Trevor Doerksen, CEO & Founder, MobovivoTrevor has been at the intersection of media and technology for 20 years. As a film and TV producer he believes that there are better ways to market and distribute film and TV. Trevor produced snowboarding films while a teenager and was the executive producer of a science television series called SciQ. He has investigated and developed large-scale implementations of streaming video and Internet TV for government and industry. His graduate research into flexible e-content and content repurposing has lead to a multi-million dollar research project, a chapter in the "Handbook on Information Technologies for Education and Training", and the founding of Mobovivo. A serial entrepreneur, Trevor received Digital Alberta's Entrepreneur of the year, was named one of Alberta's Most Influential People and was featured in New York Times. Mobovivo solutions enable broadcasters and producers to market and distribute TV shows everywhere – to audiences on mobile phones, computers and connected TVs. Over 100 customers use Mobovivo's products to distribute programs online and as branded mobile apps. In 2011, Deloitte and TechRev selected Mobovivo as one Canada's Top 10 companies to watch.
Tessa Sproule, Director, Interactive Content: CBC Studio/Unscripted and Commissioned/Scripted ProgrammingTessa Sproule oversees the production of transmedia and interactive content for shows like Dragons' Den, Being Erica, Battle of the Blades, Cover Me Canada, Camelot, Heartland, Steven and Chris, Best Recipes Ever, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and more. Her team creates compelling new ways for audiences to engage and interact with stories as they unfold on the screen and between broadcasts. She believes the success of the modern storyteller lies in his or her ability to embrace rapidly changing distribution and consumption models, while creating ways for audiences to not just be entertained by a story – but help tell it.
Michael Sikorsky, 1400 MonthsMichael likes to make things. Currently he spends the majority of his time working on all things iPhone and iPad in his company Robots and Pencils Inc.
In 2011, Robots and Pencils developed an iPhone/iPad (iOS) App which became the #4 Top Grossing App in the North American iTunes App Store (World Explorer made for Minecraft). Michael was also proud to be selected as one of Alberta's 50 Most Influential People in August of 2011.
In 2010, Michael was also honoured as being selected Top 40 under 40 in Calgary, became the Entrepreneur In Residence for the University of Alberta Engineering Faculty, developed a #2 hit iPad App across the UK, and his company Robots and Pencils won the Innovation/Leadership award from Digital Alberta for their iPhone/iPad (iOS) work.
In previous years Michael won the Great Canadian Pitch-Off at the Canadian Venture Forum, sold a company to ThoughtWorks, was named Canada's Internet Revolutionary by Profit magazine (2007) and spoke at Cyberport Hong Kong, Harvard Business School, MIT, and Stanford.
Michael received a Computer Engineering degree from the University of Alberta, holds a software patent related to innovative rendering techniques and is a proud member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO Calgary Chapter).
Lastly, Michael runs the Calgary iPhone/iPad Dev Camp, Teaches iPhone/iPad Development and also runs an intimate weekend course on Startups (Startup School).
Jordy Randall, SEVEN24 FilmsJordy Randall's focus as a film and television producer has been on Canadian international television series including North of 60, Tom Stone, Shoebox Zoo, Dinosapien, Heartland and Wild Roses. Recent film and television movie credits include Mayerthorpe for CTV, Identity Theft and A Friend of the Family for Lifetime, Chasing Freedom for Court TV, The 12 Days of Christmas Eve for USA Network, Family Sins for CBS, and the feature film Brokeback Mountain with Focus Features. Additional credits include After the Harvest with Sam Shepard for Lifetime and CTV, The Sheldon Kennedy Story for CTV, and the Gemini Award winning series North of 60. Randall has also produced five movies based on the series. Since that time, Jordy has produced both his own material and worked towards an effective co-production model for international partners.
Michelle Sklar, President, Digital AlbertaMichelle is an agent of innovation and a mobile passionista. She has focused her professional career on bringing ideas from inception to execution. Her skill set in team building, connecting people, evangelizing, creative problem solving, contagious enthusiasm and a strong work ethic, have enabled her to lead in developing new business opportunities and strategies.
Currently Michelle is the Director of Industry Relations with Poynt Corporation where her role is to drive industry opportunities for thought leadership, B2B marketing and business development in the location based services, mobile applications and mobile advertising industries. Michelle is also an online video host for Canada's largest online tech publication, Techvibes, serves as a Board of Director for the Missing Children Society of Canada and leads the Women In Wireless Calgary chapter. Michelle has served on the Steering Committee of TEDxYYC for 2010 and 2011. Michelle has keynoted and moderated for events such as Digital Alberta, Women's Executive Network, Startup Weekend, the Mobile Entertainment Forum and the Mobile Marketing Association.
Bill EvansBill Evans is the former Director of Programming at the Whistler Film Festival, and the former Director of Showcases and Senior Manager of Film Training Programs at the National Screen Institute – Canada. Bill also served as Festival Director of the NSI Film Exchange in Winnipeg and the Local Heroes Film Festival in Edmonton. Bill is an award-winning events producer and has a broad range of programming experience including Edmonton's Metro Cinema, the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival. A native of Edmonton, Bill studied Film Studies at the University of Alberta and Film Production at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.
Joe NovakJoe is a co-founder of 1400 Months, a company that develops, produces and manages digital on-line content for multiple platforms. He is also founder and Executive Producer of Bow River Productions focusing on television program development and production. A graduate of Concordia University and the London School of Economics and Political Science, Joe began his career with CBC Radio in the Arctic, moving to television where he became a Senior Producer with CBC's The Journal, and then later appointed Regional Director of Arts and Entertainment Programming. Joe has over seen many award-wining dramatic, documentary, performance and lifestyle programs for a variety of Canadian networks, including David Paperney's Oscar Award nominated documentary The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter (HBO). Joe has traveled extensively across Canada and throughout Europe consulting for broadcasters and content producers helping them create and implement strategic approaches to content development and production.
Joe is a member of the Alberta Film and Television Advisory Council reporting to the Minister of Culture and Community Services; a member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Creative Industries Committee; the current Vice President of the Alberta Media Production Industries Association; a member of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association Broadcast Relations Committee. He is also on the Board of Directors of Lougheed House and the Calgary International Film Festival. Joe teaches part time at Red Deer College and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Kevin Franco, Founder, Franco Media Kevin Franco founded the award winning creative firm Francomedia specializing in immersive marketing and branding. Francomedia has worked with Hewlett Packard, VoodooPC, Canada Safeway, Enbridge, Old Dutch Foods, Canadian Sport Centre as well as numerous professional sports teams, and authors. In 2010, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce awarded Francomedia with the Marketing Award of Distinction.
Kevin is also co‐founder of Enthrill Entertainment, a digital content provider and transmedia publisher. Currently, Enthrill is rolling out a new ebook distribution and sales system through brick & mortar bookstores while in development of their next transmedia thriller.
Michael MageeMichael Magee is a New Media producer who is involved in a number of media and technology projects on an artistic, academic and a commercial level. He is familiar with a wide variety of web and media technologies in terms of design, implementation and project management.
He has worked with a number of tech start-ups providing mentoring and business management. The most recent is a digital publishing site for comics and graphic novels. The Fabler is fully integrated into social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing creators to gain direct access to their audience and monetize their content through many different channels. It was awarded "Best use of Social Media" at the 2010 MediaFresh Awards.
He has also worked with traditional film and television production companies, working with them to examine how new technology; new media and changes in delivery and consumption of media will result in new business models for the entertainment industry. This has resulted in the development of several game and transmedia design pitches to accompany script treatments that are currently in a fundraising cycle.
He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada on development of original creative properties including an alternate reality game called "Dispatch".
He has just received his PhD from the University of Calgary. His research examined the cyber-psychology of motivation and learning in technology mediated environments. The research focused on the video game context and how that experience affects personal philosophies, motivation and judgment in multiple contexts.
Owen BrierleyOwen is the Executive Director of Guru Digital Arts College. Building on the previous six years of the school's growth, Owen has introduced five new full-time diploma programs and expanded the student population in the past four years. Owen brings 15 years of experience in the digital media industry, including co-creating Keys2Drive for the AMA as part of GystWorks, co-creating a game for the tween audience called the Central Institute for Exploration (seekyourownproof.com) with Hotrocket Studios; game design and project leadership of a serious game for service rig workers called Simulynx for Terris-Hill Productions; and serving as the Multimedia Development Coordinator for Alberta Learning's LearnAlberta.ca project, a repository of digital learning objects for the K-12 sector. Owen's roles typically have involved leadership, creative facilitation, strategy, forecasting, analysis and design, and user experience design. As a member of the board of directors for Digital Alberta, Owen is an active speaker and champion of the digital media industry in Alberta.
Nat JonesNat Jones is an accomplished artist, inker, concept artist, painter, and writer on an impressive array of projects with many of today's top comic book publishers and filmakers including Dark Horse, Image, IDW, and Fox Atomic. His credits include Spawn: The Dark Ages, Frank Frazetta'sThe Death Dealer, 30 Days Of Night, Rob Zombie's The Nail,'68, The Tripper, 28 Days Later, and Kodiak with writer Joe Hill. Nat is currently working on many exciting projects including the film The Captured Bird with Director Jovanka Vuckovic and Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro, the comic Wulf for Atlas Comics with long-time collaborator Steve Niles, and a relaunch of the Vietnam zombie epic '68, from Image Comics. He has recently moved to Edmonton from Los Angeles and has joined the faculty at Guru Digital Arts College.
Karin WeekesKarin Weekes currently works as Senior Editor at Edmonton’s prestigious video game development studio, BioWare. Her game credits include mentions in both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. Her most recent work was done on Mass Effect 2 which won Game of the Year and Best Role-Playing Game awards from the New York Times, MSNBC, the Game Critics' Awards, and the Spike TV awards. Karin holds an MA in Journalism from Stanford University and a BA in Communication from the University of New Mexico. Her husband, Patrick, is also a writer at BioWare, and their six- and three-year old sons can almost outscore her in video game sessions.
Kevin DahlComing from a diverse background in business & technology, Kevin is the Manager, Industry Engagement at Innovate Calgary. In this role, Kevin's key activities are to provide support and connections for entrepreneurs and technology companies in Alberta, and to help develop and promote Calgary's Technology Community. In his spare time he dabbles in the space where music and technology meet. He has been a board member at Digital Alberta for the last 3.5 years and is actively involved in several other industry groups.
As the Calgary Commissioner for Film, Television and the Creative Industries, Luke works with companies, government, unions, producers, screenwriters and directors in the city of Calgary to facilitate and develop local projects and attract new film and television productions to the area. He has also been heavily involved in the development of the Alberta Creative Hub.
Prior to joining CED, Luke was the Director of the Creative Electronic Environment and the Acting Director of Literary Arts at The Banff Centre, where he developed and directed television and interactive media facilities. With over 20 years experience in the broadcast industry, Luke has worked as the broadcast liaison for the Calgary Flames Hockey Department and video and television consultant to the Canadian Hockey Association through world championships and Olympic Games. In addition, he was owner/operator of Visionworks, a technically advanced transfer and authoring facility, as well as head of operations for Nova Entertainment, North America's largest distributor of alternative programming.
Claire Stilwell, Associate, Macleod DixonClaire Stilwell is an associate in the Calgary office of Macleod Dixon. Claire joined as a summer student in 2009 and is a member of the Technology Enterprises group.
Prior to law school, Claire completed both her Bachelors and Masters of Science in microbiology, focusing on microbial corrosion of pipelines and microbial methane cycling. While attending the University of Calgary, Claire acted as President of the Calgary branch of Women in Science and Engineering and was a site coordinator for the Let's Talk Science program while at UBC. During law school Claire was an active volunteer in Pro Bono Students Canada and participated in the Kawaskimhon (National Aboriginal Rights) Moot.
Brief write-up on Macleod Dixon: Since 1912, Macleod Dixon has been one of Canada's largest international business law firms. Through hard work and dedication to the success of our clients, we have grown to a firm of nearly 300 legal professionals in Calgary, Toronto, Moscow, Almaty, Caracas, Bogotá and Rio de Janeiro. Our international presence has allowed us to strengthen and diversify our service offerings in emerging markets and key areas. We are a global market leader in energy and natural resources law, and our business law experience spans the many additional practice areas required to serve our clients.
Meredith Macdonald, Associate, Macleod DixonMeredith MacDonald is an associate in the Calgary office of Macleod Dixon. She practices in the area of Business Law, but also focuses on the Technology Enterprises and Intellectual Property practice groups. Meredith joined Macleod Dixon as a summer student in 2009 and is a member of the Business Law group.
Meredith received a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University with a major in marketing in 2007 and received her law degree from the University of Ottawa in 2010. During her time at the University of Ottawa, Meredith participated in an internship with the Federal Department of Justice in the Human Rights Law Section as well as an internship in the Electronic Commerce Branch of Industry Canada.
Neal McDougall, Policy AnalystNeal McDougall, Policy Analyst at the Canada Media Fund, has researched and shaped the policies and programs of the funding agency, as well as its predecessor, the Canadian Television Fund, since 2005. A lawyer by training, Mr. McDougall received his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2003. Previously, he worked in the film and television industry in a variety of writing and production roles. He holds a BFA in Film & Video Production from York University.
Jeff Davison, Co-founder of Poor Dog EntertainmentJeff Davison is a co-founder of Poor Dog Entertainment, an independent Canadian/American film production company. Mr. Davison has an extensive background in marketing and an intemate understanding of intellectual property acquisition and development, graphic novel production & filmmaking—this background is key to delivering trans-media projects from concept to screen, and beyond. Currently, Mr Davison is in pre-production on the feature Mortal Souls with the Sean Daniel Company (The Mummy Franchise, The Scorpion King) which is based on Steven Grant's (Two Guns, the Punisher) graphic novel of the same name. Mr. Davison is also in development on a number of projects, including multiple projects he is producing with Appian Way (Shutter Island, Red Riding Hood). Mr. Davison has also produced the graphic novels Death Valley, RPM and The Safest Place as well as is currently producing a re-launch of one of the very first graphic novels created, Gil Kane's His Name is…Savage. In addition to his entertainment ventures, Mr. Davison is Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Poynt Corporation, a Calgary-based mobile local search and advertising company and sits on the Board of Directors for the Missing Children's Society of Canada.
