MATT COSTELLO: Bridging the Next Generation Gap between Storytelling and Gameplay

DATE: Monday, January 28, 2008
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Calgary Technologies, 3553 31st St NW, Calgary

Join Matt as he provides a highly interactive presentation that explores -- from one long-time practitioner’s point of view -- some key ways that ‘story’ is built. He will expose key story elements creators and audiences should be looking at even as interactivity transforms the traditional media landscape. Then, through real exercises, we’ll look at how gameplay changes significantly when ‘story’ is introduced, and vice-versa; the goal to show that story and interactivity are best ‘built’ together.

This presentation is made possible through our strategic partnership with The Banff New Media Institute and Level Up.

Join us at Hudson's in Edmonton and Brewsters on 11th Ave in Calgary at 5pm for an informal networker as we welcome in the New Year and get back to work.

 For more information or to register, email rene@digitalalberta.com

Join us for a special presentation on Wednesday, January 23 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon in Calgary at Calgary Technologies Inc (3553 31 Street NW), featuring Joel Greenberg, a marketing consultant specializing in the variety of new media opportunities available to companies to reach and engage customers in a world where consumers are tuning out marketing. Joel will be presenting on several topics including Business Strategies & the Influence of Interactive Media, The Demand for New Interactive Advertising Solutions, and an overview of the digital media scene in Texas, including the upcoming South by SouthWest (SXSW) Interactive Festival.

Digital Alberta, a non-profit association, seeks a dynamic executive director to take it into the future. In order to better meet the needs of the growing membership and the digital media industry, the Board of Directors has determined that an Executive Director is needed.

Digital Alberta and the Banff New Media Institute Accelerator Program at The Banff Centre are pleased to present "Story, Character & Interactivity 2008", being held January 24 to 27, 2008 at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta.

This two-day workshop focuses on how to create successful interactive experiences that rival a movie’s level of depth and engagement. With past speakers from studios such as Pixar Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Animation and Cyan Worlds, this workshop offers insight into several exciting topics including creating narrative in interactive medium, idea generation, and other storytelling techniques. This year our speaker line-up features artists from BioWare Corp., Belle & Wissell Co., Born Magazine, and Starz Roman Film Studios.

For more information about this workshop, click here.

Join Digital Alberta and the Calgary Council for Advanced Technology (CCAT) on Friday, December 7, 2007 for a holiday social. We'll be featuring National Hockey League veteran and Stanley Cup champion, author, sports broadcaster and motivational speaker Ryan Walter. Ryan will share his success strategies and practical applications to enhance leadership, synergize your organization and empower your team to achieve greatness.

Festivities begin at 6:00 pm at Schanks Athletic Club (9627 MacLeod Trail SW) in Calgary. Cost is $35 for members of CCAT and Digital Alberta, or $55 for non-members. To register for the event contact rene@digitalalberta.com.

The NAIT Digital & Interactive Media Design program invites industry to attend its' annual Digital Media Expo on November 30, 2007 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Students from the program will be showcasing their work, with about 100+ digital media professionals also in attendance. This year, the event has moved to a larger venue at the NAIT HP Centre Bytes Cafeteria. For more information, visit www.dimd.nait.ca/expo.

After four successful DemoCamps, organizers are ready to host the first BarCamp Calgary, featuring entrepreneur and author Guy Kawasaki as a keynote speaker.

BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants — often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.

While loosely structured, there are rules at BarCamp. All attendees are encouraged to present or facilitate a session. Everyone is also asked to share information and experiences of the event, both live and after the fact, via public web channels including (but not limited to) blogging, photo sharing, social bookmarking, wiki-ing, and IRC. This open encouragement to share everything about the event is in deliberate contrast to the "off the record by default" and "no recordings" rules at many private invite-only participant driven conferences.

BarCamp Calgary will be held on Saturday, December 15 from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Location to be announced soon. For more information, visit http://barcamp.pbwiki.com/BarCampCalgary1 or contact Kempton Lam.

On Nov 30 - Dec 1, Grande Prairie Regional College will be hosting its third annual Computer Game Expo: 2007. The Game Expo will again be a two day event, with lectures and demonstrations on the Friday and an all day computer game competition on the Saturday.

Speaking in 2007 will be industry professionals from companies such as BioWare and Backbone Entertainment. The focus of the lectures & demonstrations will be the process of creating computer games, the future of the industry, viable career paths and possible job and entrepreneurial opportunities.

For more information or to register visit http://www.gprc.ab.ca/community/gamexpo/.

The Canadian Interactive Alliance/L’Alliance Interactive Canadienne (CIAIC) confirmed today that it has received a letter from the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), withdrawing its membership in the CIAIC.

“Definitely there was a difference of opinion regarding the way forward,” said Ian Kelso, President of the CIAIC and one of its member organizations, Interactive Ontario, commenting on the development. “It is regrettable that we cannot continue to work together within the CIAIC’s structure, but the CIAIC remains open to future opportunities to work with the CFTPA to advance the interests of Canada’s interactive media content creators, enablers, and associated companies.”