits.

Check out the full sized images here

CASHING IN
A half-hour comedy drama set on Stonewalker First Nation, nestled comfortably beside an affluent beach community in Southern Manitoba. With a diverse cast of shark executives, smooth dealers, scheming slicksters and colourful community members, the North Beach Casino is a successful gaming palace recently purchased by Matthew Tommy and his casino empire. His mission: to make North Beach North America's #1 First Nation Casino.

More information available here

Set visit CASHING IN Oct 6, 2009 (CWC & OSM) Left to Right:
Laurence Mardon (Gaffer), Gemma Manangan (OSM), Len Peterson (Camera Op), Doug Mitchell (1st AD), Robin Hildebrand (CWC), Terri Leigh (CWC), Sacha Rosen (Boom Op), Richelle Cerrer (OSM), Nicole Matiation (MB CHTS), Tara Walker and Claudia Garcia de la Huerta (OSM)

PHOTO CREDIT: Allen Fraser Photography

On October 2nd, come out and kick off Film Training Manitoba's Expo at On Screen Manitoba's First Fridays, In partnership with the Winnipeg Film Group, Sponsored by PS Prairies, MidCanada Production Services Inc and FTM. 5:00pm – 7:00pm. Snacks will be provided.