Centennial College launches innovation centre for booming children's
entertainment sector

TORONTO, May 18 /CNW/ - Toronto could soon be the newest and most important hub for children's entertainment production in the world. Centennial College is launching its Centre for Children's Entertainment and Media in support of the growing, multi-billion-dollar children's entertainment industry.

Designed to respond to the changing buyers' market, the new centre will be academic-based, cross-platform and industry-driven, with an emphasis on research and innovation. Industry players will have a new resource for creating content, finding new applications for existing content, and working with teams of students who will be the next leaders in children's media.

"Toronto is ideally situated to be a global leader in this area, and our new centre will play a pivotal role. We will lead an industry mindset shift towards research and development," says Nate Horowitz, Dean of the Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College.

The new centre will work with industry and students to research content and market possibilities. Technical and creative researchers will work together to develop the next generation of multi-platform content for television, film, animation and game design, as well as publishing, online media and beyond.

"The children's industry in Canada has relatively few organizations, and those organizations are focused on markets and awards, not academic research," Horowitz says. "It is this research that the children's entertainment industry is lacking."

The Centre will provide opportunities to explore media literacy and diversity in children's entertainment, as well as research into youth branding markets. The college plans to sponsor student special projects that could lead to innovative products and services, in addition to granting awards, scholarships and seals of approval for industry research.

Centennial established its unique Children's Entertainment: Writing, Production and Management program last year, a one-year post-graduate program that teaches students how to develop children's media content. The project-based curriculum is complemented by an eight-week field placement with some of Canada's best-known children's entertainment companies.

For further information: Media contact: Nate Horowitz, Dean, The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College, [phone], [email protected]