Village Gamer

Lionsgate, Google, YouTube, Al Jazeera and Amazon will be among hundreds of conventional and digital media organizations from across North America that will come together at Merging Media 2011 in Vancouver, Canada in October 27 and 28, to discuss and explore the future of cross-media entertainment.

Hosted by Merging Media Productions Inc. and the Canadian Media Production Association – BC Producers’ Branch, this two day Conference and Masterclass is the premier showcase for Cross-Media in Canada. Merging Media is the place where media professionals converge to collaborate and capitalize on the media revolution that’s underway; it provides a high level platform for cross-disciplines to showcase their latest work, strategize, network with key business contacts and learn from each other. Read the rest of this entry »

Social Media Marketing Unplugged is presenting Social Media Monetization, a day-long seminar lead by Rochelle Grayson. In this seminar, attendees will be introduced to concrete tools and real world strategies to generate revenue, increase customer base, maximize profit and business success by utilizing social media. The seminar will take place at the BCIT Downtown Campus on Saturday, October 1st from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. Tickets for this event are $169.00 + HST until September 26th. After that date, they will be $249.00 . You can save $20.00 on the cost of your ticket by using promo code “villagegamer” when you register. Read the rest of this entry »

Social Tactics is now offering corporate training courses in addition to their public workshops in social media and personal branding. The new corporate training courses, led by Susan Varty and Marc Roginsky, Co-founders of Social Tactics, are designed to address the corporate demand for understanding and embracing enterprise social recruiting, social media policies and best practices, and lead generation through social media.

“With social media access becoming the norm at work, more and more corporations want to be prepared to embrace the new shift in social communication using technology tools – inside or outside of the corporate firewall,” says Susan Varty. Read the rest of this entry »

Media-X Systems is excited to announce that their new product offering for Apple iPad, eStudent, is now available in the iTunes App Store as a free download. eStudent opens the door to interactive group collaboration within the classroom for problem solving and higher order thinking activities. It also offers flexible, fast content creation for lessons with the ability to push them out and interact with students in real-time. Key features of the program include: group or private chats monitored by the instructor, group collaboration, media distribution, real-time and offline lessons and quizzes, self-reporting and reflection, learning journals, homework notes, calendars, reminders and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Video games have a reputation for being frivolous time-wasters that prevent young adults from doing better in school or at work. Summer in Smallywood, a series of video games developed by Untold Entertainment and  The Centre for Skills Development & Training, is helping to dispel this negative reputation by leading the way in game-based learning.

Summer in Smallywood is a free-to-play, online Flash game funded by the Government of Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills. It is designed to help young adults (ages 15 – 30) enhance their ability to succeed at work. Users play the game as employees of “Smallywood,” an amusement park home to the world’s tiniest rides. The retiring owner, Mr. Small E. Wood, is looking for a replacement who can master three Essential Skills. Read the rest of this entry »

The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) has launched the first-ever comprehensive program to formally recognize public relations and communications management education programs in Canada. The guidelines for curriculum development, published recently, will allow educational institutions in Canada to produce highly skilled public relations practitioners that are prepared for the current and future demands of the changing workforce.

Pathways to the Profession: An Outcomes Based Approach Towards Excellence in Canadian Public Relations and Communications Management Education was developed by the CPRS National Council on Education over the past three years in co-ordination with the academic and professional public relations communities across Canada. Pathways outlines recommendations for curriculum and program design in five pathways to the profession: technical, career, management, leadership and scholar. Read the rest of this entry »

The second annual ShesConnected Conference, taking place September 29 to 30, 2011 at Toronto’s Sheraton Centre, is expected to include digitally-savvy and influential Canadian women, as well as representatives from top national and international brands and agencies.

“The goal of the ShesConnected Conference is to bring digital women together with brands for networking, educational seminars and interactive forums,” says Donna Marie Antoniadis, co-founder of ShesConnected Multimedia. “The hope is that it’s a start for a long-term working relationship that benefits both the brand and the digital woman.” Read the rest of this entry »

We all know incredible kids who do amazing things that go above and beyond our normal day-to-day status quo. We know those kids who think in wonderfully different ways than the rest of us. And we know those kids who see our world with their own unique perspective.

This weekend, on Saturday September 17th those brilliant kids, both young and old, will be speaking at TEDxKids@BC, a new event being held at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver. This impressive roster of speakers will share their ingenuity and “out of the box” thinking through their inspiring stories. Audience members will hear motivating presentations and will have many opportunities to meet fellow attendees. Read the rest of this entry »

Merging Media Productions Inc. and the Canadian Media Production Association-BC are delighted to announce the top Vancouver companies that have been selected to exhibit their innovative products and technology at the first VEDC Innovation Gallery presented during the Merging Media Conference + Masterclass on October 27th and 28th.

Exhibiting Companies:

1. Atimi Software 
2. Invoke Media 
3. Magnify Digital
4. Pug Pharm
5. OverInteractive
6. Scan2 Mobile 
7. Xomo Digital Inc.

“Merging Media is a great event that merges thought leadership with innovators, and connects them to Vancouver’s business ecosystem” observed Lee Malleau, CEO of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, key sponsor of the Gallery. “It’s a catalyst event during an exciting time for the creative economy in Vancouver.”

The VEDC Innovation Gallery presented at the W2 Media Café on October 28th will showcase a selection of cutting edge platforms, software and technology produced by some of our city’s top innovators to introduce media producers to the latest tools in gamification, social media and multi-platform development.

In addition to the Innovation Gallery, there are 45 world class speakers presenting at Merging Media and a terrific program that is full of inspiration and ideas for attendees.

If you don’t yet have a pass for Merging Media, or know someone who would like to attend, enter the Merging Media Sweepstakes.  Until September 23rd, we will be providing two chances to win a pass to Merging Media 2011. Entering is easy, all you have to do is “Like”  Merging Media on Facebook and fill out the sweepstakes entry form. If you prefer Twitter, you can enter over there as well.

You have just two weeks left to take advantage of the Early Bird Rate and to submit your Pitch 360 cross media project. Be one of eight participants to present at M+M2011’s Masterclass and Pitch 360 sessions and have a chance to win the $10,000 BC FILM development award.

If you are interested in meeting YouTube and Google representatives along with other VIP guest delegates when you attend Merging Media 2011,  the M+M2011 International B2B Sessions will match US business delegates with local companies attending the conference on October 28th from 9 am to 5 pm at W2 Media Café, as part of the Business activities during the event.

An international panel of technology experts has recognized a B.C First Nations multimedia team for their development of WaterKeeper, an interactive 3 dimensional (3D) training tool designed to support operators of small community water systems to provide clean and safe drinking water for First Nations communities. The award was given as part of the International Serious Play awards, a program “distinguishing superior examples of corporate, military, healthcare and school/at home” learning tools at the 2011 Serious Games Conference held on August 23 – 25, 2011 in Redmond. Read the rest of this entry »