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  • 21 Jun 2019 by DigiBC

    We had such a blast at the RockPaperScissors tournament + networking mixer this past Wednesday. Mr Scotty Patey sure knows how to host a show and keep the crowd engaged from start to finish. The combination of his background in improv, acting, and stand-up makes for a night of non-stop laughs and fun! Huge thanks again to our wonderful sponsors, A Thinking Ape & eStruxture Data Centers, for helping make this event possible. We’d also like to thank the AnzaClub Vancouver, East Side Games, PayDay Productions and A Thinking Ape for donating some amazing prizes, and shout out to Juliana L for winning the door raffle grand prize which was an Oculus Go (courtesy of eStruxture Data Centers). Unfortunately, Ryan D was unable to defend his title this time around. However, we ended up with an all-female showdown in the final where Colleen A was able to edge past Andrada T and be crowned the winner.

     


    No need to fret if you missed out on this as we’re already looking to plan more events for later on in the year. This one, in particular, is quite popular so we’d love to host it every couple of months and will be looking for sponsors. Sponsorship is a great way to connect with industry professionals and promote your brand to decision makers in the creative tech sector. Please contact us (team@digibc.org) if you are interested in sponsoring the next one and we can provide you with further details. In the meantime, be sure to join our mailing list so you can stay up-to-date on the creative tech sector in BC.

     

     

     

  • 18 Jun 2019 by DigiBC

    Are you a B.C. video game studio with products or services targeting China's video game market and are you planning to attend ChinaJoy 2019? If so, you may want to connect with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service as they will be organizing a series of business activities to support participating Canadian companies. This will be taking place from July 31-August 3 in Beijing and Shanghai. The proposed program is as follows:
     

    The Canadian Gaming Seminar (Beijing) July 31:

    This is a unique opportunity to extend the reach of participating Canadian companies at ChinaJoy and connect with local companies from Beijing’s gaming cluster.

    • Morning: all Canadian companies participating in ChinaJoy featured to local Chinese companies. Chinese participants would be invited through the organization, Beijing Animation & Game Industry Alliance, a body with 100+ gaming industrial members. The venue is the China World Hotel Beijing.
    • Afternoon: site visits to two or three large Chinese gaming companies/distributors in Beijing
    • Evening: potential networking business reception/dinner

     

    ChinaJoy 2019 (Shanghai) August 1-3:

    • August 1: site visit in Shanghai to a major premium game publisher and distributor in China
    • August 2 & 3: the Consulate will host a Canadian Meeting Room at the Kerry Hotel (venue for ChinaJoy conferences)*

    *bookings (30-minute intervals) are available on a first-come-first-serve basis
     

    Participating Canadian companies can use the Canadian Meeting Room for pre-arranged B2B meetings, which could be set up either by companies themselves or by the Trade Commissioners upon request. Trade Commissioner will be onsite at the Kerry Hotel to facilitate meetings and provide support.

     

    Cost & Registration:

    Interested clients are invited to participate in the ChinaJoy and/or Beijing program. Please complete and send the >>> program registration form <<< no later than June 28, 2019 to Ms. Sandra Jiang, Trade Commissioner [sandra.jiang@international.gc.ca]


    There is no charge to participate in the program but all participating companies are responsible for their own travel and related expenses. Companies are also responsible for their own passes to enter ChinaJoy*. There are no fees to be paid directly to the TCS.

    *ChinaJoy Pass is not required to access the Canadian Meeting Room, which is located at the Business Center of the Kerry Hotel
     

    For a ChinaJoy Pass purchase, please visit the official website: http://en2019.chinajoy.net/ and access the purchase app by scanning the QR code. Passes can also be purchased onsite at the entrance.

     
     

    Questions?

    Beijing:

    Bella Qiao
    Embassy of Canada (Beijing)
    bellaxiaotong.qiao@international.gc.ca

     

    Shanghai:

    Sandra Jiang
    Consulate General of Canada (Shanghai)

    sandra.jiang@international.gc.ca


     

  • 18 Jun 2019 by DigiBC

    DigiMusic 2019 was a music competition for high school students in BC. It ran from April 2 to May 14 and gave students a small taste of what it’s like to combine creativity and technology. The challenge was to compose music for one or more short clips of video games and animated movies that have been created right here in BC. Entries were then judged by a panel comprised of digital media and music industry experts, and the goal of the competition was to help parents, teachers, and students see that there are viable careers to be had in the creative technology sector.

    DigiMusic gave students the ability to showcase their exceptional musical talents in a creative and dynamic way. Our judges were thoroughly impressed by the depth of sophistication and skill they heard in the compositions and the overall quality was simply outstanding. We have no doubt that many of these students will go on to have successful careers in the creative digital sector should they pursue it.

     


    Participants came together for the finale event on June 3, which was hosted at EA Vancouver, to celebrate the nominees and view all of the submissions. It was an exciting day where the winners were presented with professional sound mixers, provided by Roland Canada, for their school's music room and the event capped off with an exclusive tour of the Electronic Arts campus.

     

    Huge thanks to the following organizations and individuals for making this project possible:

    EA Vancouver, Creative BC, BC Government (Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture), Phoenix Labs, Blackbird Interactive, Yeti Farm Animations, BCMEA, Roland Canada, James Hursthouse,  Zoltan Virga, Brad Justason, Colin Madill, John Morgan, Adrian Talens, Shannon Mason, Caitlin Yu, and Jesse Houston
     

    See here for more info >> https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019TAC0069-001143

     

     

  • 07 Jun 2019 by DigiBC

    The BC Trade and Investment office in Los Angeles recently connected with a few investors in California who are interested in making investments in different sectors in BC. If you would like to connect with any of the investors for further discussion, please contact Alana Wagner, Director of the Trade and Investment Office (Los Angeles) as per the following:


    Alana Wagner
    Director, Pacific Southwest
    Trade & Invest British Columbia
    10250 Constellation Blvd, Suite 100c
    Los Angeles, CA 90067
    E: awagner@britishcolumbia.ca

     

    1. Investment/Doing Business in US – Expert Dojo is an accelerator in Santa Monica, California. They have just launched their second fund of US$2M. It is an international only fund and they are looking to invest US$100,000 in companies for their Fall cohort (September 1). The cohort will be 3 months in Santa Monica with sessions on doing business in the US as well as connections to VCs in Southern California. They are hoping for companies who are generating revenue. They are industry agnostic on the type of companies who apply. https://expertdojo.com/international/

    2. Investment/Strategic Partnership –Touchdown Ventures manages professional corporate venture capital programs for some of the largest companies in the world. With a team of approximately 20 investment professionals and offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, Touchdown partners with corporations to enable them to invest directly in consumer, enterprise, and healthcare businesses across all stages of venture capital. They work with about a dozen corporations and currently seek opportunities in the sectors.
       
    3. Investment/Strategic Partnership – Venture Fuel works with global brands to identify early-stage companies who may be a fit for their needs. Each quarter they send out updates for new technologies that they are looking to connect to global brands. See this link for the current ask. https://www.venturefuel.net/opportunities