Minister of State for Trade
A delegation of animation company leaders from British Columbia completed a three-day trade mission to London and Manchester this week. The mission was widely covered in the United Kingdom and international media as representatives from 10 B.C. animation companies participated in targeted forums to promote co-production activity with U.K. producers and broadcasters.
The trade mission included forums in London on Tuesday and Wednesday and Manchester on Thursday, offering the B.C. delegation an opportunity to meet with U.K. animation companies and commissioners from its television production sector, including BBC, ITV and Channel Five.
The mission was organized and supported by Creative BC, the Canadian Media Production Association, the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of British Columbia, Vancouver Economic Commission, Western Economic Diversification Canada, and the Province of British Columbia. The participating B.C. companies are Atomic Cartoons Inc., Big Bad Boo Studios, Bron Animation, DHX Media, Eh-Okay Entertainment (Kickstart), Harbour Block Production Associates, Nerd Corps Entertainment, Rainmaker Entertainment, Slap Happy Cartoons Inc., and The Sequence Group.
The Ministry of International Trade promoted the mission and the competitive advantages of British Columbia's animation sector through its European trade and investment office, based in London, and a dedicated public relations campaign.
British Columbia is a key location for film and TV production in North America and a leading hub for digital animation and visual effects. Earlier this month, Rovio Entertainment announced that its Angry Birds animated movie, due in theatres in 2016, will be created in Vancouver by Sony Pictures Imageworks. This August, Vancouver will host SIGGRAPH 2014, an annual conference for the computer graphics and animation community.
See below for a selection of links to international media coverage of the B.C. animation trade mission.
Learn More:
The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/canadian-animators-broadcasters-visit-uk-682773
Yahoo Finance: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/manchester-vancouver-plot-global-animation-131900479.html
Toonzone: http://www.toonzone.net/2014/02/canadian-animators-broadcasters-seeking-partners-tax-breaks/
C21: http://www.c21media.net/canuck-toon-outfits-explore-uk-copros/
ScreenDaily: http://www.screendaily.com/news/canadians-eye-uk-kids-co-pros/5068020.article?blocktitle=HEADLINES&contentID=40295
Television Business International (TBI): http://tbivision.com/news/2014/02/canuck-animation-delegation-seeks-uk-copro-opportunities/234722
The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4eae3a18-9b03-11e3-946b-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk
KFTV: http://www.kftv.com/news/2014/02/27/Canada-and-UK-explore-TV-and-animation-co-productions
The Knowledge: http://www.theknowledgeonline.com/the-knowledge-bulletin/post/2014/02/26/UK-encourages-Canadian-and-US-TV-and-animation-co-prods
Manchester Matters: http://www.manchestermatters.co.uk/httpwwwmanchestermatterscoukprnewswire.html?doc=201402270819PR_NEWS_EURO_ND__enUK201402271613_Public&dir=2
California Chronicle: http://www.californiachronicle.com/prnewswire/default.html?doc=201402270819PR_NEWS_EURO_ND__enUK201402271613_Public&dir=2
Animation: http://www.animationmagazine.net/events/u-k-studios-canadian-companies-explore-co-pros/
Tech City News: http://techcitynews.com/2014/02/24/osbornes-tax-credit-is-a-game-changer-for-animation-industry/#Uwr55stFDqA
OnscreenAsia.com: http://www.onscreenasia.com/prnewswire.asp?doc=201402270819PR_NEWS_EURO_ND__enUK201402271613_Public&dir=2
Global Newsweek: http://globalnewsweek.com/prnewswire/index.html?doc=201402270819PR_NEWS_EURO_ND__enUK201402271613_Public&dir=2
The Location Guide: http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2014/02/ng-filming-on-location-british-columbia-animation-companies-to-visit-uk-for-co-production-talks/
Media Contact:
Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade
778 977-0298
