Village Gamer

On June 8, 2013, the Canadian media industry lost a champion, a creator and a good friend. Alan Sawyer was a policy wonk who had an extraordinary grasp of the interconnected worlds of technology and creativity. During a varied career that embraced many platforms, he helped many of us in the Canadian media environment make sense of the changing landscape. You are invited to help celebrate the launch of the Alan Sawyer Memorial Award at the Brazen Head Irish Pub in Toronto on the evening of December 5th – swap a story, share a drink and see how you can help honour Alan’s memory by supporting the future of the work he was so passionate about. Read the rest of this entry »

Startup Canada has provided a voice for entrepreneurs from coast-to-coast since May 2012, and today, that voice is strengthened with the launch of the Startup Canada Task Force. Startup Canada is a national, entrepreneur-led and volunteer-run organization working to enhance the nation’s competitiveness and prosperity by promoting a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. Its newest initiative, the Startup Canada Task Force, brings together key organizations in the national entrepreneurship ecosystem to increase the number of startups in Canada and accelerate their growth. It will do this by streamlining support for entrepreneurs through collaborative public education and government relations efforts. Read the rest of this entry »

Founded by Yaron Bazaz, Eran Elizur and Ronen Tanne, the Vancouver Israeli Tech Club is set to hold its inaugural Meetup event on December 3rd at the SFU Segal Building in Vancouver. This event is sponsored by the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University, which opened a Vancouver office earlier this year. The group will meet to showcase new tech ventures, discuss and help local Israeli-led start-ups.  Founders of several ventures will demo their products, answer questions and ask for assistance in recruiting, professional services, investments and public exposure.  Casual networking will take place before and after the demos. Read the rest of this entry »

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (Nov 18-24, 2013) Startup Canada and the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) are challenging startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country to sign up for events in their community in support of the 2013 Canadian Mentorship Challenge.  This year there are events ranging from peer mentoring and networking breakfasts, to Twitter Chats and video workshops. Whether you’re looking to gather advice, share ideas, learn new things or get inspired, there is something for everyone. Attend a mentorship event in your community such as those listed below, as a mentee or a mentor . Read the rest of this entry »

Zevrix Solutions has released BatchOutput XLS 2.1.3, a compatibility update to its popular output automation solution for Microsoft Excel on Mac OS X. The software provides advanced solutions for demanding enterprise and office publishing environments through automation of printing and professional PDF output. With BatchOutput XLS, users only need to select Excel files and adjust output settings, and the software will do the rest automatically. For example, users can export dozens of Excel files to PDF with just a click of a button, or leave BatchOutput to print hundreds of files overnight and pick up the completed job next morning. Read the rest of this entry »

Branded Entertainment is a lucrative $44 billion a year industry south of the border. But a new study released yesterday by the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) at the Merging Media conference suggests that the production landscape is also ripe north of the border for Canadian content creators to forge greater collaborations and take better advantage of evolving financing models. “Branded Entertainment: A New Production Financing Paradigm” is a three-part study prepared by Duopoly’s Catherine Tait that explores the current trends in this arena and provides an introduction to the terminology and practices of the industry today. It is sponsored by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. Read the rest of this entry »

The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) continues to grow its interactive On Air Broadcasting capability from Google Hangouts with the addition of the new TechNOW show, a five minute live broadcast of what’s happening within CATA’s innovation and entrepreneurship umbrella. TechNOW will be delivered on line by CATA CEO & Host, John Reid, live every Tuesday at 11 am EST. John will give you a brief summary of technology headlines, including guest interviews with executives who have insights to share on topics affecting enterprise growth. Read the rest of this entry »

A majority of Canadians polled in a recent Accenture survey will use their personal computers, tablets and smartphones as shopping tools this holiday season. Nearly three-quarters of Canadian holiday shoppers plan to “webroom”, meaning they will research and review items online before purchasing them at a store. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) will also engage in “showrooming,” which means visiting a store to look for a gift and then buying it for the best price online. Read the rest of this entry »

Enterprise Information Management (EIM) developer OpenText™ will be kicking off its annual OpenText Enterprise World 2013 conference, November 17-21, 2013, in Orlando, Florida where thought leaders from around the world will converge to discuss the future of EIM. OpenText CEO, Mark J. Barrenechea, will deliver the opening keynote address where he will unveil the company’s much anticipated Project Red Oxygen – the first choreographed release of software in the company’s history that will enable CIOs to transform every line of business by better equipping them to compete in the new information economy. Read the rest of this entry »

Join the CanWIT BC chapter for the November Breakfast Club on November 27th as they host Brenda Lautsch, who will lead a discussion based on her book, CEO Of Me: Creating A Life That Works In A Flexible Job Age. Brenda’s aim is to help individuals understand how to manage work-life challenges and flexibility. This session will include both an overview of her publication, an interactive discussion and exercises. Read the rest of this entry »