Creative Export Canada investment will help seven creative Nova Scotia organizations with global initiatives.
HALIFAX, NS, July 4, 2024 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadian creative businesses and organizations enhance their visibility and increase their exports in global markets. This benefits Canada's economy and our creative professionals.
Today, Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament (Halifax) announced a $290,000 investment in seven creative Nova Scotia companies, as part of the first cohort of the Creative Export Canada program's Export Development Stream. He made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage. This support will help Canadian companies and organizations grow their business and achieve financial success abroad.
Maritime Digital Art Design specializes in interactive digital media. It focuses on 3D visualization, multimedia, immersive and interactive media. The Export Development Stream is investing $90,000 to help the company publish two virtual reality games worldwide, created by its subsidiary Paracosm Studio. Dagger Woods VR: Echoes of the Lost, its main intellectual property, immerses players in a psychological thriller inspired by true Nova Scotia events and folklore in 1922. POI: VR Dance provides players with a meditative experience through momentum and dance and is designed to be relaxing and energizing.
The company's plans include international distribution and participation in major gaming conferences to meet with key industry players. Despite being new to the export space, it aims to tap into the potential of the virtual reality market by exporting to countries such as the United States, Germany, France and China, known for strong gaming industries and enthusiastic player communities.
The Export Development Stream supports projects by Canadian businesses and organizations that are entering international markets and expanding their global networks. This includes support for creative businesses and organizations from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous communities.
This Export Development Stream is also supporting six other Nova Scotia businesses:
- Atlantic Film Festival Association
- Atlantic Presenters Association Inc.
- Brass Door Productions Inc.
- Craft Alliance
- Lunenburg Doc Fest Association
- Moonshot Rights Inc.
See the attached backgrounder for details on these projects and the Creative Export Program funding support.
Quotes
"Expanding a business on the world stage can be challenging. That's why Creative Export Canada helps companies and organizations meet the global demand for quality interactive digital media products. Maritime Digital Art Design demonstrates beautifully how Canada's creativity and rich culture can be innovative and thrive in international markets."
—The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
"By supporting homegrown talents from Nova Scotia's interactive digital media, audiovisual, performing arts and artistic crafts sectors, we are showcasing some of our region's best creative businesses in the international market. All these export development projects are important to Nova Scotia's economic success and the province's creative industries."
— Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament (Halifax)
"We have more than a decade of experience in creating architectural visualization, design and immersive training simulations for the aerospace and defense industries across Canada. In 2021, we expanded our services to the gaming industry. We now have two games ready for global release. With the support of Creative Export Canada, our games are available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese on Meta, PC-VR and PS-VR platforms. This funding has allowed us to participate in Meta - US, Gamescom - Germany and Game Developers Conference - US. These events have provided us with the opportunity to showcase our work, network and build relationships with key industry players. As a result, we have seen significant financial and technological benefits, allowing us to establish our position as pioneers in the international VR gaming industry."
— Sadegh Mahjoob, Managing Director/Senior Multimedia Specialist, Maritime Digital Art Design
Quick Facts
As part of the renewal of the Creative Export Strategy in April 2023, the Creative Export Canada program received $33 million over three years, from 2023 to 2026. The Export-Ready Stream invests $7 million per year in export-ready projects that generate export revenues and help Canadian creative industries reach more people around the world. The new Export Development Stream invests $4 million per year in new and early-stage exporters entering international markets and experienced exporters expanding their global networks.
Since its launch in 2018, Creative Export Canada has invested $51.7 million in 117 export-ready projects under the Export-Ready Stream and $5.95 million in 80 projects under the Export Development Stream.
Associated Links
Doing business with Indigenous creative industries in Canada
Helping Canada's creative industries succeed in global markets
Backgrounder: Canadian creativity from Nova Scotia expands into new international markets – List of funding recipients
The Canadian Heritage Creative Export Canada program's new Export Development Stream is investing $290,000 to support to seven creative Nova Scotia businesses and organizations in its inaugural cohort.
Below are details on the recipients' funding and project descriptions. Some projects are also receiving funding over a two fiscal-year period to finalize their project activities in order to export Canadian creative content.
List of supported projects from Nova Scotia
Location
|
Recipient |
Project description |
Funding support |
Halifax |
Atlantic Film |
The Atlantic Film Festival Association is receiving funding in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years to support a two-year Atlantic International Film Festival Partners spotlight on New Zealand and to develop the coming two-year spotlight on the Nordic region. This initiative, which is held during the Atlantic International Film Festival, is an annual co-production/financing market which facilitates partnerships and funding for feature films, television and digital fiction projects. Over three days, roundtables, panels and networking events bring together international and Canadian delegates to secure essential partnerships and funding. The 2022 edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival directly benefited 36 film/television/digital fiction projects, projecting an estimated contribution of more than $190 million to the Canadian economy. |
$70,000 ($63,000 in 2023-2024 and $7,000 in 2024-2025) |
Halifax |
Atlantic |
The Atlantic Presenters Association Inc. received funding to support an international delegation and pitch session at the 2023 edition of Contact East, held in Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization invited international presenters and networks from the U.K. and U.S. to attend Contact East to see Canadian artists perform. Over four days, performances, showcases, pitch sessions and networking opportunities connected regional arts presenters with counterparts from across Canada and internationally. Twenty-three artists were showcased in live performances and eight others provided pitch sessions where they presented videos and spoke about their work. The variety of disciplines that they represented include music, dance, theatre and circus. The target markets are England, Scotland, and the U.S. |
$20,000 (2023-2024) |
Halifax |
Brass Door Productions Inc. |
Brass Door Productions Inc. received funding to promote its slate of five feature films to prospective production partners and buyers in the international marketplace. The company attended major film festivals and global content markets to develop professional relationships, discover new business opportunities and meet with top decision makers. In addition to supporting travel to these festivals, Creative Export Canada funding supported costs related to market research, product preparation for sale to international markets, and networking activities. The target markets for this project are the U.S. the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and China. |
$26,000 (2023-2024) |
Halifax |
Craft Alliance/ Alliance Métiers d'art |
Craft Alliance/Alliance métiers d'art received funding in 2023-24 to support the promotion of 19 Atlantic Canadian fine craft artists at Collect, an international fair dedicated to contemporary craft and design, in London, England. At Collect, more than 40 specialist galleries, dealers and collectives from around the world display work made in the last five years by more than 400 living artists and designers. Featured artists must be represented by a gallery or organization to be able to show at the exhibition. Collectors, art consultants, interior designers, curators and others will be able to purchase directly at the show. The target market for this project is the U.K. However, as it is an international event, the Craft Alliance connected with galleries, collectors and museums from across Europe and Asia. |
$32,000 (2023-2024) |
Lunenburg |
Lunenburg Doc Fest Association |
Lunenburg Doc Fest Association received funding in 2023-24 to support the Dock Market as part of its tenth edition of the Lunenburg Doc Fest. This non-fiction film market runs parallel to the festival with the purpose of connecting filmmakers with national and international buyers, broadcasters, streamers, funders and co-production partners. Events include workshops, panels, roundtables, masterclasses and networking events to facilitate sales and funding for future film projects. For this project, the target markets are France, the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Germany, Qatar, Italy and Scandinavia. |
$15,000 (2023-2024) |
Halifax |
Maritime Digital Art Design ltd (MDAD) |
Maritime Digital Art Design ltd received funding in 2023-2024 to publish two virtual reality games worldwide, created by its subsidiary Paracosm Studio, globally. Its main intellectual property, Dagger Woods VR: Echoes of the Lost, immerses players in a psychological thriller inspired by true Nova Scotia events and folklore in 1922. In addition, the studio offers another distinctive game, POI: VR Dance, which provides players with a meditative experience through momentum and dance, designed to be both relaxing and energizing. MDAD's plans include international distribution and participation in major gaming conferences to meet with key industry players. Despite having a limited export experience, the company aims to tap into the potential of the virtual reality market by exporting to countries with strong gaming industries and enthusiastic player communities such as the U.S., Germany, France, China and Brazil. |
$90,000 (2023) |
Halifax |
Moonshot Rights Inc. |
Moonshot Rights Inc. is receiving funding in 2023-24 and 2024-25 to support the export of two market-ready animated children's television series, Unboxables and Thickety Thicket, to major networks and distributors. This project focuses on the U. S. as its primary market, with the U.K., France and Germany being the next target markets. The company will also pursue the export of these series to secondary markets (China, Japan and Australia). |
$35,000 ($15,000 in 2023-2024 and $20,000 in 2024-2025) |
Total funding for Nova Scotia projects |
$288,000 |
||
Associated Link
News release: Canadian creativity from Nova Scotia expands into new international markets
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Ariane Joazard-Bélizaire, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, [email protected]; or Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 1-819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]
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