Friday, February 12, 2010

PORTFOLIO ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE “IN TOON WITH TWEENS” ANIMATION CONTEST

Option & Development Deal Prizes Totaling $10,000 CDN
Awarded To Top Two Winning Entries

Toronto, Canada (February 8, 2010) – Portfolio Entertainment Inc. unveils its inaugural “In Toon With Tweens” animation contest, an initiative designed to encourage creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking by throwing the doors open to new voices within the global animation community. Portfolio Entertainment invites animators and creators with serious comedy chops to submit their original projects - television or multiplatform - for a chance at $10,000 CDN in cash as part of Option and Development Agreements. The call for submissions officially opens today, entries must be received by June 15, 2010 and winners will be notified on September 15, 2010. The contest was announced today by Portfolio Entertainment’s Co-Founders & Presidents, Lisa Olfman and Joy Rosen.

The challenge is to find original comedy submissions that are fresh, surprising and utterly new for kids 8 to 12 years old. A first prize of $7,500 CDN will be awarded as part of a two-year Option and Development Agreement and a second prize of $2,500 CDN as part of a one-year Option and Development Agreement will go to the runner up.

“Our approach at Portfolio is to break the mold with each new project we develop,” said Lisa Olfman, Co-Founder and President of the company. “What better way to nurture emerging talent and encourage established talent to be fearless, than by throwing open our doors with this animation initiative.”

Through “In Toon With Tweens,” the top 15 finalists, as selected by Portfolio Entertainment, will also gain unprecedented exposure to industry decision-makers in kids’ television and new media. The distinguished panel of Judges will be comprised of Portfolio Entertainment executives, broadcasters and prominent industry veterans who will be announced in the coming weeks.

Eligibility requirements include some professional industry experience. Complete guidelines and instructions for submission can be found online at www.portfolioentertainment.com/contest. Winning entries will be selected by the panel of Judges based on the most entertaining, innovative and bold concepts.

ABOUT PORTFOLIO ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Founded in 1991, Toronto-based Portfolio Entertainment is one of Canada’s leading independent producers and international distributors of award-winning television programs for kids, tweens, teens, and adults. Co-Founders Lisa Olfman and Joy Rosen’s commitment to creative excellence and solid domestic and international relationships have propelled their programs onto the world’s most prestigious television networks. The partners have won numerous television industry awards internationally and they consistently rank in Profit Magazine's W100 list of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs. Portfolio Entertainment’s newest series is, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That!, based on Dr. Seuss’ iconic Cat character. Portfolio Entertainment’s distribution division has an ambitious, eclectic catalogue of over 2,000 episodes of programming as well as access to some of the world’s most established broadcasters and emerging new players. Portfolio Entertainment is located on the web at www.portfolioentertainment.com.

For further information about Portfolio Entertainment, to arrange interviews or to request images please contact Davis Public Relations:

Kat Garcia Stacey Levy
kat@davispr.com stacey@davispr.com
818.986.0323 818.986.0323

For questions about “In Toon With Tweens” submission guidelines please contact:

Anna Mele
portfolio@portfolio-ent.com
416.483.9773

Thursday, February 4, 2010

WEB ExpoForum Brazil 2010



The Consulate General of Canada in São Paulo is pleased to invite Canadian companies to participate at the forth edition of WEB ExpoForum, one of the leading events on the Internet Market in Brazil, which will take place in São Paulo from March 17 to 19, 2010. This three-day event brings together key Brazilian executives that use the opportunities created by Web 2.0 in a broad array of areas: Technology, Creativity, Communication, Innovation, Education, Business and Digital Marketing.


This year 8 CASO company members will be invited to attend WEB Expo in Brazil.
The trip will include:

Economy Class Airfare from Toronto to Brazil

Ground Transportation

Accommodations for 4-5 nights

Daily per diem

*Full Mission Agenda to Follow*



All other expenses including VISA permits, will be paid by the participant companies. Each company will be required to submit a post trip report and then provide a follow-up report 3-6 months after.

Each CASO participant must provide a head shot and a 75 word company description.

VISA permit requirements:
www.consbrastoronto.org/visas_business.php

You can also visit their website:
www.webexpoforum.com.br/2010/home.asp (it is only in portuguese)

For any other inquireies please contact Shiryln: shirlyn@casont.ca

FRAMES 2010 Mumbai, India


FRAMES 2010 will take place this year in Mumbai, India, from March 16-18. Over 2000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates are expected to attend the event. Sessions will cover the entire gamut of entertainment - Films, Broadcast (TV & Radio), Digital Entertainment, Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects. Industry leaders from the international and domestic arena will address all sessions.

This year exclusively for CASO members only, FRAMES 2010 will be fully funded for 3 invited CASO companies.
Trip Includes:

Economy Class Airfare from Toronto to Mumbai

Ground Transportation

Accommodations for 4-5 nights

Daily per diem

*Full mission agenda to follow*


All other expenses including VISA permits, will be paid by the participant companies. Each company will be required to submit a post trip report and then provide a follow-up report 3-6 months after.

For more info about FICCI FRAMES 2010 please visit their website:
www.ficci-frames.com

VISA permits should be completed ASAP, and will be at the companies expense. For information about VISA permit requirements please visit:
www.india-visa.com/toronto-info.htm

All other inquiries please contact Shirlyn: shirlyn@casont.ca